GABRIEL***“How’s Emily?” My Mom asked.She wasn’t here so I could roll my eyes at her. She’d called me before I left my dorm room for my class.“I’m sure she’s fine wherever she is,” I said.“What do you mean ‘wherever she is? don’t you guys see each other around?”“Cresswell is a really big place Mom, we can’t see each other whenever we want.”“That’s too bad,” she said, “I was hoping you guys could see each other more, rekindle what you once had.”I smiled.“Didn’t you tell her you were happy for her when she said she was dating someone? Didn’t you even ask her to get someone for me to date?”“Oh honey, that’s just what you say to someone when they tell you they’re seeing someone. You don’t always have to mean it. I wanted her to see how supportive I was”“Well, you’re gonna have to mean it because there is no chance of us rekindling anything.”“It’s not over ‘till the fat lady sings,” my Mom said, “Terry and I are gonna keep hoping.”“Good for you guys. I have to go. I love you,”
EMILY***Harry had lied to me. He had looked that girl in the face and said that he didn’t know her. He had had chance after chance to say that he did, to apologize to me but he didn’t. He decided to keep on lying.I had gotten to the limit of my patience. I was even angry at myself. Why had I been so anxious about making Harry feel like I didn't trust him? Why had I been so considerate of his feelings when he was not considerate of mine?I had walked out on him on the football field and I had run to my room and cried. I was angry, but I was also hurt. Why didn’t he trust me? Why couldn’t he just tell me that he knew her? What did he have to hide from me? What didn’t he want me to find out that was making him go to such lengths?All the courage that I had mustered to go and talk to him melted away with my tears. This is not what I had expected. I had expected him to just be honest with me, now that I had caught him. I had expected him to just trust me, even if he meant that he was be
GABRIEL *** "Emily, what are you doing here?” Harry asked. My heart started pounding in my chest at the mention of her name. “We need to talk,” she said as she walked into the room. I started fidgeting immediately after I saw her. I stood up. “Hey,” I said awkwardly. She didn’t even respond and I took that as my cue to leave. “I’ll see you around,” I said to Harry who nodded at me. I walked past Emily and out of the room. My footsteps felt heavy as I walked away. A part of me wanted to stay behind and witness what was going to happen. Of course, I wanted the best for Emily and Harry. It would be great if they didn’t break up if they found a way to work through their issue. But a part of me also wanted to have a chance. I knew it was a slim chance, almost non-existent if the way she was treating me was anything to go by, but I could only dream. I could only dream and hope that one day she would see all the efforts I was making at becoming a better man and not the man that she
EMILY *** Finding Gabriel in Harry’s room had increased my embarrassment by a million percent. I was already embarrassed by the fact that he had heard our conversation in the field, and here he was, just as I had gone to talk to Harry. I was sure that as he walked away he was trying to predict how the conversation would go. He already knew the reason Harry and I were at odds. Was he making a bet with himself, telling himself that he was sure we were going to end up breaking up? I hated the thought that he was thinking of me, of Harry and me. I hated the very fact that I was being perceived by him. I had sat where he was and Harry had sat across from me, and I could see worry lines forming on his face. I felt bad for him. I had overreacted. It was only right for me to apologize. “I’m sorry for how I acted in the field. That’s what I wanted to tell you,” I said while my pride was still registering what was going on. It was out there now and I couldn't take it back. “I understand,”
(Bakersville middle school, 2005)***“Do you think I’ll turn out like my dad when I grow up?”Emily looked up from her books. She had noticed he had been distracted ever since he walked in, and she had wanted to ask if everything was okay. She didn’t have to ask anymore. It was a bit charming, how she could always tell if something was wrong with Gabriel. He couldn’t hide it, even when he smiled and said it was nothing. She wouldn’t ask him again, because he would blurt it out eventually.It broke her heart a little that this was what had been bothering him. it must have weighed on his mind for a while. She took his head in her hand and laid it on her shoulder. He was taller than her, way taller after he’s gotten his growth spurt so he had to slide further down on the floor they were sitting on, just so that he could be comfortable.“I think the fact that you’re worried about it is a sign enough that you won’t be,” Emily said.“You really think so?” he asked.“Yeah,” Emily said, “I m
EMILY***I had been lying awake in bed for almost three hours now. It was the weekend but my body which was used to waking up at eight in the morning rudely interrupted my sleep. I wished I could sleep more. I didn't want to face this day. I wanted to sleep all my problems away, but I knew that wouldn't change anything. I would just have to wake up and face them.I had already made my decision but telling it to Harry was a whole other ball game that I was not ready for. I was sure he had decided that we should try to work things out and that we should stay together. He would be so disappointed when I told him I wanted a break. Harry was a good guy. Despite everything, he was kind and considerate and I wanted him in my life. This was just a hurdle that we needed to work through. Maybe separation would help us.I smiled when I thought about the word 'separation'. It took me back many years to the time when Gabriel's parents decided to live apart for a while. He explained to me the diff
GABRIEL *** It was Saturday so I was in no hurry to get up. I took my time because this was the first day of many days to come that would require my bravery. I would have to meet Emily, either by accident or because I was with Harry and I would have to look her in the face and act like I didn't love her. The mere thought made my heart ache. I wished I could stay inside forever. More than that, I wished I'd moved somewhere else, where I wouldn't have to worry about Emily. But I was here, this was my life and I had no choice but to face it. I slept in a little bit more before I got up and decided to have breakfast. I also needed to meet Harry. He had told me that I didn't need to worry about what he wanted me to do, but he had not told me what had happened between him and Emily that had made it that way. He didn’t owe me the information but I wanted to know regardless. I was hopeful that things hadn’t gone well and I was delusional that that meant I had a chance. But above all, I kn
EMILY *** I talked to Tiffany. She won’t be bothering you again. I’m sorry again. I’d gotten this text from Harry just as soon as I'd gotten to my dorm. It made me feel guilty but a part of me also felt relief, that I didn’t have to worry anymore. I sighed and sat on my bed. My thumbs hovered over the keyboard. What was I supposed to say? I gave up and threw my phone onto my bed, then I got into my covers. I wished I could stay there forever. It had been two days since our last conversation. I had woken up that day hoping that the conversation would go well and we would get to a conclusion, that I would leave with a heart as light as it was before everything happened, but none of that had happened. The conversation had not gone as planned, we hadn’t gotten to a conclusion and my heart had never been heavier. I had hoped that I would be able to tell Harry what I had decided but he went ahead and told me about Tiffany and it made me feel guilty. It made me feel inconsiderate, but t