What It Takes

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Book: What It Takes Read Online Free PDF
Author: Jude Sierra
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    “Well, you don’t like anything lately. You’re not dressed for swimming. Let’s ride up to Spikes and play pinball.”
    “I thought you wanted me to get sun?” Andrew says.
    “This isn’t an evil plan or anything. You’ll get sun on the way; I biked over. You’ll get to destroy me at arcade games. It’s a win all around.”
    “Well,” Andrew tosses the wrapper into the pull-out garbage can. “Okay. I could go for that.”
    “Sweet.”
    °
    Because everything in his life is a competition, Milo always pushes his own limits. Usually he would try to bike into town as fast as possible, but Andrew is not like that, and Milo doesn’t want to hurt his feelings. Milo keeps pace with him as they head east into town, trying to take in their surroundings in a way he usually doesn’t. He remembers hating this place, and although his bitterness has abated, he’ll never love Santuit. Other than Andrew and Ted and Sarah and their families, there’s nothing here that makes him want to stay. He can’t wait until he can grow up and escape. Once he’s old enough, he’ll never have to talk to his father again. He’ll never have to endure this place, where too many people know his secrets. Where what happens in their home—even if people don’t know everything—is a secret the town keeps without speaking in anything more than pitying glances and whispers when his back is turned.
    College is a lifetime away, and thinking about it makes him feel twisty and hopeless, so he avoids it. The truth is, although it’s annoyingly dramatic, he understands Andrew’s urge to hole up and get away from everything. He has no idea why Andrew is being like this—maybe he’s working on the whole coming out thing—but Milo resents it, because Andrew’s pulled away from him, though Milo totally told him he was okay with everything and he is.
    But he has Andrew outside now; he is laughing because a gust of wind has almost blown him over. The sun is brilliant today, and Milo knows if they go down to the beach it will be dazzling over the water. But the beach is where he goes to escape; it’s his temporary runaway place, and that’s not what he wants now. So he laughs at Andrew and squints his eyes and throws his arms out to the side, showing off his skills.
    °
    Andrew does kick his ass at Star Wars pinball, and when Ted comes, it’s a slaughter so pathetic they don’t speak of it. It makes Milo happy to see Andrew happy and doing things, but also rubs him the wrong way because Milo always wants to be the best at everything.
    “I’m starving.” Andrew bumps Milo away from the claw machine he’s been fucking around with. He doesn’t want anything, but he wants to grab a prize because no one ever wins with this machine.
    “What do you want?” Milo says, still distracted.
    “Food,” Andrew says.
    “No joke.” Milo turns away from the machine. “You’re always hungry. Where does it all go? How are you not getting fat, lying around all day stuffing your face?”
    “I doubt I’ll ever be fat.” Andrew is usually self-conscious about how skinny he is, but he soldiers on with an only slightly strained smile. “But hopefully it will go to the magical growth-spurt machine you are hogging.”
    Milo’s new height advantage is totally cool because he’s always been the shorter one. Andrew doesn’t seem in danger of being short. He’s always been really skinny; they’re all growing, but with Andrew it’s kind of like he’s being stretched.
    “Good luck with that one,” Ted chimes in. Like Milo, he’s shot up recently too, leaving Andrew behind in a genetic race for height. They might both be brown-haired and brown-eyed, but Andrew’s hair naturally highlights and his eyes are lighter and much more expressive. Ted’s a really chill guy who doesn’t care about such things; he saves his energy for mischief he ropes them all into. He’s focusing on a racing game, throwing his weight behind a sticking wheel in a
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