Danny.”
“So how did you find out?”
“Bianca pretended to be drunk on the last night of the semester and she stumbled up to his friend Casey and just flat out asked if Gabe liked girls.”
I shake my head. “Genius. You girls are geniuses.”
“I’d like to tell you I was in on the plan. I’m not sure Bianca was even in on her own plan until it was actually happening. I mean, there’s no way she knew that Casey would be alone at that bar at that particular time.”
I nod and then a thought hits me. “I take it the IDs worked well?”
“They did! Though I don’t know, I feel like something gets lost in translation by not waiting until you’re twenty-one.” She shrugs. “I’m not sure how often I’ll use mine.”
“You know, that makes a lot of sense to me.”
Two plates of disco fries are served and we dig in.
“I am sorry about Gabe,” she says.
“It’s not your fault he likes girls. It’s not like you’re so amazing you turned him straight or something.”
She laughs.
“I really thought he was gay though. I had no idea I could be so off. Maybe he’s a little bi? Or pansexual?”
“Probably not,” she says, smiling.
“Bi-curious? Maybe a little?”
“I’ll try to find out for you,” she promises, patting my hand.
“And I’ll help you woo him,” I say with a wink.
Sam (Gabe’s brother)
Gabe’s sitting on a bench outside the library when I come out of work the first day everyone’s back on campus for the spring semester. I’m going to miss the quiet of winter break.
“Hey,” I say, kicking the bottom of his sneaker when he doesn’t look up from his book.
“Oh, hi.”
“What’s up?”
“You wanna go to the dining hall with me?”
“I can’t, I have a baseball meeting.”
“Never thought I’d be jealous of a baseball meeting. Guess everyone else is busy, too, then.”
“Yeah, but I’ll walk with you in that direction?”
“Sure.”
“Is that why you were stalking me? Because you didn’t want to eat dinner alone?”
He shrugs. “Mom said you were working. Figured it couldn’t hurt.”
“Sorry about that.”
“No big deal. I guess I just got used to being home over break. And my dorm room is tiny and quiet and…” He trails off and shakes his head. “I don’t know. It’s dumb.”
I bump our shoulders together. “It’s not dumb. You just really love your big brother.”
“Sure, something like that.”
We meander in silence for a few minutes, people walking fast all around us, probably because it’s brutally cold outside. But Gabe’s taking his time.
“Do you know of anyone who’s hiring?”
“You need money?” I ask.
“Of course I need money. I mean, the advisor position is great because it gives me a place to live, but there’s no cash involved. I pretty much live on dining hall meals and Starbucks gift cards from Aunt Kate.”
“What’s the deal with those? Why does she think we like Starbucks so much?”
“I don’t know. But seeing as how I have no money they might come in handy. Like if I wanted to ask someone on a date, or something, I could at least take her to Starbucks.”
“Are you going to ask Lea out?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know how realistic that idea is. But it’s something I think about.”
“So,” I say. “You know, if you need money, I think the library’s hiring. It’s clean, climate controlled, you never smell like grease or old milk.”
“You do make it sound kind of wonderful.”
“And if I tell them my brother needs a job, they’ll take you.”
“Cool.”
I want to say more, because there’s always more to say, but I leave it at that. I don’t want to scare him off. He’d been doing well over break, seemed happy and more like himself than he has in a long time. I think my parents were relieved to just see him acting like Gabe.
“Everything else okay?” I ask.
“Yeah, it’s good,” he says. “Beginning of the semester means that I’ll have lots of kids coming
“So how did you find out?”
“Bianca pretended to be drunk on the last night of the semester and she stumbled up to his friend Casey and just flat out asked if Gabe liked girls.”
I shake my head. “Genius. You girls are geniuses.”
“I’d like to tell you I was in on the plan. I’m not sure Bianca was even in on her own plan until it was actually happening. I mean, there’s no way she knew that Casey would be alone at that bar at that particular time.”
I nod and then a thought hits me. “I take it the IDs worked well?”
“They did! Though I don’t know, I feel like something gets lost in translation by not waiting until you’re twenty-one.” She shrugs. “I’m not sure how often I’ll use mine.”
“You know, that makes a lot of sense to me.”
Two plates of disco fries are served and we dig in.
“I am sorry about Gabe,” she says.
“It’s not your fault he likes girls. It’s not like you’re so amazing you turned him straight or something.”
She laughs.
“I really thought he was gay though. I had no idea I could be so off. Maybe he’s a little bi? Or pansexual?”
“Probably not,” she says, smiling.
“Bi-curious? Maybe a little?”
“I’ll try to find out for you,” she promises, patting my hand.
“And I’ll help you woo him,” I say with a wink.
Sam (Gabe’s brother)
Gabe’s sitting on a bench outside the library when I come out of work the first day everyone’s back on campus for the spring semester. I’m going to miss the quiet of winter break.
“Hey,” I say, kicking the bottom of his sneaker when he doesn’t look up from his book.
“Oh, hi.”
“What’s up?”
“You wanna go to the dining hall with me?”
“I can’t, I have a baseball meeting.”
“Never thought I’d be jealous of a baseball meeting. Guess everyone else is busy, too, then.”
“Yeah, but I’ll walk with you in that direction?”
“Sure.”
“Is that why you were stalking me? Because you didn’t want to eat dinner alone?”
He shrugs. “Mom said you were working. Figured it couldn’t hurt.”
“Sorry about that.”
“No big deal. I guess I just got used to being home over break. And my dorm room is tiny and quiet and…” He trails off and shakes his head. “I don’t know. It’s dumb.”
I bump our shoulders together. “It’s not dumb. You just really love your big brother.”
“Sure, something like that.”
We meander in silence for a few minutes, people walking fast all around us, probably because it’s brutally cold outside. But Gabe’s taking his time.
“Do you know of anyone who’s hiring?”
“You need money?” I ask.
“Of course I need money. I mean, the advisor position is great because it gives me a place to live, but there’s no cash involved. I pretty much live on dining hall meals and Starbucks gift cards from Aunt Kate.”
“What’s the deal with those? Why does she think we like Starbucks so much?”
“I don’t know. But seeing as how I have no money they might come in handy. Like if I wanted to ask someone on a date, or something, I could at least take her to Starbucks.”
“Are you going to ask Lea out?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know how realistic that idea is. But it’s something I think about.”
“So,” I say. “You know, if you need money, I think the library’s hiring. It’s clean, climate controlled, you never smell like grease or old milk.”
“You do make it sound kind of wonderful.”
“And if I tell them my brother needs a job, they’ll take you.”
“Cool.”
I want to say more, because there’s always more to say, but I leave it at that. I don’t want to scare him off. He’d been doing well over break, seemed happy and more like himself than he has in a long time. I think my parents were relieved to just see him acting like Gabe.
“Everything else okay?” I ask.
“Yeah, it’s good,” he says. “Beginning of the semester means that I’ll have lots of kids coming
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