Last Stop This Town by David Steinberg Read Free Book Online Page B

hundred IQ points smarter than Chuck and just replied, “Hmm. Nope. Not understanding. You know, you really need to enunciate.”
    Frustrated, Chuck finally just tipped over Noah’s can of Sierra Mist, laughed, and yelled, “Homo!”
    Noah righted his can and threw a napkin onto the spill. “Well played,” he said sarcastically.
    Chuck received a high-five from his buddies for a job well done and headed out.
    Noah turned to Dylan and without any further debate, said merely, “All right. I’m in.”
    Dylan smiled.

 
    CHAPTER EIGHT
    T HE NEXT FOUR days went by slowly. It was finals after all, and even though they were all into great colleges, they still had to pass. Add to that the usual end-of-year assemblies, extra-curricular activity wrap-ups, and locker cleaning, and it made for a long week. But Friday was Senior Skip Day and only the biggest tools in school showed up when the administration practically endorsed this one day of truancy. Most of the seniors would be heading down to Misquamicut for a rowdy party to end all parties at Marco’s parents’ house. The place was actually pretty sweet—a multi-million-dollar Cape Cod-style beach house with ninety feet of ocean-front sand. But Dylan and the guys had other plans.
    Dylan had already picked up Pike and Walker by eleven a.m. and they took their long-ago-assigned seats in the back of the Cube. Dylan pulled into Noah’s driveway and honked. Noah came out in no time and in addition to a duffel bag with a change of clothes, he was carrying his book bag.
    “What’s in the bag?” Walker asked as Noah opened the passenger door.
    “Snacks.” Noah pulled out a bag of Fritos and tossed it to Pike.
    “Su-weet!” Pike chirped, and Noah smiled.
    “And Dylan’s yearbook,” Noah added.
    Dylan chided him, “Dude, you’re not going to have time to sit around signing my yearbook.”
    “Well, just in case,” Noah replied as he closed the door.
    Now that Noah was in place riding shotgun, the car felt whole. Dylan looked at his three friends and knew this weekend was going to be special. They all knew they were about to have fun, maybe even have the adventure of a lifetime. But Dylan alone had the prescience to appreciate that he was making a moment right now . And that for the rest of his life he would only be able to look back on this moment as a fond memory. He alone knew this was the end of an era, the last time the guys would be together in this way.
    “Songs will be sung of our exploits here today,” Pike boomed.
    Noah put on his sunglasses. “All right. Let’s do this.”
    “There you go,” Dylan encouraged. “Now once more with feeling.”
    “New York City!” Noah screamed, with feeling.
    “New York City!!!” Walker echoed.
    “NEW YORK CITY!!!” the four of them screamed at the top of their lungs.
    Dylan pulled out onto the street and the memory officially began.

    As they cruised south down I-91 to Green Day’s “21 Guns,” Pike was smoking weed in the back seat, Walker had his window rolled down to avoid the smoke, Noah was reading through Dylan’s yearbook, and Dylan was pontificating.
    “I’m just saying,” Dylan began, “the whole boyfriend-girlfriend thing is just so old-fashioned. As long as there’s a steady stream of beautiful girls willing to engage in no-strings sex, what’s the point of pinning Sally Merriweather with your pledge pin?”
    “Who the fuck is Sally Merriweather?” Pike interjected from the back seat. Everyone ignored him.
    “Not everyone is made like you, Dylan,” Noah countered. “Some guys actually like getting to know a girl. Having a relationship.”
    “Licking the kitty,” Dylan jabbed.
    The guys laughed and even Noah couldn’t help but smile. Then Noah saw something noteworthy in Dylan’s yearbook. “Check this out. Libby Hoechner wrote, ‘Keep in touch.’ That’s it, just ‘keep in touch.’” Noah acted as if he was personally offended by her lack of imagination.
    Walker joined in,