fork. A sharp whistle came from Uncle Adam and the
place quieted down. “Thanks so much for coming tonight.
And for keeping our little secret.” There was some laughter
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in the audience. “Can the birthday girl and boy come on
up here?”
Levi and I came from opposite ends of the room and were
greeted by polite applause and some catcalling from the jock
group.
Mrs. Rodgers looked so happy. “I have to say that I was
convinced Levi was onto me, he was being really nosy and
asking so many questions.”
“Which should always be a cause for concern,” Dr. Rodgers
interjected as he put his arm around Levi’s shoulder. Seeing Levi and his dad standing next to each other made
me realize how much they looked alike, except for his dad’s
dark hair.
Levi’s posture was stiff and he didn’t look that amused.
But then a slow smile started to spread on his face as his dad
began to jostle him.
Mrs. Rodgers got back control of the room. “Bruce and I
can’t begin to express how much Macallan has meant to us,
as well as Bill and Adam. They were so welcoming to us West
Coasters and really brought us into their family.” She came
over and grabbed my hand. “I am so grateful that Levi has
such a generous, caring best friend.”
I glanced over at Levi, but his eyes were aimed at the floor.
Maybe this was what we really needed to get everything back to how it used to be between us. Everything she was saying
was true (especially about me being generous and caring; she
missed humble).
I had been distant when I got back, mostly to try to adjust
to the new reality that was waiting for me. Then Levi threw
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those hurtful words and accusations at me that day in my
kitchen. I was convinced he was going to come back and apologize. But he left.
I wanted my old Levi back.
Even if it was only as friends.
The way he lashed out at me made me realize how delicate
our relationship was. But he was too important to me, such a
huge part of my life, I’d take him any way I could. Sure, there
would always be something unspoken between us. An attrac—
tion we wouldn’t act on. But would a high school romance
really be worth sacrificing our friendship?
No. We were better off friends.
I kept waiting all night. Through the speeches and roast—
ing, the singing and cake, through the dancing and presents.
I was poised expectantly for Levi to come over to me and
make everything right.
But I was waiting for an apology that would never come.
I don’t know what compelled me to go to the last football game
of the season. Uncle Adam was more than happy to join me in
the bleachers. He went to every high school game, proudly
wearing his orange and blue. My excuse that evening was
that I was going to root for Danielle and the marching band.
I even waved a few times at Emily down on the field as she
cheered.
That was my excuse. Truthfully, I wanted to be there in
case Levi finally got a chance to play. It wasn’t that he was
bad; it was only that the wide receivers on the team who got
playing time were all seniors and very, very good.
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I didn’t know how much longer my loyalty to Levi would
last. We had hardly spoken since the party. We’d pass each
other in the hallways and he’d do that chin thing that lets the
person know you’re acknowledging her, but not so much as
to grant her the pleasure of uttering a proper hello. I tried to not let it get to me, but I got more hurt with each passing day.
I sometimes thought it would be best to let it go and move on.
I’d already survived the demise of one close friendship. I’d
survived a lot worse than losing a friend.
But there was still a part of me that held out hope.
“Come on, guys!” Adam yelled as the other team scored a
touchdown, pulling them ahead ten to seven. There were less
than two minutes left in the game. I knew that Levi wouldn’t
get any playing time with the score that close. We watched as
the time slowly dwindled on the scoreboard to only thirty seconds left. I started to fold the blanket I had on my lap, getting ready to head for the exit.
My attention was drawn back to the field as whistles began
to blow. There was some commotion going on and flags being
tossed.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
Adam surveyed the scene. “Interference or someone’s hurt.”
As the bodies slowly started to break away from the pile on
the field, one player remained. He was on his back and grabbing his knee.
The entire place was silent as the coach and the team trainer
ran out and assessed the situation. The players stood by in a
vigil-like way, all probably worried about their teammate
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and also unnerved by the reminder of how fragile our bodies
could be.
The crowd started to applaud as the player began to limp
off the field, one arm over the trainer.
“Hey, that was Kyle Jankowski,” Adam said as he clapped