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“Do you have class?” Leo asks.
“In twenty minutes.”
“Wait for me here, I’ll be back.” He goes to the cash register in the cafeteria and orders two coffees. He grabs the cups quickly and invites me to sit at a free table. “Your mother called him the day before yesterday. They stayed on the phone for quite a long time.”
“She didn’t tell me.”
“She probably didn’t want to hurt you any more by bringing this whole thing up again.” He takes a sip of his hot coffee. “Anyway, it shook Ed up pretty good. He came back into the living room and sat quietly. I managed to get a few words out of him. Apparently, your mother tried to preach to you guys.”
“I told her everything,” I admit.
I didn’t necessarily want to, but after spending two weeks moping around, she finally realized that something serious had really happened. She made me spill the beans, my dad didn’t say anything, just listened. When I mentioned what happened with Nolan, my feelings, our secret, and Edgar finding out, they didn’t even react. As if the very idea that I’ve been in love with Nolan for all these years wasn’t a surprise. It shocked me to realize that everyone knew it except Nolan and my brother. It felt good to talk about it, and my mother promised to try to reason with my brother. So far it hasn’t worked. I don’t even see him in college anymore, and when I see him, he acts like I don’t exist.
“Yeah, that’s what Edgar understood. He didn’t like it too much. He thinks everyone is against him.”
“It’s ridiculous,” I say.
“I know. But it had the merit of making him think. I think this is all is going be over soon.” Leo looks around the room. “I spoke to Nolan two days ago.”
My stomach twists. He looks into my eyes, runs a nervous hand through his hair, and finishes his coffee. I haven’t touched mine. My throat burns and talking about all this brings back painful memories.
“I haven’t been able to get much out of him, he’s closing more and more. He’s a mess most of the time, and during games he’s a bulldozer.”
“I saw it,” I admit.
I have not missed a game since they entered the championship. I no longer place myself in front as usual but take place in the highest bleachers. I couldn’t miss it, not when they are playing the best championship of their lives.
Even if it hurts.
“He’s a ticking time bomb. He plays well, does some damage to the opposing team, and drives the coach crazy. But afterwards, he’s a ghost. In the locker room you never see him. He’s no longer with the team and Edgar no longer acts as a captain. The coach is sick of it, and no one knows what to do.”
I sigh and fiddle my ponytail.
“Have you heard from him?” he asks me.
“Nolan?”
My voice breaks and my breath catches.
“Not since I came to pick up some stuff.”
“I think I’ll set up a meeting between him and Edgar,” he says. “I spoke with Milo. He thinks it’s time to get them talking.”
“Do you think they’ll accept?”
“The situation is weighing on them, but neither of them knows how to fix it. Edgar doesn’t say it, but I know deep down he’s been thinking about it.”
I raise an eyebrow. “What if they kill each other instead?”
Leo laughs. He fidgets with his paper cup then adds, “Milo and I will be there to separate them. It would not be the first time. Maybe they need to get in each other’s faces.”
I shake my head and roll my eyes with a smile. Edgar may never forgive me, but if he gets a chance to talk with Nolan, they might be able to sort things out and regain their solid friendship. That’s all I want for them. Nolan was afraid of losing his best friend because of us, and I can’t imagine how he feels right now knowing he lost him. When he denied what was between us, I felt hurt. Humiliated. But I eventually understood why he did it, and while it doesn’t make it any more acceptable, it did make it a little less difficult. I was hoping sooner rather than later my brother would come around. In the end, it drove us all away for good and I blame him, because if he had listened to me, maybe it would have turned out differently.
“And maybe you need to talk to him too,” Leo says.
“My brother needs time, he’ll come back to me when he’s ready. It has always been like this. For the moment, I know that he’s not ready, otherwise he would have come back by now.”
“I was talking about Nolan,” Leo says.
