“What did you hear?” I had the same exchange with my brother every time he heard me curse
“Fuck.” I got a kick out of hearing him say the words too, and how he’d laugh after. I’d taught him most of them, when I was much younger and way more immature. Even grown, I was still an imperfect role model.
“That’s what I said, then,” I told him, hoping he hadn’t been there to know in what context.
“Get lost, Devon.”
“Hey!” I didn’t like that and made it known. “What’s up, bro?” I asked. Truthfully, I welcomed the distraction. I wasn’t sure I wanted to fuck Cal, or vice versa, which was how I imagined it would go—him on top, me the bottom.
“You’re leaving,” Devon said sadly.
“Where am I going?”
“To the Olympics.”
I smiled. “Not for a long time.”
“College, then.”
“In the fall. Not tonight. Not tomorrow.”
“Oh. What about Mathias?” Devon asked again.
“I…” I didn’t know how to answer him still. “He’s, like…going to college the year after, I guess.”