The Gathering

Johnny had been close enough to overhear the conversation. So, he arched an eyebrow challengingly at Zoe. "Seamus is my bro, woman. You can't do shit about me."

The two of them were like powder kegs, and they looked like they were seconds away from exploding. This time, I didn't step in like I used to.

Instead, I checked the time. "It's almost time. I'm going in."

The two of them exchanged a look and stopped bantering right away. How interesting. After all, their reactions suggested that peace had always been an option for them without my well-meaning interference.

The SATs were finally done, and a sigh of relief escaped my lips. The tension I'd been feeling was finally melting away.

Jacqueline, our class president, popped up in the group chat and suggested we have a gathering. After all, we would be going our own separate ways after graduation. It would likely be impossible to meet up due to our conflicting schedules.

Halfway through the gathering, the class clown ordered two six-packs. "Hey, we can drink a little. It's a gathering staple."

Johnny was right beside me, and I could feel the light in his eyes blinding everything in this room. "We should get used to this, Seamus. Someday we'll have to handle alcohol."

Zoe snickered and pushed Johnny's hand down with her fork.

She retorted, "Hey, you were blackout drunk at the hotel and nearly tore down the whole place. I had to bring you back myself. God, you weighed as much as a pig. I was nearly crushed. I swear you stank enough to knock out a whole town!"

Johnny went as red as a tomato. "It's not my fault you're fragile and have a good nose!"

The conversation made me pause, and I put my glass down on the table. "I never knew you two went out drinking alone. When did that happen?"

"It was during the school blackout—" Johnny's answer ground to a halt.

That reminded me.

I ran a fever of nearly 104 degrees that night, and it nearly robbed me of my voice. By God's grace, Jacqueline noticed how ill I had been and gave me a piggyback as she sprinted all the way to the infirmary.

The first thing I did after waking up was call Zoe. I called her more than 20 times, and she didn't pick up any of them. Jacqueline had to prop me up and helped me get back home.

So, this was why she didn't answer my calls. She was out drinking with Johnny. When I asked her, she told me her father was on a business trip, and her mother had sprained her ankle. She claimed that she had to take the day off and care for her mom.

The lies had begun way before the SATs.

Johnny realized too late he'd let the secret slip, and he was looking at me nervously. "It's not her fault. She only did it for you. You'd be worried if I got into trouble, and she didn't want that."

Zoe nodded immediately, finally finding an excuse. "I'd have left him by the road otherwise!"

I grinned. "Sounds like you're asking for a thank you."

That told Zoe I was mad, and she glared at Johnny. "This is your fault!" Then, she turned back to me. "Calm down, Seamus. I swear I'll ignore him from now on!"

Johnny was turning red with worry, and he wanted to swear they were innocent. "I was just testing her, man. If she never cared about you, she'd never care for your buddy!"

I was going to say something, but the bottle was already done spinning, and it was pointing at Zoe.

The class had already started Truth or Dare when we were still talking.

"Truth or Dare, Zoe." That was the class clown. Everyone knew he was a great prankster when it came to Dare. Zoe went for Truth right away.

"Who's the last guy you kissed?"

Jacqueline clicked her tongue and scolded him, "Are you stupid? She's dating Seamus. Obviously, he's the one she kissed! Do you even know how to play this game? Let me do it!"

I looked at Zoe again, only to notice her eyes drifting to Johnny for a quick moment.

She Lied

Zoe's delayed response brought silence into the air. Jacqueline's eyes were wide with disbelief. "Wait. You've kissed another guy?"

"I didn't!" Zoe denied right away, her face red. "Of course, Seamus is the one I kissed! I just… I didn't want it aired out. It's private!"

My heart sank. She was lying. We had never kissed, not even once. My mind began to wander again after that little episode. The past was starting to play itself in my head. All the details I'd been ignoring were now dancing vividly in the eyes of my mind.

Johnny loved basketball. Zoe always had balms and ointments in her drawer prepared for him. I was terrified of any ball-related sports, so I'd never set foot on a basketball court.

Johnny and I had the same thermos. My thermos was filled with water from a random drinking fountain in the school, while his was filled with energy drinks.

Zoe would bring two sets of breakfast every morning. Mine was always plain, but Johnny would have different breakfasts every day for the whole week.

I had always shrugged those details off as something trivial and chalked it up to Zoe's own thoughtful personality. Stupid old me even bragged that she was so kind as to take care of my best friend, whom she never liked.

"You don't look so good, Seamus. Are you down with something?"

Zoe tried to put her hand on my forehead, but I shot up from my seat and moved out of her hand's way. "I need to use the restroom."

…

I ran into the class clown after coming out of the restroom. He said, "Zoe lied. I saw her snogging Johnny at the field yesterday."

That was the real reason behind him asking that question with such an obvious answer. He didn't expose her in order to protect my reputation. He was even nice enough to wait for me here to tell me about it, just so I wouldn't stay in the dark forever.

I stopped and muttered a quiet thank you to him. I didn't go back to that room. Instead, I texted the class president a quick goodbye and got a ride home.

Zoe texted me while I was on my way home. I replied to none of her texts.

…

Something rustled outside the window late at night. It was already 11 p.m., so I pushed it open out of curiosity. Shortly after, a small basket slid down from the apartment upstairs. Inside it was something wrapped within a bag.

Zoe lived right in the apartment above mine, and we'd send each other stuff behind our parents' backs since we were little.

When our grade school teacher made us write lines, I would send an empty notebook up to her. The next day, the basket would come back with a notebook that had freshly written lines within.

My parents forbade sweets when I was teething. So, I would sneak my candies up to her for safekeeping. This basket was our little secret.

I picked up the slip of paper in the basket. It read, "You barely ate. I know you're mad at me, but you can't go to sleep hungry." A smile emoji followed that message.

I opened up the wrapper, and it revealed a whole roasted chicken inside. It was still warm. The chicken came from the shop I mentioned to her a few days ago. Tagged her in the short, even.

We promised to have it together after the SAT. A long while of silence later, I clutched my empty stomach and ate it.

For old times' sake, I would lay the whole truth out when it was time.

…

A few days later, Zoe came to my house bearing her luggage.

Hardened Resolve

It was the graduation trip we'd been talking about. Zoe wagged the walkthrough she was holding at me. "There's not a thing you'll worry about!"

I was going to bring up that talk after the trip and end the relationship on a cordial note. Johnny was already waiting at the train station with his luggage in tow. "I just want that walkthrough. You don't mind, do you, bro?"

I said nothing. Zoe glanced at the look on my face and retorted, "You and your antics. It's supposed to be Seamus and me. You're going to be the third wheel. I didn't get a ticket for you."

I was the one who was blocked at the entryway as my ID was denied access.

Johnny glared at Zoe. "I can't believe you forgot to get his ticket!"

Zoe seemed stunned as well. "I thought he'd gotten his himself."

"You shouldn't just assume things! The train's arriving in 15 minutes!"

It was supposed to be an argument. However, to everyone who wasn't blind or stupid, it clearly looked like a couple's banter.

"I'll get you a ticket right now. It's alright, Seamus." She quickly whipped out her phone, but all the tickets were sold out until next week.

The turnstile stood in my way like an impassable barrier. Something called exhaustion seeped into my heart. I stood here, separated from them by the barrier like an afterthought.

"Let's break up, Zoe," I said.

Zoe jerked her head up. "You're breaking up just because I forgot to get you a ticket?"

"Yeah." I pulled my suitcase and left the station alone. The sabotaged pen story could stay hidden for a while longer. I'd love to see the look on their faces when the results were out.

Apparently, my calm indifference infuriated her as she promptly dragged Johnny and had their tickets checked. Her actions didn't faze me. I even took the time to book a ticket to Harland.

Honestly, their terrible acting only hardened my resolve to apply for Harland.

She never texted me after that day. Instead, she would post stories about her trip with Johnny every single day. My mom saw it, and she asked me about it right away.

I blocked Zoe right in front of my mother. "We broke up."

My mother demanded no answers or explanation. Instead, she consoled me, "I'm happy you got over it, son. She's not the only girl out there. You'll have a lot more options once you get into Harland."

SAT results were released at the end of Zoe's trip. I ran into her on my way to take out the trash at night. She was coming upstairs, her luggage in tow.

Then, she blurted, "I know you didn't mean what you said at the station." She even patted my shoulder with sympathy. "It's fine if you flunked the SAT. You can repeat the year. LDR's an option. I know you can get into Harland if you take the test again."

I smacked her hand away like it was something more disgusting than the trash I was taking out. "Lady, are you delusional? Flunked the SAT? I'm the top scorer for our city this year. I've got reporters holding interviews earlier in the day!"