“Look,” Betty said, placing her hands on Mateo’s and Beau’s arms. “Tempers are obviously high right now. Why doesn’t everyone go take a breather, grab some food, and come back feeling a little better? By eight on the nose!” she added, seeing the words forming on Mateo’s lips.

“Fine,” Mateo sniffed.

“Fine,” Caleb huffed.

“Fine. Fine. Fine,” everyone else agreed.

After they had changed, Caleb took Archer’s hand and pulled him out the door, but not before he got a glimpse of Mateo huddling in the corner with Stewart.

“Fuck,” Caleb sighed once they got outside. “We really didn’t mean to be late.”

“I know,” Archer said.

“We were fucking running the last hour trying to make it. My legs are done.”

“You must have gone really far.”

“I guess.” Caleb shrugged. “It was such a nice day. We just walked and talked.”

“Well, hopefully you had a good time.”

“We did.”

The feeling that something was going unsaid nagged at Archer, but he had no idea what it might be. “Wonder what Mateo and Stewart are talking about?” he asked instead.

“Undoubtedly, what horrible slackers we all are,” Caleb said, rolling his eyes.

“Don’t you think Mateo has a point, though?”

Caleb made a noise of derision. “This is your first summer, Archer. Mateo’s too. Trust me when I say, things are going fine. The audience is a bunch of drunk people on vacation. They’re happy no matter what.”

“Why do you come back here every year?” Archer wondered, the question falling out unplanned. Archer knew Caleb was on his fourth season at Shady Queens, taught dance in the Bronx the rest of the year, and had been in the chorus of a few unsuccessful Off Broadway shows. But Caleb gave vague answers to most other questions about his life and didn’t share an abundance of inner thoughts. In many ways, Archer felt like he barely knew him.

Caleb shrugged. “It’s fun. Hot guys.” He grinned at Archer. “Decent money for all the partying we do. Why, aren’t you having fun?”

“Yeah, I’m having fun, it’s just…” Without warning, tears sprang to his eyes. He was thankful they were walking and not looking at each other. “This is sort of it for me.” For my dream. He couldn’t get those last words to come out. “I want to do well.”

“Aw.” Caleb slid his arm around Archer. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. You are doing well, and, I promise, it’s nothing to get worked up about.”

It is, though he wanted to say, but Caleb clearly didn’t understand. “Thanks,” he managed instead in a strangled voice.

“I wish Mateo would get off my back, though,” Caleb griped. “He’s practically ruining the summer.”

“He has high standards.”

“What, I’m not up to Mateo’s standards?”