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7

TJ

“Did I miss anything?” Tyler joined me on the bleachers at Trent’s football game Friday night just as the second quarter started.

“Nothing major, no. Just a few first-game-of-the-season jitters, but they seemed to settle on that last drive. Trent kicked a field goal.”

“Aw, man. I’m sorry I missed it. Where’s Ma?”

“Concession stand. I’m surprised you didn’t see her.”

“Must have missed her.”

“Look who finally made it.” As if summoned, Ma made her way down the aisle to join us.

“Sorry. I had to get sh—stuff put away before people started showing up for the party tonight.”

“Party? I don’t want to hear about my babies partying. You’re not even twenty-one.”

Tyler rolled his eyes. “I’m in a frat, Ma. You can’t expect me not to go to parties. It’s kind of part of the college experience.”

“Tommy didn’t go to parties.”

“Yes, I did. Got drunk and puked off the balcony at a party the first week of my freshman year.” She shot me a look that was both disbelieving and disapproving at the same time. I grinned right back.

“I thought you didn’t drink?”

“I don’t drink…much. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t ever. I wanted to try it. Learned the hard way that you shouldn’t mix liquor and beer.”

“You boys are giving me gray hairs.”

“Oh, please,” Tyler said, leaning over me to shoot Ma a look. “You can’t tell us you didn’t do the same thing when you were in school.”

“We’re not talking about me right now. Watch your brother’s game.”

We both busted up at that, clearly having gotten under her skin. Because we loved her, we did as she asked and turned our attention back to the game.

“How are things going with the roommate?”

I sighed, deflating. “Okay, I guess?”

Tyler chuckled. “Is that an answer or a question?”

“I don’t know, man. It’s awkward.”

“Awkward how?”

“We barely spoke most of the week and then I finally got him to open up a bit yesterday. It was good. He smiled and even joked with me a little bit. Like his whole face lit up when he smiled. But then he shut down.” I filled him in on our adventure through the theater building, explaining how Jimmy’d been smiling one moment, then I’d ruined it by pushing just a little too much. “I can’t remember his exact words, but he said something about me being intense.”

“You are intense.”

“I mean, maybe a little. But I’m not that bad.”

“Yes, you are,” Ma chimed in. I shouldn’t have been surprised she’d been listening.

“Thanks, guys. Super helpful.”

“You’ve known this boy less than a week, right?” Ma asked.

“Kind of. Randomly, we actually met one other time, like five years ago. I kissed him.”

“Lord, Tommy. You met and kissed him on the same day when you were, what? Sixteen? And now you’re roommates and you’re dragging him through the theater building, probably showing off. Definitely flirting. You don’t think that’s a little intense?”

“I was not showing off.” I crossed my arms over my chest in a huff.

“You didn’t deny the flirting part,” Tyler pointed out.

I shrugged. “I can’t help it. I like people. I open my mouth and flirty words come out.”

“You’ve always been a shameless charmer. You used to flirt with all the little dancer girls when you first started taking classes.”

“You know I’m gay, Ma.”

“Didn’t stop you from flirting with the girls. I’m sure if there’d been other boys in your class, you would’ve flirted with them too.”

The Wolverines scored a touchdown and we paused to cheer and clap while the band played. Trent kicked the point after and we hollered even louder, making a ruckus. He shook his head as he ran over to the sideline, but when he took his helmet off, he was all smiles. Our family loved out loud.

As play resumed, we turned to other topics, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the situation with Jimmy. My family was right. I could be extra as hell. And Jimmy was the total opposite. I’d probably freaked him out.

By the time I’d gotten home from the dance studio last night, Jimmy had been asleep. He was gone when I woke up this morning, so I hadn’t spoken to him since yesterday afternoon. But really, what was there to say? Maybe it was time I stopped trying to force it. Perhaps we could be friends down the road. Or maybe we’d be nothing more than roommates. But it was becoming evident that I needed to let Jimmy take the lead and allow things to happen organically. Just because we’d had one random encounter five years ago didn’t mean there was more to it than that. It was time to let that go.