I Still Remember

“Wait, so you had a screaming fight with one another?”

Syd asked me as she walked into the kitchen from the airport. I was chopping up vegetables on the kitchen counter since I decided I’d make dinner after the outburst of earlier this morning. “I mean, it couldn’t have been that bad,” Sydney reassures me as I stop chopping to looking at her. The whole house heard the argument, infact, my eardrums were still probably damnaged after that.

“Sydney, I’m pretty sure all of Thunder fucken Bay heard us yelling at each other,” I begin, chopping up peppers. “Infact,” I continue, slamming on the pepper and the cutting board, “I bet all of fucken Ontario heard the damn arguing that Marc Staal started!”

Sydney took the knife and cutting board away from me and I placed my hand on my hips. She gives me this look translating for me to calm down. She then hands me a blender and ingredients for smoothies. “Don’t put alcohol in them,” she begins, continuing the chopping I began. “Are you sure he started it? And why did you go after him?”

“I don’t know.”
“Because you love him! I knew it!”
“Okay, you got me.”
“I’m not your best friend for nothing Gina. Why don’t you just tell him?”
“He has a lady friend in New York.”
“Ohhh…” Sydney stops chopping the peper and looks at me. “So who’s his lady friend?”
“From what Eric told me, it’s some girl named Francesca.”
“Francesca? Marc and Francesca do not go together at all!”
“You’re telling me!? Anyways, apparently she’s coming in this weekend.”
“So we’re staying longer?”
“I don’t want to but my mom said it’d be nice if I did.”
“Okay, well, we’re going to have to get rid of this bitch some how.”
“You’re kidding? I know when Marc is set on something, theres no changing his mind.”
“Well…this is Marc were talking about right? I mean, he’s been inlove with you since you guys were in high school.”

Sydney had a point. Marc may have been alittle older than I was, but I made my way through undergrad while I was a junior in high school and finished up in Chicago. I had brains, and from what Eric and Jordan told me, Francesca was a hairstylist from New Jersey making her way in New York at a Salon. I raised my eye brow at Syd, who knew I was up to know good right when I did that. “Let me just remind you we are not in high school anymore Gina, so what’s the look for?”

“We’re going to get rid of this New Jersey idiot,” I began as I heard someones voice coming from the hallway.
“Hey, you must be Marc’s brother! I’m Francesca!”

I look at Sydney, who drops the knife. “I thought she wasn’t coming for a few more days!” Sydney whispered as I sushed her. My head was out from one side, while Syds was from the other. The girl we were looking at was thin, had long brown hair, obnoxiously tan, and was a stick. “Awe, Marc Jare looks exactly like you!” Francesca exclaims as Sydney and I go back into the kitchen.

“She needs to go,” Sydney says as she leans on the counter.
“No shit Sherlock.”
“Okay, how are we---“
“Have you guys met Francesca!” Jare said coming into the kitchen. “Shes hot!”
“Jare, do you mind not talking to me about this subject!?” I snap.
“Oh come, she’s a total ten…but…you’re a 30, so it’s all good Gina.”
“OUT NOW!” I order Jared.
“Okay, so you don’t want to me her?”
“GOODBYE JARED!”

Sydney and I pop our heads out but quickly bring them back in when we see there heading for the dining room. Once they walk past, we pop our heads back out and begin eavesdropping. “How’d you meet Marc?” Mrs. Staal says as my mom sits next to her.

“Oh he came into my salon and I cut his hair!” She exclaimed in her jersey accent.
“Marc, you are a guy, go to a barber!” Syd whispered.
“So how long have you been together?” My mom asks.
“Since Janurary…it’s July now…so about,” she begins, trying to think.
“Shit she is dumb,” I whisper.
“Six months, “ Marc smiles.
“That little—“
“What are you two doing?”

We turn our heads and see Eric standing before us, with his arms across his chest. We walk back into the kitchen, with Eric following. I bite my lip, as Syd looks at me. “You were spying on Marc’s lady friend?”

“Why would I do that?”
“She’s a nice girl, met her a few times.”
“He’s too good for her,” I mumble.
“Woe, woe…did I hear that correctly Gina?”

Shit, Eric had obnoxiously good hearing sometimes. I roll my eyes as Sydney looks at me. “Marc, even I think he could do better than her!” She agrees, as Jordan comes into the kitchen. I don’t look at anyone as I hear Jordan say, “He’s thinking of popping the question to Francesca.” He then realizes I’m in the kitchen. “Oh shit, Gina, I’m sorry, you probably didn’t want to hear that.”

I’m quiet now. In fact, I begin shaking. My whole body is pissed and I’m emotionally drained. He’s not supposed to propose to her. He loves me; he loves me and only me. No, this couldn’t be happening, he was only saying that to make me upset.

“Gina, you’re crying,” Eric says.
“I’m not,” I lie through a storm of tears.
“Gina, he loves you, I know he does. You need to change his mind.”
“You can’t change his mind!”
“Hey, wheres the water? Oh, who are you two?”

I stop crying and put a brave face on and look directly at Francesca. “I’m Gina, I grew up with the boys. This is my best friend Syd. I’ll grab you a water,” I say, handing her a water bottle. She smiles and walks away as I hear, “I met your friend Gina, the one you told me about. She seems really upset, is she okay?”

Way to fucken go Jersey!

“I’m sure she’s fine,” Marc replies to her.
“That fucken bitch!” I mutter as Eric grabs a hold of me.
“Gina, you need to pull it together, okay?”
“I know I know,” I tell him and hug him.
“In the mean time, if you want my brother back before he pops the question, tell him you love him, okay?” Eric says as I nod. “Okay, put that brave face on and lets go in the dining room.”

I follow the boys into the dinning room and sit next to Jordan and Sydney. Marc is looking directly at me now. The sad thing about this whole situation, he could see right past my brave face. He knew I knew.

He could read me like an open book.