“So, you’re in my class…” I stated having no clue what to say to this guy. He was very tall and slender with curly brown hair and big, blue eyes. The wire-rimmed glasses he wore gave him a somewhat academic, if not nerdy, appearance.
“Yeah,” he said, chewing on his food. When he swallowed, he added, “You sit two rows in front of me.” He continued scarfing down his food.
“What year are you?”
After several seconds of chewing then taking a drink, he answered, “Junior.”
We sat in silence for several minutes. “So where’re you from, Bodhi?” Maybe he’d get tired of my questions and leave. I mean, he’d initiated things and there were at least twenty other tables open that he could’ve sat at but he’d chosen mine, interrupting my study time.
“Coeur d’Alene.”
“Really? I’m from Idaho too. Stone Springs. Small town near Idaho Falls.”
“Cool.”
All righty then. Since our conversation wasn’t going very far, I decided to ignore him and continued looking over my French notes.
“So, you like it here?” he finally asked.
“Yeah,” I replied, still studying my notes.
“Wanna hang out sometime?”
I glanced up at him and frowned. “Well, you’re not the most vociferous person.”
He laughed. “Sorry. I was just really hungry. I work the graveyard shift stocking at Walmart and went right to class from there, so I didn’t get breakfast.”
I nodded, giving him a small smile. He was kind of weird, but I always thought weird was interesting. When he finished his lasagna, he started on his pie, which took about five seconds for him to inhale. Then he downed his water and let out a big sigh.
“Okay, brain’s fully functioning now.” He grinned. “Let’s start over. I’m Bodhi and you’re Scout. What’s with the name?”
I laughed. “I have the same question about yours. But my mom loved books. To Kill a Mockingbird was one of her favorites.” I shrugged.
“That’s awesome. Well, I’m Bodhi because my parents are Buddhists.” I raised an eyebrow at him and he snorted. “I know. Tall, gay, white boy who’s a Buddhist.” He shrugged. “My parents were hippies. They almost named me Mohandas Karamchand after Ghandi. Thank God, they went for Bodhi. My sister is Dharma Nirvana. She’s a junior in high school back home. She and I were both glad Mom and Dad stopped having kids after us. Our next little brother or sister was gonna be named Sanskrit.”
I couldn’t help but giggle. “You’re a funny guy, Bodhi.”
“Yeah, well, it’s the gay thing.”
This made me laugh even more. “Oh, that’s bad.”
He chuckled and wiped his mouth. “Yeah, I know.”
“So what brought you to Hallervan?” I asked.
“My parents went here, so I thought I’d try it.” He shrugged. “What brought you here?”
“I won a scholarship to the journalism department, so I took them up on it,” I explained. “What’s your major?”
“Well, I went back and forth for a while but think I’ve finally nailed it down—education. High school social studies. So now I’m backtracking some and picking up some classes I missed. What year are you?”
“Sophomore. Oh, good. I might need your help with the paper we were assigned,” I informed him with a grin.
“It’d be my honor.” He smiled widely. I liked this guy. “Well, it was nice meeting you, Scout. Now do you wanna hang out sometime?” he asked, putting all his trash on his tray.
I smiled back at him. “Sure. Maybe you can teach me how to be more zen.”
“I can do that. ‘Kay, I’ll see you tomorrow in class,” he said still smiling as he stood, picking up his tray before leaving.
I smiled for a long time after he left knowing I’d just made a new friend which was awesome.
Week Three
______________________________________
From: 9565876
Subject: Me again!
Date: September 9, 7:54 a.m.
To: 9543254
Hey (should I call you Four since you called me by the last number in my ID?)
Am I hot? Hm. My ex-boyfriend used to say I was, so maybe? How about you? Are you hot? lol
No, no tattoos, but if I did get one, I’d probably have, “He gave us two soap dolls, a broken watch and chain, a pair of good-luck pennies, and our lives…” put on the back of my right shoulder. Silly, I know.
Also are you athletic? I was an All-Idaho basketball player and played one year in college but I won a big scholarship here, so I decided to use it instead.
You’re a middle child, huh? Does that mean you’re the black sheep? ;) I’m the baby and my older brothers are very protective. I’ve only had one boyfriend and they had him so scared at first, it’s a wonder he stuck around.
Don’t forget Foo Fighters and Heart.
Thanks. I think my goal of a 4.0 can kiss itself goodbye because of French.
I hope you’re still liking your classes!
See ya!
______________________________________
From: 9543254
Subject: Me again!
Date: September 4, 5:49 p.m.
To: 9565876
You can call me whatever you want, Six.
Ever know of a guy who doesn’t think he’s hot?
All-State football player but blew out my knee in the championship game senior year. Quarterback. Had scholarships too but lost them because of my knee, so I decided to follow my brother here. My two younger brothers are here also.
To Kill a Mockingbird, huh? Favorite book?
Yeah, I’m the big screw-up black sheep. Haven’t declared a major. Always getting in trouble. My brothers fuck with me about it all the time. Bastards. But I love them.
Classes are good. Maybe I’ll have a major figured out soon…
______________________________________
All three of his brothers went here.
Holy shit.
Was my pen pal Gable? Oh, God, please, no.
But several things matched up to what I knew of him so far: My pen pal was cocky. He had three brothers. Tattoos. Who else could it be? Time to put my investigative instincts to work and find out. Then I’d have a little talk with my psychology professor and see if she could change us if it really was him.
~*~*~*~
I got the job at O’Leary’s Sports Bar and Grill and started training the next week. I’d worked as a waitress at Rosie’s Country Kitchen when I was in high school, so I was familiar with this type of job, and I already kind of knew the ropes, so I hoped to pick things up quickly.
A girl named Alyssa was my trainer and she was kind of a bitch, but whatever. I followed her around for an hour thinking my only problem would be memorizing the menu, but I knew that would eventually come.
“And after your shift is over, you have to roll silverware and fill salt and pepper shakers. If you don’t, Jack will dock your pay so you’d better make sure you’re paying attention,” she said after my training was over and rolled her big, blue eyes at me as if I’d been a huge inconvenience to her before she flipped her long, brown hair over her shoulder and walked off to check on a table.
“Don’t mind her. She’s been stuck in bitch mode ever since one of the bartenders blew her off. She’s got the hots for him, but there’s no way she’s special enough to land him. I’m Natalie by the way.” She was another waitress and she gave me a gorgeous smile. She was tall and had short, brown hair that hit her at the shoulders, and her brown eyes had twinkled when she’d given me the info about Alyssa. I liked Natalie right away.
“Hey, Natalie. I’m Scout. Thanks for that. I thought she just didn’t like me,” I said with a chuckle.
She laughed. “She doesn’t like anyone who can’t do something for her. But she’s a good waitress. I’m sure you’ve seen her fa
keness in action all night.”
I snickered. “Well, I wasn’t sure, but at least it got her some good tips.”
I left thirty minutes later after rolling silverware with Alyssa who griped the entire time about the bartender she was dating who’d stood her up for a poker game. By the time I got home, I was ready for some silence.
Week Four
______________________________________
From: 9565876
Subject: Trouble-making screw-up
Date: September 18, 10:39 p.m.
To: 9543254
Hi,
Sorry to hear about your knee. That sucks. Do you have a favorite quarterback?
To Kill a Mockingbird is definitely a favorite.
Black sheep, huh? Been to jail? Busted for drugs? Broken any hearts?
My family’s really close. My dad’s a farmer and we all helped out. I could drive a tractor by the time I was 7.
What’s your biggest goal in life?
Talk to you later
______________________________________
From: 9543254
Subject: Trouble-making screw-up
Date: September 18, 11:02 p.m.
To: 9565876
Thanks. Yeah, it did suck. Two of my brothers play sports in college and it’s sometimes tough watching them play when I want to be out there too. But I’m glad they’re getting to live the dream. My youngest brother was a good athlete too but he’s more of a computer geek, so he doesn’t play sports anymore.
Steve Young was my favorite QB.
Yes. Yes. No. Yes.
My family’s pretty close too although we try to stay out of each other’s business most of the time. Mom runs a daycare and Dad works as a mechanic, so yes, I know how to change a diaper and oil.
Damn. Driving a tractor at age 7? That’s pretty badass. Ever wreck? ;)
My biggest goal in life is to be happy. And while I’m at it, if I make others happy, that’d be good too.
What’s yours?
xx
I was lying in bed when my phone dinged. When I looked at it, I was surprised to see that he’d answered back so quickly. I read through what he’d written and when I got to the bottom, I stared at the two X’s. If I wasn’t mistaken, they stood for kisses. He was sending me virtual kisses now? Yesterday, I’d asked one of the guys who worked for the newspaper who was pretty computer savvy if he could access student files and he was checking into whether this was Gable or not. If this really was him, at least I now knew he had a sweet side.
After reading his responses I was curious so I wrote him back right away.
______________________________________
From: 9565876
Subject: Trouble-making screw-up
Date: September 18, 11:07 p.m.
To: 9543254
So, for clarity’s sake:
Yes, you’re the black sheep.
Yes, you’ve been to jail.
No, you’ve never been arrested for drugs.
Yes, you’ve broken hearts.
Did I get that right?
No wrecks on the tractor although I did back my brother against a barbed-wire fence with it and held him there for ten minutes because he kept teasing me about a boy in my class when I was 11. He never teased me about boys again.
Those are some very nice goals. Mine? To get as much information to the people that I can even if it means stepping on toes. What can I say? I’m a fighter for the rights of people everywhere =) And I’m pretty sure it’ll make me happy, and I hope others will be happy too because they’ll be well-informed.
xo
Oh, God. I didn’t know if I should leave exes and ohs or not, but I decided to go with it, cringing a bit when I hit “Send.” I guess I’d see whether I’d made a colossal mistake when he wrote back. And that he did a few minutes later.
______________________________________
From: 9543254
Subject: Trouble-making screw-up
Date: September 18, 11:13 p.m.
To: 9565876
Black sheep, yes.
Jail, yes.
Drugs, no.
Broken hearts? Yes. Lots. Not bragging, but I’ve had a lot of girlfriends, and by a lot, I mean, a lot. Does that intimidate you? Have you only had the one boyfriend? Just curious.
And just as I thought. You’re badass…
xx
Wow. He was being so open about everything, so I thought I’d strike while the iron was hot.
______________________________________
From: 9565876
Subject: Trouble-making screw-up
Date: September 18, 11:20 p.m.
To: 9543254
What makes you the black sheep?
Jail? Care to explain? Lol
Good on no drugs.
A lot, huh? Are we talking double digits? Triple? How many is a lot? 20? And you’ve broken all their hearts?
Have you ever had your heart broken?
Yes, only one “real” boyfriend. We dated for two years, but after graduating high school two years ago, he went to Johns Hopkins pre-med and I went to college closer to home. We tried the long-distance thing, but had to call it quits after six months. It was too hard keeping up with each other. Besides, he was two hours ahead in Baltimore, so that made it tough to even talk by phone because he was always tired from studying. So when it was ten my time, it was midnight there so we rarely connected. Now here comes the hard part of it all. Even though I’d planned on breaking up with him, it wasn’t until after I found out that he and my best friend had been “talking” (which is code for screwing like rabbits) for over a year that we did. I was so hurt. I mean, our relationship had pretty much run its course, so it wasn’t really that. It was just the betrayal of it all that got me the most. I’ve had some trust issues ever since. I’m sure you can understand.
The thing that really pissed me off about it all was when I found out and confronted him on the phone, he tried telling me he was “fucked up” and that I should’ve stayed away from the start. I had no idea what that meant, other than it was just an excuse for his being a cheating scumbag. God, such a copout.
But, yeah, I not only lost a boyfriend, I lost my best friend of thirteen years too, which was what really sucked. I’ve dated a couple guys over the last year but nothing serious…
Have you ever been serious with a girl?
xo
______________________________________
From: 9543254
Subject: Trouble-making screw-up
Date: September 18, 11:23 p.m.
To: 9565876
I’m the black sheep because I’m a hellraiser (according to my oldest brother).
Jail for DUI my sophomore year in high school, breaking and entering (a friend and I broke into our high school just to be dicks), and possession of stolen property (jealous ex had given me an old iPhone of hers then called the cops when I’d broken it off with her saying I stole it. I gave it back, charges were dropped, I spread a rumor that she had herpes, all was well. Hey, I was sixteen).
A lot. Hm. If I told you it was over 30 would you think bad of me?
Your ex sounds like a fucking prick and your friend sounds like a cunt. They deserve each other’s fucked up selves.
Yes. I’ve had my heart broken. Yes, I was serious with her. Not sure I want to talk about it.
So are you a virgin?
xx
Uh. Wow. That escalated quickly.
Did I really want to talk to him about this? He’d been pretty open with me and it was way too easy telling him things behind an email address. I guessed it couldn’t hurt anything since I’d have o
ur professor change our pen pals if this really was Gable, so he’d never know it was me anyway.
______________________________________
From: 9565876
Subject: Trouble-making screw-up
Date: September 18, 11:30 p.m.
To: 9543254
You sound a lot like my middle brother. I guess he was a hellraiser too. He almost got a DUI his jr year in hs, but since my dad was good friends with the sheriff, he talked him out of it telling him he’d put my brother to work. And he did. My brother was grounded almost all summer and worked his ass off on the farm. He’s a heartbreaker too. I think he had at least 50 girlfriends during hs or it seemed that way.
Why does it matter if I think badly of you? You can talk about anything you want with me. I won’t judge. But only if you’re comfortable.
And thanks. They’re definitely not my two favorite people by a long shot.
No, I’m not a virgin, but my ex has been my one and only. I guess I’m old school because I think you need to care about each other before you take that step. That’s pretty lame, huh?
xo
______________________________________
From: 9543254
Subject: Trouble-making screw-up
Date: September 18, 11:34 p.m.
To: 9565876
Not lame at all. I agree that it’s much better when you have feelings for the other person. But as a guy, well, you’ve got brothers, so I’m sure you understand somewhat that it’s just different. Not sure how to explain it. It just is. Call me sexist if you want. I mean, if I had a sister, I’d kick a guy’s teeth in if he even tried touching her. Weird, right?
I don’t know why it matters if you think bad of me. It just does.
I’m glad you don’t.
xx
______________________________________
From: 9565876
Subject: Misogynistic tendencies
Date: September 18, 11:39 p.m.
To: 9543254
Hi Sexist,
How are you?
xo
______________________________________
From: 9543254
Gable Page 3
