Wonderwall

“So, you and Kennedy seem to be getting along great now.” John kept his eyes on the television as he felt Darcy switch hers to him. It was just the two of them tonight, stretched out on the couch and sharing a bowl of popcorn while watching a movie. John liked it like this. It felt like things used to.

“Are we really going to talk about that?” Darcy sounded bored with the topic, as if they’d talked about it every other night of the week. Fact was, she’d been with Kennedy every other night and John had bit his tongue against any kind comment, until now.

“Come on, Darc,” he glanced over at her and gave a lazy smile. “No secrets, right?”

Darcy giggled. “You’re such a freak, kid.”

“You love me that way.”

“Too true.” She sighed and crossed her arms over her middle. “Kenny and I are just friends though.”

“Seriously?” He arched his eyebrows at her and she stared him down, keeping her face just as calm as his.

“Seriously.”

“Cool.”

He nodded and turned his attention back to the movie. She waited almost a half of a second. “So, why don’t you have a girlfriend?” John snorted and she couldn’t hold back her grin. “Come on, I know there’s got to be lines of girls drooling over you.”

“Those are called fans, Darc, and I don’t have relationships with fans.”

“I’m not talking about fans. You had girls twirled around your finger all throughout school. Always girls but never girlfriends.”

“And you’re always so observant, yeah?”

“Let’s be honest. Do you have a relationship phobia, John? You can tell me. We can work through it.”

“Shut the fuck up, Darcy.” He threw some popcorn at her. “I don’t have a relationship phobia. I actually really like relationships.”

“Then why don’t you have one?”

John sighed. “Seriously, Darc?”

“It’s not so fun on the other side, is it?” She smirked and he rolled his eyes.

“I just haven’t found a girl I want to be in a relationship with. Okay?”

“Are the girls here too slutty?”

“Darc.”

“That’s what Kennedy said. I asked him why none of you seem to have stable relationships. Your friends seem like decent guys. Some of them are a bit ridiculous, but girls like that. Kennedy said the reason is because Tempe is full of stuck up, rich, slutty girls.”

“Kennedy’s mostly right, but he forgot to include selfish and shallow.”

“It can’t really be that bad.”

“What was Kennedy’s response when you said that?”

She rolled her eyes. “He pointed that every girl in the bakery was (a) on a very impressive phone and (b) showing their midriff.” John laughed hysterically as she continued to stuff popcorn into her mouth. “There’s always diamonds in the rough though, John. You just have to look for them.”

“Is Kennedy going to be your diamond in the rough?”

“Fuck, all right. We’re done with this conversation.”

“No more relationship talk?”

“I won’t, if you won’t.”

“Word.”

They sat in silence, watching the movie again, for a while before her phone went off. John grumbled about not letting Kennedy steal her away until tomorrow, but Darcy shook her head as she read the caller ID.

“Everything okay, Darc? You just went white as a sheet.” John’s eyebrows furrowed as he watched her.

Her mind raced. If she didn’t answer, John would be suspicious and ask more questions. If she did answer, she’d have to talk to him. She couldn’t decide which was the less awful choice. “Y-yeah, fine. Just have to take this, real quick.”

She tip toed through the kitchen and out the back door, only sighing with relief when the phone stopped vibrating in her hand. It was only a few seconds before it started again though and she cursed under her breath before answering.

“Hello Caleb.”

There was absolute silence on the other end. She waited almost a minute.

“If you didn’t have anything to say, you shouldn’t have called.”

“I didn’t expect you to answer.” His voice was the same as she remembered. She closed her eyes. Of course he would sound the same. Nothing had changed. There was just a few extra miles between them now.

“I almost didn’t.” Her bluntness bubbled out with a new confidence.

“Your dad says you’re not in town.”

“I came out to see my cousin. And before you ask, I don’t know when I’m coming back.”

There was a pause on the phone. “But you are coming back?”

Darcy pulled the phone away to curse under her breath. She glanced around the beautiful backyard before putting the phone back to her ear. She caught on to his mid-sentence rant.

“completely your decision, Dracy. I don’t want to put pressure on you. I’m just curious as to what my fi-,” she stopped him before he could even finish the word.

“I don’t know when I’m coming back, okay Caleb? I’ll call when my heads a little clearer.”

She ended the call and held the phone against her mouth. Her mind and heart were far too clouded. She wished she could rewind the last few minutes to just go back to joking with John.

Eventually, she pulled herself together enough to go back inside. John noticed how stiff she was as she returned to the couch though. He didn’t comment on it at first, but it ate at him too much not to say something.

“So, who was that calling?”

“Kid back in Kansas.”

“Did he give you some bad news?”

“Why do you assume it’s a he?”

“Did I assume?”

“You sure did, and you made an ass out of yourself because of it.”

“Does that mean it’s a she?”

“Yep.”

“So, what did she have to say?”

“Why are you so nosy, O’Callaghan?”

“Psh, I’m not nosy. I just like to know what’s going on.”

“Mmhmm, so you want to know that she started her period?”

“Ugh! Darcy!”

“What? You asked so I told you.”

“That is not what she said.”

Darcy raised her eyebrows and John’s mouth fell open.

“Do girls really call each other to say that?”

“I guess you’ll never know because you’re not a girl.”

“Thank God and Jesus, I am not a girl!” He threw his hands up and yelled, making Darcy giggle.

“Yeah, you’re just a ridiculous smelly boy. That’s so much better.”

“I do not smell.” John scoffed and then smelled himself. “You know who smells atrocious.”

“I thought we weren’t mentioning relationship related stuff.”

“How did you know I was going to say Kennedy? I could’ve said Garret!”

“Really, John?”

He rolled his eyes. “Okay, I was going to say Kennedy, but I wasn’t really diving into the relationship area.”

“Right.”

“I wasn’t! He really does stink! I should know. I always end up having to share a room with him when we stop at hotels.”

“Your argument is invalid.”

“Yeah, well, you’re invalid!”

They stared at each other for a few seconds and then cracked up. Darcy had tears in her eyes while John was crouched over.

“Did you really just say ‘you’re invalid’?”

“Fuck, I think so.”

“Oh dear God, I missed you kid.”

“The feelings mutual.”