Summer Lovin'

Chapter Fifteen

"Hey, Colt," Jesse said, sitting next to his cousin.

Colt looked up. "Hey."

"Everything okay?"

"Just fine and dandy," Colt answered, taking in a long puff of his cigarette.

"Thought you were giving those things up," Jesse said, glaring at the cancer stick.

"Working on it," Colt answered, blowing out the smoke.

"You've been working on it for twenty years."

"Twenty two," Colt corrected, jamming the cigarette into the ashtray.

"Thank you."

"Not your lungs," Colt answered, taking a gulp of his soda.

"No, they're not. But if I were you, I wouldn't be trying to do any more damage to them."

Colt shrugged. "What's it matter?"

"Jesus, Colt, I can't believe you think like that," Jesse threw up his hands in disbelief.

"Ah, I'm in one of my moods. Don't mind me," he answered, picking a piece of imaginary lint off the knee of his jeans.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Jesse asked him.

"What are you, my goddamn shrink?!" he snapped.

"Okay," Jesse blew out a breath, and spread his hands in defense.

"Sorry, man," Colt said, shaking his head that he blew up.

"I'm on your side, remember?" Jesse told him patiently. He knew his cousin had demons he was constantly fighting every day of his life and he didn't always win.

"Yeah, I know." Colt looked across the yard at the kids playing below. "Things just have been bugging me lately."

"Like what?" Jesse asked, leaning forward. Colt never talked about things. Maybe he was finally ready to open up.

"Just... everything, I guess." Colt shook his head. He turned his attention back to the table. "Don't worry about it, cuz, I'm cool." He took gulp out of his soda and tried to control his breathing. He coughed.

"Are you still seeing the shrink?" Jesse asked concerned.

"From time to time," Colt replied, wrapping his hands around the soda can. "I don't know...sometimes, I think it just makes things worse."

"Maybe you should try another doctor then," Jesse suggested.

"Maybe.... I don't know, Jess." Colt said quietly.

"You sleeping?" Jesse asked concerned.

Colt had stayed at Jesse's house several times growing up and Jesse knew that nighttime could be the worst for his cousin. Colt would have nightmares and he'd scream the house down.

When his parents got Colt to calm down, he would spend the rest of the night curled up in the fetal position, not talking to anyone.

"Some," Colt answered with a sigh and looked up at the sky. Perhaps looking for answers there.

"Just some?" Jesse asked. He didn't know how Colt functioned during the day if he spent every night like the nights that Colt spent at their house.

"Could we change the subject before I start biting your head off? Dana's not here so I can't do it to her," Colt growled.

"What's with that anyway? What do you have against Dana?" Jesse demanded.