Hey Romeo, Don't You Think You're Just a Tad Overrated?
Ignorance is Bliss
"Somewhere where the rivers run upstream, summer is cold, and the moon shines brilliantly by itself, I can spread my wings and fly."
-excerpt from Camaxtli Gallagher's blue notebook
__________________________________________
"What's wrong, Aurelie?"
I looked up from my guilty pleasure book—The Pact, by Jodi Picoult—to see Will slide into the seat next to mine. I was currently curled up on a small but comfortable couch in the quiet area next to the game room. Distant shouts could be heard from the students playing a round-robin ping-pong tournament next door in the game room.
"Nothing, why do you ask?" I said, slightly bewildered.
Will lifted my book to see the cover. "It's a nice story," he commented vaguely. He took a deep breath. "Aurelie, hon, I know something is wrong. It's not every day you curl up, depressed, reading a tragic love story on a Saturday afternoon. Plus, you have that look on your face."
I looked at him, confused. Will's sharp, aquamarine eyes seemed to pierce right through my defenses. "What look?" I questioned.
He sighed. "It's hard to describe, really. It's actually more of a gut feeling. I know I haven't known you for very long, but I can sense something's wrong. Wanna talk?" he offered. "Boy problems?" he hinted a second later.
I made a face at him.
"Come on, there's nothing better than talking with a guy about guy problems," he said.
"Will, you're gay," I pointed out flatly.
"Which is exactly why! I know exactly why guys are jackasses."
I couldn't help it; I cracked a smile. Will smiled too.
"So what's wrong?" he asked a second time, softer.
I marked my page in the novel and set it in my lap. "Yesterday, I was walking past Reagan Dorm since it's a shortcut to the McAllister House. I heard two people talking…specifically, I heard Cam and Max talking…"
Will motioned with his hand, indicating that I go on.
I exhaled. "I didn't think it was anything important at first, but they were fighting. And I heard my name. So I decided to eavesdrop. Max doesn't like me. He only likes me as a friend. He's almost…using me!"
Will looked bewildered for a second. "Wait. You heard him say that?"
"I heard him say 'So what if I don't like my girlfriend?'" I quoted Max from yesterday. "I heard him say it, Will! And then he told Cam that he wanted to stay with me, since it's high school anyway and…that's just so twisted and… whatever," I trailed off.
"He was talking to Cam about this? What did Cam say?" Will questioned.
I hesitated. Cam had talked. And from the way he was almost defending my feelings… "He didn't say anything," I finally spoke. "You know Cam. He's unresponsive to everything."
Will cast a critical eye on me. "You don't seem particularly sad," he suddenly noted.
I looked up. "Why would you say that?" I demanded.
Will shrugged. "Most girls would come crying and sobbing and have a mental breakdown. You seem…I dunno, rather indifferent. Unless that's how you take everything…with indifference."
"This is almost nothing compared to my parents' deaths," I said quietly, playing with the hem of my t-shirt.
Will grew silent. "I'm sorry," he murmured.
I sighed deeply.
"Do you really like him? Love him?" Will asked after a minute of silence.
I twisted the bottom of my shirt into a small knot. "Truthfully, Will, I don't know. I mean, I've never told him I loved him before, but we've only been together for like two months."
"I'm sure you'll be okay, Aurelie. You've pulled through bigger things before," Will encouraged, standing up. "Now come on, get on your feet, the clock's ticking and the Saturday's a-wasting! I deem it my job now to get you out of your strange funk. Forget about boys for now! Well, except me. Let's all go watch a movie!" his voice escalated with excitement as he tried to lighten everything up.
I smiled. His uplifting mood was contagious. And the idea of a movie did sound appetizing. "Alright. I'll meet you, Alyssa, and Beth by the fountain in ten minutes?" I inquired as Will dragged me out of the room.
He nodded. "See you in a bit!" he called excitedly as he ran off to his dorm building.
I grinned. I was suddenly immensely thankful to have such great friends. I was mistaken to the fact that Will didn't care; he did, and he was just like the brother I never had. But growing up in an environment like McAllister Academy made everyone competitive and cunning, but I knew deep down, that Will, Alyssa, and Beth really did care for me, and I was glad to have such great friends as them.
Just as I was about to open the door to the McAllister house, it swung open from the inside, revealing Cam Gallagher standing on the threshold, a new stack of prefect papers in his arms. His dark eyes widened in surprise at first, but then his gaze grew intense.
"Listen Aurelie," he started out in a whisper so David and Rachel wouldn't overhear, "I know it was you yesterday and I don't know how much you overheard but—"
"Don't ruin my Saturday, Mr. Gallagher. I'm in my happy place right now," I interrupted him, flashing him a quick smile and pushing past him into the house.
Cam looked surprised as the door closed shut behind him. "Ignorance is bliss, huh?" he muttered to himself as he ran down the front steps of the McAllister house.
_____________________________
"That was the most retarded movie I've ever watched in my life," I said, laughing, as the four of us tumbled out of the movie theater together, the cold afternoon air nipping at our cheeks.
"Oh, come on, it was retarded, but it was funny!" Will quipped.
The four of us had just wasted about ten bucks each seeing Disaster Movie in the town's theater. Talk about a movie with no plot, plenty of sexual references, and bad acting. But yeah, it was so bad it was funny, and it made all of us laugh so hard we nearly peed in our pants. And it definitely lifted my mood and made me forget about everything in the past twenty-four hours.
"What do you want to do now? It's only four; we have like six hours before we need to go back," Beth said, flipping open her cell phone and glancing at the time.
"I'm hungry," Alyssa announced.
"You're always hungry," I retorted playfully. She aimed a slap at me, which I neatly dodged.
"Let's go to the bowling alley!" Will's eyes suddenly lit up; he looked like five-year old who's been told Christmas had come early. "There's pizza there to for the pig!"
"I'm not a pig!" Alyssa complained as we all burst out laughing. "I just happen to have an extremely fast metabolism!"
"That's your new nickname, Alyssa! I herby pronounce thee Pig!" I announced.
"It's not very original, but it'll work," Beth commented. Alyssa glared at her for a second, and a wide grin split Beth's face. "Pig."
Alyssa let out an infuriated growl as she launched at Beth. She shrieked and quickly dodged and started running down the street. Will and I traded looks and sped after them, laughing the entire way as we all ran towards the local bowling alley.
-excerpt from Camaxtli Gallagher's blue notebook
__________________________________________
"What's wrong, Aurelie?"
I looked up from my guilty pleasure book—The Pact, by Jodi Picoult—to see Will slide into the seat next to mine. I was currently curled up on a small but comfortable couch in the quiet area next to the game room. Distant shouts could be heard from the students playing a round-robin ping-pong tournament next door in the game room.
"Nothing, why do you ask?" I said, slightly bewildered.
Will lifted my book to see the cover. "It's a nice story," he commented vaguely. He took a deep breath. "Aurelie, hon, I know something is wrong. It's not every day you curl up, depressed, reading a tragic love story on a Saturday afternoon. Plus, you have that look on your face."
I looked at him, confused. Will's sharp, aquamarine eyes seemed to pierce right through my defenses. "What look?" I questioned.
He sighed. "It's hard to describe, really. It's actually more of a gut feeling. I know I haven't known you for very long, but I can sense something's wrong. Wanna talk?" he offered. "Boy problems?" he hinted a second later.
I made a face at him.
"Come on, there's nothing better than talking with a guy about guy problems," he said.
"Will, you're gay," I pointed out flatly.
"Which is exactly why! I know exactly why guys are jackasses."
I couldn't help it; I cracked a smile. Will smiled too.
"So what's wrong?" he asked a second time, softer.
I marked my page in the novel and set it in my lap. "Yesterday, I was walking past Reagan Dorm since it's a shortcut to the McAllister House. I heard two people talking…specifically, I heard Cam and Max talking…"
Will motioned with his hand, indicating that I go on.
I exhaled. "I didn't think it was anything important at first, but they were fighting. And I heard my name. So I decided to eavesdrop. Max doesn't like me. He only likes me as a friend. He's almost…using me!"
Will looked bewildered for a second. "Wait. You heard him say that?"
"I heard him say 'So what if I don't like my girlfriend?'" I quoted Max from yesterday. "I heard him say it, Will! And then he told Cam that he wanted to stay with me, since it's high school anyway and…that's just so twisted and… whatever," I trailed off.
"He was talking to Cam about this? What did Cam say?" Will questioned.
I hesitated. Cam had talked. And from the way he was almost defending my feelings… "He didn't say anything," I finally spoke. "You know Cam. He's unresponsive to everything."
Will cast a critical eye on me. "You don't seem particularly sad," he suddenly noted.
I looked up. "Why would you say that?" I demanded.
Will shrugged. "Most girls would come crying and sobbing and have a mental breakdown. You seem…I dunno, rather indifferent. Unless that's how you take everything…with indifference."
"This is almost nothing compared to my parents' deaths," I said quietly, playing with the hem of my t-shirt.
Will grew silent. "I'm sorry," he murmured.
I sighed deeply.
"Do you really like him? Love him?" Will asked after a minute of silence.
I twisted the bottom of my shirt into a small knot. "Truthfully, Will, I don't know. I mean, I've never told him I loved him before, but we've only been together for like two months."
"I'm sure you'll be okay, Aurelie. You've pulled through bigger things before," Will encouraged, standing up. "Now come on, get on your feet, the clock's ticking and the Saturday's a-wasting! I deem it my job now to get you out of your strange funk. Forget about boys for now! Well, except me. Let's all go watch a movie!" his voice escalated with excitement as he tried to lighten everything up.
I smiled. His uplifting mood was contagious. And the idea of a movie did sound appetizing. "Alright. I'll meet you, Alyssa, and Beth by the fountain in ten minutes?" I inquired as Will dragged me out of the room.
He nodded. "See you in a bit!" he called excitedly as he ran off to his dorm building.
I grinned. I was suddenly immensely thankful to have such great friends. I was mistaken to the fact that Will didn't care; he did, and he was just like the brother I never had. But growing up in an environment like McAllister Academy made everyone competitive and cunning, but I knew deep down, that Will, Alyssa, and Beth really did care for me, and I was glad to have such great friends as them.
Just as I was about to open the door to the McAllister house, it swung open from the inside, revealing Cam Gallagher standing on the threshold, a new stack of prefect papers in his arms. His dark eyes widened in surprise at first, but then his gaze grew intense.
"Listen Aurelie," he started out in a whisper so David and Rachel wouldn't overhear, "I know it was you yesterday and I don't know how much you overheard but—"
"Don't ruin my Saturday, Mr. Gallagher. I'm in my happy place right now," I interrupted him, flashing him a quick smile and pushing past him into the house.
Cam looked surprised as the door closed shut behind him. "Ignorance is bliss, huh?" he muttered to himself as he ran down the front steps of the McAllister house.
_____________________________
"That was the most retarded movie I've ever watched in my life," I said, laughing, as the four of us tumbled out of the movie theater together, the cold afternoon air nipping at our cheeks.
"Oh, come on, it was retarded, but it was funny!" Will quipped.
The four of us had just wasted about ten bucks each seeing Disaster Movie in the town's theater. Talk about a movie with no plot, plenty of sexual references, and bad acting. But yeah, it was so bad it was funny, and it made all of us laugh so hard we nearly peed in our pants. And it definitely lifted my mood and made me forget about everything in the past twenty-four hours.
"What do you want to do now? It's only four; we have like six hours before we need to go back," Beth said, flipping open her cell phone and glancing at the time.
"I'm hungry," Alyssa announced.
"You're always hungry," I retorted playfully. She aimed a slap at me, which I neatly dodged.
"Let's go to the bowling alley!" Will's eyes suddenly lit up; he looked like five-year old who's been told Christmas had come early. "There's pizza there to for the pig!"
"I'm not a pig!" Alyssa complained as we all burst out laughing. "I just happen to have an extremely fast metabolism!"
"That's your new nickname, Alyssa! I herby pronounce thee Pig!" I announced.
"It's not very original, but it'll work," Beth commented. Alyssa glared at her for a second, and a wide grin split Beth's face. "Pig."
Alyssa let out an infuriated growl as she launched at Beth. She shrieked and quickly dodged and started running down the street. Will and I traded looks and sped after them, laughing the entire way as we all ran towards the local bowling alley.