Everywhere, Everything. ★ STURNIOLO TRIPLETS

CHAPTER FOUR

    Old Mill sat tucked away beneath the cover of steep maples and oaks. Their branches extended in all directions, tangled to look like they were standing guard over the water.

    Matt drove slowly, the tires of their sleek black SUV crunching over loose gravel. Old Mill was a hidden gem of Woodbury. According to Jenny, it was one of the only places locals kept for themselves.

    The first time she'd brought me down here, she said, "I remember spending every summer out on this dock as a girl." Longing was thick in her voice. 

Its water was as still today as it had been then. A thin veil of fog rolled off its surface as we pulled over off the edge of the path, taking in the view.

"Wow," Nick murmured. He unbuckled himself from the backseat and leaned forward between Matt and I in the front of the car, draping his arms around the headrests.

"So much for 'not being special,'" Chris poked my shoulder from the backseat. I caught his playful expression in the side mirror and rolled my eyes.

"I didn't think you guys would be into a place like this."

Matt side-eyed me, his expression unreadable.

"You keep saying things like that." Nick tilted his head to the side, looking at me. His hair flopped over to one side of his forehead. It was amazing how similar they all looked to one another, yet how drastically different everything was about them.

Nick's cheeks were shaded in light stubble, accentuating his high cheekbones. A small golden hoop stuck out from his left nostril. There was a glimmer of mischief sitting in his coastal eyes. It reminded me of someone I used to know.

"I know, I know," I lifted my hands in surrender. "I didn't mean that I think you're above this kind of stuff, or that you think that of yourselves, it's just I can only imagine the places you've been - what you've seen - with your lifestyle. Driving out to an old dock in the middle of nowhere doesn't seem all that glamorous when you compare the two."

Nick leaned back into his seat. "We didn't grow up like this, you know?" It was a rhetorical question. He stared achingly out the back window, like he was seeing through to a time that no longer existed.

Chris put his hand reassuringly on his shoulder.

"What Nick's trying to say is, we know what it's like to grow up being appreciative of the small things." Nick patted Chris's hand still resting on his shoulder. "Sure, we live in a big, fancy house in Los Angeles now, but we still come home to our mom and dad working the same jobs they've had since we were kids, living in our childhood home."

My chest tightened. It seemed like every time I opened my mouth I managed to put my foot in it. I looked back at Nick and Chris. "You're right, I'm sorry."

Both of them shrugged.

Matt turned off the car, letting the keys dangle in the ignition. I half expected him to add to the guilt building in my sternum, but he simply turned to look at all of us and said, "Should we go for a walk?"

--

The air outside was sticky. Gnats droned around our heads as we made our way deeper into the trees. Nick and Matt trailed behind me and Chris, chatting to themselves. I stole a few glances over my shoulder, still feeling bad about my earlier comments.

"Does Nick hate me?" I whispered to Chris. He was staring up at the canopy of reds, oranges, and greens as we walked.

He let out a shocked laugh. "Oh, please. It takes a lot more than a little judgmental comment to make Nick hate you." He bumped my side with his elbow.