The day of Wesley’s party was the first mild weather day in several weeks. While Marshall was getting dressed that morning, he decided to wear a white linen button up. His once white back was now a bright, electric red. He had hoped his shirt paired with jeans and flip flops would look okay and not too frat douche. He needn’t have worried. As he surveyed the crowd at the party, he saw several men dressed in a similar fashion. A lot of the women were wearing sun dresses and large hats. There were only a handful of kids running around but they were all around nine or ten—much older than the birthday boy.
“Are you Sean’s brother?” asked an older woman with a cruel face.
“No,” said Marshall. “I’m his friend.”
“Oh,” she said, looking him over. “I should have known.”
After the pinched-face w
