by Nicole Nwosu
“Arguing.” Wow. Andrew wasn’t a liar, whether drunk or not. “You really love her, don’t you?”
“I think I do.”
“Seventh grade?”
Andrew let out a tired chuckle and I pushed his head back with my hand. My phone rang in my pocket. “It’s Jasmine.”
“You aren’t here.”
“Hi!” I said with too much enthusiasm once I answered the call. “You still at school?”
“No, I’m at home. Listen, can we talk? I need to tell you something about Andrew.” I instantly hit Andrew hard on the arm and he made a loud sound. “What just happened?”
“Dang it. Justin fell down the stairs. I have to go. Can I call you back later tonight?”
“No, no, it’s okay, I can tell you tomorrow at school. I’ll see you then.”
After we hung up, Andrew gave me a look, grabbing his pillow to elevate himself. “Justin fell down the stairs?”
“I’m a good liar.”
“You don’t think this is weird, do you?” he asked warily.
“No.” Maybe I should’ve felt weird at the thought of my best friends as a couple. But Andrew was serious about her, and I could not see a downside to them having a chance to be together. “I’m even going to help you plan how to ask her out.”
“You get one boyfriend and suddenly you’re the relationship expert.”
“Listen.” I picked up the bottle, planning on disposing of it and the remaining contents on his head. “You’re going to ask Jasmine out in the most basic way.”
“Basic?” Andrew almost stumbled as he got off his bed. “How?”
Walking into the library of the school the following day with my brother, I was not expecting to see the person I saw sitting at a table alone. “The library? Not really your scene.”
“Believe it or not, leather jacket wearers can excel in school.” Sam moved the papers on the table to make space.
Justin cleared his throat next to me as I took a seat next to Sam and started looking through the pictures on my camera. “You remember Justin, right?”
Sam nodded at my little brother, twirling his pen in his hand. “You look like you’re up to something,” he said to me. “I’m hoping it doesn’t involve my cousin. Speaking of cousin, apparently you’re meeting the ’rents.”
He rested his chin on my arm as he looked through my recent pictures with me.
“Cedric did not tell you that,” I said.
“He has very loud conversations with his friends or whenever he comes back from his runs. Now tell us why you’ve looked so deep in thought for the past forty-one seconds.”
There was the timing thing again.
“You have a constipated look on your face,” Justin said.
“You shouldn’t be talking,” I snapped.
“Try me,” Justin taunted.
“Guys, we’re in the library,” Sam said. Strange, since he wasn’t one for following the rules.
“You weren’t at lunch,” I said.
Sam gestured at his homework, eyes still on the screen of my camera as I went through the pictures.
“Are you nervous about meeting his parents?” He lifted his head off my arm and slouched back in his chair. “You may or may not be on your own. I doubt that I can stand to see my uncle.”
“Didn’t know I had the chance of having your support.”
“We’re friends, remember? Why are you guys here?”
“We’re waiting for Andrew and Jasmine,” I said.
Sam tapped the pen against his mouth. Caleb entered the library, heading toward our table. “So this involves them,” Sam said.
“Hey!” The entire library shushed Caleb who exchanged a handshake with Sam. “Sorry. I’m not here often.”
“Sit down,” I whispered, yanking the earphone out of my brother’s ear. “Justin. Caleb.”
Jasmine appeared and took the seat next to me. “Why are we here?”
“Hazel was helping me out with a class,” Sam lied.
“Oh.” Jasmine turned to Justin. “How are you doing?”
Justin looked confused. “Why?”
“Didn’t you fall down the stairs last night or something like that?” she asked. “That’s what Mace said on the phone.”
I lightly kicked Justin to play along. “Yeah, he’s fine now. Nothing but a bruise, right, Justin?”
“Yup. I’m all good,” he agreed. He was definitely going to use this lie against me in the near future.
Sam nudged me under the table and with his pen wrote “You’re a horrible liar” on the corner of one of his papers. I glared at him. Andrew entered the room. He spotted us, greeting everyone until his focus fell on Jasmine.
“We need to talk,” he said.
“Now?”
He dropped his backpack next to me, then headed back to the exit of the library.
“What’s happening?” Caleb asked as Jasmine left the room too.
“I’ll be back.” I grabbed my camera and followed my best friends out the door, standing in the doorway so they wouldn’t see me.
“This is how he’s asking her out?” A hand landed on my arm and I jumped—Sam. We watched the scene unravel in front of us. I put a finger to my lips to tell him to be quiet.
“You want him to hand her a bouquet of roses or something?” I whispered. “Jasmine’s a spontaneous person. Andrew doing it simply seemed appropriate.”
“I want us to be together,” Andrew said, and Sam commented ooh behind me. I hit him with my elbow.
“Drew, we’ve been over this,” Jasmine breathed.
“I know.” He sounded determined. “I don’t care.”
“We can’t.”
“Yes, you can,” I said loudly, walking forward. Sam stayed behind, thankfully not being completely annoying in the moment.
Jasmine’s eyes went wide at the sight of me but Andrew continued. “Jasmine, I know you said this would affect our friendship. But I want to be with you.”
Her eyes went back and forth between him and me. Her moment of confliction wasn’t unnoticed by the people lingering in the hallway waiting for what she would say. Even I grew restless, twiddling my fingers before she asked Andrew, “Why?”
Andrew sighed, reaching forward to grab her in a hug. Her reciprocation was immediate. Andrew’s chin rested on top of her head and he whispered, “Because I love you.”
The surprise on her face would’ve been missed if I’d blinked. As if remembering there were others watching, she lowered her voice toward me, “You’re okay with it?”
I gave her a thumbs-up. Jasmine didn’t waste a second, kissing Andrew. I immediately turned the other way as Caleb, of all people, cheered loudly for them. He slung an arm around me and gestured at our friends. “That’s something we’ll have to get used to.”
“At least they’re happy.” I lifted up my camera to take a picture of them. “That’s the only thing that matters.”
“He wants you to meet his parents?” Jon Ming’s eyes went wide. The boys were crowded in my basement on Friday night. Andrew paused the game he and Brandon were playing, Jacob stopped eating his slice of pizza, and Jon Ming and Austin stopped their air hockey game, moving over to sit on the couch with me.
“That’s quick,” Andrew said.
“This still seems so weird,” Austin said. “Macy has a boyfriend. Andrew and Jasmine are dating.”
“We’ve entered an alternate universe.” Jon Ming spoke up. “Prepare to have your mind blown.”
“How come you didn’t invite Cedric here tonight?” Brandon questioned.
“He had rugby practice earlier and was supertired so he’s probably sleeping right now,” I said.
“At seven o’clock?” Jacob asked.
“Ced once slept fifteen hours after a conditioning practice. It’s normal.” The doorbell
rang. “Did any of you invite any more people?”
“I may have invited the additional duo,” Andrew announced as I went upstairs.
Spotting Justin eating a granola bar on the couch, I was walking in the direction of the door when he grabbed a pillow, whipping it at my head. The pillow dropped to the ground after hitting the side of my face. I headed toward him. “Dude.”
The second he put his granola bar on the couch, I jumped him. He tried to push me off, grunting, “God, I swear you’ve gained weight from the last time you attacked me.”
Pushing my elbow into his stomach, I got up. Caleb and Sam were at the front door talking to my father. Sam was wearing his infamous leather jacket and dark jeans, and both his and Caleb’s cheeks were a dull red from the cold outside. “Take a picture, Hazel. It’ll last longer.”
I turned on the flash of my camera and did as he said. “There, you wanted me to take a picture. I’ll give it to you tomorrow.”
He smirked. “Keep it. Hang it in your room.”
Ignoring his comment, I said to my dad, “Sorry, Andrew invited them.”
“All is forgiven.” My dad pointed at Sam. “I’m not kidding, you’re the spitting image of your dad. You look a lot like your uncle too.”
Sam nodded in agreement, surprising me that he didn’t scowl at a reference about his uncle. “I get that a lot.”
“Come in,” my dad urged, stepping to the side. Sam and Caleb took their shoes off and I closed the door behind them. My dad pointed them in the direction of the basement and after they left, he said, “He doesn’t seem like a jerk. And Caleb, he’s a character. He gave me a thorough explanation on how aliens are—”
“—in the ocean instead of space? Caleb’s like that.” Poking my head into the living room, I said to Justin, “If you want to hang with us, you’re welcome to.”
“Thanks, Sandy.”
“Anytime, Patrick.” I picked up the throw pillow from the floor and tossed it at him, knocking the granola bar out of his hand. Running away from his fury, I joined the boys once again. Sam was engaged in a game of air hockey in the corner with Andrew.
As I took a slice of pizza, Jon Ming turned to me while playing a video game with Brandon. “What are you going to do?”
“About what?” I asked through a mouthful of food.
“About meeting the parents.”
Caleb took a seat on my other side. “You’re meeting the Cahills? Mama Cahill’s a sweetheart, she’ll love you. Phil says he invited you to his party so you’re in with the adorable Cahill. Plus, Cedric’s the nice one, and you’re best friends with the asshole. You’ll be fine.”
Sam’s hands came down on Caleb’s shoulders in an instant and Caleb screamed dramatically. “Piss off, Caleb,” he said. I didn’t miss the smile on Sam’s face.
“What about the dad?” Jacob asked.
“You’ll be fine,” Sam echoed.
Caleb reached past me to take the last slice of pizza. The last slice of pizza. “You guys are animals,” I said.
“You guys are animals,” Jacob mocked.
“I’m going to make popcorn. Movie?” I made my way upstairs to the kitchen as they discussed suggestions. Despite the fact it was all the guys wanted to talk about, my main focus wasn’t on meeting Cedric’s parents.
Earlier that day, Coach had pulled me aside after practice and told me news I wasn’t expecting. Suddenly, the upcoming tournament after spring break wasn’t just about winning anymore for me. Coach said that a scout from a university I had been accepted to was coming to see me because Coach had sent in a couple of tapes from last year. A scholarship might still be in reach, and that had me excited yet nervous.
The shutter of a camera jolted me out of my reverie. Sam looked at the picture. “What were you thinking about?”
“Nothing.”
“Hazel.” He held up my camera. “You know, you’re handy with this. Did you apply for a program in photography?” I shook my head, getting the popcorn out of the microwave and putting in another package. “Why not?”
“It’s just a hobby. I like science. I applied to those programs.”
“Are you playing football in postsecondary?”
“Why are you asking so many questions today?” I opened one of the cabinets and grabbed a Pop-Tart. “I thought you hated twenty questions.”
“I never said that.”
“You didn’t have to,” I joked.
“Answer my question.”
With the demanding tone he used, he probably got many answers, because I started talking. “That’s the plan. Earlier today, Coach said that a scout is coming to the tournament after spring break.”
When I had told my dad after running home from practice he was beyond happy. Someone was coming to watch me. Maybe I would play for their team. How would my mom have reacted to this news?
“With the way you play, you should be offered the national team.” I struggled to speak as my face flushed. I put the hood of my sweater over my head. “Wait, is Hazel speechless?”
“Shut up.”
“Why do you look upset?”
“I’m not a big fan of change.”
“When I moved here, I hated it.” He shrugged. “Sometimes you gotta accept it. Besides, change is inevitable.”
“You know, your accent gets strong when you say inevitable.” Sam took the strings of my hoodie and pulled on them. “Dude!” He took a bite of the Pop-Tart. “Sam!”
My dad entered the kitchen. “Glad to see you two are on great terms.”
Sam let out a grunt as I elbowed him, taking my Pop-Tart back. “Nick”—Oh, they’re on a first name basis now?—“your daughter’s very weird.”
“I know.”
“Hey!” I pointed at my dad, who chuckled. “You’re supposed to be on my side.”
“I’m always on your side, Sandy,” my dad said.
“Sandy?” Sam asked.
“We call each other after characters from SpongeBob,” I explained. “It’s a thing from a long time ago.”
“What was your mum?”
“Mrs. Puff,” my dad answered. “Did Sandy tell you the news?”
Sam grabbed my camera, taking a picture of me. “There’s our favorite soon-to-be university football player.”
I took the camera from him as my dad snatched the bag of popcorn for himself and said, “Your mom would be proud of you.”
When he left the room, Sam was in the process of putting another popcorn bag in the microwave. “Hazel, I’m telling you, if you want me since you keep staring, just ask—”
“Shut up!” I pushed the back of his head lightly as I made my way downstairs. And honestly, he was right: change was inevitable. It didn’t mean I had to like it.
9
Contamination on My Bed
“You’re distracting me,” I said to Cedric on Wednesday afternoon as I broke the kiss. My eyes darted to the windows looking out on the full parking lot.
Even when he kissed me again, my worry about meeting his parents continued to grow. However, the main topic on my mind was the dynamic between Sam and his uncle. Earlier Sam said he’d probably drop by and I wasn’t counting on it. For some reason, that gave me an uneasy feeling.
Cedric’s hand was in my hair and he played with the strands. “Congrats again.”
His praise was sincere, yet it added to the nerves that always arose whenever the scout and the tournament were mentioned. “It’s not like I got it.”
“You’re going to,” he assured me. “What are you doing during the break?”
“Visiting my grandma in Redmond, what about you?”
“Don’t know yet. Might go to Bali or visit my other cousins. Family hasn’t decided yet. Mace, about my parents—”
“They’re normal people. It’s not a big deal, relax.” I repeated what he
had said to me, leaning in to kiss him. His hand gripped my waist as he deepened the kiss but before he could do anything further, a rapid knock broke us apart.
Jasmine was by the side of the car and I rolled down the window. “C’mon, Andrew’s waiting in the car.” She gave Cedric a two fingered wave. “Hello, lover boy.”
“Hi, Jas.” Cedric pulled me back toward him, kissing me once more. “I’ll see you later. Don’t worry, it’ll be fine. They’ll love you.”
“How did you feel when Andrew told you?” Jasmine asked an hour later, when we were in my room, changing my clothes.
“Despite not knowing what’s been happening with my best friends for a couple of years?”
She winced.
I waved a hand and put my head through the shirt hole. “I’m happy for you both. Don’t get mushy around me.”
Andrew opened the door, then grabbed Jasmine and kissed her. “Hey!” I yelled, swatting at them with one of my sweaters until they broke apart. “This is a no PDA zone. I don’t need your contamination on my bed.”
“Maybe you and Cedric have already christened it.”
Red in the face, I looked at my outfit in the mirror propped against my wall of pictures. Within my ever-growing collection of photos of my friends, there was one picture I had purposely centered. It was my mom and me after I had won a trophy for playing soccer as a kid. I was hugging her tightly as we grinned for the camera—her other hand was touching the soccer-ball pendant at her neck. She hadn’t been wearing that necklace the day she had passed according to my dad. It wasn’t in the house, either, or else one of us would have found it.
That picture had been taken at the same park where I had bumped into Sam, near the rec center, under the big maple tree. “What do you think she’d say if she was here?”
“She’d bug you about Cedric more than your dad does,” Andrew said. Not too far from that picture was another, showing a younger version of the three of us.
“Remember in third grade when we were painting Justin’s room?” I said.
“Your mom told you to call Jasmine,” Andrew added. “And when Jasmine came in she tripped on the paintbrush and it went flying and swabbed your mom’s pants with paint.”