Andy Squared (26 page)

“And…he likes you, too?”

“Of course.”

“The same amount?” she asked.

“Andrea…”

“Just answer the question.”

Andrew sighed, exasperated, and answered, “Yes, the same amount.”

“What's it like? Being with him? How did you know?”

“I don't know,” Andrew replied. “It just happened. I guess when I started hanging out with him more. I just felt…different around him. And every time I looked at him I got all nervous and jittery. When he came out to me, it didn't seem so bad. Then one day…” Andrew shrugged, not sure of how much to tell her or how she would react to it. It felt weird to have gone from fighting to talking about personal details.

“One day what?”

“One day he asked me if I'd ever kissed a guy before, and when I said no, he kissed me. I wasn't disgusted at all. It felt…right. I don't know how else to say it. It just felt like something that was supposed to happen.”

“So what, you were dating right after that?” Andrea asked.

Andrew chuckled. “God, no. I had to think about it for a while. It was good, yeah, but I was scared as hell. Look, Andrea, it's not like I
wanted
to be gay. No one in their right mind would want to face what I have. But I am. I realize that now. I can't change that. And I guess…I don't want to change that. I like the person I've become.”

“Couldn't you like…try? You know, just to see?”

“Andrea,” he said, looking at her with a warning in his eyes.

She sighed. “All right, I know. I won't say it again. I just wanted to check.”

“I really like Ryder, and he likes me, too. And I'm happy for once. I don't have to fake anything because of who I'm dating. Nothing is fake with Ryder, and that's what I love the most. I don't have to pretend anymore. I get to be myself, and so can he.”

“When you put it that way, it's hard not to be happy for you,” she said softly, reaching down to draw idly in the snow with a gloved hand. Andrew smiled.

“Thanks.”

“You're welcome.”

“Can I ask you something?” Andrew asked. Andrea nodded and he continued. “In the cafeteria yesterday. What made you stand up to Charlie?”

Andrea reached down and grabbed a handful of snow, and compacted it into a ball before crushing it. “Going after you like that, there, was wrong. I never meant for it to get that bad. When I saw him with Nathaniel, and then heard him, I knew there was going to be trouble. And I couldn't let him do that to you. I'm sorry I even let it get that far.”

“I appreciate what you did. Really.” He smiled at her and gave her a small nudge. “I think we work better as a team.”

Andrea smiled and murmured her agreement.

“And with that out of the way…” Andrew started, looking pointedly at his sister.

She bit her lip and looked down the hill toward the house. “Do we need to have the college conversation?”

“Yes.”

Andrea sighed and brushed snow off her gloves. “I'm sorry I forged your application to UConn. I know it wasn't the right thing to do, but we've always said we would go to the same college.”

“Things change. UConn isn't what I want.”

“Don't you like soccer anymore?”

“I do,” Andrew replied softly. “But it's not what I want to do for the rest of my life. I want to concentrate on my education, not sports.”

“Don't you want to go to school together?”

Andrew hesitated and contemplated the question. “It's not like I chose another school to get away from you. They offer more of what I'm looking for. And it's not like we're always going to be together, you know?”

“I thought we always would,” she admitted.

“Andrea, we'll always be siblings,” he said, nudging her gently with his shoulder. “Nothing's going to change that. We'll always be close. But…I think it's time we start finding our own ways.”

“I wish we'd wait until after college. Going to UConn without you…is going to be hard. I'll miss you,” she admitted and wiped a glove across her eyes. She sniffed, and Andrew wasn't sure if it came from the cold or tears. He reached out and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“Hey, college is supposed to be an adventure, right? Think about how much we'll have to tell each other when we're on break. And it's not like we're going to be across the country! We can visit each other on weekends if we really want to.”

“You think?”

“I know it.”

Andrea sighed softly and leaned into his arm. He gave her a small hug and rested his head against her soft hair. It would be strange to be at school without her. But it was better for both of them.

“I'll call UConn tomorrow and withdraw my application,” Andrew said.

“Shouldn't I call?”

“And what, tell them you forged it? No way. They'd probably take away your scholarship. Don't worry about it. I'll take care of it.”

A short silence ensued.

“I'm glad you have Ryder.”

Andrew's breath stilled. It was more than he'd hoped for. A boyfriend he loved, and a sister who understood. “You mean it?”

“Yeah, I do.”

“Well, I'm glad, too.” He squeezed her a little harder. “And I'm glad I have you again.”

Andrea sighed. “Do you think Ryder will ever forgive me?”

“I'm sure he will.” Andrew smiled. “Love you, Andy.”

“Love you, too, Andy.”

The two of them sat until the cold snow got to be too much on their backsides. They stood and brushed the snow off themselves and trudged back down the hill. When Andrew walked back inside with his sister, they were laughing with each other like they had a few weeks ago. They raced each other to the rear of the house, past their parents watching television in the living room, and ran up the stairs. Rather than going into their separate rooms, Andrea joined her brother in his.

Jennifer Lavoie lives in Connecticut in the same city she grew up in. While growing up, she always wanted to be a writer or a teacher and briefly debated a career in marine biology. The only problem with that was she's deathly afraid of deep water. Starting during a holiday season as temporary help, she worked in a bookstore for six years and made it all the way up to assistant manager before she left to take a job teaching. Jennifer has her bachelor's degree in secondary English education and found a job in her town teaching middle school students. Along with another teacher and a handful of students, Jennifer started the first Gay-Straight Alliance at the school. She is also active in other student clubs and enjoys pairing students with books that make them love to read.

Andy Squared
is her first novel.

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