I had the worst crush on Mikey Pierce's dad. As excited as I was to graduate high school and go away to college, what I looked forward to more was returning home a grown man who might fit in with the guys Mr. Pierce invited over for poker at his place. Whenever I spent the night at Mikey's, I always wanted to join in their game.<br><br>The week before leaving for college, I stayed at Mikey's one last time. While Mr. Pierce and his buddies gambled, Mikey and I stole a couple of beers and watched movies upstairs. By the time it was my turn to sneak downstairs to get more drinks, the card game was over and I thought all the visitors had left.<br><br>But Mr. Pierce was in the dining room. He wasn't alone. The man in there with him owed Mr. Pierce a couple hundred bucks from playing cards, and I had a ring-side seat as he paid up.

My Best Friend's Dad

Pierce snapped, “Am I talking to you?”


Mr. Pierce stood back. “Then fucking act like


whined, “He was trying to show me his dick.”


“You should’ve looked,” Mr. Pierce said,


surprising us both. He looked at me and for a brief moment our eyes


met. In that instant I could’ve sworn I saw the hint of a smile toy


around the edges of that stern mouth. “You might’ve liked it.”


disappeared down the hall. I snickered into my hand as beside me,


Mikey was like a brother to me—annoying as


hell sometimes, but I knew I’d never know another as well as I knew


him. There was too much between us, too much time, too much


friendship, too much shared experience I was going to miss when I


went away to school. Part of our bickering stemmed from the


knowledge that the time we had remaining was short and neither of


Chapter 8