The Last Time We Met

33

I didn't ask Mom. I told her I was going to talk to Cedric, and that we might go to the protest later.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," she said.

I stood at the door with my mask and gloves on and my car keys in hand. "I'll quarantine after if I need to. But that's what I'm doing."

"You have your phone?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Okay. Be safe," she said.

I nodded. As I drove past Brentwood Boulevard, I saw that people had already begun to gather. I gripped the steering wheel. Some of them were social distancing. I tried to breathe.

When I got to Cedric's, I texted him, and he came outside. For a long moment we both stood there, more than six feet apart. I wanted to go to him, to wrap myself around him and feel his arms around me. But I also wanted him to come to me first, to say with his body I forgive you.

"You're shaking," he said.

I looked down. I was hugging myself and yes, I was shaking. "I'm a little nervous." Even my voice was shaking.

"Oh, James." In two strides Cedric was directly in front of me, and he enveloped me. "You don't have to do this."

"I want to," I said.

"I'm sorry, I should have asked if you were okay with me hugging you." He tried to pull away, but my arms whipped out and he wasn't getting out of my grip. "Okay, I guess you are."

"I'm always okay with you hugging me," I said into his t-shirt.

Cedric sighed, a happy sound. "I was sure you'd be pissed about the prom. I thought you didn't mention it in any of your hundreds of texts because you thought I'd contaminate you."

"I thought you didn't want to do prom with me anymore," I laughed.

"I want to kiss you so bad," Cedric said, "but I want it to be special. James, will you go to prom with me? I'm sorry I don't have an elaborate promposal."

Relief flooded me with an energy I had been too long without. "Yes!"

Cedric brought out the sign he'd made, and put it with mine in the trunk, then I drove us both downtown. We parked at the Safeway, then met up with the other protesters at City Hall. A girl who had clearly helped organize this protest was walking around to the different groups who had shown up. She explained that we were going to walk down to the police station and that this was a peaceful protest.

My hand, gripped in Cedric's, was sweating profusely. "You okay?" he asked me every so often. In return I would squeeze his hand.

More people than I expected turned out. Phones were out, taking photos, but I hadn't brought my camera and I didn't take my phone out. Theodore had been the one to document everything. There were plenty of other people to see what we were doing.

"James?"

I turned. It took me a second to recognize Jax and Marlo beneath their masks. "Hi!"

"We recognized Cedric's hair," Jax said.

I should have known they would be here. Jax was black, and Marlo was half-black, half-Filipino. I immediately guilted myself for not reaching out to them, checking to see if they were okay.

"Where's Eli?" Marlo asked.

"Shit," I said. I pulled out my phone and texted him. He'd hate to miss this if everyone else was here.

Eli responded right away. I'm on it!

Cedric's friends found us too. I tugged him to the edge of our group as we all began to make our way down the street. "Sorry, it's just feeling a bit tight."