Bragan Boys (Bragan University Boxset)

by Gianna Gabriela

“Can we just forget that ever happened?” I beg.

  “No, ma’am. I’m going to remember that for the rest of our lives.”

  I don’t know why the fact that he says ‘ours’ makes me smile, but it does.

  I roll my eyes in faint annoyance. “Whatever. So, what are we doing today?” I ask. When he messaged me and we finally decided on a time to hang out, he told me all I needed to do was wear comfortable clothes and wait for him at the lobby of my dorm at 5pm.

  “It’s a surprise,” he replies. He runs his hands through his hair and adds, “Are you ready to go?”

  I nod.

  “So, how’s the first, what week, week and a half now, going?” he asks as we walk shoulder-to-shoulder.

  I shrug. “Kind of tiring, to be honest. I don’t love my classes, and I’m probably the oldest student in all of them.” I wanted to come back to school, to study, but taking classes has reminded me of how much I hated it.

  “First of all, no one likes classes. Well, maybe Emma,” he jokes. “Second,” he says, counting with his fingers, “It’s not your fault you had to miss a year. Plus, I think students are taking longer to graduate high school, so you’re probably just about the same age as they are.”

  We keep walking until we reach the student lot. “Are we going off campus?”

  “Not really, but it’s better if we drive there,” he says. Jesse leads me to his car, and I’m about to open the passenger door when stops me.

  “Here, let me,” he says, opening the door. Smiling widely, I get inside, putting on my seatbelt as I watch him walk around and get in.

  “So, we’re not going off campus, but we’re driving there? Could I have some clues as to what we’re doing?”

  He shakes his head at me. “You’re just going to have to wait.”

  “Next time, I’ll just have to say no when you ask to hang out,” I tease.

  He grips his chest. “You wouldn’t dare.”

  “So, tell me what we’re doing!” I whine.

  “Good things come to those who wait,” he says, pulling out of the parking spot. I roll my eyes and turn on the radio.

  By the time the second random pop song is coming to an end, the car slows to a stop. I look out the windshield to find us parking in one of the football field designated parking lots.

  “Are you kidding me?”

  “Nope,” he says with a chuckle as he shuts off the car and gets out. I follow him.

  “We are NOT watching a football game right now!”

  He gives me a long look. “Not this time, but maybe the next.”

  Why are we here if we aren’t watching a football game?

  He opens the back door of his car, grabbing a backpack. “Are you ready?”

  My eyes narrow. “I don’t know. How can I tell you I’m ready if I don’t know what we’re doing?”

  He shuts the car door and locks it. “Let’s go,” he says, finding my hand. It feels so foreign, yet so familiar—like a missing part of me I haven’t felt in a long time. He pulls me closer to the football field, but I don’t try to catch up because I’m afraid the moment I do, he’ll let go.

  “Is there something going on here?” I ask the moment we reach the side doors.

  He uses his ID to get inside. “Just the two of us hanging out,” he says casually.

  I point at the facility. “Inside there?”

  “Oh, Evans, it’s killing you not knowing what’s happening, isn’t it?”

  “Yes!”

  He clicks his tongue at me. “I thought you were going to let lose; enjoy life!”

  “I’m pretty sure that doesn’t include breaking into the stadium!”

  He gives me an incredulous look. “Zoe, did my ID card open the door?”

  I nod.

  “Do you think if I were breaking in, I’d be able to do that with my student ID?”

  He’s got a point.

  “But maybe I’m not supposed to be here!” I try and reason.

  “You’re supposed to be with me.” Those words—his words... I’m supposed to be with him. And while I know he means here, right now, I can’t help but think about more. I haven’t forgotten the fact that he still hasn’t let go of my hand.

  He opens the door, and we walk through. A few seconds later, I’m met by an enormous field, numbers drawn on the green grass. I look around to see all the empty benches, and right now, in this moment, this place feels so surreal.

  I haven’t seen a football game in person—only on TV—but I can envision the fans seated on the benches, cheering for their teams. To see this place empty just seems odd. Out of place. Kind of like me.

  “Isn’t it amazing?” he asks, looking at me with a contagious smile.

  I take it all in. “It is,” I find myself saying out loud.

  Jesse starts walking towards the ten-yard line, pulling me behind him. He drops his bag. “Let’s settle down here.”

  “Whatcha got in there?” I ask, curious. He pulls out a football. “So, we’re here for you to practice?”

  He brings his arm around my shoulders. “No. I’m going to teach you how to play football. That way, when you finally come to the game, you’ll know what’s going on!”

  “Who said I was going to come your football games?” I ask, knowing I’ll be there cheering him on.

  “You have no choice. It’s a requirement of our friendship.”

  “Since when?”

  “Since we’re going to be friends forever.”

  “Forever?” I ask in a horrified voice.

  “Don’t act like you don’t want to be stuck with me forever,” he says jokingly. He has no idea how right he is. I wouldn’t mind forever with him.

  He pulls me toward the center of the field. “You better have brought some food with you too,” I tell him.

  “I did, but you only get it if you earn it.”

  “And how do I do that?”

  He smiles. “Just stand here. I’ll stand about ten yards away. I’ll throw the football, and you’ll catch it. That’s step one.”

  “Aren’t you a kicker? I thought I was learning the rules of the game.”

  “To learn the rules, you have to play. I may be a kicker, but football is football.” He says this like it explains everything. Nevertheless, I follow his instructions and stand in my place.

  He throws the football at me a few times, and after the fifth attempt, I finally catch it.

  “Yes!” Jesse exclaims, running over and lifting me in the air. I’m reminded of the first time he did that at the hospital when I told him I was cancer-free. That day, the gesture felt strange to the both of us, but as he spins me around, I can’t help laughing and reveling in the feeling of his touch, the sound of his laughter.

  When he lowers me to the ground, he skims his fingers down the length of my arms. The intensity of his stare causes me to shiver, but then he grins, and the intensity of the moment is gone.

  “Let’s see if that time wasn’t just a fluke.”

  Backing up to his original position, he throws the ball to me again. I wait for it to reach me, bring my hands out, and catch it against my chest once again. I’m definitely getting the hang of this. “Alright, you’ve earned your food!” Jesse says.

  “Thank goodness!” I shout.

  He takes the football from my hands and brings his arm around my shoulder. “Good work today, Evans.”

  “Thanks, Coach,” I respond, playfully patting him on the back.

  We start walking towards his bag, and I enjoy the way his arm feels around my shoulders. “So, what’d you bring for lunch?” I ask.

  “What do you think?” he says, looking at me with eyebrows raised.

  I stop mid-step. “Turkey sandwiches?”

  He nods enthusiastically. “And apples!”

  “I can’t believe that’s what you brought,” I tell him, sitting down on the turf.

  “I had to reinvent our first date.” When the words leave his mouth, my heart somersaults inside my chest. Date. I
s that what this is? Because that’s what I want it to be.

  He starts searching through his bag and pulls out two wrapped sandwiches, apples, and Gatorades. It’s crazy how the uttering of one little word has thrown me off kilter, but he seems just fine. “Make sure you drink a lot. You’ve gotta restore electrolytes,” he says, handing the Gatorade over to me.

  “Yes, sir.”

  “So, what do you think about football?” he asks, passing the sandwich and apple over to me.

  “Not bad. That was actually fun,” I tell him honestly.

  “So, you’ll be at my next game?” He takes a bite of his lunch. I take in his every action, unable to stop myself from admiring this handsome man seated in front of me.

  “I’ll think about it,” I tease him once again. I know I’ll definitely go to his game, but I love how it feels to have him ask me—to have him want me to cheer him on, watch him.

  “You have to now; otherwise, you’ll have to pay for this mini football camp we just had.”

  “I didn’t ask for this! I shouldn’t have to pay for it,” I whine, unwrapping my own sandwich.

  He nods. “True. But your life is so much better because of it. So, you should at least come see me play.”

  “We’ll see.”

  “You play a hard game, Evans,” he says, setting down the remainder of his sandwich and opening his drink.

  “So do you, Falcon,” I remind him. And while I do mean football, I also mean with my heart.

  20

  JESSE

  Despite the chill wind and intermittent rain, I’m back at the place I used to spend most of my time off. To be honest, I feel guilty that I haven’t been here in a month. That’s the longest I’ve gone without taking this same road, following the same path.

  “I’m sorry for not replacing these sooner,” I tell Hayley, switching out the old lilies for fresh ones.

  “The last few weeks have been crazy. Remember I told you all about how the internship was going the last time I was here?” I pause as if waiting for confirmation I know will never come. “I didn’t tell you about someone I’d met.” I hang my head, a little ashamed for keeping this from her.

  “I told you about Maria, but I didn’t mention that I met another girl. I should’ve told you about her earlier, but—” I run my fingers through my hair, feeling like invisible walls are closing in on me.

  “I didn’t want you to think I was replacing you.” I’d never do that. I start playing with the grass next to her headstone. I wait to see if I can feel something. Anything.

  Turning, I look around the almost empty cemetery. There are only a couple of people around, and each of their expressions mirrors my own. An older man stands in front of a grave, staring longingly at it. I can see from the lost look in his face that he’d do whatever was possible to switch places with whomever rests there. Or maybe that’s just me assuming he feels the same way I do. A few feet behind him, a middle-aged woman is looking at the sky. She’s probably questioning why her loved one was taken away from her, why her time with them was cut short. I wonder the same thing.

  “I’m sorry I haven’t come to see you.” I touch the cold stone. “I know if you were here, you’d say something like, ‘Jess, I don’t know why you keep coming to this empty grave. I’m not here anymore. I’m in heaven looking over you. Stop holding on to the past. Live!’” I smile, remembering the sound of her voice, the constant smile on her face. Even at the end of her life, she never ceased to amaze me.

  “I know you aren’t here, but it feels wrong to let this place be forgotten—to let you be forgotten. I don’t want to stop remembering you, stop talking to you…”

  “So, yeah, I met this girl…” I don’t know why I keep avoiding this conversation, but I owe it to Hayley. I even owe it to Zoe. “Her name is Zoe, and she was a patient at the hospital. I didn’t really think I’d be close to her, or anyone else for that matter, but it just happened. She has some qualities that remind me of you, but she’s also very different.

  “She’s got short red hair. She told me it used to be long before the cancer came… how much she missed it…” I sigh and kick out my legs. “When she talked about losing it all, it reminded me of you. You told me how important hair was for girls. I never understood it. I thought you looked breathtakingly beautiful with it both short and long. Whatever way you had it, it looked amazing on you…the same is true for her.” I shake my head, stopping myself from thinking about Zoe in the same way I think about Hayley.

  “Anyway,” I say, “I know I haven’t been here in a while, but I’ll get better at that.”

  I don’t want to forget her.

  I can’t.

  ZOE

  I take the steps up to the hospital one at a time. It’s been a couple of weeks since I last came in for a checkup, just enough time that I almost forgot I was stuck here for months.

  Thinking back on the last year of my life, it’s kind of unbelievable how far I’ve come. I mean, I beat cancer, resumed college, and met Emma. I even have Jesse in my life.

  Fiona greets me the moment I walk in through the doors of the oncology floor.

  I run into her open arms, embracing her. I’ve missed seeing her so much. “Hi, Fi.”

  “Someone’s in a good mood,” she says, hugging me back.

  “Life is good,” I tell her, and I mean it.

  “Glad to hear it!”

  “How’s everything here?” I ask, a little more cautiously.

  “You know, same as always.” I know what she means by that. I was here long enough to hear about the good days, where the kids overcame illness, and the bad days when the illness overcame the kids.

  “How’s Maria?” I ask, feeling guilty that I haven’t been by in the last couple of weeks. Making the transition into a full-time student and adjusting to all that entails has taken up a lot of my time. That plus Emma and Jesse.

  Still, that’s no excuse for not visiting her—not a good one anyway.

  “She’s holding on. We’re hoping the bone marrow transplant works.”

  “Can I go see her?” When I was a patient, I had free reign of the hospital, but now as an outpatient, I feel like I have to ask.

  “Of course. You know the way. After you’re done, head over to the treatment room. We just need to run some blood tests.”

  “Thanks, Fi.” I walk over to Maria’s room. With each step, I pray she’ll be as lucky as I am. I can’t even fathom the pain she must have gone through—the pain she’s still going through. Well, that’s a lie, I can imagine it.

  I pop my head into the room. “Knock, knock.” Robert is sitting on the chair near the bed, while Martha sits on the side of the bed, playing peek-a-boo with her baby girl. Maria’s laughter fills the room and my heart all at the same time.

  “Look who came to visit!” Robert exclaims, using the sweet voice he reserves for his granddaughter.

  “Zoe!” Maria shouts, clapping her hands.

  I step into the room. “Hi, beautiful.”

  “Hey, Zo. It’s so great to see you!” Martha gets up from the bed and meets me halfway, embracing me. She hugs me for a few beats before finally letting go.

  “I’ve missed you guys so much. I’ve missed you especially,” I tell Maria.

  “I missed you too! When are you coming back?” she asks. To visit? More often. To stay? Hopefully never.

  “I’ll come visit soon. Sorry I haven’t had a chance to stop by.”

  “It’s okay. Can we play a game?” Maria asks, my transgressions long forgotten.

  “Sure we can! What do you want to play?” Martha takes a seat next to Robert, and I take her spot on the bed like I have many times before. The only difference this time is that after it’s over, I won’t be heading to my own room down the hall.

  “Can we play ‘I spy’?” she asks.

  I nod. “I spy, with my little eye, a very pretty little girl.”

  “Is it me?” she responds, excited to have guessed.

  “You�
�re still so good at this game!” I tell her, and she smiles proudly. It’s these little things—small things like playing this game that make long days feel a little shorter, go by a little quicker. I play with Maria and catch up with Robert and Martha for a couple of minutes until it’s time for my check-up. After it’s done and the doctor clears me once again, I return to Maria’s room and try and make her smile a few more times.

  “Thank you,” Martha tells me as she walks me out the door two hours later.

  “I’m sorry I haven’t been by.”

  “Don’t be. Seeing you out there instead of in here gives me hope that one day I’ll see my little girl doing the same. You were given a second chance,” Martha says, a tear sliding down her beautiful dark skin. “Use it.”

  “I will, and Maria will get a second chance too,” I assure her even though I don’t really know.

  I just pray she does.

  21

  ZOE

  “How many classes do you have today again?” I ask Emma, who’s walking next to me with that damn e-reader in her hand. I look across the quad towards the building of my next class, quietly dreading it. I glance back at my roommate, hoping to see her eyes lift from the device, but they don’t.

  “Three,” she says, still engrossed in her story.

  “Do you want to get lunch?”

  “Can’t. One of my classes runs straight through the lunch hour today. I packed a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”

  It’s another minute before Emma finally looks up, sighing in relief. She puts the e-reader away, and I smile.

  “That sucks,” I tell her, secretly happy to have her full attention.

  She nods. “Dinner?”

  “That works for me!”

  “Alright, I’ll see you at six, then,” Emma says, taking a left towards the science building.

  “See you then!” I shout back.

  “Yo, Red!” I hear someone yell behind me. Looking around, I don’t see any other redheads, so I hesitantly turn around. To my surprise, I see Jesse walking in my direction with some of the guys he’d been with at the café.