“And a verbal diarrhea problem,” I say.

“It was the Green Monstrosity,” Corey says, trying to reign us all in. “That’s how we got here.”

Bear shrugs. “We talked about repainting it, especially when the paint started to peel on the siding. Couldn’t bring myself to do it. Didn’t feel right.”

“It took the Home Depot paint guy at least three weeks to match it,” Otter says. “I’m pretty sure he had to go to the Russian black market to find the components to get the color right.”

Bear rolled his eyes. “It’s wasn’t that hard. He just wanted you to keep coming in so he could flirt with you.”

“You were just projecting your insecurities on him, dear. He wasn’t flirting with me.”

“Oh really? Was I? So I suppose it totally matters to paint color when he asked you how much you worked out and that he thought you were just so vascular. He laughed like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman at every single thing you said!”

“I’m funny,” Otter says. “And vascular.”

“You’re not that funny. And when your veins stick out, it’s gross.”

“That’s not what you said last night.”

Bear grins and rolls his eyes.

“Last night?” I say in horror. “In the hotel? We were sharing the same room!”

Bear shrugs. “That’s why the bathrooms have locks.”

“Home Depot guy definitely wanted your penis,” Corey says.

“Here we are,” I mutter. “Back to the penises. I’m never going to get out of therapy. I’ll be in my nineties and still haunted by the memories of Bear and Otter as sexual beings.”

“Way sexual,” Bear says.

“Super sexual,” Otter agrees. “Asparagus and all.”

“I hate you all.”

“Teenage angst is hysterical,” Bear says.

“Such a little drama queen,” Otter says.

“They’re funny,” Corey tells me. “You’re very lucky.”

“Go fuck yourself, sunshine,” I reply.

“Hey!” a voice shouts from outside the car.

We all look.

Creed Thompson stands at the door. What can only be described as a miniature version of him stands next to him, imitating the crossed-arm pose of his father. One looks intimidating as all hell. The other is Creed.

“You guys just going to sit there all day?” he yells at us.

“Yeah, all day, you guys?” JJ shouts in echo.

Others begin to pile up behind them: Anna. Stephanie and Ian Grant, her mom and dad. Alice and Jerry Thompson, Otter and Creed’s parents.

I begin to wonder why it took me so long to come back.

The rain stops as I open the car door.

I WALK through the front door, and this is what I see:

Stairs, leading up to the second floor. For a long time after his accident, Bear and I hovered around Otter every time he attempted to climb them, even though he weighed more than both of us combined. We always thought we could at least cushion his fall.

The sunken living room, a relic of the seventies, where the old couches are. At Christmas, Bear and Otter sat on those couches and listened as I regaled them with the most epic Christmas poems in the history of the world. Santa/Satan never stood a chance. I think I still have them. Somewhere.