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“You have,” I say, turning my back to her.And unfortunately, I have, too.
Twelve
Hamlet
“Areyougoingtoplay pool or not?” Theo asks.
“What?” I glance down at the pool cue in my hand. For a moment, I’d forgotten we were playing.
Theo glares at me. “I’d give anything for a call, right now. A hiker with a broken leg, or…”
“Theo,” Will says warningly. “We don’t joke about things like that at Mercury Ridge Search and Rescue. But maybe we can talk Levi into taking the helicopter up and chucking Hamlet out.”
Theo laughs. “Great idea.”
“Hey!” I protest. “This is my first real breakup. I’m entitled to a few days of mourning.”
Theo rolls his eyes. “Maybe you could do your mourning in silence? Just a suggestion.”
"With a name like Hamlet, I was never going to get a happy ending,” I grumble. “Why'd our parents have to name us after Shakespearean tragedies?"
Will gestures to Theo. “Othello is in love. Romeo’s on his honeymoon. Your name isn't the problem, Ham."
"Then what's the problem?" I ask.
"You're a dumbass,” Will says.
I look at Theo for support. He shrugs. "He's not wrong."
“What?” I splutter. “She played me for a fool! How was I supposed to know she was Tatiana? Neither of you knew!”
Theo shrugs. “Did she play you for a fool, really? Because I don’t think she did. She showed you who she is—a shy, introverted girl who must morph into a different version of herself to perform for a crowd. Then she’s Tatiana. The rest of the time, she’s Annie.”
Will folds his arms across his chest. “And she’s in love with you. We all saw that. And I was the proudest big brother in the world. For one night, it looked like all three of my little brothers had become men, and they'd found the women of their dreams. You're the one who turned it into a Shakespearean tragedy.”
I raise an eyebrow. "You're saying Annie is Ophelia?"
"Not exactly, but it wouldn't hurt for you to remember that story, little brother. Shakespeare’s Hamlet spurned the woman who loved him, and everyone fucking died."
I saunter over to a table, picking up a magazine I found at the grocery store this morning. “Look at this magazine cover! See the headline?Five things you didn’t know about Tatiana.She spilled her guts for some reporter, but she never even told me her name!”
Will sighs. “Come on, Theo. Let’s go wash the cars or something. Anything is better than hanging out with this idiot.”
They leave, and I flip open the magazine to the article.
Five Things You Didn’t Know About Tatiana:
Number One: Tatiana owns fifty-two guitars, but her favorite is a Fender Telecaster gifted to her by a famous rockstar—she won’t say who!
Well, that’s bullshit. Old Susannah is her favorite guitar, and it was given to her by her grandfather.
Number Two: She eats a plant-based diet and hasn’t eaten meat in years.
Also bullshit. She’s a bacon and eggs girl, through and through.
Number Three: She won’t leave the house without mascara.
Ha! Zero for three.
