Summer's End: Ch. 2

Chapter 2

As soon as we reached the Klein’s house I knew we were in for trouble.

First, they had all of the contents of their garage spread across the front lawn. And not just lawnmowers and old paint cans from 1975. There were trophies from bowling leagues (the kinds with gold figures of bowlers glued to the top) jutting out of brown boxes. Framed posters of Charlie’s Angels and unicorns (probably left behind by the Klein’s kids- Tam and Clyde) were leaning up against tree trunks. It was all useless, but I’m sure it had meaning to Bertha and Stevie.

And, of course, it had meaning to Scotty. He LOVES other people’s junk. He lives by the motto, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure... and that other man is ME!” I spotted him out of the corner of my eye, bottom in the air, leaning over an old box of comic books.

The other problem was INSIDE the garage. Bobby and Tim were here. To make a very, VERY long story short: Bobby and Tim do not like Scotty and I. And we don’t like those clowns either. They’re always teasing Scotty about having a girl for a best friend. They make kissy faces when we walk into the cafeteria during school and call out things like, “Hey Scotty Boy, shouldn’t you be wearing a pink shirt? I bet you’d like that better wouldn’t you?” when they have their baseball league on Saturdays. The last thing I wanted was for them to start bothering Scotty today. Especially on a day when what I had to say was even more hurtful than their words.

“Hey Ger, come check this out! I found a reallll treasure in here!” Scotty shouted from the bottom of the box.

As I walked over, I admired my best friend for his ability to see the beauty in, well, everything.

“These comics must be real old. Like, from the 80s! Look: Archie, Peanuts, they’re all here! Imagine 

“Uh, Scotty? You don’t have a comic book collection,” I reminded him.

“Well, right now I have more of a magazine collection. You know, my car magazines and that one Uncle Pete gave me about traveling in Mississippi. Now I’ll have a whole library to choose from! So awesome,” he gleamed.  

“Yea, right, a whole libr...”

Before I could finish my sentence, Tim’s voice rang out over the yard.

“Here to help, lovebirds? Or just shop around for your future love nest?”

“Aw, Tim, leave us alone,” Scotty brushed off as he turned back to his newly prized possessions.

“What the matter, sweetie pie,” Bobby butted in, “afraid we may hurt your girlfriend’s feelings?”

“Guys,” I pleaded, “just go finish whatever it was you were doing before we got here. We’re not in the mood for your idiotic comments today.”

“Oooo, seems like you need your girl to stick up for you, Scotty Boy,” taunted Tim. “Whose gonna fight your battles when she and her family move to Jackson, huh?”

It was at that moment that Tim Reilly, the most insignificant person in my life, shared the most significant secret I had ever kept.