Page 11 of Roman and the Hopeless Romantic
Roman
The school day passed, and all Roman could do was watch the people he’d never see again. Sure, a few days ago he didn’t care about them, didn’t know most of their names, but that wasn’t the point.
The building he couldn’t wait to get out of most days suddenly became a place he’d miss. The bell for last period reverberated through him. He didn’t even know why he was there. By Thursday, he’d be on a plane across the ocean with his parents who barely knew him.
Mary said it was going to be okay, and part of him knew it would… eventually. But the rest of him didn’t feel like being rational.
He couldn’t go to hockey practice and say goodbye to the team. After a rough season, they’d just won their first game less than two weeks ago. Since then, they tied a division rival. It wasn’t only because Charlotte joined the team, though that did have some effect. They believed now, believed they could win, that they were good enough.
And Roman’s absence would hit them hard.
Instead of entering the rink, he planned to go home like the coward he was, to work on packing his room. The movers his parents hired already had most of the house packed in two short days, but Roman refused to let them into his room.
Friends and classmates tried to talk to him as he strolled down the hall, struggling to hold his head high like he normally did. He knew what these people expected of him. Light jokes and bright smiles. It was why they loved him so much. Spinning the dial on his locker, he yanked it open and pulled out his bag. He stuffed the contents of his senior year into the bag and stared at the empty space that had been crammed with school papers and pictures only moments before.
A life he had to leave.
Drama much? Yeah, he was dramatic. But only because he loved Gulf City, his team, and his friends.
Cassie—whatever box she fit into. She’d spoken to him, and for a brief moment, her simple words were enough to breathe life back into him, hope.
But even if she somehow came back to him after two years, even if there was hope for their friendship, he’d be across the world.
A thud sounded next to him as Jesse kicked the lockers, shocking Roman out of his momentary stupor. “Dude, I haven’t talked to you since Friday. Where ya been?”
Roman shrugged. They had a single class together—chem—but with Charlotte and her best friend Hadley also in the class, it wasn’t exactly bro-time anymore. He’d gathered the courage to tell Jesse the news this morning, but after telling Mary and Cassie, all that courage dissipated.
“What’s wrong, bro?” Jesse nudged his shoulder.
“Nothing, I’m fine.”
“Okay. Well, let’s go. Coach will kick our butts if we’re late.”
Jesse started walking but stopped when he realized Roman hadn’t followed him. Roman hiked his bag onto his shoulder. “I can’t go today.”
“What do you mean you can’t go?” He walked back to Roman and peered into his still-open locker. “And why is your locker empty? What’s going on?” Jesse’s jaw clenched. “What did you do? Were you expelled?”
Roman slammed his locker shut, and the sound echoed down the emptying hall. “I wasn’t expelled.” He hadn’t been a troublemaker since he was a kid with Cassie at his side.
Jesse’s expression softened. “Rome.”
“I just…” He sighed. “I can’t go to practice, okay?” He suddenly knew—at least in part—how Cassie must feel not being able to get words out.
“If you’re not going, then I’m not either.”
“But you have to go. Coach will—”
“Understand,” Jesse finished. “He’ll understand. Something is up.” He pulled out his phone. “I’ll text Charlie. She’ll cover for us. You and I can go to the diner and eat something Coach wouldn’t approve of.”
Roman didn’t know until that moment if he realized how good of a friend he had. Maybe the old saying was true. You didn’t know how much you needed something until you lost it.
He followed Jesse to the parking lot.
“Meet me atEmma’s?” Jesse glanced back at him.
Roman nodded as he slid into his Dodge Charger. He had a grand total of ten minutes to come up with a way to tell Jesse. It should have been easy. The words were right there in his mind, but saying them to his best friend, his brother, made them so much more real.
By the time he pulled up beside Jesse’s jeep behindEmma’s, he wished he’d gone to practice where he didn’t have to talk, where he could have hit a few people and generally felt better.
