The Cable King

Leo adjusted the baseball cap backward—like the cool kids wore—even though it made his forehead sweat. Summer before freshman year, and he was stuck helping his dad run cables through Mrs. Gable's attic while his supposed best friend, Carter, was probably at the pool flirting with Kaia.

"You missed a spot," his dad said, not unkindly.

Leo sighed. Being the cable guy's kid wasn't exactly high school legend material. Carter had DM'd him earlier: "hanging with Kaia crew. u good tho?"

Whatever that meant.

His phone buzzed. Carter: "dude come to the field. kaia's here and she brought that sketchy college guy"

Leo's stomach did that thing it did when Carter's jealousy leaked through everything. Leo finished the cable job, grabbed his bike, and pedaled to the baseball field behind the rec center.

He found Carter sitting alone on the bleachers, glaring at Kaia across the field where she laughed with some guy in a snapback. Carter had his own baseball cap mashed into his fist.

"Thought you were with them," Leo said.

Carter shrugged, eyes anywhere but Leo. "Got bored."

"You asked me to come."

"Whatever."

This. This was the bull Carter always served—like Leo couldn't tell when he was being used as a jealousy prop. But then Carter's voice cracked: "He's gonna ask her to homecoming. I heard it."

Leo sat beside him. "So ask her first."

Carter finally looked at him. "Like she'd say yes."

"You're her friend, dumbass. That's step one."

"You're my friend," Carter said, like it was something he'd just realized.

"Yeah," Leo said. "Your friend who fixed your ethernet cable last month when your parents grounded you. Your friend who watched you strike out twice today and didn't say a word."

A grin cracked Carter's face. "I hate you."

"You love me. I have snacks."

Leo pulled a squashed granola bar from his pocket. Carter took it, and they sat there as the field emptied out, neither one saying what needed saying, both knowing something had changed between them—like a connection finally secure, no loose ends.

"Dude," Carter said. "Your hat's dorky backwards."

"Shut up," Leo said, but he turned it around anyway.