Senior Year, '94. Megan B. March
about him? I broke it off last night. The distance thing was just not worth it. Plus, I think he wanted to see other girls. Anyway, I could tell he was going that direction. I just broke it off before he did.”
“Oh, Leesh, I’m sorry. I had no idea things weren’t okay with you two.”
“Don’t beat yourself up over it. I wasn’t really open about what was going on.” She fluttered her hand around in a dismissive way. “Can we put the movie in already?”
When Alicia was done talking about something, she was done, and I knew better than to keep prying for more details. Besides, she’d confirmed what I thought, so what more did I need to know? I got up and popped the tape into the VCR and sat back down. We didn’t really talk much more about James or her possible relationship with Jibby. If she wanted to say anything more, I figured she would bring it up on her own. Instead, we just watched movies, ate pizza, and shared idle chit-chat about school and her injured ankle.
Around seven, after watching two movies and eating a lot of pizza, I gave Alicia a couple of pain killers and helped her to bed. Ashlyn came home a little later, and I filled her in on our evening before taking off for home. When I unlocked and opened the door to my place, the phone was ringing and I ran over to answer it.
“Hello? I wondered who could be on the other end.
“Hey. What are you doing?” Jensen’s voice was quiet.
“I just got back from your house, actually. At the drill team thing today, Alicia broke her ankle and some other bones in her foot during the flashlight performance.”
“What? No shit! Is she alright?” A very different Jensen from a moment ago bellowed into my ear.
“Yeah, she’s fine.” I held the phone away for a second to give my ear a break. “I think she’s more worried about leaving her car at school for the weekend.”
“Leave it to Alicia to be worried about everything else but herself.”
“I have something to tell you, but you didn’t hear it from me.” I sat down on the couch, suddenly feeling conspiratorial.
“Go on,” Jensen urged, sounding intrigued.
“I think Leesh is going to get back together with Jibby! She and James broke up last night.”
“Damn! I had no idea they weren’t getting along.”
“I know! She never even said anything to me about it. Jibby told me he’s been spending time with her lately, and then she mentioned all she and James did was fight. When I brought it up today she was pretty nonchalant about the whole thing.”
“Well, some people just aren’t meant to stay together or have long-distance relationships ... but some people aren’t us,” Jensen added in a somber voice.
My heart felt like it skipped a beat. “Oh, Jensen,” I breathed, unsure of what to say next.
Apparently, he didn’t want to go there because he changed the subject so fast I got proverbial whiplash. “So, I was calling about spring break.”
“Are you still coming home?”
“Yeah, but I can’t stay for the whole thing. I have to come back early.”
“Oh. Will you be staying at Gabe’s or your house?”
“Probably my house, or if you’re not too pissed off at me for acting like a dick during my last visit, maybe I can stay with you?”
What’s this? I perked up at the mention of him staying with me. “Of course, but my spring break is a week earlier and I won’t be here during the day.”
“That’s alright. I can drive you to school and we can have lunch together. Maybe work at the store a little while I’m there. Are you working that week?”
“I guess I can try to take a few days off since I’ll be working full-time during my break.”
Jensen seemed to like that idea and asked me to go for it. “Well, I’d better call home and see if Alicia is in a drug-induced stupor yet.”
“She was headed to bed with painkillers when I left. I’m not sure how good those pills are, but if she’s still up, I’m sure she’d like to talk,” I finished.
Jensen told me he loved me, and then he was gone.
Getting up slowly off the couch, I put the phone back in its cradle and thought about my life with Jensen. I went to the kitchen and reminisced over the roses he left there the last time he had come to town. Although dead and long gone, I felt as if I could almost smell them. I turned the light on over the sink and eyed my bag by the couch, thinking it was probably as good a time as any to do homework. Reluctantly, I pulled out my books and started in.
Jibby called the following morning just as I was putting a load of laundry in. “Hey, girl!”
“Jibby! How’s life?”
“Listen, I was calling to ask your opinion on something. Oh, and to tell you that I’ll take Alicia to school on Monday. She doesn’t want to wake up at the butt-crack of dawn with you.”
I laughed. Of course she didn’t, but I wished she had told me herself. “Alright, I get it. Only the birds and I are up that early. So, what can I help you with?”
“I think I’m going to take Alicia to lunch on Monday and ask her out.”
“Really? That’s great!”
“Do you think she’ll say yes? I mean, we had kind of a shitty break-up last year and our relationship wasn’t really ... um ... built on a foundation that would last.”
“Yeah, she told me. I think this time around it’ll be different. She told me she likes you, too,” I confirmed, hoping I wasn’t betraying Alicia’s trust. After all, she hadn’t sworn me to secrecy.
“Fuck, yeah!” he yelled in my ear. He was obviously excited about making it official and being an item once again. “Wait, you don’t think I should back off and give her time, do you? I mean, she just broke up with that James guy. Don’t girls need time to be alone, or some shit like that? Anyway, that’s what Kate says. Something about it taking one month for every three you dated to get over someone.”
I sighed and rolled my eyes. “If she needs time she’ll tell you. What does your heart say?”
“I don’t know. Shit ... I guess it feels like the right time to ask her. She and James haven’t gotten along for a while, maybe a month or more. Tragic relationship.”
“Tragic?” I wasn’t sure what he meant.
“You get what I mean.”
I actually didn’t. “Whatever. Just ask her. Like I said, she’ll tell you if it’s not the right time. If she does, just remember it doesn’t mean she doesn’t want to be with you.”
“Yeah, yeah … alright. I’ll see you tomorrow and tell you what she says.”
The two of us hung up without me saying that I’d probably know much sooner than tomorrow her reaction—our lockers were close and we talked all the time.
As predicted, I found out before Jibby told me that he and Alicia were officially back together, although not as I’d originally thought. Having gotten out of zero-hour early, Krissa and I wandered into the commons to people-watch and low and behold the two of them were there together. Just as I was about to call their names, in front of everyone and without a care in the world, Alicia pulled Jibby toward her and kissed him