Marshall felt lightheaded. He had a throbbing pain in his knee and back, having hit the ground hard on impact even with such a low fall. He pressed his eyes tightly together, trying to find his bearings.
Coach Barker was in Marshall’s face within a few seconds, shouting frantically for medical assistance. Marshall could hear him murmur: “What are we going to do for the match? What if he’s seriously hurt. Oh no…” Marshall’s stomach turned at what he heard.
Marshall managed to lift himself from the ground and sat, dazed, staring at the faces surrounding him. He forced a smile. “I’m okay!” he exclaimed. “Just an accident, but I’ll be right as rain.”
Coach Barker turned to the crowd and shouted: “He’s okay!” Immediately, a thunderous applause broke out, and Marshall forced himself to stand, even with his sore knee, and waved at everyone around him.
Reinhardt put his arm around Marshall’s waist and helped him over to the gazebo next to the stage as the music started playing again. Reinhardt passed Marshall a bottle of water and looked deeply concerned about his friend. “You came down really hard on your knee. Are you sure you’re okay? I thought for sure that would be the end of your rugby career.”
Marshall had to stop himself from shaking his head. Was that the only thing Reinhardt cared about?
“I’m fine, Reinhardt,” Marshall finally said, feeling anger rustling through him but restraining himself from expressing it. “Must’ve just gotten dizzy or something. I just need to rest a bit and I’ll be good to go. I think I’ll just get my things and head home for a bit; take a nap. All of this parading in the sun might be getting to me.”
“Good idea,” Reinhardt responded. “I’ll give you a ride if you want. Let me just tell Coach that we’re heading out.”
“No, that’s okay.” Marshall’s voice was quiet, but his frustration was audible. “I should be okay to drive myself. Coach needs all of the players here to keep the spirits up for the finals. He won’t be happy about losing both of us today.”
Reinhardt frowned, but responded: “You’re probably right. I just want to be sure that you’re okay. Call me later? I can bring over some pizzas to your place if you want?”
“Not tonight, Reinhardt. I think I just need some alone time.” Marshall walked out sipping on his bottle of water as Reinhardt sheepishly greeted him, clearly sensing Marshall’s irritation. Reinhardt’s fussing was getting to Marshall. It would be good to just get away from everyone for a bit. Of course, there was only one place that Marshall wanted to go in that moment, where he could truly be alone with no distractions. He looked over Donovan Square to the roof of the Academy, feeling as confused as ever.
As Marshall walked to his car, he saw Quinton staring at him. Quinton shot venom at Marshall as he shouted out, “Looks like you’re okay? I really thought you’d be too hurt for the finals.”
“Thanks for the concern, Quinton,” Marshall shouted back, “but I’ll be just fine. I’ll see you at practice tomorrow.”
As Marshall racked his brain about how the fall happened, he remembered the feeling of a hand pulling away from him, the support under his right shoulder just disappearing. Was that where Quinton was standing? Marshall pushed the thoughts from his mind. He just needed to get to the rooftop of the Academy, write in his journal, and let the world fade away.
Chapter 9
Kyle sat at his favorite spot on the lawn in front of the Academy, his face glued to his phone. The beautiful summer afternoon and the activity on Donovan Square in the distance weren’t able to distract Kyle from what he was looking at. He had spent the entire day tracing the movement of the stock he had bought the day before. It had risen and fallen slightly, but nothing like what Paul had predicted, and Kyle was starting to feel disheartened. He had put a lot of money into buying stocks for a small tech company that Paul had told him would grow to almost double its value within 24 hours, but so far the stock was down from the price Kyle had bought it at. Kyle continued to watch the movements of the thin blue line on the stock exchange app he had downloaded, annoyed that Paul could be so wrong.
Kyle looked up finally to notice a purple and white figure shooting past him in the distance. He was puzzled by what he saw: Marshall was walking briskly with an angry scowl on his face towards the side of the Academy, wearing his tight rugby uniform and carrying a backpack over his shoulder. Marshall looked flustered, his broad jaw clenched and his dark brown eyes creased. For the first time that day, Kyle found something more interesting than his phone.
Marshall had to be going back to the top of the building where Kyle had spotted him before. Before Kyle could even form a thought, he was on his feet, scurrying after Marshall and feeling his insides come alive. The thoughts of Marshall had been constant over the past few days, and Kyle was determined to talk to him. He wouldn’t allow himself to put it off anymore. He would go up to the rooftop and confront Marshall about that kiss.
Kyle sneaked around the side of the building, and saw that the stairs were empty. Marshall must’ve already made his way to the rooftop. Kyle climbed the stairs feeling an overpowering sense of dread. He hadn’t really been interested in anyone for a long time. He had never understood how people could be so fickle and unpredictable. The last guy Kyle dated, a guy he had met through ManMatchMaker.com, seemed so into Kyle for the first few days. They enjoyed each other’s conversation, started to spend a lot of time together, and then all of a sudden, the guy had lost interest. Kyle was always frustrated with how illogical human emotions could be, and it had put him off dating. He hardly ever responded to guys who messaged him through his dating apps, and whenever he saw the glimmer of potentially being attracted to a guy, he stopped himself, remembering how maddening guys could be. But with Marshall, something was different. Perhaps it was the familiarity, since Kyle and Marshall had known each other for years, and had been close at one point. Or perhaps it was the sense that Marshall was so different to Kyle, but at the same time, deep down, there was something that connected them, a similar way of looking at things that Kyle could sense in Marshall already.
Kyle came to the top of the staircase as the sun was beginning to hang low over the horizon, casting a bright, greenish glow in the sky. Kyle could see the mountains of the Yvette Uys Nature Reserve in the distance. There, standing at the edge of the building and looking over the railing, was Marshall. He was standing completely still, his back turned to Kyle, his shoulders hanging low. It was a curious sight, almost heartbreaking, seeing someone like Marshall, someone who had so much going for him, prefer to be alone like this. Kyle stepped over the railing onto the roof, and Marshall turned around to face him.
Marshall’s face was covered in tears, and he looked completely shocked to see Kyle. He wiped his face as he asked: “Kyle? What are you doing here?”
“I’m… I saw you walking… Are you okay, Marshall?” Kyle felt his heart sink into his stomach. The sight of Marshall looking so hurt was enough to make Kyle regret invading such a private moment. Clearly, Marshall just wanted to be alone.
Marshall turned around again, looking back out over the mountains surrounding Ridgemont, and didn’t say a word. Kyle wondered if it would’ve been better just to escape, to go away without saying anything. But something drew him towards Marshall. He had already seen too much to just walk away. Kyle went up to Marshall and stood next to him by the railing, looking into Marshall’s face as tears fell over the dimpled cheeks, the brown skin glistening in the sunset.
“You shouldn’t be here, Kyle,” Marshall said. “I don’t want you seeing me like this.”
“I’m sorry. I just saw you walking up here and you looked upset. I thought I’d come up and check if you needed anything. If I could do anything...”
Marshall sighed deeply, a heavy groan escaping his lips as he exhaled. He looked at Kyle finally, his eyes searching Kyle’s for something. Finally, Marshall spoke: “Do you remember that day in high school when we walked home together? We both stayed late for some reason. I think
I had rugby practice and you were probably doing some kind of math competition. But the school bus had left already and it was just the two of us walking home together.”
“I remember that day…” Kyle said, a small smile breaking out at the corner of his lips.
“I asked you if you wanted to come with me to see the dam near my house. It had been raining and the water was high, and I’d built a small raft. I’d been wanting to talk to you forever, but I was too shy to go up to you.”
“You? Shy? I never pegged you as the shy type. You always had so many people around you. Even today at the pep rally, I’m sure you were the center of attention. Aren’t you still supposed to be there?” Kyle looked out over Donovan Square, seeing the pep rally still in full swing.
“I’ve always been shy. I just had to be this different person for all of them. I had to try and fit what they all wanted me to be. That day, by the dam, with you… I was trying to be someone else. Someone real. It was the first day we really spent any time together, and the start of our friendship. I think about that day all the time. I thought about it a lot when I found out I was coming to Ridgemont and I knew that I might see you again. We spoke about so many things. You told me about your father and how he walked out on you and your mother. You told me that you wished that you could understand people, that you wish you could make sense of why they do the things they do.”
“I still haven’t figured out any of it,” Kyle responded, feeling the sting of the painful memories hit him hard. He tried to put his father out of his mind as much as possible.
Marshall’s eyes softened towards Kyle. There was so much written in the way he was looking at Kyle. All of the memories of that day in high school came back to him.
Marshall spoke again, this time even softer than before: “When I helped you onto the raft, I reached out my hand to grab yours. I remember how I felt in that moment. I remember holding your hand for those few seconds. It felt like I was… myself. For the first time. A few months later, when I found out you were skipping ahead in school, I was a little heartbroken.”
Kyle felt his breath quicken. “Marshall, I had no idea…”
“We’ve both changed so much since that day. But when I saw you at the Meyers twins’ party, it all came flooding back to me. You made me remember just how out of place I am in this life, how much I want to go back to just being that boy, by the dam, holding your hand.”
Kyle wanted to say so much in that moment. What did it all mean? Kyle had been spending his entire life chasing the glory that Marshall already had in spades, the admiration of so many people, the chance to be remembered for greatness. But here Marshall was telling him that he didn’t want any of it, that he only wanted the feeling that they had shared on that day in high school.
“Marshall, this is all… I just had no idea.” As Kyle stammered through his sentences, a loud alarm went off in his pocket. The reminder on his phone was chiming; the markets had closed for the day.
“Do you need to be somewhere?” Marshall asked, a look of longing in his eyes.
“No, it’s just something that I wanted to remind myself about. It’s not important.” The reminder continued to chime and Kyle took out his phone to turn it off. But as he looked at the screen, Kyle’s jaw dropped and his eyes shot open. “What the hell?”
“What is it?” Marshall asked, looking concerned to see Kyle’s sudden shocked expression. Kyle stared at the numbers on his screen, the blue line that had shot up within only a few short minutes. He clicked on the “sell at open” button, amazed at what had happened. His stock had doubled in price in only a few short minutes. When Kyle finally regained his senses, he looked up at Marshall with glee written all over his face, and he squealed excitedly.
“It works!” Kyle shouted. “It really works!” Kyle was overtaken with joy, and before he could think about it he was hugging Marshall excitedly, dancing around as he did so. “I can’t believe it!”
Marshall hugged Kyle back, finally smiling to see Kyle so happy. He put his large hands on Kyle’s shoulders, trying to calm him down. And within a split second, Marshall was kissing Kyle.
Kyle was shocked back into the moment, and every thought of the successful stock disappeared as he enjoyed the feeling of Marshall’s lips. All of the passion from that night outside of the Meyers’ house returned. The connection between them was stronger than ever. Marshall was embracing Kyle, his hands exploring his body. Kyle felt the compact, taut muscles of Kyle’s chest press against him, no thoughts entering his mind.
Finally, Marshall pulled away. His eyes were happy, but he seemed nervous. In a flash Marshall turned away from Kyle, and whispered: “I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have anything to be sorry about, Marshall. I wanted that to happen. You have a knack for surprising me with kisses. But what’s wrong? What’s got you so spooked?”
Marshall was already grabbing his bag and making his way back to the stairs as Kyle finished his words. Kyle called out after him, but it was useless. Something had taken over Marshall. Kyle felt a mixture of emotions. It was amazing to know that Marshall had feelings for him, and that Kyle meant so much to him that Marshall had held on to the memory of their first conversation for so many years. But Marshall still seemed conflicted, like there was something holding him back from being with Kyle. And Kyle wasn’t sure that he could bear the pain of another guy who might just change his mind at any moment and not be able to commit to Kyle fully. Too many guys had walked out on him before. At the same time, the thoughts of Paul’s success with the stock market were swirling around in Kyle’s head. He had a lot to digest, and he needed to talk to his best friend about it. He needed help to decide what to do about Marshall.
Chapter 10
Kyle and Riana walked into the main hall of the Academy the day after Kyle’s run-in with Marshall. He had hardly slept the night before, trying to make a plan about how he would use Paul, and thinking about what to say to Prof. Greer about how accurate Paul had been at predicting the surge in the price of the stock that Kyle had bought the day before. Through all of that, thoughts of Marshall and the second kiss they had shared were still at the front of Kyle’s mind.
“I’m telling you Kyle,” Riana said, pushing her glasses up her nose, “I don’t think you should get too invested in a guy like Marshall. He sounds like he has issues. Two unexpected kisses, and this time he’s the one running away? Besides, like I said before, the two of you are way too different to be together. You’ll be bored of him in a week. And what if you end up getting the Ellison grant and have to go off to Oxford or Yale or something? You can’t have a piece of man-candy holding you back.”
“You seem to just be looking for problems now. He’s more than just man-candy, Riana. He’s a great guy. And he’s a lot smarter than you think. He’s really genuine and kind. That counts for a lot.”
“Sure it does.” Riana was barely containing her skepticism. “Just be careful. If he likes you, enjoy it. But don’t expect him to be boyfriend material. You have much more important things to be worrying about than a dumb jock.”
Kyle remembered the look of sadness in Marshall’s eyes, the way he opened up to Kyle on the rooftop. Marshall was definitely more than just a dumb jock. Riana just didn’t know him the way that Kyle did, and no matter what, Kyle wouldn’t be able to explain to her the connection they shared. Kyle wanted to be around Marshall all the time. He just needed Riana to support him. But it was true that Kyle often thought that guys were more reliable than they turned out to be, and Riana was just looking out for him. Was it really worth the risk of getting his heart broken again?
“I’d better get back to Paul. I want to make sure that the new variables are working. I’m still trying to crack one tricky variable that I can’t get down. I’ll have to see if Prof. Greer can help me.”
“Good,” Riana said, “get back to work and don’t let Marshall de Villiers distract you anymore. And when you win the Nobel Prize and you’re rich beyond your wildest dreams
, just promise me that you won’t forget about me and all the other little people.”
Kyle flashed a smile as he hugged Riana goodbye and went to his lab. Paul’s processors were gently humming as Kyle entered the room. He looked over the rows of processors and whispered, “Hey there, big guy. Hope your overnight learning went well.”
Kyle sat down at the monitor at the far end of the room and logged into Paul’s interface. He wrinkled his forehead when he noticed that Paul wasn’t responding as quickly as usual. The taskbar on the right of the screen showed that a calculation was in process. “That’s strange. I didn’t leave any processes running last night. What are you working on, Paul?”
A message flashed onto the monitor: Process private. Locked by admin.
Kyle was confused, and tried typing in his administrator password to override the security on the private process, but Paul wouldn’t let him override the lock.
“Who set up the private process, Paul?”
Paul responded: Restricted access to that information.
“It must be Prof. Greer trying out some new calculations. I’ll just send him an email later. How much of your processing power is being dedicated to the private process, Paul?”
Paul flashed a new message: 34% of resources used.
Kyle decided to ignore the ongoing process and input some new variables into Paul. It felt a bit strange that Prof. Greer was working on Paul without him, especially after the disagreement that Kyle had had with Prof. Greer about showing Paul to Riana. Kyle hoped that Prof. Greer wasn’t still angry with him. He shook the thoughts from his mind.
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