Megan pleads quietly. Erin remains unresponsive.
Vito unclicks his belt and gets out of the car again . What ishe fucking doing now?
He opens Megan’s door. “Why don’t you ride next to Tonio?”
Megan gets out and sits next to me while Vito buckles in next to Erin. He whispers to her. Then Vito reaches forward and motions for Megan to give him the Gatorade. Erin drinks it. It is only a couple of sips, but at least it is something.
I pull out of the parking space and get back on the road to Notre Dame.
“So, this is cool. You get to visit the college before you come here next year,” I say to Megan to fill some of the silence in the car.
“Yeah,” she responds quietly.
I take her hand in mine, and Megan leans her head back and closes her eyes.
*****
The campus is huge. I thought it felt foreign here in Indiana, but nothing could have prepared me for the Gothic European buildings.
Vito gives me directions from the backseat to O’Neill Hall, where Troy is living. The irony of the name is not lost on me.
Large stone structures, with church-like pillars adorn all of the fancy structures. It’s another country right here in America. Students carrying heavy backpacks flood the sidewalks and step right out into the street without looking.
O’Neill Hall is on the other side of the campus to where we enter. It is slow going amongst the pedestrian crowds. Megan sits up and watches. There is a small smile on her face. I can see it in her profile. Is she happy that she’s at the campus, or happy to see Troy? Fanabola!
“Tonio, turn right here,” Vito directs me.
Chapter 3
Bombaleed (bom-ba-lead): messed up! or poor quality.
Megan:
The Cayenne rolls to a stop at a four story pale brick building. A large sign on the door reads, O’Neill Family Hall . Some distant relatives must have donated some serious money for this place. My heart is pounding, and I’m not sure why. Seeing Troy is important to me. The thought didn’t hit me until I saw his dorm.
Troy has been my best friend for a long time. I tell him everything. He’s like the big brother I never had. I need him. We have had some great times over the years. He has been such a big part of my life. He has kept me grounded to my Irish heritage.
I turn to Erin from my seat. Antonio has already stepped out of the car. She looks like she’s going to cry again. Vito holds out his hand to help Erin out. She takes it.
Room three-twenty-three is of course on the third floor. We ride in the pristine elevator in silence. When I picture college dormitories, I imagine something dirty or messy. Not this immaculate and modern building.
Antonio’s face is hard. I’ve seen that expression before. I give him a reassuring squeeze of his hand. I cringe at the thought of how many times his hands have punched or hit someone, or snapped a limb. The same hands that offer me reassurances and kindness.
The four of us are a sight. We look like we’ve been traveling for days not just the morning.
I step up to Troy’s door. I raise my hand to knock, and the door flies open. It’s a girl...a tall girl with long blonde hair. She’s rumpled and is adjusting her shirt.
“Hi,” she says and then walks past us. “Bye,” she says and throws a cute little wave over her shoulder. Which I immediately think is directed at Antonio.
I gaze into the room. It’s small and neat. Troy is lying on the bed,shirtless, his arm is thrown over his eyes. In a matter of seconds, he sees me and jumps up. Troy’s face is hard, just like Antonio’s. I am still processing the girl leaving when Troy walks to me in the doorway.
“Hi, Meg,” he says, and pulls me in for a gentle hug. Antonio’s hand shoots out to stop him. Troy allows the interference. Thenhe takes his T-shirt andyanks it on forcefully with his back to us.
“So what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you today?”he sighs, rethinking his sarcasm. “Meg, you weren’t supposed to be here until
Vito unclicks his belt and gets out of the car again . What ishe fucking doing now?
He opens Megan’s door. “Why don’t you ride next to Tonio?”
Megan gets out and sits next to me while Vito buckles in next to Erin. He whispers to her. Then Vito reaches forward and motions for Megan to give him the Gatorade. Erin drinks it. It is only a couple of sips, but at least it is something.
I pull out of the parking space and get back on the road to Notre Dame.
“So, this is cool. You get to visit the college before you come here next year,” I say to Megan to fill some of the silence in the car.
“Yeah,” she responds quietly.
I take her hand in mine, and Megan leans her head back and closes her eyes.
*****
The campus is huge. I thought it felt foreign here in Indiana, but nothing could have prepared me for the Gothic European buildings.
Vito gives me directions from the backseat to O’Neill Hall, where Troy is living. The irony of the name is not lost on me.
Large stone structures, with church-like pillars adorn all of the fancy structures. It’s another country right here in America. Students carrying heavy backpacks flood the sidewalks and step right out into the street without looking.
O’Neill Hall is on the other side of the campus to where we enter. It is slow going amongst the pedestrian crowds. Megan sits up and watches. There is a small smile on her face. I can see it in her profile. Is she happy that she’s at the campus, or happy to see Troy? Fanabola!
“Tonio, turn right here,” Vito directs me.
Chapter 3
Bombaleed (bom-ba-lead): messed up! or poor quality.
Megan:
The Cayenne rolls to a stop at a four story pale brick building. A large sign on the door reads, O’Neill Family Hall . Some distant relatives must have donated some serious money for this place. My heart is pounding, and I’m not sure why. Seeing Troy is important to me. The thought didn’t hit me until I saw his dorm.
Troy has been my best friend for a long time. I tell him everything. He’s like the big brother I never had. I need him. We have had some great times over the years. He has been such a big part of my life. He has kept me grounded to my Irish heritage.
I turn to Erin from my seat. Antonio has already stepped out of the car. She looks like she’s going to cry again. Vito holds out his hand to help Erin out. She takes it.
Room three-twenty-three is of course on the third floor. We ride in the pristine elevator in silence. When I picture college dormitories, I imagine something dirty or messy. Not this immaculate and modern building.
Antonio’s face is hard. I’ve seen that expression before. I give him a reassuring squeeze of his hand. I cringe at the thought of how many times his hands have punched or hit someone, or snapped a limb. The same hands that offer me reassurances and kindness.
The four of us are a sight. We look like we’ve been traveling for days not just the morning.
I step up to Troy’s door. I raise my hand to knock, and the door flies open. It’s a girl...a tall girl with long blonde hair. She’s rumpled and is adjusting her shirt.
“Hi,” she says and then walks past us. “Bye,” she says and throws a cute little wave over her shoulder. Which I immediately think is directed at Antonio.
I gaze into the room. It’s small and neat. Troy is lying on the bed,shirtless, his arm is thrown over his eyes. In a matter of seconds, he sees me and jumps up. Troy’s face is hard, just like Antonio’s. I am still processing the girl leaving when Troy walks to me in the doorway.
“Hi, Meg,” he says, and pulls me in for a gentle hug. Antonio’s hand shoots out to stop him. Troy allows the interference. Thenhe takes his T-shirt andyanks it on forcefully with his back to us.
“So what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you today?”he sighs, rethinking his sarcasm. “Meg, you weren’t supposed to be here until
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