The Maple Effect Read online

  It had always been a lot easier to fall for someone when you knew they weren’t going to fall for you back. He couldn’t admit just how scared he was by this whole situation.

  So, he stared at Aaron, wondering if Angie had been right and he did have a crush too. Wondering how far he would go to get what he wanted. He certainly looked like his heart was set on it in this light. Scarlet sunset turning deep violet; fading farther behind the mountain much like June’s defenses.

  “One date?” June said more to himself than the hopeful boy sitting across from him.

  “One date,” Aaron assured.

  He was going to regret it, but there was no way he could keep saying no to that face. He figured…he probably owed it to Aaron anyway. For being such a jerk.

  “Fine.”

  “What the hell is wrong with you? Don’t you know what time it is?” Arco’s tired, grumpy voice finally picked up the other end of the phone, and Aaron breathed a sigh of relief.

  The moment Aaron had woken up this morning, he’d hurried through the cabin getting ready, so he could sneak out before June noticed something going on. And the moment his phone beeped to life in the passenger seat next to him, he’d flipped it open and dialed his cousin. Once again, it took several calls to get him to answer.

  “It’s nine thirty.” Aaron tucked his phone into the crook of his neck and held it against his shoulder with his cheek. The road was full of tight curves, so he needed both his hands. “Don’t you have to be up anyway?”

  Arco groaned. “It’s Sunday. The one day I don’t have to get up to do anything! Now, what do you want?”

  Somewhere in the background, Aaron heard an angry roommate telling his cousin to shut up. Normally, that would have made him feel bad, but given the situation, he couldn’t find it in him.

  “I need advice,” Aaron pleaded. “I need date ideas.”

  “Date ideas?” his cousin repeated, followed by the shuffling, squeaking sound of him sitting up in bed. “Who are you taking on a date?”

  “Uh…” he stalled, remembering the last conversation they’d had and how he’d given Arco all kinds of reasons not to like June. Not to mention the fact that June was a male, and while Arco was one of the most accepting people he knew, it still might come as a shock to find out over the phone your cousin was gay. Or bi. Or…whatever. Didn’t matter.

  “Aaron…”

  “It’s just…the guy with me at the house. Remember?” Had he not been focusing on the road ahead of him, Aaron might have squeezed his eyes shut and held his breath in anticipation. “June.”

  “What about him?” Arco said flatly.

  “I’m going on a date with him.”

  Silence (aside from the angry roommate still bitching in the background and the sound of his engine). Aaron was about to say something to explain.

  “Brynn, enough!” Arco barked away from the phone and then turned his attention back to it. “You like this guy?” he asked.

  “I think so.” Aaron readjusted the phone, so he could hear better. “I’m kind of all over the place right now.” It was true. He was flying by the seat of his pants lately. Making decisions based on feelings alone. Being rash. It was very unlike him.

  Asking June on a date was also very unlike him. But the teen had said yes, and now he had no choice but to follow through with it. Aaron wanted the date to go well. Wanted to do something cool or special. Something worthy of taking more photos on that little disposable camera. He turned to his cousin for advice because A) who else would he go to? And B) the guy was a first-class Casanova. He’d had brilliant date ideas all through their high school years.

  “Okay…” Arco mused. “So, you’re bi?”

  “I don’t know.” Aaron huffed. “Not the point. I need date ideas.”

  “It’s alright if your bi, dude. Or gay. You know I’m cool with that right? It doesn’t make any difference to me.”

  “Yes, my loving and accepting older cousin, I know,” heavy sarcasm. “But I’m telling you, I don’t know how I feel yet, which is exactly why I’m going to take June on a date. I’m testing it.”

  “Don’t you think watching gay porn would be a lot easier?”

  “Date ideas, Arco!” Aaron insisted. “Ideas! Right now! GO!”

  “Alright, alright. Damn.” His cousin sounded much more awake now, although not completely convinced. Aaron took his car around one final hill and came out at the bottom of the mountain with relief. He could hold the phone in his hand now that the road was fairly straight. The town he’d grown used to driving to peeked at him in the distance.

  “Why don’t you…I don’t know. Go buy a whole bunch of water balloons, fill them up and take him to a park or something? Have a water balloon fight. Wet T-shirts always make for fun dates, right?”

  “He’s a guy, Arco! He’d just take his shirt off to begin with!” Although, Aaron had to admit that wouldn’t be a terrible idea anyway. June liked to rough-house. He would probably think a water balloon fight was fun.

  “Why do you want to go out with him again?” Arco asked. “Weren’t you just fighting with him a few days ago?”

  “Yeah, but we patched things up.” Aaron flipped his blinker on and sped around a car in the slow lane. He wasn’t going to explain the two of them had already kissed. That was a face-to-face conversation for a later time.

  The voice of Arco’s roommate sounded again, but Aaron couldn’t make out the words.

  “Yeah… Yeah… Okay. No, that’s true. Interesting.” Arco no longer talked to him. Aaron considered hanging up so that he could call back and disrupt them. Didn't he realize this was important?

  “Brynn wants to know if June is a pitcher or a catcher?” Arco finally said.

  Aaron almost swerved right off the road.

  “I-I don’t know!”

  “He doesn’t know,” Arco repeated. “Hmm…uhhuh. Weird. Okay, Aaron?”

  “Yeah?” he muttered, not pleased with the turn this conversation had taken. He’d only wanted Arco’s help. Not his whiney roommate’s.

  “We don’t know how to help you.”

  Great.

  Aaron wound up at one of the tiny libraries downtown, tapping his fingers on an old teacher’s desk and waiting for the ancient computer to come alive.

  He wasn’t sure if Arco was just tired or had absolutely no idea how to plan a date between two boys, but he’d been completely useless. A resource Aaron never thought would let him down had done just that. And now he had to start over from scratch.

  He opened a Google tab and searched for something that would have better suited a high school freshman than a nineteen-year-old. Looked over his shoulder from time to time to make sure no one encroached on his space.

  Movies, ice skating, coffee, or dinner. All the typical suggestions he expected popped up within the first few links. They were things he might be okay taking a girl out to do, but couldn’t see himself doing with June. They were past the point of standard formalities, so a sit-down style date would only end up boring or awkward. Besides, they had plenty of time to talk at the cabin whenever they wanted. And it would come more naturally that way.

  Aaron needed something more active. Something that would distract them both from the stress of being on a date. He needed a date that didn’t feel like a date.

  He searched for hiking trails and different activities around the lake, knowing June liked to be outside more often than not. It would also be a good option to have plenty of available space between them. No pressure or forced eye-contact that way. Something like renting jet skis would entice the competitive part of June, which Aaron liked, but might also lead to needless arguments. Not to mention, it was pricey. Aaron had no problem spending money on June— he had plenty of savings—but it might come across as desperate or arrogant.

  Another big issue Aaron ran into was he didn’t know what June had already done here before. So even something active and distracting might also be boring. Aaron didn't want boring. He wanted exciting
and creative.

  With a heavy sigh, he slumped back into his chair and stared at the old, peeling paint on the wall beyond the desktop. This wouldn’t be such a big deal if they were in Portland right now. Simply walking the downtown district was good enough to be considered a date. Not to mention things like comedy clubs and ferry rides and trendy little shops. Hell, with the coast just a hop-skip away they could even go whale watching.

  Although… Maybe Aaron was thinking about it all wrong. Maybe it didn't matter where they went, considering how turned off by the idea of a date June had been in the first place. Maybe this whole thing was a lost cause. June might already have his heart set on a shitty time no matter what they did.

  Defeated, Aaron clicked out of his windows. He might as well check his email while he had the chance. There was a possibility his boss had tried to reach him this way since his cell service on the mountain was garbage.

  He scanned through his inbox, again and again, deleting things and then going back to double check just in case. His father had sent him an unexpected, rather long and heartfelt email about how he was sorry over the things that had gone wrong in Aaron’s life lately (Arco must have told them about the radio station situation). He even went so far as to tell him he should have paid more attention to him as a child and…Aaron didn’t even know what to say to that. It was sent over two weeks ago, and maybe at the time, he would have needed to hear those words, but now it just felt strange. He moved it into a separate folder and vowed to acknowledge it later when he wasn’t going through a major sexuality adjustment.

  The last thing Aaron did was sign into his Myspace account, scrolling and clicking and deleting useless message from people he hadn’t talked to in years. He lurked around a handful of their profiles, searching the faces of old high school friends and enemies and wondering if they were happy right now. For the first time in his life, he felt completely disconnected. Felt years older than he was back then. So much so he almost deleted his account just for the hell of it.

  All in all, it was a loud and clear reminder of how little substance his old life had. A life of mundane activities and superficial people. Of the ever-present need to impress and satisfy. It was funny actually; realizing how easily he had believed he was happy then. How blind he’d been.

  Aaron felt like he didn’t even know that version of himself now. The one he’d traded for brilliant, California sunshine and a boy named June Crow. A boy who undeniably drove him crazy, but also filled him to the brim with light and energy. A boy he was bound and determined to kiss at least once more before summer was over. Good date or not.

  For the first time since Aaron had gotten to Bass Lake, California, he wasn’t sick over the idea his last check might be sitting in his mailbox waiting for him. He realized the worst thing that could have happened to him might have been a blessing in disguise.

  He was content, to say the least.

  Just as Aaron was about to log off and shut down, he stumbled into an advertisement along the top of the page. A black box with scratchy, orange lettering that read,

  VANS WARPED TOUR JULY 7TH VENTURA, CA TICKET SALES NOW

  He knew better than to click on random advertisements, but excitement got the best of him. The Vans Warped Tour was quite possibly the most coveted summer event for teenagers across the country. It brought together tons of alternative bands. Brought people out of their homes for killer music and mosh pits and raging crowds. If that wasn’t the very definition of a good date, then Aaron didn’t know what was.

  Excitement burned in him from head to toe as he navigated the official Warped Tour website and found the venue and date he looked for. It was a bit of a drive down to Ventura, but it would be worth it. The line-up was awesome even though it was one of their smaller shows and if nothing else, Aaron was positive June would like it.

  Aaron purchased the tickets online, waited impatiently for them to show up in his email so the librarian could print them out, and drove back up the mountain with the wind in his face, feeling valiant. Alive. And worthy of taking out a guy like June.

  June took advantage of Aaron’s absence and spent the day working with Angie in the shop, scooping ice cream during the busiest hours and pinning up Fourth of July decorations when slow. Mrs. Delgado liked to be festive even though she wasn’t originally from the States, and Angie never turned down a reason to party.

  “I can’t believe Aaron cornered you with a game of hangman,” she said, adjusting the huge, messy bun atop her head. Tugging this way and that on a purple scrunchie until it looked alright. “He’s more charming than I thought.”

  It had taken June forty-five minutes to get the entire story out to Angie, and even he had to admit he’d sounded like some prissy lovesick girl. Every time he tried to find the right word for his gross feelings, he wound up groaning or cussing or pulling his hair out. And worst of all, Charlie had listened intently behind the register.

  “I don’t know if charming is the right word,” June, wobbling on the old broken stool, yelled back toward his friend. His head was directly next to one of the radio speakers sitting on a shelf, and the song Mambo No. 5 blared in his ear.

  “Adorable then.” Angie shimmied over to him, hips popping to the music. She planted her hands on the edges of the stool and pushed her weight down to one side so he wouldn’t accidentally topple over.

  “He does seem like the faithful labrador type,” Charlie, who had been quiet up until now, spoke up. “God knows why he likes you.”

  June wasn’t sure if the kid meant that as a joke or a blatant insult, but he didn’t care. Annoyance festered in the pit of his stomach.

  “Hey, Charlie, how’s your big bro doing?” he spat, shooting his best glare at the gangly teen. In his opinion, Charlie still owed him for not jumping into that fight. It was his asshole brother who’d come and ruined everything. Some responsibility would be nice.

  “June, stop.” Angie tipped the stool slightly.

  “Fuck!” He jolted forward, grappling with the top of the windowsill for balance. The red, white, and blue streamer he’d been struggling to tape fluttered to the floor. “Don’t do that!”

  “Then be nice.” Angie left him balancing against the wall to pick up the decoration and handed it back. “Curls didn’t cause that fight.” She pressed her weight back down to steady the stool.

  “Sure as hell didn’t do anything to stop it either.” June stretched up on his toes and slapped the taped end of the streamer to the wall hard. It was crooked and lower than the streamers on the other side of the room. He didn’t care.

  “Give me a break. I’ve been in more fights with my brother than you can imagine.” Charlie stepped over to them. Shoulders slumped forward. He muttered, “Just because you got your ass kic—”

  “I’m gonna kick your ass if you finish that sentence.” June turned and jumped off the stool, landing squarely in front of the boy. He was about three inches shorter than Charlie but probably weighed the same if not a little more. He could take him.

  “Alright! Alright! Knock it off!” Angie elbowed June away and then snapped her fingers directly in his face to get his attention. “Listen to me! You too!” She pointed a nail at Charlie. “Both of you need to figure out how to get along. Okay? Do you even know what you’re fighting over?”

  June opened his mouth to argue but was pinched hard.

  “Don’t answer that.” She shushed him. “The answer is no.”

  Charlie had the audacity to look like a kicked puppy. Folded his lanky arms over his skinny chest and set his mouth in a deep frown. June curled his lip in distaste as Angie went on.

  “Look, you’re both dealing with a lot right now. June…Charlie’s got a ton of pressure from his deadbeat dad, and we’re the only people he even knows here. And Charlie,” she curled her hand around his knobby elbow and gave him a little shake. Her voice fell. “You have no idea what June is going through—”

  “I’m not going through anything!” he snapped, temper flaring
. “Angie!”

  She turned back to June and grabbed him by the shoulders with both her hands. Looked him deep in the eyes and waited. Waited until June saw past her words and into the turmoil just beyond them. He knew she wasn’t trying to break her promise, but it stung just the same; like falling in a nettle bush.

  “You’re not supposed to tell people,” he whispered, and she leaned up on her toes to wrap her arms around his neck. Hugged him tight because no matter how angry he was, she knew that it would destroy his defenses.

  “I’m not telling.” She rubbed her hand up and down his shoulder blade before letting go. “Just be nice, okay? Or do you want to spend your whole summer fighting over nothing?”

  He sighed. Blue eyes flickering up to meet Charlie’s confused gaze. He no longer looked angry, but definitely confused. As much as June could spend his entire summer fighting, Angie had a point. There wasn’t a whole lot of purpose in it.

  Very seldom were there situations in June’s life where he felt obligated to bridge the gap between people. But if Angie wanted to be this dumb bean pole’s friend, then he would have to make some kind of effort. A real effort, regardless of what his brother had done to his ribs and face.

  June stuck his hand out toward Charlie with a grunt. “Truce. Or…whatever.” That was about as good of an apology as he was going to get.

  “Truce,” Charlie agreed and shook his hand.

  Luckily for them, they didn’t have much choice but to move on from the quarrel because a flood of customers came off a houseboat and into the shop.

  By four that afternoon, Aaron showed up at the shop, absolutely beaming. Honey golden hair windblown and delicate, peachy skin just a little on the sunburnt side. He wore the new pair of sunglasses he’d bought, along with an outfit June had never seen before. Grey shorts with very slender darker stripes running vertically down them, and a blue tank top with a pocket covered in Hawaiian flowers.