on the floor. She refused to even look at me.
I wanted her to stand up and fight. To fight for this relationship, but I already knew she was giving up on me. And at the moment, I didn’t care. Why was it solely up to me to fix things between us? Especial y 188
when I had no clue what more I could’ve done. But nothing I did ever seemed to be good enough for her. She always expected so much from me. And that was the heart of the problem. Macal an didn’t
want to share me with others.
I got up and started walking toward the door. Had she said something, I would’ve turned around. But she didn’t.
As soon as the door was closed, the fight left me. I was exhausted by the constant questioning. All the drama.
I began walking home. Putting distance between me and my former best friend.
If this was how it was going to be, it was better to know than to pretend. I felt a newfound freedom with every step.
Maybe Macal an going to Ireland was the best thing that could
have happened to me. It proved that I didn’t need her to be around to be happy. Sure, I had missed her. But it was more the memory of her.
How things used to be. She had changed, and so had I. It seemed
we both were hanging on to someone who no longer existed.
I decided right there that all I wanted was a drama-free junior year.
If that meant it was without Macal an, so be it. I was done with her games.
We both went through the motions on Sunday nights. Fortunately, I only had to put up the act for the first two weeks of school before I started making excuses to get out of the dinners.
It didn’t matter. I had an awesome birthday. The guys came over
after the game. Stacey brought some of her friends. Of course, Mom invited Macal an, but, thankful y, she couldn’t come. She didn’t even give me anything. Her birthday was in a couple of weeks and I planned on returning the favor.
189
If only our family could’ve figured it out and stop forcing us
together. Fortunately, I was always free on Saturday nights, so it could be just me and my girl. My real girl.
Stacey had been great about the whole Macal an thing — which
meant she never real y brought it up. She let us be us, which had nothing to do with that. I appreciated it.
That Saturday when she pul ed up in her car, she seemed extra
excited to see me.
“Hey, handsome.” She bent over and gave me a kiss, her high
ponytail brushing against my cheek. “I thought we’d try someplace different for dinner tonight. You in?”
“Sure.” I shrugged. I wasn’t in a great mood. The previous night had been our third game of the season and I still hadn’t gotten any playing time. I could run fast, was getting better with catching, but Coach wasn’t putting me in. I couldn’t show him my frustration, so it bounced onto the other people in my life.
“Where we going?” I asked when Stacey pul ed into a hotel parking lot.
“I heard the restaurant here is real y good.” She laughed nervously.
I got out of the car. Stacey looked at her phone. “Can you hold
on? I have to make a quick cal .”
“Sure.” A hotel seemed like a strange place for dinner. But whatever. Stacey usual y knew what she was doing.
But then things got weirder.
“Levi?” I turned around and saw Macal an with Daniel e. “What
are you doing here?”
“What am I doing here? What are you doing here?”
Daniel e looked at each of us and stepped in the middle. “So
190
crazy, right? I guess this is the new place to be.” She laughed as Stacey came over.
“Hey, guys,” Stacey said warmly to Macal an. “So insane that
you’re here.” She exchanged a look with Daniel e. “Um, I guess we should go in.” She started walking faster, with Daniel e keeping step and saying she liked Stacey’s shoes.
This left me next to Macal an.
“Are you fol owing me?” I asked her.
She groaned. “Yeah, whatever.”
“It’s just a little odd that you’re here. I never even knew this place had a restaurant.”
“It wasn’t my idea — it was Daniel e’s,” she said coldly.
“How convenient for you.”
Daniel e and Stacey led us inside and stopped in front of these
giant double doors.
I was so annoyed at this. That I had to be stuck eating in the same vicinity as Macal an. And I highly doubted this was a mere coincidence. She clearly couldn’t handle not being around me anymore.
Macal an stopped and looked right at me as if she could read my
mind. “Get over yourself, Levi.” She stepped in front of me.
“After you!” Stacey said as she and Daniel e opened up the double doors.
I put a scowl on my face to let them know how much I didn’t
appreciate this situation as I began to walk into the room.
“SURPRISE!!!” A loud shout echoed in the large bal room. It took me a second to figure out what was going on as I saw the faces of friends and family greeting me. Then I saw a happy sweet sixteen birthday, macallan and levi! sign.
191
The secret meetings between our parents had been for a birthday