The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue (Guide #1)(75)

As the sun set over the Grand Canyon that evening, it didn’t just mark the end of an emotional week or a terrible day for the four friends, but the end of an era for Wizzers all around the world.





Chapter Twenty-One

CALIFORNIA DREAMING

The seven-and-a-half hour drive to Santa Monica, California, the following day was the most uncomfortable ride of their lives. The four best friends felt like complete strangers as they traveled the last five hundred miles to their destination. Each passenger stayed quiet but their minds were rabid with their own unique blends of shock and shame. It wasn’t until the station wagon crossed the state line of California that anyone said a word.

“So… we’re just not going to talk about it?” Mo asked. “We’re just going to sit here and pretend we don’t know each other?”

“Do we?” Joey asked.

“Yes, we do,” she said assertively. “Maybe it’s easier for me because my secret was the least surprising, but I don’t think this is as big of a deal as we’re making it. I’m sure we all had good reasons for keeping the secrets we did—but it’s not like we don’t trust or care for one another.”

Mo was eager for the healing to begin. She looked each of her friends in the eye and told them exactly how she felt about their situations.

“Joey, I have always wanted a gay best friend. I’m not mad because you hid your orientation from me; I’m just upset because of all the Will & Grace opportunities we’ve missed out on. Sam, it doesn’t bother me for one second that you’re transgender. I only wish you had told me sooner so I could have felt ahead of the times by smothering you with my love and support. And, Topher, I don’t care that you have a crush on Sam. The only reason it bums me out is because I always thought you had a crush on me.”

“Did you want me to?” Topher asked from the driver’s seat.

“Of course not—you’re like my brother,” Mo said. “It was just a nice self-esteem boost from time to time. I’m gonna miss it.”

The aspiring writer wasn’t being as helpful as she thought. Mo could tell her friends wished she would just stop talking.

“What I’m trying to say is that this should only make us closer,” Mo said. “Everyone has secrets, and now that ours are all out on the table, it should only make our friendship stronger. So can we just go back to being friends again? Are we really going to let this put a dent in our friendships?”

“Not all of us are processing it as easily as you, Mo,” Topher said. “Let’s just leave it alone for a bit.”

Even though his eyes weren’t aimed at him, Sam knew his words were. Topher was taking the news even worse than he feared.

“So what are we going to do when we get to Santa Monica?” Mo asked. “Are we going to avoid each other and do our own thing?”

“I think that’s a good idea, actually,” Topher said. “It’ll give us some time to think. Besides, now that Wiz Kids is over, there’s really no point in continuing a friendship that’s not going to last.”

It was upsetting, but Topher had a point. Staying connected in the years to come would be considerably more difficult without the show. Instead of gradually losing touch over time, maybe it was better just to nip it in the bud.

At five o’clock on Saturday evening, the station wagon arrived in Santa Monica. They checked into the Sea Glass Inn, the cheapest hotel that was walking distance to the famous Santa Monica Pier. Topher read online that the Wiz Kids sets at Sunshine Studios had already been torn down to make room for NCIS: Boise, so there was no point in taking the studio tour—not that they would have even if the sets were still up. The Downers Grove troop spent their first two days in Southern California wandering through the Los Angeles area on their own. The only time they saw each other was at the hotel and it was only for a few minutes at night before bed and in the morning.

On July 4, their third and final day in California, they still hadn’t regrouped or reconciled. Sam spent the evening on the Santa Monica Pier watching the sun set over the Pacific Ocean. He thought he knew loneliness before, but now that he and his friends weren’t speaking, Sam was learning the true definition of solitude. He prayed the journey back to Downers Grove would mend the group, but others weren’t as patient.

“Hey.”

Sam turned around and saw Topher standing on the pier behind him. He figured Topher must have been there for a while because he hadn’t heard any footsteps.

“Hey,” he said.

It was an awkward moment between the two. There was so much to say, but no easy way of saying it, so they just stared at each other.

“Rough week, huh?” Topher said.

“That’s an understatement,” Sam said. “You did say it would be a summer to remember.”

“I did,” Topher said with a laugh. “So, what have you been up to? Have you seen anything cool?”

“I’ve mostly just stayed in the area,” Sam said. “I went to the promenade, the aquarium, saw a movie—nothing too exciting. How about you?”

“I’ve just been walking,” Topher said. “I walked to Venice, to the Pacific Palisades, to Brentwood, and to some place called Century City. I never planned to go anywhere, they’re just where I’ve wound up.”