The rest of the summer is spent entirely with Lance at Keith's side. They avoid Keith's house, because his mother has been acting… different after the divorce. Mostly, Keith bikes to Lance's house, and they enjoy sweet popsicles to battle the sweltering heat. It's not nearly as hot as it was in Texas, but Keith doesn't say no to more popsicles.
Lance's family is big and there's always something happening in his house. It's nothing like Keith's lonely house with no pets and no dad. Keith fits right in, and even befriends Lance's many siblings. Lance complains about them, but Keith can tell that he loves them a lot.
"Angelica is being annoying," he says with a flourish of his hand as he grudgingly braids his sister's hair, even though his voice is light and his mouth is curved in a fond smile. The girl only sticks her pink tongue out at him, and Keith laughs.
Lance's family is also always busy, and that means they can't pay attention to Lance as much. There's so much drama that Lance says "it's better if I just do what I'm supposed to." Seven-year-old boys are supposed to be rebellious little brats, but Keith and Lance are both mature for their age. Lance is a good brother.
"They don't pay as much attention to me as the baby, or my older siblings (they're preparing to graduate high school), but it's okay. I have you to talk to!" Lance says cheerfully. Keith understands what Lance means, even if he has no siblings. Sometimes, it's hard to get parents to pay attention to you.
On Lance's 8th birthday, the 28th of July, Lance has a birthday party. Keith would think someone as outgoing as Lance would have more friends, but the only friend he invites is Keith. The other guests are all cousins and relatives who hug and praise Lance enthusiastically at the door. Keith can tell Lance is extremely excited to have so much attention solely on him, his smile stretching from ear to ear and his eyes shining with excitement. Even with all his family members filing into the house and running around the hallways, Lance holds Keith's hand and rapidly talks to him, words spilling out of his mouth. Lance stutters a bit whenever he talks, and he's been going to speech therapy at school. Keith doesn't mind the stuttering at all. It's just another thing about Lance.
"You're so lucky your birthday is in the summer! My birthday is during the school year and I still have to do homework," Keith says to Lance as they eat fluffy vanilla cake topped with strawberries.
"Yup. Oh, take my strawberries, these are way too sweet for me," Lance insists, stabbing a syrupy strawberry with his fork and dropping it on Keith's paper plate. Lance is the best, he thinks as he happily eats the sugary sweet berries, and Lance somehow comes to the conclusion that Keith's weakness is sweets. Okay, maybe Keith does have a tiny little sweet tooth. Doesn't everybody?
When it's time to open presents, Lance receives a ton of gifts, from socks to money to toys. At the end, Lance finally opens Keith's badly wrapped gift (Keith puffs his chest knowing he wrapped it all by himself) and gasps with delight at the stuffed shark plush inside. "Jimmy," he whispers, and the two boys laugh at the inside joke while Lance's relatives are entirely confused.
"I love it, thank you so much!" Lance hugs Keith after they giggle for several straight minutes for no apparent reason.
Then it's time to go home. Keith finds that he doesn't really want to go home after having such a great time with Lance, and he really likes Lance's parents. His mother is kind like Lance, but she is clearly the head of the family with her strong and responsible personality. Lance's laid-back father has an affinity for terrible puns and dad jokes, and also embarrassing Lance every chance he gets. "He's weird," Lance complains, even if they are strikingly similar.
"Have a good day! Thank you for coming, Lance really appreciates it! You're always welcome. And stay safe, Keith. Tell your parents that this is a gift from me," Lance's mother says quickly, reminding Keith of Lance's excited chattering. She hands Keith a box of homemade cookies with a wide smile and sends Keith off, Lance waving goodbye until Keith is out of sight.
He opens the front door and walks in like usual, but his mother is nowhere to be seen. Keith places the container on the kitchen counter and clambers up to his room.
Keith lays on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. From his mother's room, muffled sobs are audible, and Keith once again wishes that his family was normal. Like Lance's.
But he remembers Lance's hug, and thinks, maybe it'll be okay.
