Highly Illogical Behavior(47)
Janis picked her phone back up, clicked a few times, and handed it to Lisa. He was attractive enough, in that unassuming sort of way like the best friend in every movie you’ve ever seen. Lisa hammed it up, though.
“He’s so cute, Janis. That smile. Maybe I should go to this camp.”
“We met during a reenactment of the crucifixion.”
“Your first date was a crucifixion?”
“Reenactment,” Janis corrected. “It wasn’t a date. It was love at first sight.”
Lisa couldn’t help imagining these lovebirds standing in the woods while two high schoolers pretended to whip a dude dressed like Jesus in the background.
“I’m glad, Janis. You seem really happy.”
“I am,” she said, grabbing her phone. “I just wish he lived closer.”
“Where’s he live?”
“Tustin. But it may as well be Jupiter.”
“That’s not that far,” Lisa said. “Like an hour.”
“An hour is an eternity when you’re this in love. But, I’ll see him at camp next week.”
“Janis, please don’t get knocked up at Christian camp.”
“Can you imagine? My mom would kill me.”
“You could always call it a miracle Virgin birth maybe?”
“Well, gosh, I hadn’t thought of that.”
After lunch, they went to a serve-yourself yogurt shop around the corner. It had been their spot once, after school and sometimes on Sundays. It was weird being there, after so long, and Lisa was feeling a little overwhelmed by Janis’s nonstop talking.
“So, how are your boyfriends?” Janis asked.
“Good,” she said. “Just . . . yeah . . . good.”
“Look, I’m sorry for what I said, okay? It wasn’t fair. And what do I know anyway?”
“Maybe you were right,” Lisa said, louder than she intended, and then threw her head down to hide her face in her arms.
“What?”
“I think maybe I was wrong,” she said, her face still covered.
“He’s gay?” Janis asked, in a whisper, leaning down.
Lisa shot her head up and let herself slide down in the plastic chair.
“I don’t know. He spends all his time with Sol. All his time. And when he’s not doing that, he’s talking about him or making plans with him. I didn’t even realize it was happening and now I think it’s too late.”
“Well, you’re born gay, so if it’s true, it was too late a long time ago, Lisa.”
“I guess so.”
“Spending all their time together doesn’t make them gay, either. It makes them . . . I don’t know . . . two loners who found each other, maybe.”
“True.”
“So, you could be reading too much into it. You need to be sure before you do anything.”
“What’s there to do? I love him. He knows that. But it just feels weird between us now.”
“Even if he was gay, would Clark lie to you?”
“Yeah. That’s the part I can’t figure out. Plus, even if he is lying, shouldn’t I be supportive? I can’t make him feel guilty about being who he really is.”
“There’s a difference in being yourself and cheating on someone. You think Clark would do that to you? And aren’t you and Solomon close? Would he do that?”
“I don’t think so,” she said. “But what if they can’t help it?”
“Then at least maybe you’ll get your scholarship.”
“I thought you disapproved?”
“I do. But, I mean . . . it’s a unique perspective. Plus, you could get a lot of sympathy if you go for the whole crazy kid stole my boyfriend angle.”
“Clark doesn’t want me to do it. He said he’d tell Sol about the essay if I write it. Just another reason I think he cares more about him than he does me.”
“No way,” she said. “He’s just doing the right thing.”
“I know. So, maybe I just need to tell him, huh? Tell Solomon the truth and hope it doesn’t reverse all the progress he’s made.”
“He’s made progress?”
“Oh, yeah. He goes into the backyard now.”
“And you think it’s because of you?”
“I think he needed a push and I gave him one,” she said confidently.
“Lisa, if he finds out you lied, could he get worse than he was before?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I’m so afraid.”
“Okay, hang on a second,” Janis said. “So you don’t think Clark will forgive you if you write the paper unless you get Solomon’s permission, which could wreck the whole thing?”
“Something like that,” Lisa said, staring down blankly at the floor. “And if I write it without his permission, Clark’s going to tell him anyway.”
“Okay then. I’ll say a prayer,” Janis added.
Lisa knew she’d need more than a prayer if she was going to keep Clark, Solomon, and the essay. In a perfect world, Solomon would be touched that she’d chosen to find and help him. And Clark would be impressed with her maturity and honesty, so much so that he’d either be honest with her in return or wake up and stop acting like he didn’t care about their relationship anymore. But, this wasn’t a perfect world—this was the world that Solomon Reed had run away from and the more Lisa thought about it, the less ridiculous that idea sounded to her. After all, wasn’t she just trying to run away from the little part of the world that scared her, too?