sprang to his feet without realizing what he was doing. Despite his internal protests, his feet carried him towards Bridget’s radiant smile. The droning buzz of hundreds of voices at the gate became white noise and then a ring. All too soon, they were face to face, and Gordie flinched as she threw her arms around him. The sound of reality, of the present, popped back into existence.
The nerves within him were undergoing some type of shift. He was still anxious, but now that angst was coupled with a complex excitement.
“What are you doing here?” they asked each other in unison, and Bridget’s giggle spread through Gordie, steeling his nerves like a shot of whiskey.
“I’m going to Paris with my family,” she said. “My dad’s going there on business and we begged him to take us.” Her smile was infectious, causing Gordie to grin like an idiot.
“That’s awesome!” he said, feeling stupid for not having anything interesting to add.
“So where are you going?” she asked him. A million answers swirled through his head. Mount Olympus? his brain suggested as a viable response. NO! he screamed inside his head. What do I say? Oh my god! She’s just looking at me like I’m a moron!
“Greece,” he expelled, sounding far cooler than the earthquake inside him would convey.
“Oh, that’s cool,” she said. She paused for a moment, looking away, then looked up and asked, “Where have you been, Gordie? Why haven’t you been back at school?” He was surprised to hear concern in her voice.
“Well . . . it’s just, a lot happened, ya know?” She nodded, and Gordie felt an insane urge to grab her and kiss her, but he restrained himself. “What about you? There’s only a couple weeks left of class. Shouldn’t you be there?”
“Finals were cancelled,” she said. “And honestly the teachers aren’t too concerned about grades right now. I’ve only been going to class because I don’t have anything else to do and the teachers insisted we keep coming. It’s not really even school anymore. They just want us to have some sort of routine, I think. Almost, like, half the kids are gone.”
When she told Gordie this, he realized that she had still noted his absence, despite the sparse attendance. The lion in his chest purred and it took all of his focus to keep a stupid smile off his face.
“I got ya,” he said.
“Gordie,” the tonal shift in her voice extinguished his excitement as he sensed what was coming, “I heard about your dad. I’m really sorry.” Her bright green eyes were ablaze, looking up into his, boring a hole through him so deep that he had to look away.
“It’s okay. I mean, I’m okay.” He didn’t convince himself and he didn’t think he convinced her either.
“You wanna take a walk?” she asked. The fire sparked within him once again and he nodded in agreement. She turned to look back at her mom and put up a hand. Her mom raised an eyebrow and gave Gordie another once over. Her lip curled as if she had just eaten something distasteful, but she shrugged as if to say, ‘Suit yourself.’ Gordie tried to give her mom a reassuring smile as they turned to walk away, but she had already turned her attention back to her magazine. Then he noticed his own mom watching them, and was grateful for her restraint. He guessed she was experiencing a great deal more uneasiness than Bridget’s mother, but she did not try to interfere with their rendezvous. Gordie assumed his grandpa had stayed her hand, so he gave him a conciliatory smile before they walked out into the concourse.
For the third time, Gordie headed off in the direction of Starbucks, but this time he was far more aware of each step he took. For thirty seconds the young couple walked in silence, and the pressure to say something witty or funny was building in Gordie like a cartoon water main jacked up to full force.
“I can’t believe we’re on the same plane,” Bridget said, after what felt like a lifetime of
The nerves within him were undergoing some type of shift. He was still anxious, but now that angst was coupled with a complex excitement.
“What are you doing here?” they asked each other in unison, and Bridget’s giggle spread through Gordie, steeling his nerves like a shot of whiskey.
“I’m going to Paris with my family,” she said. “My dad’s going there on business and we begged him to take us.” Her smile was infectious, causing Gordie to grin like an idiot.
“That’s awesome!” he said, feeling stupid for not having anything interesting to add.
“So where are you going?” she asked him. A million answers swirled through his head. Mount Olympus? his brain suggested as a viable response. NO! he screamed inside his head. What do I say? Oh my god! She’s just looking at me like I’m a moron!
“Greece,” he expelled, sounding far cooler than the earthquake inside him would convey.
“Oh, that’s cool,” she said. She paused for a moment, looking away, then looked up and asked, “Where have you been, Gordie? Why haven’t you been back at school?” He was surprised to hear concern in her voice.
“Well . . . it’s just, a lot happened, ya know?” She nodded, and Gordie felt an insane urge to grab her and kiss her, but he restrained himself. “What about you? There’s only a couple weeks left of class. Shouldn’t you be there?”
“Finals were cancelled,” she said. “And honestly the teachers aren’t too concerned about grades right now. I’ve only been going to class because I don’t have anything else to do and the teachers insisted we keep coming. It’s not really even school anymore. They just want us to have some sort of routine, I think. Almost, like, half the kids are gone.”
When she told Gordie this, he realized that she had still noted his absence, despite the sparse attendance. The lion in his chest purred and it took all of his focus to keep a stupid smile off his face.
“I got ya,” he said.
“Gordie,” the tonal shift in her voice extinguished his excitement as he sensed what was coming, “I heard about your dad. I’m really sorry.” Her bright green eyes were ablaze, looking up into his, boring a hole through him so deep that he had to look away.
“It’s okay. I mean, I’m okay.” He didn’t convince himself and he didn’t think he convinced her either.
“You wanna take a walk?” she asked. The fire sparked within him once again and he nodded in agreement. She turned to look back at her mom and put up a hand. Her mom raised an eyebrow and gave Gordie another once over. Her lip curled as if she had just eaten something distasteful, but she shrugged as if to say, ‘Suit yourself.’ Gordie tried to give her mom a reassuring smile as they turned to walk away, but she had already turned her attention back to her magazine. Then he noticed his own mom watching them, and was grateful for her restraint. He guessed she was experiencing a great deal more uneasiness than Bridget’s mother, but she did not try to interfere with their rendezvous. Gordie assumed his grandpa had stayed her hand, so he gave him a conciliatory smile before they walked out into the concourse.
For the third time, Gordie headed off in the direction of Starbucks, but this time he was far more aware of each step he took. For thirty seconds the young couple walked in silence, and the pressure to say something witty or funny was building in Gordie like a cartoon water main jacked up to full force.
“I can’t believe we’re on the same plane,” Bridget said, after what felt like a lifetime of
Similar Books
