What It Takes Read Online Free PDF

booth too small for him.
    “Shut up. Let’s get some burgers.” Andrew grabs Milo’s hand to pull him toward the restaurant portion of the arcade, then drops it quickly with an apology, flustered and blushing. “So sorry, I, I didn’t... sorry.”
    “Chill, it’s cool,” Milo says. Andrew looks away and walks ahead of him. It’s not as if Milo cares, because he’s thought Andrew might be gay for, like, ages now. Milo’s used to the idea and he doesn’t care and a part of him likes the familiarity they’ve had with each other. Yeah, maybe it’s uncool and the other kids will make fun of them. But they’re not here and every kid who uses the word fag as if it’s funny can fuck off, because he doesn’t want anyone to make Andrew feel bad, ever . He has to be careful, though, because word getting around that he’s holding hands with Andrew would be a thing that his father might actually kill him over.
    °
    They’re in the woods one day in July when they come into a small clearing. Milo has been keeping complaints about the humidity and bugs to himself. He wants to hang out with Andrew and if this is the best he can get, he’ll take it. Andrew comes alive when they’re out here, which is awesome. God knows Milo could use some happiness too.
    “You good?” Andrew asks. He looks around the clearing, then sits carefully on what’s left of a fallen tree. Milo kicks at a tuft of grass.
    “I’m fine.”
    “Milo,” Andrew says in that voice he gets, the one that’s knowing and superior.
    “I’m fine . Looking forward to school. Less time at home, you know? It’s close but not close enough, and it’s making me crazy.”
    Andrew looks at him for a long moment, then away. His eyes explore the fringe of woods, and the scraggly wildflowers in the sunlight. “We should build something out here.”
    “Huh?” Milo gives up and stands next to him. A line of sweat slides down his temple, and he wipes it away.
    “Like a fort?” Andrew shoots him a shy and hopeful look. Milo resists the urge to point out that they aren’t kids anymore and that they’re too old for that kind of play, because he doesn’t want to hurt Andrew’s feelings. “I know it’s lame. But come on, it’ll be fun!”
    “How will we do that? We need wood and supplies and, like, to know how to build stuff.”
    “We’ll figure it out.” Andrew’s face brightens; Milo is terrible at resisting this sort of persuasion. “And then we’ll have a place no one knows about. It’ll be our thing.” Andrew looks away then and shrugs. “That sounded wrong. I didn’t mean—”
    “No! No, that’s cool.” The thought of a secret place is appealing. If they do this, it’ll be somewhere Milo can go when everyone is busy and he can’t go to their houses. Plus, the thought of planning something to build is exciting. “So we’ll need a plan.”
    “Blah,” Andrew complains. He starts circling the clearing.
    “How do you plan to accomplish this without—”
    “A plan? I’m kidding. Come on, let’s find a spot. We can go home and make the best plan ever and it’ll be like a little wet dream for you.”
    Milo blushes and laughs and only looks away for a second before looking for an ideal spot.
    °
    The fort takes longer to build than Andrew anticipated. The wood was expensive, and they had to figure out how to pay for it, and also, come on, they aren’t master builders yet. Despite all of Milo’s drawn plans—the first drafts roughly scratched into dirt, then, as they sat on the beach, into shifting sands that proved to be a terrible sketch pad, and finally on paper—the process was a whole lot of trial and error.
    “It’s not all that big,” Milo says when they’re finally, for the first time, seated inside their little creation.
    “It’s fine.” Andrew is unpacking a cooler of snacks and pop he brought for the occasion.
    Milo inspects their handiwork. “There’s a huge gap over here.”
    “Oh my god, Mr. Perfection,