ephemeral [ Conrad Fisher ]

2

"Lennox" Jeremiah sang as he climbed onto my trampoline, he hands immediately reaching for my book

"Not interested Jere." I mumbles stretching out as he took the book "Feels good huh?"

He frowned, pushing his hair from his eyes and inspecting me with that damn puppy dog look on his face "You don't even know what I was going to say."

Jeremiah Fisher had filled my void of a little brother, he could ask me to jump and I'd ask him how high - especially when he looked at me with those damn puppy dog eyes.

"I am not interested in dating your math tutor Jeremiah, that won't even help you pass the final."

I could feel eyes watching us from the back patio, I had heard their back door slide close long after Jeremiah had snuck up on me.

"Oh shut up lenny you know Josh would lighten up on me if you went on a date with him," he smiles at me, crossing his legs as he leans his back against the netting of the trampoline "Come to Cousins with us for the summer."

"Are you serious?" The proposition had me sitting up and eyeing the younger boy, there was a punch line here wasn't there?

The trampoline shifted again and the scent of cologne and smoke was enough for me to know who had joined us "Conrad, is Jeremiah messing with me?" I angled my body to stare at my dark haired best friend, who after days of silence had decided to grace us with his presence.

"No Len, we want you to come this summer."  He spoke softly, clearly his as he laid his head in my lap watching the clouds "Right Jere we want little Lenny to join his this summer?"

I wanted to relax, run my hands through his hair and lecture him about smoking but I held back, after our last argument and after his breakup with his most recent fling I knew better.

"Conrad's right Lennox, we really want you to come this summer." He hums softly looking up to the sky much like his brother "So get your ass in gear and pack up all the bathing suits you have."

Squinting at him I laugh "I never said yes."

"You'd be stupid to say no." Conrad chided "You always ask what we do and if we had fun, now you have the chance Lennox."

"What's your mom have to say about this?"

"She loves you Lennox she's always offered."

"Fine."

"Fine?"

"Fine I'll come to cousins this summer."

My response had Jeremiah jumping up on the black surface, bouncing Conrad and I against one another our limbs tangling with a bundle of laughter as the sun set.