Unthinkable

August***Part 2

I'm mindlessly folding bath sheets into perfect triple-fold rolls and stacking them by color. Bed & Bath got an enormous shipment in for Back-to-School shopping, and it's the perfect time killer for a double-shift.

I whip out my box-cutter and break down another box, adding it to my pile, admiring my progress. It's kind of awesome to have a physical manifestation of what you've accomplished. Not like I'm saving the world one towel at a time or anything, but look at these perfect displays. What is it they say about the definition of crazy... well, not me, not tonight. Tonight I've accomplished something.

I'm bent over, head first in a giant box, trying to free the towels, when I hear, "Hey Sammy."

Got em. I emerge triumphant holding a mountain of towels. Standing in the aisle, next to my Pile of Progress, is Allison... and Jake. Together.

Another ice cream date, kids?

"Hey." I'm twisting to reach the top of towel mountain. "What's up?"

Allison's doing all the talking, "We were hanging out and we got bored. So we decided to come see you."

I nod. Lucky me.

I begin rolling the washcloths.

"What time are you off tonight? We are going to hang out at the lake." Why is she here?

"Depends..." I point to the wall of boxes at the back, we've got to get all the new product out for tomorrow morning. "...on how fast I can get all these towels folded. I'm a washcloth rolling machine," I demonstrate. "Who's we?"

"Oh, you know, everyone."

Oh, well, if everyone is going.

"Well, we'll leave you to it, so you can get out of here. Come by the lake when you are done." She turns and scampers back towards the exit.

Jake moves a little slower. "Please come."

The weight of his words crushing my heart. His head drops as he walks away. Hiding his shame with his hair.

***

As I pull up to the lake, I'm surprised at how many people are still here at 11 p.m. Most everyone is engaged in a rousing game of Ultimate Frisbee. Very unusual for lights to still be on at the field.

Jake is running the show.

The A-Team are cheering him on from the sidelines. Behind them, I spot Shiv and Penny a few rows up on the bleachers. Ah, my peoples. I make my way over to them. Though I have felt Jake's eyes on me from the minute, the second, I got out of the car, I am careful not to catch his eye.

"Whaddup home skillets?" Straddling the bleacher just below them. "Did I miss some kind of memo about this little soiree?"

Literally everyone is here. The freshman, well, I guess they are sophomores now, Melanie Shae Thompson and her posse, a couple of junior basketball players, the lacrosse team and the drama nerds. Freaks and geeks of all flavors.

"Are we at the point in the movie where all the cliques band together to fight a common enemy?"

They laugh.

"Well, Nora and her friends found out from Rucci," Shiv explains. Naturally. "And Allison and Jake were making the rounds today — they even came to see me at the old folks' home."

Wait, really? Did they get to meet Roger? If they did I'll be so jealous. I really want to meet that guy. Stop. Focus.

"So they really were hanging out all day?"