The Romantics(57)

She turned to look at him, narrowing her eyes. He noticed a tiny tear in the page she’d been messing with. “If Anika had come back apologizing, don’t tell me you wouldn’t have given her another chance. And John didn’t, like, start dating my best friend behind my back. He made out with one girl at one party, one time. It’s college.”

Gael opened his mouth but found he had nothing to say. Finally, he shrugged. “Whatever. It’s your life.”

“You know, you’re not being very supportive. We’re supposed to be friends,” she argued.

And it was only as she said it that he realized how desperately he wanted not to be friends with her.

But it was too late. That was painfully clear.

“I should get some homework done,” Gael said quickly, standing up. “Safe travels.”

He didn’t wait for her to say anything else, just headed back to his room.





text therapy


Gael stayed in his room the rest of the afternoon. He put on Rushmore, a movie Sammy did not like, and texted Mason furiously with the new developments.

so i actually thought i liked Sammy but she just told me she’s getting back with her ex what happened to hippie chick?

i don’t know i can’t stop thinking about Sammy i knew it! so why are you NOT stopping her from getting back with douche-face?

because it’s her life, and that’s what she wants LAME

she’s not into me, it was clear from our convo i always thought she was, tho if she was why is she getting back with douche-face nice name, btw

don’t know, dude, don’t know, girls r weird

anika is freaking out bc i assumed we had plans tomorrow without asking LOL don’t ever assume with Anika little bit of advice for ya

go talk to Sammy

NOW!!!!!

i can’t

what are you going to say to

hippie chick? aren’t you supposed to be like her boyfriend very soon dunno

damn, ur more of a player than me





familial advice: mom edition


Gael didn’t go out and talk to Sammy, despite Mason’s persistence. In fact, he was still in his room when his mom got home just past five. After a minute, she knocked on his door.

He sat up. “Yeah?”

“Can I come in?” she asked.

He sighed. “Sure.”

She walked into the room, glanced at the movie, which was almost done, but she must have figured he wasn’t that into it because she smiled and leaned against his closet. Her eyes weren’t puffy today. Good for you, Gael thought bitterly.

“I never got to hear about your Halloween,” she said, as she absentmindedly folded a T-shirt that was thrown across his computer chair.

“It was fine,” he said with a dismissive shrug.

She set the T-shirt down and crossed her arms. “You’re awfully quiet. And you were last night, too. Is something wrong?”

Gael stared at her. He wanted, so badly, to yell. To tell her that, yes, sometimes it felt like everything was wrong, like their whole family was ruined, that he could never really have faith in love again. He wanted to tell her, finally and honestly, just how much the divorce was breaking his heart. He wanted to ask why in the world she’d decided to leave his dad.

But he couldn’t. He’d made a promise.

She smiled mischievously. “So Dad tells me you were meeting some mysterious stranger who goes to UNC. Is she nice? What does she study? I want to hear all about her.”

“I don’t really want to talk about it,” he said.

And he didn’t. But especially not with her.

“Oh, come on,” she said. “You gave me all the fun details when you were first dating Anika.”

It was true, he had. Because she’d seemed so sad and broken up from the split, and because the two of them had always been pretty close, and because it seemed like in that first month, all he could do to try and make her happy was to talk to her constantly, to tell her every little bit about his life, to be her distraction.

He’d felt so bad for his mom. But now he knew the split was all her doing.

“I don’t really want to talk about dating with you, Mom,” he said.

She threw her hands in the air and smiled sheepishly. “I know, I know, I’m your boring old mom.”

But he shook his head. He sat up in the bed, grabbed the remote, and paused the movie.

He took a deep breath.

“I know that you’re the one who ended things with Dad,” he said finally.

Her jaw dropped. “How did you—”

“Dad told me. It’s not his fault,” he rushed to add. “I forced his hand. I thought he was cheating and he had no choice but to tell me the truth.”

She put her hand to her mouth, then dropped it again. “Oh, Gael,” she said. “Oh, sweetheart, I’m so so sorry.”

“Don’t,” he said bitterly.

“Just let me explain—”

“I don’t want to hear anything you have to say,” he said. “Dad already said enough.” And he rolled over to face the wall until he heard the door close and his mom’s steps down the hall.





scenes from a chapel hill high school hallway


The next morning, Gael walked briskly through the high school parking lot and toward the building’s double doors. He wanted to catch Mason at least a few minutes before class started. He was eager to tell him about confronting his mom, and he didn’t really think emoticons would do the convo justice. But Gael was later than usual, which meant that he had only a couple of minutes at most to talk to Mason, and the thought of waiting until chemistry seemed unbearable.