Page 65 of Hypothetical Heart
“Don’t give me that look,” Eloise huffs from where she sits on the steps.
“Come on, Wheezy.” Luke shakes his head. “You can’t honestly say that you didn’t once want to tell us about the girl you’ve been seeing.”
“It’s none of your business,” she grumbles.
“Luke, be nice,” I warn.
“I am being nice. I know you’re embarrassed, Wheezy, but there’s nothing embarrassing about someone posting something about you against your knowledge.We all know it’s not your fault this got out.” He walks up to her, taking a seat on the step above her.
Eloise has her elbows against her knees and her head in her hands. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”
“No,” Luke rejects. “I’m not letting you push aside your feelings instead of talking about them.”
It’s the exact type of tough love Eloise needs, and I know I don’t have to be a part of this conversation, so I stay quiet.
Saved by the bell, Eloise’s phone rings. She looks down at it, and her entire face changes. “I have to take this,” she says, getting up and walking through the entryway and into the sitting room.
“You need to stop being so nosey,” I say to Luke with gritted teeth.
“There’s obviously something she needs to get off her chest,” he rasps.
“That’s not your cross to bear.”
“Did you know over sixty percent of gay kids are depressed because they think they have no one to talk about these things with?” he asks, running his hands through his hair. “I’m looking out for her because this type of scrutiny is why depression and suicide rates among the queer community are so much higher. That doesn’t deserve to be ignored.” The way Luke cares is endearing, and it’s one thing we all love about it.
“I’m not ignoring it, but there is clearly something she’s not ready to talk about yet, and while it’s great you want to be there for her, it’s only going to work out when she’s ready,” I tell him.
Sometimes, a person can only be helped when they are willing to accept it. I know that better than anyone. And when Eloise wants to come to us, I’m positive she knows she can, but until then, we’re better off staying out of it.
20
Flashback: 6 months ago
My strolls through Meet in the Margins bookstore have become a daily occurrence. It started as me coming here after school with Genevieve, to study or get homework done. However, it quickly became a group affair, where all of us would come after school every once in a while. A lot of it involved Genevieve yelling at us to get our work done while the rest of us messed around. We still considered it studying, though.
Now, I find myself coming here more often, walking back and forth through the lucrative romance section, picking out new books, reading them in one sitting, and then finding the next book to read.
Today, I walk through the doors and notice a familiar face sitting in one of the chairs near the cafe. “Logan?”
He spins around, a pen in his mouth and a coffee cup in front of him. “Hey, Win.” He smiles, pulling the chair next to him out for me.
“What are you doing here?” I try to catch a glimpse of the papers sitting in front of him.
“College applications,” he sighs. “Gen told me she finished hers the last time she was here, so I thought maybe her good luck would still be circulating through the air.”
“You still haven’t finished? They’re due in a couple days.” I submitted mine last week.
Logan rocks back in his chair, the front legs coming off the ground as he balances. “No, that’s what I’m trying to do right now.”
I set my backpack down as I stand from the chair. “Well, I’ll leave you to it.”
He pulls the pen out of his mouth. “Where are you going?”
“To find a book.”
“Want a drink?” he asks. “I’ll order you one.”
“Hot chocolate, please.” I smile before heading up the spiral staircase of the bookstore. I watch Logan from the second floor—still in his school uniform of a polo and slacks—as he walks up to the counter and orders my drink.
