stopped on Devon. She looked back at the fire, hoping he would move on. “Seems like a pretty crappy showing for the Man of the Hour.”
Greta tried to coax Matt into the group.
“We were all just writing letters to Hutch about the things we wished we could have told him. So he knows how much he’s missed, you know, in spirit.”
Taylor and Allison traded looks. Presley stared at the fire. Devon held her breath.
Matt took a swig from a leather-encased flask. “Oh right, in spirit. I get it.” He laughed a little and then poured the rest of his flask into the fire. “Here ya go, buddy. Drink up.”
“Matt? Is there anything you want to tell Hutch?” Allison asked.
“I dunno,” Matt began. “I want to know what Devon has to tell Hutch.”
All eyes flashed over the fire to Devon.
She swallowed hard. “I’d rather write it down, if that’s okay,” she said.
“Nah, come on. We’d love to know. What would you tell Hutch if you could? Something you’ve always wanted to say.…” Matt’s smile curled up on one edge, twisting his charm into a devilish grin. “Come on, Devon. We’re just here to talk, aren’t we?” Devon’s eyes flicked back to Presley for help, but Presley seemed to be waiting for an answer, too.
Great. This is how Matt gets to humiliate me.
“Okay, that’s cool. Something I want to tell Hutch.” That I know about his secret lovechild? His illicit PharmClub? That I can’t see a Nutter Butter without thinking of him? “It’s like Presley said. Hutch always looked out for everyone. I feel like we kind of dropped the ball on being there for him. So, I guess I would tell him that I’ve got his back. Better late than never.”
Devon flashed to that first day of school this year when they spoke across the parking lot. She wished she could rewind to that moment and this time she’d press Play and tell him that she’d love to have pancakes with him; that those damn pancakes freshman year were always in the back of her mind. She’d tell him that what they felt that night in the kitchen wasn’t just because of the moment; it was the moment and it was real, they could be real together.
Better late than never.
Devon closed her eyes and pulled her tears back into hiding. She saw Allison wipe her cheek again. Matt’s grin faded across the fire.
Next to Presley, Pete pulled his sweatshirt over his head and dropped it into the can.
“Pete!” Presley squealed and backed away. The sweatshirt caught on fire in a mushroom cloud of smoke. Everyone else took a few steps back but Pete stayed put, his pale chest red in the light of the flames. “The shirt off my back. We all know Hutch would have given anything to anyone, including the shirt off his back. So, here, dude. It’s yours.”
Matt laughed. “Now we’re having fun. Here ya go, Hutchins. The shirt off my back.” He unzipped his crisp Patagonia jacket and tossed it into the fire. His white tank top followed into the growing cloud of smoke. The blue trimmed flames cast dancing shadows across Matt and Pete’s bare chests. The Newspaper Squad traded shocked looks.
“Screw it,” Presley said. She pulled her ratty Keaton hoodie over her head and dropped it into the fire. She stood there next to Pete in her purple bra. “The shirt off my back, Hutch.”
“Nice,” Pete said and kissed Presley’s neck.
“Hot,” Matt said as he ogled Presley’s chest.
Everyone eyed everyone else.
What the hell? Devon pulled her sweatshirt off and tossed it into the fire. “The shirt off my back,” she said, and then wrapped her arms across her chest. At least she had thrown on a sports bra from her floor before Presley dragged her here. It may not be the sexiest look, but she’d take unsexy over bare-chested in front of this crowd any day.
Matt raised an eyebrow at her. She shyly smiled back. If taking off her shirt proved to Matt how much she cared about Hutch, maybe she should have taken it off sooner.
* “Section II: Encouraging: Let the subject tell the story. Don’t fill in the blanks for them.” —Peer Counseling Pilot Program Training Guide by Henry Robins, MFT
† “It is up to the Peer Counselor to determine if the subject is a danger to themselves or others.”—Peer Counseling Pilot Program Training Guide by Henry Robins, MFT
‡ “If the subject goes off track, it is up to the Peer Counselor to