Chapter Text
Brando,
I’m coming back to the suburbs for the summer. I’ve missed you, kinda. Not a lot though.
P.S. I may have “borrowed” your brown racer jacket for all of the past year. Thanks
-Wilson
June 10, 1991
“Bran!” Evangeline Ellis called from the dining room table. “You’ve got mail!”
“It better not be from that Wilson kid again," as Albert Ellis grabbed a Miller Lite from the fridge. “He’s been sending him letters all year.”
“Who cares who it could be from? Will is his childhood best friend.” Otto Ellis said, drawing in his notebook. He was doodling little dragons.
Brando Ellis came barreling down the stairs, his hair all poked in different angles like he just got up. He was wearing the blue number twelve jersey he stole from Wilson a year prior.
“Who’s it from?” He said, rubbing his eyes and walking towards the dining room table.
“Wilson, of course!” His mom said while handing him the postcard with Blue Bonnets on it.
As Brando Ellis read the postcard, it felt like all the memories from last summer came flooding in like a nightmare that stayed with you after you woke up. His eyes stung, and he blinked hard.
August 8th, 1990
Wilson was standing outside Charlie’s Chicken and Ice Cream Shop. He was waiting for Bran to get off his shift. It was the last night Will was gonna be in Wimberley till next year. He was going off for his senior year because his mom wanted him to get more opportunities.
Brando was standing there waiting for ten-thirty to pass so he could say his goodbyes to Will. At ten-twenty-eight, a blonde girl in a floral dress came up to the window. All Bran could think about was how much he just wanted to get off his shift.
“Sorry for the really late notice! I forgot his place closes a little earlier.” The blonde woman said.
“Summer hours have changed sadly, anyway, what can I get you?” Brando Ellis said to her.
“Just a small vanilla cone.”
“Alright, your total will be one dollar and two cents. You look great in that dress, by the way.”
“Oh! Thank you!! You look good, too.”
Brando giggled, and so did the blonde woman.
Wilson, standing against the wall, just rolled his eyes and started walking away. He started walking back to Bran’s beat-up truck. Bran soon came up to him, holding a cup of ice cream and a spoon. Will tried to grab the spoon from him while Bran yanked it away from him.
“Bran, stop being stupid!” Will said while grabbing the spoon from him and giggling.
“Come on, it's the last night you’re here, you’ve gotta be happy!” Bran said while leading the way to his truck.
They got in the truck, and Will put down his ice cream on the dashboard of the car. Brando looked him in the eye for almost too long. He studied Wilson’s face. His deep brown, almost black curls, the moles all around his face, and the way his eyes glimmered when he looked at him. Brando cupped his hand around Wilson’s cheek and pulled him in for a kiss. It wasn’t like a little peck on the cheek. It was a kiss that meant something.
Wilson pulled away in shock and looked at Brando’s eyes. He was breathing heavily now. Almost in a panic attack. Then it hit. Thunder cracked over the little chicken shop.
Brando was pulled back into reality.
“You okay, Bran?” Otto asked, looking up from his drawings. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” His face genuinely worried.
“Oh! Yeah, of course I am!” Brando said while tapping on the corner of the postcard.
“Boy, if you don’t check on your girlfriend. You haven’t spoken to her since graduation.” Albert said while shouting from the couch. He was watching a sports game.
And he was right. Brando Ellis spent two days locked in his room, not talking to his girlfriend Ivy Pierce. He felt something was coming, but he didn’t know what it could be.
The answer was sitting right in the palms of his hands. The little Blue Bonnet postcard Wilson Rivers sent him.
Brando went back upstairs to use the home phone connected to the hallway wall. He typed in Ivy’s phone number and was waiting for her response. She answered and screamed through the phone,
“BRANDO ELLIS, WHY HAVEN’T YOU CALLED ME?! IT HAS BEEN TWO DAYS SINCE GRADUATION.”
Bran pulled the phone away from his ear, his face twisted in horror.
“Sorry! I got caught up in something.” He said desperately.
“Caught up in something isn’t an excuse. I’ve been waiting since yesterday for you’re call.” She said in her angry tone.
“Okay, I’m sorry. I’m just not prepared for something.” He said sheepishly
“Prepared for what?”
“Wilson Rivers is coming back this summer.” His tone sounded unsure.
“What?” She sounded really annoyed.
“Yeah, I didn't get a warning. His postcard came in this morning,” he said while his face showed nervousness.
“Oh. My. God.” Her volume rose with each word.
“Look, I’ll show you the postcard. Just come over around one.” His face showed uncertainty.
“Okay, I’ll be there.” There was a moment of silence before Ivy broke it, “You need to be better at reaching out.” She said while looking at her freshly painted nails.
“Yeah, yeah, okay. I’ll see you at one.”
“Bye.”
She sounded angered, but Brando didn’t want to push it.
Jessica Ledger was sitting at her desk in her room, listening to a music tape her mother gave her that same day. Her mom was already off on some adventure, and she was at home. All she would pray for is that someone could hang out. The house was still till the doorbell rang.
Jess got up from her chair and skipped down the stairs. The mailman greeted her at the door.
“Hi! I have mail for…Jessica Ledger?” As he picked up a postcard.
“That’s me!” She was smiling and reached for the postcard from him.
“Alright, have a good rest of your day!” The mailman started to walk off. .
“You too!” She shouted as she closed the door.
Jess started walking towards the kitchen while reading the postcard. Her skirt swayed as she waltzed. She finished reading and squealed. Her best friend was finally coming home. She missed Wilson so much. She wrote to him about school and how boring it was without him constantly.
She was just in disbelief that Wilson Rivers chose his hometown over San Diego. She couldn’t wait. That also meant one thing. She had to see Brando Ellis.
She hated Brando; he broke her best friend's heart. He always has. Ever since they were in pre-school. Ignoring him when he tried to talk to him, choosing his football buddies at after-school parties, and the kiss at the chicken shop.
She just wished Wilson had never chosen him. It made her sick every time he got overlooked. Yet, she knew that Wilson still had the heart to love him.
The first person she chose to talk to about it was Jay. Jay Gandor was one of Will’s best friends, too. She packed up things in her bag and started her traverse to his house.
She didn’t live far from him. Only a block away. The whole time she was making her way over, she was just thinking about how Brando would react when he arrived.
Jess made it up to Jay’s doorstep and knocked on it. Jay opened up and smiled when he saw it was Jess.
“Hi! Can I come in?” Jess asked.
“Yeah.” Jay croaked.
She walked in and put her bag down on the side table. She sat down, and Jay sat next to her.
“I got my postcard today,” Jay said, ruffling his hair.
“Same, but I came here to talk to you about Brando Ellis,” Jess said while grabbing her notepad out of her bag.
Jay knew Jessica was going to write a list about this. She always had. The second she grabbed her notepad and her pink pen, she was thinking.
“What about that idiot?” Jay said with confidence.
“Well, we both know that Wilson is only really coming home for us and that guy….But I need to talk to you about how we need to keep Will’s heart from being broken again.”
“Yeah, I mean, didn’t Brando initiate…Or I mean kiss him at the chicken shop?”
“Yes, but after that night…He only half-heartedly sent him notes.” Her tone sounds more concerned by the minute.
“That douche barely even cares about him now.” Jay went silent for a minute, “Why would he even kiss him in the first place?”
“Because he knew how fragile Will was in that moment, because he was leaving that same morning. He just wanted Will to be even more broken.”
“True.”
“It always ends up that way, Wilson tries to make Brando love him, then Brando ignores him. Till….It’s like Will is out of his orbit. Then he drags him back.”
“God. And Will is too dumb and just follows him back.” Jay said, crossing his legs. He was more focused on the topic at hand now that he was grounded.
“Well, we have all day till he comes home, and we need to be the first people to see him. Definitely not Brando Ellis.” Jess said while doodling little flowers in the corner of her notepad.
“I mean, I love Will so much, but he’s always putting out too much. He isn’t ever getting anything back in return.” Jay said while picking under his nails.
“I mean, we can go to Ruth’s house? She may be home.” Jess said quickly, putting her notepad and pen away.
“Sure. Let me change first.” Jay said while picking up a sock from the ground.
“I’ll meet you outside!” Jess said all cheery.
Sha had a plan to keep Wilson happy. She had to make it work.