Andy Squared

by Jennifer Lavoie

  Andrew smiled. “Do you miss your parents?”

  Ryder hesitated before answering. “Yeah. It was hard at first, and it still is sometimes. I miss Mom’s cooking. She made the best damn fried chicken ever. And I miss riding with Dad. I wish he hadn’t gone, but I know it’s what he loves doing, and it’s not as if he had a choice.”

  “I can’t imagine what it would be like if my dad went off. I don’t know what Mom would do, either.”

  “It’s a hard decision. But with two of you, I think your mom would stay here, don’t you?”

  “Yeah. Maybe,” Andrew paused, and then looked up at him. “Okay, it’s cold. Let’s go see a movie.”

  “Really?” Ryder’s face lightened and broke into a lopsided grin.

  “Yeah, really.”

  “It’s a date,” he laughed, pulling Andrew close.

  Andrew flushed faintly and nodded. “Okay, a date then. But no food,” he warned.

  “Oh come on, you have to have some snacks. Popcorn? Soda? Sno-caps?”

  “After everything I ate?” Andrew made a face. “You can have it. I’ll just watch the movie.”

  Ryder laughed and pulled him close, pressing a small kiss to his lips before pulling away. Andrew’s face stung, but he wasn’t sure if it came from the frigid air or the kiss. He pulled Ryder back to give a longer one, deepening it when a small groan emerged from Ryder’s throat.

  “Let’s get out of here and go before Charlie shows up,” Ryder said softly when they broke apart. “But don’t think you can’t repeat that. Anytime.”

  Chapter Eleven

  There were a few more cars in front of the house when Andrew and Ryder returned from the movies in Utica. Ryder had been right and gloated about it; the parking lot of the theater had been full. They bought their tickets to a new action movie that promised to be loud and explosive, bought some snacks—the smell had enticed Andrew, despite his claim of being too full—and found seats. They talked about the movie as they left the theater and headed for home.

  Andrew parked in the road to avoid blocking anyone from leaving, and they climbed out of the truck and joked their way up to the front door. It opened as soon as they reached it, and Andrew found himself staring Charlie in the face. “Hey, Charlie.”

  “I’ve been here for hours, where the hell did you go?”

  “We went to the movies,” Andrew said, hesitating only a second. He glanced up at Ryder, who stood there as if bored, hands deep in his pockets. His face was blank.

  “Who the hell goes to the movies on Thanksgiving?” Charlie asked, snorting.

  “Apparently a lot of people. The theater was nearly full. You should have seen it,” Andrew said. He moved past Charlie and stepped inside the house. A new football game must have been on, because the guests still cheered from the other room. Andrew hung his jacket on the coat rack instead of bringing it up to his room, and Ryder put his over it to save room.

  “Come watch the game,” Charlie said, a hint of anger tingeing his voice. Andrew walked into the dining room and found the table set up with the desserts from before. He looked at them longingly. That pecan pie looked really good, and he didn’t usually like pecans.

  “Man, you know I hate football.”

  “Come on, it’s the least you could do after ditching me here.”

  “Ditch you? You weren’t even here when we left!”

  Charlie crossed his arms and leaned against the wall. “Your sister told you I was coming.”

  “Yeah, after we made plans,” Andrew lied. “And she said you might be coming. But fine, I’ll watch the damn game with you.”

  Charlie nodded and shot Ryder a dark look before disappearing into the living room. Ryder stared after him. “Man, I don’t get it. He really does hate me.”

  “Don’t let it get to you. He’s being an ass.”

  “The rest of the soccer team?” Ryder asked.

  “They’ve got their own groups too, you know?” Andrew shrugged and poured himself and Ryder a cup of soda. “I’ll talk to him about it tomorrow. I’ll hang out with him and he’ll forget this whole thing.”

  “All right,” Ryder said, taking his cup and bumping Andrew with his hip. “Whatever you say. I’ll play nice.” He winked at him and walked out to the living room, Andrew close behind.

  *

  Charlie’s room was just as much a disaster as it had been the last time Andrew visited, if not a little worse. He had to wade through junk to get to the desk, and when he pulled the chair out, a pile of papers slipped onto the floor. Frowning, he pushed them off and sat down; the bed was a mess of sheets and clothes.

  “How can you live in this mess?”

  “What’s wrong with it? I know where everything is.”

  “I’m surprised you haven’t had Hazmat come in and designate this hazardous waste or something.”

  Charlie shrugged and flopped back on his bed, squishing any clean and dirty clothes that were in the way.

  Andrew picked a shirt up off the floor, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it at him.

  The two of them never could sit still without talking for long; Charlie didn’t like things to be quiet. Andrew thought about that as they sat there awkwardly and wondered what that meant. He and Ryder could sit and not say anything for long periods of time and it felt right. As the minutes passed, he started to squirm uneasily in his seat.

  “Man, we always had something to talk about, and we don’t anymore.”

  “To be honest, we never really talked about much,” Andrew said. He pushed at a glass on the desk and saw a water mark under it. Inside a sticky residue stained the bottom of the glass a dark brown. He wrinkled his nose in disgust.

  “No, but we could talk. Now we can’t, because you only hang out with Ryder.”

  “Whoa, let’s not start this, okay? Why do you have to keep bringing it up? I’m here right now, aren’t I?”

  Charlie sat up and glared at him. “Well, I’m a little pissed off that you abandoned your friends for this new guy. He’s not like us, Andrew.”

  “What the hell do you mean, friends? Who else is pissed off?”

  “Sarah. And Andrea.”

  Andrew pushed off the chair and moved closer, arms crossed. “That’s funny, because Sarah hasn’t mentioned anything about it, and when Andrea does, it’s just to tell me you’re pissed off. My problems with Andrea have nothing to do with Ryder.”

  “There’s something wrong with him, Andy, I know it! Do you know who I saw him talking to a few weeks ago? Joshua. Joshua Grayson.”

  “Yeah? So what if he talked to him. He’s got a right to talk to anyone he wants to,” Andrew countered. He had a bad feeling about this Joshua talk.

  “Come on, you know Josh. Besides, I saw them. And they looked like they were more than a little friendly, if you know what I mean.”

  “What are you getting at, Charlie?” It wasn’t a question so much as a demand that he just get to the point.

  “Josh is a fag. Who else but another fag would talk to him?”

  Andrew stared at his friend in disbelief, and he voiced it. “I can’t believe you. So what if he talks to Josh. Ryder’s a nice guy, and he can talk to whomever he wants. That doesn’t make him gay.”

  “It doesn’t make him not gay.”

  “It doesn’t mean anything.”

  “And you’d know this because?”

  “Screw this.” Andrew turned for the door and nearly tripped over a pair of jeans. It only made his irritation rise.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Home. I’m not sitting here listening to you trash him. Like it or not, Charlie, he’s my friend. Get over it and grow up. You’re acting like you’re five years old. Just because Sarah won’t give you the time of day doesn’t mean you can go around saying shit about the guy she likes.”

  Charlie leapt off the bed in a flash and grabbed Andrew’s arms. He shoved him backward. “Well, why do you think he keeps saying no to her? She’s the hottest girl in school. She’
s throwing herself at him and he says no? That’s got to mean something!”

  “It means he’s not interested. What’s so wrong with that? I wouldn’t date her either!”

  “She’s your sister’s best friend! Of course you wouldn’t date her.”

  “There are a lot of girls I wouldn’t date in school either.”

  “Yeah, but there are a lot that you have dated. Key difference.”

  Andrew pushed him back to give himself some space. “I don’t understand what your problem is, Charlie.”

  “He hasn’t dated anyone. Think about it.”

  “Maybe he has someone back in Texas,” Andrew lied.

  “Why didn’t he mention her?”

  “I don’t know, and I really don’t care. What business is it of yours? You’re not even a real friend to Ryder. Why would he mention his girlfriend to you?”

  “Did he mention her to you?”

  Andrew saw red. “Man, I can see why Sarah wouldn’t want to date you. You’re nothing but a selfish jerk.”

  Charlie had Andrew’s arms in a tight grip and shoved him into the wall. “Take it back.”

  “No. Back off, Charlie.” Andrew’s voice was low and dangerous, his eyes narrowed, and Charlie just shoved him into the wall again. Something inside Andrew snapped and he gave him a shove right back. Startled, Charlie caught his foot on the same pair of jeans Andrew had tripped over, and he went sprawling, dragging Andrew down with him. They scuffled on the floor, each fighting to gain the upper hand and pin the other to their advantage. Charlie twisted them and ended up on top. Just as he was about to pull his fist back, his mother threw the door open.

  “What is going on in here?” she gasped when she saw the two of them on the floor. “Charlie! What has gotten into you? Get off him.”

  “He started it,” Charlie spat as he stood.

  “Are you all right, Andrew?”

  “I’m fine, Mrs. Wilson. I was just leaving.” He stood and shrugged his shirt straight, reaching up to smooth his hair and rub the backs of his knuckles over a spot he knew would be bruised in just a few hours. He gave Charlie a wide berth as he passed through the door and shot him one last glare. He was almost out the door when he heard mother and son arguing. The sounds disappeared as soon as he stepped out the front door and shut it behind him.

  *

  “You’re back early,” Andrew’s father said from the kitchen table. He glanced up at him as he walked in and frowned. “What happened?”

  “Nothing. Why do you ask?”

  “Because you said you were going to Charlie’s and come back an hour later, give or take. Whenever you hang out with him you’re gone all day. Did you lie about going to Charlie’s?”

  “Of course not. I just didn’t feel like being there.”

  “Uh-huh,” his father said, setting down a sheaf of papers. “Did you two have a fight?”

  Andrew hesitated before pulling out a chair and sprawling in it. “Am I that obvious?”

  “The bruise makes it pretty obvious.” Dad crossed his arms and sat back. “So what happened?”

  “Charlie’s just a jerk.”

  “Is this about Ryder?”

  How would he know this had to do with Ryder? Did people see more than he thought? He stopped his train of thoughts, horrified.

  What if he knows?

  Andrew swallowed. “Charlie doesn’t like him very much. He’s being ridiculous.”

  “Why?” his father asked.

  “I don’t know. Because Sarah likes Ryder and Charlie likes Sarah? But Ryder’s turned her down like, four times. So I don’t know what he’s so worried about.”

  “I agree with you on that, it is a bit ridiculous.” Dad paused, holding his inhale a moment. As he exhaled, he said, “But I can see where he’s coming from, too.”

  Andrew looked up at his father, surprised. “What? How can you agree with him?”

  “Don’t jump to conclusions, Andy! I said I think I see where he’s coming from, not that I agree with him or think he’s right. I’ve noticed you’ve been hanging around Ryder more, that’s all.”

  “Why shouldn’t I? We’re friends. He’s a better friend than Charlie’s been lately.”

  “I’m not saying you shouldn’t. I’m just saying, maybe Charlie feels a little neglected.” Dad paused.

  Andrew brooded.

  “You do a lot with Ryder and don’t invite him, and you have been friends with Charlie longer.”

  “Well, we don’t invite him because Charlie wouldn’t want to go.”

  “You sure about that?”

  “Well, no, not really. But he said no every time we asked before,” Andrew admitted. “So we just stopped asking.”

  “So, the next time you do something, ask him. It can’t hurt to ask. And if he keeps saying no, well then, it’s his fault. You’ll have made an effort to include him.”

  Andrew expelled a frustrated sigh. “Thanks, Dad.”

  His father smiled. “You’re welcome. Oh, and Ryder called right after you left. I told him you went to Charlie’s already and probably wouldn’t be back until later tonight.”

  “I’ll call him in a bit.”

  Andrew headed upstairs to his room and found Andrea sitting at her desk looking over the letters. Four of them were in front of her, and he had a feeling he knew what they were. With a sigh he sank onto his bed.

  “I think we should call UConn, once and for all. We both get a scholarship and they’re a Division One school. It’s perfect.”

  “UConn? Connecticut.”

  Andrea snorted and turned to look at him. “Uh, duh, of course it’s Connecticut, idiot. The Huskies, remember? Basketball? They’re huge? They have a great soccer team, too, which you should already know.”

  Andrew reached down and grabbed a magazine from his floor, ready to flip through it, but it was one that Sarah had left behind. “I don’t know, though. I kind of wanted to stay close to home.”

  “Connecticut is close to home. It’s only a few hours away. We can come home on weekends if you really wanted to, but we’d get to live on campus. They have a great program, Andrew.”

  “I was thinking more local,” he admitted, finally looking at her. “Local like…maybe Utica or something.”

  Andrea snorted. “I’d much rather play for UConn. Besides, we haven’t gotten offers from Utica.”

  He didn’t care about scholarship offers. Or soccer. “We don’t…have to go to the same school,” Andrew replied softly. She’s going to blow up. Any second now, he thought, slowly counting to himself.

  Andrea merely brushed his comment to the side. “Of course we have to. We’ve agreed to it. We’re going to take UConn by storm! The Morris twins. Unstoppable.” She grinned at him. “So how do you want to tell Mom and Dad?”

  “Andrea, can you just listen? I don’t know if I want to go there.”

  She waved a hand and turned back to her papers, pulling out a pen. “I wonder if anyone else from the team got offers from UConn. It would be cool to room with one of them. But maybe it would be better to room with someone else and get a new experience.”

  She refused to listen. Scholarship or not, Andrew didn’t want to go there. He wanted to stay close to home. He thought about filling out the paperwork for the other college and sending it in without telling her, but that would cause World War III. Andrew sighed and watched Andrea furiously filling in the blanks, signing her soul away to UConn. And, if she had her way, his soul, too.

  “If you’re worried about filling out the application right, I’ll do it for you,” she said, distractedly. “Just write your own essay, okay? It’s not that hard.”

  “I don’t think that’s legal, Andrea.”

  “It’s fine. We have similar handwriting.”

  “Andrea. You’re not listening to me. I don’t want to go to UConn.”

  His sister slowly turned toward him. “You don’t know what’s best for your future, Andrew. Hello, full scholarships. We’ll get to play on the teams. It
’s a great school with a great soccer program.”

  Andrew pushed himself off the bed and paced around the small floor space. “I don’t want to play soccer forever, Andy. It’s just a game. I’ll get an academic scholarship for Utica College. I’d like to go there. They have some great academic programs.”

  “You would rather be a moose than a husky?”

  “Yes,” Andrew said, steeling himself.

  Andrea’s eyes narrowed. “You’d settle for a Division Three school when you were offered to play for Division One? I can’t believe you.”

  “Believe it, Andrea. I don’t even know if I want to play.”

  “That’s ridiculous. You’ll change your mind. We’re going to UConn,” she said, her tone sharpening.

  Andrew hardened his own words. “You might be, but I’m not.”

  Andrea turned back to the desk, ignoring Andrew no matter what he said. “We’re going to UConn.”

  Andrew didn’t bother replying. It just didn’t matter.

  Chapter Twelve

  The first day back to school after Thanksgiving break always seemed to drag on. The half-year courses were ramping up for finals in a few weeks, and the full-year courses were getting ready for midterms. Teachers were generally stressed about preparing for the exams and were bogged down with work. Students had projects that were coming up or due and were rushing to get them finished. But a bit of festive air still lingered as students talked about the holiday that just passed, or the holiday coming up.

  In history that morning, before the bell rang, Sarah sat chatting with Andrew and Ryder about what she had done the day after Thanksgiving. She explained all the amazing deals she had gotten from her shopping trip on Black Friday and bragged about being almost done with shopping for presents.

  “I had a little more money this year than I did last, so I bought some things for my friends,” she hinted, smiling sweetly at them.

  “Who do those friends include?” Andrew asked, cautious. He hated when someone bought him a gift and he didn’t get that person anything in return. It made him feel cheap.

  “Oh, you know, Andrea, you, Charlie, Ryder.”