Keeping Secrets

Megan could still remember the first time she saw him. It was her first day of freshman year and he was the guy she’d always been attracted to. She thought she knew the way she would be seen; the quiet little kid. But she was wrong.

Adam could still remember the first time he saw her. He spent half the day thinking that she had been a transfer student, probably in either her Junior or senior year. As soon as he saw her, he knew that she was the quiet girl who would never make the first move.

Before Adam got the chance to talk to her, he found out the truth. She was only a freshman and only fifteen years old. Apparently her birthday was in December so she started school a year after everyone else. It didn’t matter that she looked anywhere from 16 to 17, she was too young for him.

Most of that year was spent carefully avoiding each other. Megan avoided Adam so she wouldn’t make a fool out of herself. Adam avoided Megan because he knew that he couldn’t even go there.

The last month of school changed all of that. One fateful meeting in the hallway, and two late students, and their worlds were changed. It wasn’t love at first sight and there was no “flow electricity”, it was just two students who really liked each other.

They spent two weeks talking in secret. They’d spent hours on the phone late at night or sharing text messages when talking was impossible. When they saw each other in the hallways, the parking lot, or anywhere else, they didn’t know each other. To the rest of the world they were complete strangers.

Now, almost three years later, they are struggling to continue hiding their secret. With Adam working full time and Megan almost out of high school it is becoming harder than ever.

“And the angelic daughter returns!” Some days Megan found the remarks of her older brother, Tommy, funny. Sure she’d been the “good” child through her high school years. Her record was clean, she’d never been seriously injured, and she did well in school. But she hated being called the angelic child. After all she’d spent most of the time living a lie.

“Go to hell, Tommy,” She said, flipping him off as she walked in the kitchen.

“Tommy, don’t annoy your sister. Megan, don’t be mean to your brother,” Claire Larway said, never looking up from the potatoes she was dicing. It wasn't unusual for the mother to say this to her children; she had to almost every day.

"Well maybe if she wasn't such a goody two-shoes then I wouldn't have to say anything." Tommy counteracted, putting his feet on the other bar stool.

Snickering, Megan snidely replied, "At least I don't have a rap-sheet before I'm twenty. Get your feet off the bar stool, Tommy! What? Were you raised in a barn?"

Rolling his eyes, Tommy dropped his feet from the second bar stool. He had a reputation for being a bit of a bad-ass around town. The first time he'd gotten into trouble was right after his 16th birthday, when he'd gotten into a fight with a kid at school. "Oh lighten up sis," He said, smiling teasingly, "it isn't like I've been convicted of anything yet."

"Beside the point. If you didn't have your connections, as you call them, then you would have been. Anyway a conviction isn't the point; it still shows up on your record every time you screw up. My record is spotless and I intend to keep it that way."

Taking a seat at the dinning room table, Megan pulled out her English notebook and flipped to the page she needed. After all these years it had become easy to ignore her brother's teasing. All that she had to do was block Tommy's voice out.

"Are either of you going to the football game tonight?" Claire asked, glancing quickly between her children.

"I hate football games. I didn't even go to them when I was in school so I'm definitely not going now." Tommy had plans much different than a high school football game. Instead he planned on spending the evening with his friends, desperately trying to impress the latest female infatuation he'd developed.

With a tiny smile, Megan said, "Of course. Unlike Tommy over there I love football games."

"What I don't understand is why you like spending time the way you do. Most girls love going out on dates on a Friday night. Instead you'd rather spend it with your friends at a lame ass football game. Are you sure you aren't secretly a lesbian and in denial. You've even went to every homecoming dance alone." Tommy stood up as he spoke, cracking his knuckles when he finished.

"I have high standards when it comes to guys. I also believe that you might as well think the person you are dating is hot. Not many guys in this town are my type. So there you go the simple and easy to understand explanation!"

Just as Tommy left the room, Megan's phone went off. Sliding it up she read the single line text message. You are still coming tonight right?

"One of your friends?" Claire asked, cleverly disguising what she meant with her choice of words. Megan thought her mother didn't know what was going on, but Claire did. Granted she didn't know the details but she knew their was someone in her daughter's life that was more than a friend.

"Yeah," She said as she typed her reply.

"Something already smells good in here! Hello Claire, Megan," Isaac Larway said, walking through the back door with his briefcase in hand.

"Hi honey." Claire smiled, placing the last of the ingredients into a pan.

"Hey dad." Megan never looked up from her notebook.

This was a typical night in the Larway household. There was a comfortable pattern that they fell into through the week. Isaac would always come through the backdoor, returning from his day at the law firm he owned. Claire would either be making or ordering dinner. The kids would usually be somewhere in the house, and if they weren't they would return in time for dinner.

"Tommy, dinner is almost ready!" Claire called.

"I'll set the table," Megan said, clearing her stuff from the table.

Once the table was set and the family gathered around it, the conversation started. "So what are you kids going to do tonight?" Isaac asked, glancing between his son and daughter.

"I'm going to hang out with my friends," Tommy said, being extremely vague on the details.

"I'm going to the football game with my friends." Megan replied, hoping that no one would ask any more questions.

After dinner the family went their separate ways. Megan and Tommy went to their rooms; Isaac went to his study, and Claire when to change. Like most Friday nights, Claire and Isaac were going to see a movie since the kids would both be gone.

"So where do you wanna meet up?" His voice drifted through the small speaker in her cell phone.

"The same spot as usual I guess? I promised that I'd meet up with my friends at the gate, so I'll get away as soon as I can." Megan slid on her favorite pair of boots as she spoke, in a hurry to head to the game.

"Then I'll see you there."

"I can't wait."

There was a chuckle from the other end, just before they ended the call. It was rare that they held a conversation this early in the evening. Mostly it was Megan's fear that prevented it; she was afraid that her dad or brother would walk in and find out.
As always, there was a feeling of excitement. Soon enough she would be sneaking away from her friends to meet up with him. Luckily her friends weren’t exactly hard to sneak away from though and they lost track of time easily.

Unlike other most girls her age, there were no pictures of the current boyfriend decorating her room. There were no pictures of them kissing on myspace or face book, with an “I love you” as the caption. There was no PDA as they walked through the mall. In fact, it was the opposite.

It wasn’t like they were never together in public. Actually they spent quiet a bit of time together in public, but you would never know they were together. You might think they were two friends just hanging out. Maybe they were friends who hadn’t seen each other in a long time and were catching up. Not one person around them had ever suspected they’d actually been involved with each other for three years.

It didn’t really bother Megan though. She had never found the public displays of affection cute like other girls her age did. She’d always thought the cheesy kissing picture on the internet was stupid, and the “I love you” after two weeks infuriating. Not once in the last three years did she feel she was missing out on anything.

“What time are you leaving?” Tommy asked, walking into her room without as much as a knock on the door.

“Do you not have any manners? Knock on the damn door next time, I could have been changing! I really don’t see how that is any of your business but I’m leaving in 20 minutes. Now get out, Tommy.” She reached into her closet and grabbed her favorite hoodie.

“Please, you change in your bathroom so you can lock the door. I’ve been doing this since we were like 10 and I’ve never once caught you in an awkward situation. You are my little sister so yes it is my business.”

“You are a year older that is it. I don’t report to you.”

As he backed out of her bedroom, he stuck his tongue out at her. Megan just rolled her eyes at her brother’s immaturity. Like many other things in her life this was completely ordinary.

Deciding to go wait downstairs, she grabbed her car keys and wallet. It would be easier to say goodbye to her parents and make an escape before Tommy noticed if she was in the living room. Besides she would be tempted to get on the internet if she stayed in her room.

Much to her surprise Isaac was already in the living room. He was comfortably seated on the sectional couch watching television. When she entered the room he just looked up and smiled. Megan quickly returned the smile before taking a seat.

It wasn’t that Megan had a bad relationship with her father, in fact she had a good relationship with him, but there were things he couldn’t know. There were days that she felt horrible for keeping things from him. Other days, however, she didn’t feel guilty for it. For example when he would start talking about how much he disliked seeing young girls with guys four or five years older than them.

“So who are you going to the game with?” Isaac asked, looking towards his daughter.

“Jace, Allie, and Danielle,” Megan said.

“Well have fun alright?”

Megan just nodded her head and looked towards the TV. Tonight just wasn’t one of those nights she felt like talking too much.

“Honey are you ready?” Claire asked as she walked into the room with her jacket draped over her right arm.

“Just let me grab a jacket,” Isaac said, standing up.

Megan stood up, hugged her mom, and said, “Have fun tonight mom.”

“You too sweetheart.”

After leaving her house, Megan drove towards one of her friend’s houses. Danielle Boxer had been a friend of Megan’s since freshmen. She only lived 10 minutes away and her house wasn’t that far out of Megan’s way.

Danielle was sitting on the porch swing when Megan drove up. Megan hit the unlock button and then turned down the music. Danielle climbed in the car and grinned at Megan. “Thanks so much! Next time I’ll pick you up if I my sister doesn’t have the car.”

“For the last time, don’t worry about it. Just put in a CD from the consol.”

“But it isn’t that long of a drive.”

“It’s long enough.”

Danielle laughed and reached for a CD. Getting to the football field wouldn’t take that long, finding a parking space was another story. There was one thing that Danielle had learned about Megan, driving didn’t bother her.

When they arrived at the school, Megan found a parking spot next to a truck that was familiar to her. She killed the engine and removed her keys. “Do you wanna call Allie and Jace and see if they are here?” She asked, opening her door.

“Allie just sent me a text message; they are waiting at the gate.”

“Sweet.”

As Megan and Danielle approached the gate they could see their friends. Standing against the fence to the right of the gate was the DiSenna twins. They had many of the same physical features that could be seen from a distance; the same brown hair, striking green eyes, eye shape, nose, and chin.

Even though the four were friends as a group, there were different connections between the four. Jace and Megan had been best friends since middle school and had no secrets. Allie and Danielle had been friends since elementary school and practically shared a mind. Megan was close with Allie and Danielle, just not the way she was with Jace. Jace secretly liked Danielle in more than a friendly way, but Megan was the only person who knew that.

After getting through the gate, the friends found their usual spots. They always sat on the same bleachers, in the same general area. There was already a group sitting to their right. The same group that was there every week they were.

Megan was the only one who could name every one of them. Adam Ryans was sitting furthest to the left, closest to her, wearing a fox racing tee shirt and had his sunglasses resting on the bill of his hat. Beside him was Brandon Smith, Adam’s best friend. Sitting in front of them was Andrew Jennings and Nicole Sumner.

“Its comforting to know we aren’t the only ones who sit in the same spot every time,” Danielle whispered, “but they don’t go to our school do they?”

“They were seniors when we were freshmen, Dani,” Megan told her quietly.

Danielle nodded her head in acknowledgement. Both she and Allie just thought that Megan’s memory was superb and brushed it off as nothing. Jace, on the other hand, smiled a little bit.

“Come on Dani, let’s get something to eat. You guys want anything?” Allie stood up and glanced between her brother and Megan.

“Nah,” They answered in unison.

Linking their arms, Allie and Danielle disappeared to go get their traditional nachos. It wasn’t an odd occurrence that they would go get food while Jace and Megan saved their seats. It also wasn’t odd the way the two girls had left.

“So I’m going to assume you are going to have to go to the bathroom when they get back?” Jace asked, already seeing Megan’s attention drifting.

“Of course,” She told him as she looked out of the corner of her eye at Adam.

Megan hadn’t told Jace her secret; he’d figured it out. She had kept it from him for a month when he figured it out. The day he decided to tell her that he knew they had been sitting in her bedroom watching a movie. In between intense scenes of gore he had looked at her and said, “If you end up having an actual relationship that lasts with that Adam guy, it’s going to be hard. I hope you know that.”

“I’ll be so glad when I’m 18,” she whispered so that only Jace could hear. She’d spent three years wondering what it would be like when she finally a legal adult.

Not ten minutes after leaving, Allie and Danielle reappeared with their nachos. That was Megan’s que to head to the bathroom, since the pair would now pay no attention to how long she was gone. “Where are you going?” Allie asked when Megan stood up.

“The bathroom,” Megan said, keeping her voice even.

She did go towards the bathroom, but she didn’t go inside. Instead she walked around the building and around the back. Leaning against the fencing, she knew she wouldn’t have to wait too long before Adam showed up.

When she heard footsteps coming from the other side of the building she felt the excitement peak. No sooner than Adam was behind the building and she was in his arms. His lips affectionately moved in sync with hers for several seconds before they pulled apart. “Why does it feel like it has been a long time since I’ve saw you?” Adam asked.

“Because it’s been a long wait,” She replied, relishing this moment.

“I thought it was just me.”

“It wasn’t.”

“How about you come over tomorrow night? Maybe that way we can actually spend sometime together?”

Adam’s offer was extremely tempting for Megan. He had recently moved into his first apartment and got settled in. She had been over a few times since he started moving in but not since he finished unpacking. “I’ll try,” She said, not wanting to promise anything.

She didn’t have to say it for him to understand. It would all depend on whether she could get away without anyone knowing. Instead of saying anything he just nodded, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. This was just another part of their relationship they’d adjusted to over the years.

“Just a few more months. I better let you get back to your friends before they come looking. Same place later?” He pulled his hand away and took a few steps back.

“Of course,” She said, smiling.