“That’s life, kid. Better get used to that idea now. Life’s not fair and there’s nothing we can do about it. Crying over it won’t help.”

Cooper wiped his eyes, even though he didn’t feel like it.

His uncle sighed. “I’m not trying to be mean here, son. I just think you need to be prepared for life. It dealt you a bad hand. I get that. And I don’t know what I’m doing here either. Kids weren’t ever on the list for me, but your parents died and now we have to do the best we can. The sooner you get used to the fact that you never know what cards you’ll be dealt, the better.”

“Yes, sir.” Cooper whispered. He was shocked when Vernon put his arm around Cooper’s shoulders.

“You’re better off, if ya ask me. Not the most respectable family.”

“What?” Coop looked up at his uncle. He’d never spoken like that about Noah before.

He dropped his arm from Cooper’s shoulders. “They’re just not the kind of people we need around, is all. All that fighting. We’re…we’re better off. Trust me on this, kid. And that boy was always a little soft, if you ask me. Always worried about him rubbing off on ya. Things will be much better now.”

No, they wouldn’t. Things would never be good again.

Cooper tried to shake the memory from his head. Tried to forget how Vernon had taken him out camping that night, even though it had been a school night. They went fishing and he’d tried hard to help Coop forget his friend. It was then he realized his uncle really did love him. He might not show it with kind words and he expected a lot out of Cooper, but it was because he wanted Cooper to do well.

They rarely agreed but he had no doubt Vernon’s heart was always in the right place.

Even though he’d wanted to cry that whole night, wanted to tell him that Noah wasn’t soft, and that he was Cooper’s best friend. That he didn’t care if his parents fought or his mom was wild. Noah deserved better. He was better.

So he’d waited. Noah had his address. He would write and then once they found out where he was, he’d tell his uncle he would do anything if Noah could come live with them.

But Noah never wrote. Or called.

Vernon got upset every time Cooper mentioned them, until he finally stopped. And now, Noah was back. Noah was in his bed. He’d been dragged away, been unhappy, but he was here, again.

And Cooper was an even bigger pussy than he’d been as a kid. Because he hadn’t even told his aunt and uncle Noah was back. Maybe it was because his uncle had had such a problem with Noah and his family, or maybe it was because he didn’t want Vernon to think Noah was soft like he had said. Because that’s what he would think. Noah was gay so he was weak, when he was anything but.

Or again, maybe Cooper was just a fucking asshole because he let Noah believe his family knew he was here. He didn’t want Noah hurt, he told himself. Noah cared about Cooper’s aunt and uncle, even though, like Cooper, he didn’t often agree with Vernon. Yet Vernon thought they were all better off when Noah and his family left. That’s all this was about, protecting Noah from being hurt by how Vernon really felt.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Noah grabbed a hold of a rock and pulled himself up. He and Cooper had gotten to the cabin just a couple hours before. After dropping off their stuff, the first thing they’d done, was go for a hike. They both loved being outdoors. Always had. The weather would be changing soon, winter keeping them from doing a lot of the things they loved to do.

“I still can’t believe you don’t like skiing,” Cooper told him, as they worked their way along the path. “I’m making you go with me this winter. You’ll end up loving it.”

Noah shook his head. He loved that Cooper thought he could do anything, but this one wasn’t happening. “Didn’t you tell me that when we were kids? It didn’t happen then and it won’t happen now.”

“Eh, I guess I thought you were a little smarter now then you were then. What kind of Coloradoan doesn’t like to ski?”

“The kind you’re fucking,” Noah tossed back at him.

Cooper shoved Noah’s arm, as he stepped over another rock. Noah grabbed a hold of him. “You put your hands on me and I’m not letting you go.”

He wondered if Coop would pull away, but, he didn’t. But then, it wasn’t like there were a whole lot of people out here. It was just the two of them.

“How we going to climb if we’re holding hands? I didn’t know you were such a romantic, Noah.”