Кадр выше наш. Полное медиа с Facebook запрошено — подставим его сюда, как только приедет.
Chapter 1 Our summer always starts the same way. Somebody buys too much meat, somebody brings a cooler full of beer, and by three in the afternoon half the neighborhood has migrated into somebody else's backyard. This year, that somebody is Mark. And Mark's backyard is ridiculous. I don't mean expensive-looking ridiculous. I mean the kind of yard that makes you wonder whether the guy secretly gets up at four in the morning to polish individual blades of grass. The lawn is perfect. Not *pretty good*. Perfect. There's a stone path running from the deck to a little fire pit, flower beds lined up like they're waiting for military inspection, and a row of tomato plants along the back fence that Mark talks about with the same pride most men reserve for their children. A wooden pergola sits beside the pool, little string lights hanging from the beams even though sunset is still hours away. The air smells like grilled burgers, lighter fluid, fresh-cut grass, and somebody's aggressively coconut-scented sunscreen. Basically— Summer. I'm standing near the grill with three guys I've known long enough that none of us bother pretending we're impressive anymore. Marcus has one hand wrapped around a beer and the other waving through the air as he explains why the Celtics are apparently about to ruin basketball for everybody. “I'm telling you,” he says. “If they stay healthy, nobody's touching them.” Derek snorts. “You say that every year.” “Because every year I'm right.” “You were literally wrong last year.” “That was different.” “How?” Marcus pauses. Then points at him. “Injuries.” I laugh into my beer. Marcus has been my friend since we were twelve. Big guy. Bigger personality. Still talks with his whole body, still somehow turns every conversation into a debate, and still believes being louder is a legitimate way to win an argument. Derek is standing beside him wearing sunglasses even though we're under the shade. He moved to Manhattan six years ago
