The Romantics

by Leah Konen

  This fall, of course, they hadn’t played at all until now.

  Gael traipsed across the grass, kicking and crunching the leaves in his wake, Mason at his heels. He grabbed his Frisbee from where it had landed right next to the goal and plunked it in the basket. “A hole in two,” he said. “Also not terrible.”

  Mason proceeded to toss the Frisbee too short and too far, as he always did, inevitably losing count of his number of shots. Finally, he just grabbed it, walked it to the basket, and pushed it in forcefully.

  “Everything okay?” Gael asked. It wasn’t like Mason to care about Frisbee golf.

  Mason shrugged. “Anika’s being weird,” he said.

  Gael raised his eyebrows. “Think she might be hooking up with your best friend? Oh, wait. I’m right here.”

  I probably should have said former, Gael thought. But then again, maybe he shouldn’t have.

  Mason rolled his eyes. “Very funny.” He grabbed his Frisbee out of the basket and began to twirl it in his hands. “I think she was pissed that I didn’t follow her stupid plan to get us all back together at lunch.”

  Gael shifted his weight from foot to foot. He didn’t quite know what to say, so he didn’t say anything.

  Mason didn’t wait for a response. “She said I should have backed her up on that, that if we were going to actually date properly, we couldn’t keep acting all ashamed all the time.”

  Gael burst out laughing. “Dude, you don’t act ashamed all the time. Neither does she.”

  “That’s because Anika’s always trying to save face,” Mason said. “But she feels bad. Really bad. She talks about it all the time.”

  Gael kicked at a few leaves on the ground. “What do you want me to say?”

  “Just hear me out for a second,” Mason said, tossing the Frisbee onto the ground. “We got into this stupid argument last night. She suddenly didn’t want to go out for Halloween because she felt so guilty. She kept talking about some Cleopatra costume she’d planned to wear with you?”

  Gael laughed softly. It made him feel better that she remembered, that she cared, even if only the tiniest bit.

  “And the weird thing is, any other girl, when things got to that point, I would have just moved on. But even after arguing, when we finally got to Franklin, like, I didn’t even want to look at any of the girls in skanky costumes. I didn’t even care.”

  “Cause you only wanted to look at her, right?” Gael asked.

  Mason nodded. “Yeah.” He picked the Frisbee back up. “And I know it’s shitty of me to bug you about this. I know how completely screwed up it was to do what we did. I mean, if you did that to me now, god, I don’t know, I’d want to kill you.”

  “I’m pretty sure I did want to kill you,” Gael offered.

  Mason started twirling the Frisbee again. “But you’re my best friend, still. And I don’t know, you’re the only one I want to talk to about stuff like this.”

  Gael retrieved his Frisbee from the basket and walked to the next hole, Mason in tow. He was at a crossroads, he knew. He could throw a fit, explain to Mason that it was totally unacceptable for him to ask advice from him about his girlfriend after stealing said girlfriend.

  Or . . .

  Or Gael could recognize that what he and Anika had was maybe a lot more fantasy than reality. He could give credence to the fact that the sheer speed with which he was able to rebound showed she certainly wasn’t the love of his life.

  He could let himself see that Mason was, hands down, no holds barred, falling in love with Anika.

  “Dude,” he said, and he stopped walking. “Maybe you just like her a lot?”

  Mason stopped, too. “Yeah, but what do I do about it? What if she freaks out and bails?”

  Gael shrugged. “Maybe she will.”

  He could tell from the look on Mason’s face that that’s not what he wanted to hear. “And I’m supposed to just be okay with that?”

  “Well, what else are you gonna do? Dump her so she doesn’t dump you first?”

  Mason laughed. “Sometimes it’s tempting, honestly . . .”

  (Defensive dumping is a staple of the Drifter playbook, I’ll have you know.)

  They reached the next hole, and Gael tossed the Frisbee toward it. It went way too far.

  “I’m sorry,” Mason said suddenly. “I’m sorry for being the worst friend ever.”

  “You’re not the worst friend ever,” Gael replied.

  Mason shrugged. “I kind of am, though.”

  “Fine,” Gael said. “You kind of are. But you’re my worst friend. So I guess I’ll just have to deal with it.”

  Mason freaking beamed at that.

  Gael felt a weight lift, one he hadn’t even realized was there until it was gone. It felt good.

  “Well, since we’re friends again . . .” Gael hesitated, taking a deep breath. “I guess I can go ahead and tell you I found out yesterday that my mom was the one who wanted the divorce. Apparently, she just got tired of my dad or something. I’d thought for a while that maybe my dad had cheated, but that wasn’t it at all.”

  Mason dropped the Frisbee. “Dude. You let me go on about Anika freaking out about Halloween, and you were holding on to this. That sucks, man. I’m so sorry.”

  Gael shrugged. “I don’t know whether to be furious with my mom or just completely disillusioned with love in all forms.”

  Mason picked up his Frisbee and tossed it badly.

  “It’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all, dude.” He paused. “I saw that on Reddit.”

  Gael laughed out loud. “Is it, though?” he asked finally. “I thought it was. But now I’m not really sure.”

  Gael thought about Sammy, about how horrible it would be to lose her as a friend.

  Mason nodded. “I think it is.”

  And for once in his life, Mason tossed the Frisbee straight into the hole.

  “Hole in one!” Gael screamed. “Holy shit. Look at you, hustler!”

  And as he jumped up and down and high-fived his friend, he had another kind of thought.

  Maybe he didn’t hesitate last night because Cara wasn’t perfect.

  Maybe he hesitated because Cara wasn’t Sammy.

  What if, this whole time, he’d been going after the wrong freshman from UNC?

  baltimore bound

  When Gael got back to his house that afternoon, he was feeling more like himself than he had in a long, long time. The relief of finally forgiving Mason was enormous. He even told his friend that maybe he and Anika could join them at lunch again soon—not just yet, of course, but eventually.

  And, okay, add to the happy feelings a sense of resolve. Gael couldn’t deny it any longer. He had feelings for Sammy, and he had to know if she did, too, before he could think seriously about dating Cara. It was only fair.

  He wasn’t sure exactly what he would say to her, but as he walked down the hallway and into the dining room, he was feeling especially light on his feet.

  Sammy and Piper were at the table as usual. Piper was copying out French definitions, so absorbed that she barely even gave him a nod.

  Sammy, on the other hand, looked up immediately and smiled. She adjusted her glasses. Gael had a sudden urge to take them off and kiss her like they did in the movies. He forced himself to focus.

  “So, do I get all the juicy details?” she asked.

  “Huh?”

  “Your date,” she said.

  That got Piper looking up. “Date?” she asked.

  He’d been so focused on what was on his mind that, for a second, he had no idea what Sammy was talking about. He stared blankly at both of them.

  “With Cara?” she offered. “Halloween?”

  “Oh,” he stammered. “Err, it wasn’t really a date.”

  Sammy shrugged, made air quotes. “Your ‘hangout’ with your soon-to-be girlfriend, then.”

  Piper looked from Gael to Sammy and then back again. “Wait, I thought you guys liked each other.”
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  Sammy’s face turned beet red, and she looked less composed than he’d ever seen her. Gael felt his own face heating up.

  “No,” he said. “I mean, well, the thing is . . .”

  “I’m your babysitter,” Sammy offered practically. “I can’t date your brother. Plus, another girl has already won his heart.”

  “But you guys went to the movies together,” Piper said, matter-of-factly. “That’s like, a date.”

  “All right, all right, Little Miss Matchmaker,” Sammy said, closing Piper’s French book. “Why don’t you go on the computer and get a little extra Wikipedia time in? I won’t tell your mom.”

  “You guys are trying to get rid of me, right?” Piper asked.

  “Yes,” Sammy said.

  “You just have to ask, geez,” Piper said, and headed upstairs as fast as she could.

  Sammy leaned back in her chair. Gael sensed that this was his moment. He just had to somehow find the right words.

  “Well, that was awkward,” Sammy said, looking at him and laughing.

  “Uhh,” Gael stuttered. He took a seat next to her. He could feel himself starting to sweat.

  Sammy stared at him, but he didn’t say anything. Her embarrassed blush was already fading. She crossed her arms finally, breaking the spell. “I do want to hear more about your Halloween.”

  He shrugged. Halloween was literally the last thing he wanted to talk about right then. “It was good, I guess. We were zombies. Umm, how was yours?”

  She leaned her elbows against the table, tilted her head toward him. “You okay?” she asked.

  Gael nodded quickly, wondering why this was so damn hard?

  “Well, my Halloween was whatever. I didn’t end up going out at all, actually.”

  Through the window outside, Gael saw three kids tossing a ball back and forth. He wondered, briefly, what Sammy had been like as a kid. Probably exactly the same. He scooted his chair back a little. He wondered how in the world to turn a boring conversation about Halloween into what he wanted to say—but what did he want to say?

  “How come?” he asked finally. “I thought you said you had plans.”

  Sammy sat up straight and wrung the bottom of her T-shirt in her hands. “Yeah, I was supposed to do something with my roommate, but, well, I ended up just talking to John.”

  Gael felt his heart beat faster. He was taken aback completely. It was the last thing he’d expected to hear. “Your ex?”

  She nodded. “He called me on Monday night . . .” Her voice dropped off.

  “And what did he want?” Gael demanded.

  Sammy hesitated. “He apologized for everything.”

  “Everything including cheating on you?” Gael asked.

  “Hey,” she said, raising her eyebrows. “He explained everything. He got with another girl at a party and then broke up with me the next day. I’d hardly call it cheating.”

  “Oh, that’s convenient,” Gael said. He could feel himself getting worked up, his face becoming hotter.

  “Well, it’s true,” she argued. “He said he was just scared by the idea of a long-distance relationship. Since Monday, he’s been texting a bunch, and he even sent me flowers on Tuesday. It was so sweet.”

  Gael took a deep breath and tried to gather his thoughts.

  Sammy fiddled with Piper’s French book, avoiding his eyes. “Anyway, I’m going to Baltimore tomorrow night. I figure I need to see him in person to figure out if we can give this a real shot again.”

  “What?” Gael asked, dumbfounded. “You’re actually thinking about taking him back?”

  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.

  The halls were already swelling with students. In the main hallway, Danny caught his eye and waved, but Gael just gave him a quick nod and kept walking. Mason knew his parents better than anyone else from his friend group. Gael was hoping Mason would find a way to somehow make it all okay.

  But as he pushed through clacking lockers and giggling freshmen, getting closer to Mason’s locker, Gael saw Anika standing with Mason down the hall. Gael stopped short, causing a brawny football player to run into him, cursing.

  “Sorry, dude,” Gael said over his shoulder and then trained his eyes on his friends.