Every Summer After

Sam and Percy are drifting on the raft when Charlie arrives; he calls over and invites them in for food. Percy notices that Charlie and Sam’s interactions are different now, and Charlie acts as though he is checking up on Sam.

Percy brings up Taylor and asks who Charlie is seeing now. To Percy’s surprise, Charlie angrily says to Sam, “You’ve got to be kidding me” (172). However, Sam signals to Charlie not to say anything further, and Percy goes to wash the dishes. When she returns, she overhears an argument between the brothers. Charlie leaves, promising Percy it is not because of anything she said or did; he has other plans for the evening. Percy queries why Charlie didn’t look her up in Toronto, and he admits he didn’t think it was a good idea. Charlie promises to save her a seat at the funeral the next day; he could use a friend, as Sam will have Taylor.

After Charlie leaves, Sam insists that they get along much better now, though Charlie still knows how to push his buttons. He also reveals that he has not been sleeping much recently with all the stress. In the basement, Sam shows Percy a cardboard box full of the horror movies he bought in college but never watched.