Free Eternity by Heather Terrell

course,” I said, immediately relieved at the thought that the waiting might be over. I’d have to cancel my meeting with Rafe, but I felt a certain relief about that too. Maybe if he was out of sight, he’d be out of mind. I really, really needed him to be out of mind.
    “I can’t,” Michael said.
    Ruth and I stared at each other—and then at Michael—in surprise. What could possibly take precedence over this?
    “What?” I asked.
    “It’s Friday. I have a game. Remember?” He actually sounded irritated that we’d forgotten about his football game.
    “Right. Football,” I said.
    “You are coming to the game, aren’t you?”
    “Of course. But couldn’t you meet us beforehand?” I was incredulous. How could he think about football at a time like this? Maybe it was the little sideline fan club that he couldn’t do without.
    “Ellie, you know that Coach Samuel has the team eat an early dinner together then has a strategy meeting before the game. Can’t we meet after the game?” He was intractable. “The team is counting on me, Ellie.”
    “It’s not exactly like we’ve got limitless time, Michael. And a lot more people than those on your football team are counting on us. Remember?” My tone was every bit as irritated as his.
    I could tell that he was about to retort—sharply and uncharacteristically—when Ruth interjected, “Why don’t we meet at the Daily Grind after the football game? I don’t think a few extra hours will make that much difference.”
    “Are you sure, Ruth?” I asked.
    “I think so.”
    “Can you make it there after the game, Michael?” Even though I tried to ask him pleasantly, the annoyance hadn’t altogether disappeared from my voice. It was clear Michael heard it too.
    “Yes, Ellie. I’ll be there,” Michael said before storming off.
    Ruth and I rolled our eyes in disbelief at Michael’s behavior. Even though I knew that Michael and I were supposed to act normally, his slavish insistence on playing football and his concern for the team was beyond normal. He’d never been so gung ho about it before.
    What was happening to my Michael? One of the things that drew me to him initially was his inner confidence. He did what he wanted—what seemed meaningful and true to him—without worrying about the social consequences. Like spend Saturday night at the Odeon movie theater watching an indie film all by himself. Something no self-respecting upperclassman would do, especially not a football player. Now he seemed strangely motivated by the impact of his actions on our classmates and his team. Almost to the exclusion of our real goal. He wasn’t simply playacting a normal teen anymore.
    I debated discussing this change with Ruth. Certainly, she had to have noticed the alterations in his personality over recent days. On balance, I decided against it. Ruth had enough on her plate without worrying about problems between me and Michael. The ones who were supposed to be saving the world.

Chapter Fifteen
     
    I cancelled my meeting with Rafe and confirmed plans with Ruth to go to Michael’s game after our fight. It seemed the right thing to do, even though I definitely didn’t feel like witnessing the adoration from the fans or Michael’s own blind devotion to the game. For the first time since we started dating, I hadn’t seen him in the hallways between classes, and I knew he must be avoiding me. We needed to be in sync in the coming days, so I needed to forgive him. After all, I had done some things deserving forgiveness too, although he didn’t know about them. Like dreaming about Rafe.
    After killing some time in the library after school, Ruth and I headed over to nearby Bethel High School stadium in our separate cars. The stands were packed, as Tillinghast was playing its fierce rival team from the rural Bethel Township. We had to jockey for seats in the bleachers among the hundreds of students, parents, teachers, and local supporters.
    Even though I’d seen