will find something other than Chic-Fil-A by then, and maybe he won’t—but I’m not going to just cut him off tonight. Like, say, it’s been a nice ten years, but I’m not going to be able to invite you anywhere or talk to you if you happen to cross my path. He’s my best friend, Julie. He’s been my best friend since elementary school.”
Julie turned her eyes back to the hallway. Both of their voices were lowered; they had to be, because if people heard them talking about this, the gossip would travel back to Michael like a virus. They shouldn’t be discussing this in the hallway, hell, they shouldn’t be discussing it at all.
He pulled his hand away from hers.
“I’ll talk to you later,” he said, turning into his classroom without bothering to kiss or even look at her.
He took a seat in the front of the room so that she wouldn’t be able to see him and he wouldn’t have to look at her, standing at the door, mouth slightly ajar, her brow furrowed. Bryan didn’t want to see any of it, at all.
----
T hera sat down at the brick lunch table. The sun kept the patio warm, but they only had another month or so with weather like this. It would start turning cold in late October and she doubted any of their foursome would sit outside then. This was her last year to do it, too. That’s what she kept reminding herself. Everything she wanted to do in high school had to be done now. Not next year, but each day. The four of them sat alone outside, most of the other kids choosing to sit indoors. Maybe because the tables inside were closer to the food, or maybe they didn’t like the fact that the whole lunchroom could look out the glass windows to see their group of four sitting here—which didn’t make a whole lot of sense, because everyone could see each other sitting inside, too.
Thera didn’t really care either way. She would sit out here as long as possible and so would the other three.
Michael sat down next to her, Bryan coming a few seconds later, and sitting across from Thera.
“Where’s Julie?” Thera asked.
“I think she decided to go to study hall,” Bryan responded, looking down at his brown bag, pulling food out of it.
But that didn’t sound right, in the slightest.
“Study hall?” Michael asked. “Since when do seniors go to study hall? She already took the SAT.”
“I don’t know, man. She said she wanted to study so that’s where she went,” Bryan said, not looking up. Instead, he unwrapped the foil containing the two slices of pizza he brought for lunch. No one said anything, and Thera glanced over to Michael, seeing he hadn’t opened his lunch yet either. Only Bryan was eating.
“Everything okay?” Thera asked, knowing that she was stepping on unsure ground. Bryan clearly didn’t want to talk about whatever was going on, but she still felt the need to ask because that was the polite thing to do. You asked people if everything was okay when it clearly wasn’t, that way they could talk about it if they wanted to. Give them the option and all that, though she knew Bryan wouldn’t take it.
She asked the question for the same reason all of the other students sat inside, because everyone else did it, even though there wasn’t much logical sense in it.
“Yeah.”
She glanced over at Michael again, finding his eyes flashing to hers. He shrugged and raised his eyebrows—which meant fuck it, in Michael’s language. He opened his plastic grocery store bag and pulled out his food. The table went quiet as the two boys began eating, but it wasn’t the normal silence that came with lunch. Of course, they had these silences in the past, when people were friends this long they got into spats, but it had been a while. Michael chewed his food and looked past Bryan, acting like he didn’t notice anything, though he most surely did. Thera always imagined that Michael could serve a lifetime prison sentence and act the exact same as he would if it was a long beach vacation. It
Julie turned her eyes back to the hallway. Both of their voices were lowered; they had to be, because if people heard them talking about this, the gossip would travel back to Michael like a virus. They shouldn’t be discussing this in the hallway, hell, they shouldn’t be discussing it at all.
He pulled his hand away from hers.
“I’ll talk to you later,” he said, turning into his classroom without bothering to kiss or even look at her.
He took a seat in the front of the room so that she wouldn’t be able to see him and he wouldn’t have to look at her, standing at the door, mouth slightly ajar, her brow furrowed. Bryan didn’t want to see any of it, at all.
----
T hera sat down at the brick lunch table. The sun kept the patio warm, but they only had another month or so with weather like this. It would start turning cold in late October and she doubted any of their foursome would sit outside then. This was her last year to do it, too. That’s what she kept reminding herself. Everything she wanted to do in high school had to be done now. Not next year, but each day. The four of them sat alone outside, most of the other kids choosing to sit indoors. Maybe because the tables inside were closer to the food, or maybe they didn’t like the fact that the whole lunchroom could look out the glass windows to see their group of four sitting here—which didn’t make a whole lot of sense, because everyone could see each other sitting inside, too.
Thera didn’t really care either way. She would sit out here as long as possible and so would the other three.
Michael sat down next to her, Bryan coming a few seconds later, and sitting across from Thera.
“Where’s Julie?” Thera asked.
“I think she decided to go to study hall,” Bryan responded, looking down at his brown bag, pulling food out of it.
But that didn’t sound right, in the slightest.
“Study hall?” Michael asked. “Since when do seniors go to study hall? She already took the SAT.”
“I don’t know, man. She said she wanted to study so that’s where she went,” Bryan said, not looking up. Instead, he unwrapped the foil containing the two slices of pizza he brought for lunch. No one said anything, and Thera glanced over to Michael, seeing he hadn’t opened his lunch yet either. Only Bryan was eating.
“Everything okay?” Thera asked, knowing that she was stepping on unsure ground. Bryan clearly didn’t want to talk about whatever was going on, but she still felt the need to ask because that was the polite thing to do. You asked people if everything was okay when it clearly wasn’t, that way they could talk about it if they wanted to. Give them the option and all that, though she knew Bryan wouldn’t take it.
She asked the question for the same reason all of the other students sat inside, because everyone else did it, even though there wasn’t much logical sense in it.
“Yeah.”
She glanced over at Michael again, finding his eyes flashing to hers. He shrugged and raised his eyebrows—which meant fuck it, in Michael’s language. He opened his plastic grocery store bag and pulled out his food. The table went quiet as the two boys began eating, but it wasn’t the normal silence that came with lunch. Of course, they had these silences in the past, when people were friends this long they got into spats, but it had been a while. Michael chewed his food and looked past Bryan, acting like he didn’t notice anything, though he most surely did. Thera always imagined that Michael could serve a lifetime prison sentence and act the exact same as he would if it was a long beach vacation. It
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