Under the Bridge by R. Cooper Read Free Book Online Page B

and watching him. “I won’t be invisible.”
    “Your lip is bleeding.” Nick had the same
warm, boozy breath but long, long eyelashes. He was wearing the old
leather jacket he always wore, probably his dad’s, kind of like an
aviator’s jacket from the 60’s or 40’s and if he brushed his hair
to the side he’d look like a hero from old serial footage from
history class. Chris realized he was staring, but at least Nick
probably wouldn’t kick his ass for it.
    “I know,” he responded after an embarrassing
pause and glanced around them at the same empty street. “What are
you doing out here?”
    He didn’t ask why Nick didn’t want to go
home, he wasn’t that stupid, but no way was he going to pry. Not
with Nicky speaking to him for the first time in years.
    “Dumb question for the Valedictorian.” Nick
turned away and Chris clenched his hands in frustration before he
realized that Nick wanted to be followed. He was heading off the
street, down toward the bridge, but he paused and twisted back
around enough for Chris to glimpse his raised eyebrow. “And the
head of Amnesty International and the Gay-Straight Alliance and
champion mathlete….”
    Chris nearly tripped over his feet and he
wasn’t even moving. “You… noticed me?” He cringed to hear himself
and then scowled sharply before Nick could turn around again. “You
could have talked to me. You ignored me for almost five years.”
    Nick exhaled loudly. It kind of sounded like
he said “Yeah” but he shook his head. “I’m not one for talking.” He
looked like he wanted the bottle back.
    “Unless you’re drunk I guess.” Chris raised
his voice. He was as stupid buzzed as he was sober apparently. Nick
turned all the way around to face him again.
    “Drunk?” He pulled at his jacket. He didn’t
seem like he was ready to beat anyone up, though Chris knew he was
capable and could see him shaking. “This isn’t drunk. Can you still
feel? Then you aren’t drunk.”
    Nick’s eyes widened like he hadn’t meant to
say that, then he quickly turned and started to walk away.
    Chris crossed his arms and saw goose bumps on
his bare skin though he didn’t feel cold. “I didn’t realize that
was the criteria!”
    “Criteria!” Nicky yelled back over his
shoulder, moving surely through the high grass. “That’s a good
word, Captain. The student body approves. Good luck in college, all
right?”
    He would have disappeared into the night if
he hadn’t flicked open a lighter to light a cigarette.
    “You’re a dick, you know that?” Chris shouted
after him and saw a light come on in a nearby home. He looked down.
He was still holding Nick’s whiskey.
    His lip stung as he took another drink and
then licked at the cut, but it didn’t stop him from following after
Nick, heading blindly toward the bridge as Nick vanished from
sight.
    The grass was tall and the dry bed of the
creek was low. Chris fell and got back up and hurt his knees and
scraped his hand and spilled some whiskey in the space of a minute.
He was pissed by the time he ducked down to get under the bridge
and saw the dim light of a camping lantern. He was not in the mood
to look around, even if Nick had fucked more than his share of
girls here.
    It looked cold and dark and lonely with that
little light, not the kind of place to bring anyone. Nick was
sitting on an old garden bench he must have dragged here from
somewhere. There was a backpack next to him, open and filled with
snack bars.
    Chris stopped dead. He didn’t have to bow his
head to fit in the small space. Nick probably did when standing,
but now he was frozen on the bench, his cigarette glowing as it
dangled between his lips. His eyes were wide.
    “Chris.” He looked like he hadn’t expected
Chris to show up and got to his feet only to sit right back down.
Then he coughed as he threw his cigarette to the ground to crush it
out. “Cozy right? Just like your mom’s place.”
    “I always imagined there’d be a