It was shortly after 10pm when a red Mustang pulled up alongside the road running by the lake. When the car door opened, voices could be heard. They sounded like they were having fun. Larry sighed. His gut kept telling him that this was a bad idea. However, he had been asked to join in and he really wanted approval from this group. He distinctly heard Becky Jo’s laughter. He took a guess it was because Bunky had told her something funny.

He frowned thinking about how those two ruled the Senior Class. They were into everything. And if they didn’t like you…

Larry shook his head. He opted to take a chance and left his keys in the car. He did not want to lose them in the lake. He took a deep breath that he let out slowly, then began to make his way down the embankment.

“There you are!”

Larry was slightly caught off guard and looked up, surprised to see Becky Jo and Bunky walking towards him. They flanked his sides, with Bunky putting an arm around him. “Hiii…” He winced at how drawn out it sounded, but at least he wasn’t babbling… yet.

“Everyone’s taking a dip in the lake. Why don’t you join in?” Bunky suggested.

“Well… oh, I didn’t wear trunks!” Larry said, realizing his mistake.

Bunky leaned in conspiratorially. “You’re wearing shorts, aren’t you?”

Before Larry answered, he glanced around and found everyone else was in swimsuits or trunks. He nodded. “Ye… yeah,” he stammered, then winced.

“Fine!” Bunky slapped his back, then he and Becky Jo walked ahead. They joined everyone else in the water.

Larry swallowed hard and took a deep breath. He didn’t want to be known as the wimp or wuss anymore. He began to strip his clothes off, leaving them in a pile on the dock. Down to his shorts, he began feeling a little adventurous and decided to do a canon ball. He rushed down the dock, but at the edge he slipped and belly flopped.

Laughter arose from the others. Larry heard it before he even surfaced. Once he did surface, he realized everyone else was out or getting out of water. “Hey…?”

No one replied. Instead he watched everyone go back up the embankment, carrying arm loads of clothes with them. Larry sighed and made for the ladder. He climbed out of the water, took a few steps, then froze. His clothes were gone. He moaned, though it sounded more like a whine. He trudged forward, hanging his head. He berated himself for falling for something so stupid.

By the time Larry reached his Mustang, his cheeks were a bright crimson and tears streaked from his eyes. He reached into the back seat and retrieved a jacket that he pulled on, then used a sweatshirt on the driver’s seat. He sat with a loud squish behind the wheel and whined. Larry rested his head back. More tears fell as he continued berating himself. Why did he seek the approval of that group? All they did was cause him trouble and anxiety.

Larry remained like this for about five minutes, then finally sat up and started the car. He pulled away and headed for home.

A short while later, the Mustang pulled up along the curb in front of the house. Larry got out and paused, noting that the house was completely dark. He eased the car door closed and locked it. He made his way through the gate and up to the front door. He used his house key in both locks, then pushed the door open carefully.

Inside, the house was still dark. Larry sighed then closed and locked the front door after him. He took a step, then saw a light come on from the living room.

“Larry?” His mom’s soft voice came from the living room.

Larry swallowed the lump in his throat as he felt his cheeks burn. His shoulders slumped as he walked into the living room.

He felt her put something around his shoulders and realized it was a towel. How did she know? Despite a voice in his head telling him not to, he looked up and met her eyes.

She frowned, then gently kissed his cheek. “Go to bed, Larry. If you want to, we can talk about this tomorrow, just you and me, okay?”

Larry only nodded, not trusting his voice. He pulled the towel closed around his shoulders and shuffled quietly out of the living room.

His mom watched him go. She sighed, feeling absolutely horrible for him. She only wished she knew how to make everything better.

End