met I was in the lunch line and realized I’d
forgotten my lunch money. I was so embarrassed, standing at the register with
my food and no cash to pay for it. Before I could set it down, Tai walked up
from the back of the line and paid for mine. I was tongue-tied just looking at
him close up and didn’t even say thank you. Wasn’t until later I realized that
he’d given me his lunch money for the day and didn’t get to eat.”
“That’s Tai for you.” Gigi nodded with a sad half-smile.
“Anyway, I knew I had to thank him somehow so I made this
mix tape for him. Silly songs from a girl with a crush, you know? Songs from Grease and the Dirty Dancing soundtrack, a bunch of corny eighties and nineties
songs that I loved. I gave it to him one day after school. At first he was
standoffish, but we ended up sitting on the stone wall in front of the
gymnasium for hours. By the time it started getting dark, I was more than
halfway in love with him.”
She cleared her clogged throat. “But I had a boyfriend, sort
of. Pierce Ridell. He was more like a family friend. The Ridells were very
influential, and our parents had made it no secret they wanted us to marry some
day. I wasn’t a big risk taker back then, and there was no chance my parents
would ever let me date Tai, so we kept things platonic for a long time. He was
the best friend I ever had and neither of us wanted to give the other up
entirely, but it was torture being together and not being together. For
us both.”
“Did you love Pierce too?”
“Never. But I was young and wanted my father’s approval so
badly. It wasn’t until a year later that I realized that I wanted Tai more. I
decided to pull the trigger. I told Pierce we were through. The plan was to
wait a month or so, then let my parents know I wanted to be with Tai, no matter
the consequences. In the meantime, we would meet on the sly. It was the best
time of my life, in spite of the sneaking around. Each time we got a little
closer, a little more intimate, waiting for the time where we could be
boyfriend and girlfriend for real. On one of those occasions, we both lost
control and we made love.”
Gigi leaned forward in her seat, her face rapt. “That’s so romantic.”
Christa shook her head. “It was, but it was also the
beginning of the end. I was stupid and so overwhelmed with love for him, I
thought I’d explode if I didn’t tell someone. So I told my best girlfriend what
happened. A week later, the whole school knew. A week after that, so did my
parents. I was banned from seeing Tai and if I disobeyed they were going to
pull me from Westerbrook altogether.”
Gigi gasped, her eyes wide as saucers. “Those bastards!” She
slapped a hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry, that’s your family. I was totally
out of line.”
Christa let out a soft laugh. “Maybe, but it’s true. They
were bastards then and still are. Anyway, they also forced Pierce and me into
social situations together at every turn, trying to get me to fall in line and
commit to him. On one of these occasions, we’d all gone to a Fourth of July
party at the country club. I got a terrible headache, which happened a lot back
then. I was depressed and miserable and just wanted to get out of there. They
insisted that Pierce drive me home. Instead, he brought me to the lake where
Tai and I had made love.”
The kettle whistled and Gigi sucked in a breath. “Good
timing, I feel like I need to get up and move around a little to get through
this next part. I’ll make you a cup, sit.”
“Thanks.”
Gigi stood and began bustling around the suite’s small
kitchenette, clearly taking comfort in the mundane task. “Keep talking,” she
urged.
Christa wrapped her arms around herself to ward the sudden
chill away. Say it fast. Just the words, don’t think about it. “Pierce
parked the car. I told him I didn’t want to be there, that I wanted him to take
me home immediately. He refused. I was distraught, but still had no
forgotten my lunch money. I was so embarrassed, standing at the register with
my food and no cash to pay for it. Before I could set it down, Tai walked up
from the back of the line and paid for mine. I was tongue-tied just looking at
him close up and didn’t even say thank you. Wasn’t until later I realized that
he’d given me his lunch money for the day and didn’t get to eat.”
“That’s Tai for you.” Gigi nodded with a sad half-smile.
“Anyway, I knew I had to thank him somehow so I made this
mix tape for him. Silly songs from a girl with a crush, you know? Songs from Grease and the Dirty Dancing soundtrack, a bunch of corny eighties and nineties
songs that I loved. I gave it to him one day after school. At first he was
standoffish, but we ended up sitting on the stone wall in front of the
gymnasium for hours. By the time it started getting dark, I was more than
halfway in love with him.”
She cleared her clogged throat. “But I had a boyfriend, sort
of. Pierce Ridell. He was more like a family friend. The Ridells were very
influential, and our parents had made it no secret they wanted us to marry some
day. I wasn’t a big risk taker back then, and there was no chance my parents
would ever let me date Tai, so we kept things platonic for a long time. He was
the best friend I ever had and neither of us wanted to give the other up
entirely, but it was torture being together and not being together. For
us both.”
“Did you love Pierce too?”
“Never. But I was young and wanted my father’s approval so
badly. It wasn’t until a year later that I realized that I wanted Tai more. I
decided to pull the trigger. I told Pierce we were through. The plan was to
wait a month or so, then let my parents know I wanted to be with Tai, no matter
the consequences. In the meantime, we would meet on the sly. It was the best
time of my life, in spite of the sneaking around. Each time we got a little
closer, a little more intimate, waiting for the time where we could be
boyfriend and girlfriend for real. On one of those occasions, we both lost
control and we made love.”
Gigi leaned forward in her seat, her face rapt. “That’s so romantic.”
Christa shook her head. “It was, but it was also the
beginning of the end. I was stupid and so overwhelmed with love for him, I
thought I’d explode if I didn’t tell someone. So I told my best girlfriend what
happened. A week later, the whole school knew. A week after that, so did my
parents. I was banned from seeing Tai and if I disobeyed they were going to
pull me from Westerbrook altogether.”
Gigi gasped, her eyes wide as saucers. “Those bastards!” She
slapped a hand over her mouth. “I’m sorry, that’s your family. I was totally
out of line.”
Christa let out a soft laugh. “Maybe, but it’s true. They
were bastards then and still are. Anyway, they also forced Pierce and me into
social situations together at every turn, trying to get me to fall in line and
commit to him. On one of these occasions, we’d all gone to a Fourth of July
party at the country club. I got a terrible headache, which happened a lot back
then. I was depressed and miserable and just wanted to get out of there. They
insisted that Pierce drive me home. Instead, he brought me to the lake where
Tai and I had made love.”
The kettle whistled and Gigi sucked in a breath. “Good
timing, I feel like I need to get up and move around a little to get through
this next part. I’ll make you a cup, sit.”
“Thanks.”
Gigi stood and began bustling around the suite’s small
kitchenette, clearly taking comfort in the mundane task. “Keep talking,” she
urged.
Christa wrapped her arms around herself to ward the sudden
chill away. Say it fast. Just the words, don’t think about it. “Pierce
parked the car. I told him I didn’t want to be there, that I wanted him to take
me home immediately. He refused. I was distraught, but still had no
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