Filed to story: My Life with the Walter Boys Book (I & II) PDF Free
What?
Aunt Kathy, that’s not fair!” he complained. “Everyone is going to the block party.”
“Maybe you should’ve thought about that before staying out past curfew and sneaking in at the crack of dawn,” she replied without an ounce of sympathy.
“This is bullshit!”
A sudden, heavy thunk made me peek around the corner. My eyes bulged at the sight of a hole in the drywall and Isaac shaking out his fist, knuckles bloody.
Katherine sprang to her feet, toppling over the chair she’d been sitting in. “
Isaac Walter!
“
Not wanting to get caught in the cross fire, I backed away from the kitchen as quietly as possible and went to grab my caddy. If I showered before breakfast, hopefully Katherine and Isaac would be done fighting by the time I returned. While I wasn’t surprised that he tried to sneak into the house after missing curfew, I found his violent reaction to a basic grounding baffling. Isaac was many things, but hotheaded wasn’t one of them. If I hadn’t seen proof with my own eyes, I never would have believed he punched a wall.
As I climbed the stairs, carefully picking my way around stray socks and toys, my chest fluttered. The discomfort passed so quickly I almost disregarded the feeling, but as I reflected on yesterday, I couldn’t help but notice something had changed about the Walter household while I was away. Sure, it was still the loud, chaotic home I’d been introduced to at the start of the year, but there were differences too: Danny and Cole’s absence, Alex and Kim’s new relationship, the dark circles under Nathan’s eyes, Isaac’s attitude. Each of these things would have been insignificant on its own. Added together, though? They were hard to ignore.
Maybe I was overreacting, but the realization that things were not quite right left me feeling uneasy.
***
Since Isaac was grounded, only four of us climbed into the truck when it was time to leave for the block party, and the drive into town felt…wrong somehow. While it was infinitely more comfortable considering everyone had their own seat, I missed the dynamic energy that defined our usual trips to and from school. Without Cole’s calm confidence behind the wheel, Isaac’s endless gossiping, or Danny’s ruthless guarding of the aux cord to ensure everyone heard a song of their choosing, the ride was quiet in a way that was jarring. By the time Alex found a parking spot a few blocks away from the town square, I was itching to escape.
“Okay, everyone. Listen up,” Alex said as he shifted into park and killed the engine. “I promised to drive Kim home, and she has a curfew, so you all need to be back here by eleven fifteen. If you’re not, then I’ll assume you’ve found a different ride and leave without you, so don’t be—“
Lee threw open the passenger-side door, dropped his skateboard to the ground, and jumped out in the middle of Alex’s speech.
“Hey, are you even listening? If you’re late—“
“Yeah, yeah,” Lee said, rolling his eyes. “I’ve heard this speech before, and just so you know, Cole does it better. Catch you losers later.”
Alex’s mouth fell open, but he quickly rearranged his expression into a scowl. “Always such an asshole,” he muttered under his breath.
Nathan and I stifled our laughter as we exited the truck. Once we were both standing on the sidewalk, Alex locked the doors, grumbled a goodbye, and took off to find Kim, leaving the two of us to walk together. The sound of live music steadily grew louder as we approached, and when we reached our destination two minutes later, Nathan was bobbing his head along with a bluesy rock song I didn’t recognize.
I knew block parties were common in certain parts of New York City, but it wasn’t something one experienced living on the Upper West Side.
This seemed more like a cross between a farmers market and a festival. The four streets comprising downtown were closed off from traffic, and as a result, there were people everywhere: waiting in line at one of the many food trucks; wandering through the merchandise booths set up by local businesses; playing lawn games like cornhole, bocce ball, and ladder toss; and standing around in clusters with drinks in hand. Packs of children roamed the outskirts on bikes while families picnicked in the small park at the center of the square.
“So this is a block party?”
“Not in the traditional sense,” Nathan replied, stepping around one of the white-and-orange barricades. “This is much bigger and more commercialized. My dad said the original started in a local neighborhood back in the nineties, but when it grew out of control, the town council voted to sponsor the event and move it here.”
“What’s your favorite thing to do?” I asked.
Nathan pointed to the white pole tent on the other side of the square. “I like to hang out by the stage and listen to local artists perform. There’s going to be a battle of the bands this year, and some of my friends entered.”
“Your friends are in a band?” As soon as the question left my mouth, I winced. Had I really been so distracted by his brothers that I never learned anything about Nathan’s social life? He was my first friend in the Walter household, so the oversight felt like a major failing, one I would rectify this time around.
“Yeah, they call themselves Miami Bay,” he said, guiding us through the mass of people.
“And you’re not a part of it?” With his good looks and Walter charm, it wasn’t difficult to picture Nathan as a magnetic frontman who could inspire an entire fan base.
He shook his head. “I wrote them a few songs, but I’ve always seen myself as a solo act. Do you want to meet them? I’m sure they’re here by now.”
I opened my mouth to respond but was cut off by the sound of my own name. “Jackie, over here!”
The street was so busy, I had to scan the surrounding area twice before spotting Riley, who was waving both arms over her head to get my attention. She, Heather, and Skylar were lounging on a blanket in the grass, a cooler parked beside them. The afternoon sun was scorching, and I wondered how early they arrived in order to snag a spot under the shade of an ancient maple tree. It looked idyllic, and I wanted to join them, but my freshly realized shortcomings in regard to Nathan made me pause.
“Go catch up with your friends,” he said when I looked at him, lip caught between my teeth. “I’ll introduce you later.”
“Are you sure?”
Nathan gently pushed me in their direction. “Positive. You’re riding home with us, right?”
“That’s the plan,” I said, scrutinizing his expression as I slowly walked backward. Thankfully, nothing in his easygoing smile betrayed signs of disappointment.
“Okay. If you don’t make it over to the music tent, I’ll see you then. Remember—“
“Eleven fifteen or else,” I finished, wagging a finger. He laughed and offered me a salute before receding into the crowd. When I turned back to my friends, Riley launched herself into my arms.
“Jackie! You’re finally back.” She squeezed me so hard I let out a strangulated squeak. “Summer was so lonely without you.”
The strength of her hug spoke volumes, and I turned to Skylar and Heather with raised brows. The girls—not including Kim, as she spent equal amounts of time with Alex—were inseparable, and although Skylar tended to be more independent, Riley and Heather were his best friends. Had something else changed while I was away?
Skylar waived off my questioning look. “Don’t mind her. She’s being dramatic,” he said before instructing me to grab a drink from the cooler and get comfortable. As I selected a lemonade and kicked off my sandals, he launched into an explanation about how, while Heather was away in California visiting her father and stepmom, he’d been busy working as a summer camp counselor, leaving Riley to languish—her word, not Skylar’s—by her lonesome.
“Well, what about Kim?” I asked. “Didn’t you see her at all?”
The smile on Riley’s face faltered.
When Skylar and Heather exchanged a look, I rolled my eyes and added, “You guys don’t need to break the news to me about them. I already know they’re dating and don’t care.”
“Really?” Riley perked up. “You’re not upset at all?”