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I take a deep breath. This is the question I’ve been dreading because I’m not sure of the answer myself. The season is goingwell—we’re winning and not losing—but something has been off for me lately.

“Okay,” I say, trying to convince himandmyself. “We’ve got a strong team this year.”

“You don’t sound too excited there, Gerard.”

“I’m just tired, Dad.” It’s not a lie; Iamtired. Tired from practice, school, and trying to figure out my life.

“Well, make sure you’re taking care of yourself,” he says, softer now. “We want you healthy and happy.”

“I know.” I run a hand through my hair. “Thanks, Dad.”

There’s a brief silence before he speaks again. “Alright, I’ll let you go. I wanted to check in; I hadn’t heard from you in a couple of weeks.”

“I’ll do better, Dad.”

“I went to BSU, too, you know. I remember how crazy it can get when hockey is in full swing.”

“I miss you.”

After my dad says nothing for a few minutes, I pull the phone away from my ear to check that we haven’t been disconnected.

“I miss you, too, bud.” I hear his voice and put the phone back to my ear. “You can call me whenever you want. I’ll always answer. You know that, right?”

I nod. More silence.

“Gerard?”

Oh, right. He can’t see me.“Yes, I know that, Dad. I love you.”

“Love you too, Son. Have fun carving pumpkins. Don’t slice your hand off!”

With a roll of my eyes, I hang up. I don’t have time to contemplate the conversation with my dad because the sound of the front door opening reaches me through the open window.

“Yo, G! Come help us sort these!” Kyle yells.

I take one last look in the mirror and head downstairs. The smell of pumpkin already fills the air, mixing with the lingering scentof my cologne.

Alex holds up a particularly lopsided pumpkin and grins. “This one’s got your name on it, Gerard.”

I take it from him and weigh it in my hands. “Looks like someone sat on it.”

“Probably more aerodynamic for chucking,” Kyle says as he starts clearing space on the kitchen table.

I gasp in mock outrage and clutch the pumpkin to my chest like a protective mother hen. “How dare you, sir! We do not throw pumpkins around here. I’ll have you know that this pumpkin and I share a deep, spiritual connection.”

“Yeah? How so?” Kyle leans against the counter and eyes me with the slightest bit of amusement.

I close my eyes and take a deep, exaggerated breath. “It all started in the pumpkin patch. I was lost, searching for my one true gourd. Right when I thought all hope was lost, a beam of sunlight broke through the clouds and illuminated this poor, misshapen soul.”

Alex hides his snickers behind the other pumpkins as I continue.

“It was love at first sight. I could see myself in its crooked stem and uneven surface. We’re both creatures of asymmetry, struggling to find our place in a world that demands perfection. Holding it in my hands now is like holding a mirror to my own lopsided heart.”

Kyle’s face is a mess of conflicted emotions. He wants to burst out laughing, but he also appears to be contemplating if I’ve lost my mind. And maybe I have.

“I took it in my arms and cradled it gently, whispering sweet nothings about carving it into a beautiful lantern. A flicker of life sparked in its empty eyes as it imagined a future filled with candlelight and Halloween glory.” I pause for dramatic effect. “And that, dear friends, is how we became spiritually bonded.”

Silence hangs in the air for a moment before Alex loses it. His quiet giggles turn into full-blown laughter, and even Kyle can’t hold back a smirk as he shakes his head. “You’re such an idiot.”