Free Going the Distance by John Goode Page A

can I tell her we’re going to double date after the game?” I nodded, not sure why I felt absolutely nothing at the idea, but I somehow knew it was the smart choice to make. “Awesome! That new 3-D thing is playing. We can catch the ten o’clock showing and then grab some IHOP. Sound good?”
    Again I nodded, not sure what I was agreeing to.
    When the rest of the guys were leaving, Cody caught up to me and gestured at Tommy. “What’d he want?”
    “Um,” I stammered, for some reason not wanting to tell him I had just agreed to go out with someone else. I swallowed the feeling quickly and said, “Carol asked him if I liked her and if I’d go out with her.”
    He paused for a second and then asked, “What did you say?”
    I looked at him for a moment, not sure what his sudden shift in tone meant. “I said yes. I mean, why wouldn’t I, right?”
    “Sure,” he answered, quickly looking away.
    “I mean, you’re seeing Tina, right?” I asked, already knowing the answer.
    “So what if I am?” he shot back, almost angry.
    I wasn’t sure how to answer that, so I just shrugged and quipped, “So yeah, it’s a date.”
    “Fine,” he said in a clipped tone.
    “Fine,” I shot back, angry myself now.
    “Hope you have a blast,” he said as he ran toward the parking lot where his mom was waiting for him to finish practice.
    “I will!” I screamed after him and marched off toward the bus stop.
    I had no idea why I felt this bad, but I knew I was heartbroken.
    I had honestly thought there was no deeper confusion I could wade into than the one I was already in, but that night I lay in bed wondering why Cody had been so angry and why I felt this miserable. The next day Carol met me at my locker and threw her arms around my neck, pulling me down into a hug. “Thankyouthankyouthankyou!” she exclaimed as I hugged her back carefully.
    “Um, sure,” I said, wondering why this made me feel even worse than before.
    “Can I sit with you at lunch?” she asked, her eyes pleading with me silently.
    I nodded mutely, not sure how else to answer.
    Another squeal of pleasure, and she hugged me again. “I’ll see you at lunch!” she cried before skipping away with Susan, who looked back and smiled at me. I closed my locker, not sure why everything had become so fucking confusing.
    “Looks cozy,” Cody snarked, standing off to the side. I glanced over at him, that feeling of guilt washing over me suddenly.
    That guilt burned away to anger almost as quickly. “What the fuck do you care?” I shot back.
    “I don’t!” he snapped, raising his voice.
    “Well, awesome,” I said, my voice dropping into a deep growl. “Have fun with Tina.”
    “Oh, I will,” he said, scoffing in my face.
    “I bet you will,” I retorted, ignoring the way it felt like I was about to blow chunks at any second. We glared at each other for a second, and then the bell rang for class. We took off in opposite directions, neither one willing to look back at the other. By noon I had no idea what we were fighting about, but there was no doubt we were fighting. Tina sat on his lap, which was new since most of the time it was just us guys eating lunch together. He looked like he was making a show of having her there with him, ignoring us completely and trying constantly to kiss her. No one said anything, but it was weird nonetheless. Carol leaned over and whispered, “Are you sure it’s okay if I sit here?”
    I pulled my eyes off of the happy couple and nodded. “No reason you shouldn’t be here,” I said loudly enough for him to hear. I’m not sure why, but I slipped my hand around her waist and pulled her closer. She didn’t resist, in fact she seemed happy about it, though all I did was watch him for a reaction. I caught him looking over at us for a second before going back to making out.
    I pulled her closer and seemed ready to kiss her myself when Tommy looked over at Cody and asked, “What the fuck is up with you?” Cody paused