The Novelty of Existence

14

𝙼𝙱 ⋆ 𝙰𝚞𝚐𝚞𝚜𝚝 ⋆ 𝙳𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚢

As I sat next to Isla on the bench in the low heat of the evening, I wished I could stop pouting. Mo never directed words like that at me. Didn't she like that we were all friends? Why was she so upset? I kicked my legs out and brought them back in with a loud sigh. 

"It's because you didn't include her," Isla said as if she could read my mind. Because of Wes and his stupidity, I hadn't even had time to soak in how incredible Isla looked. She was a vision in red. "When you excluded her from this stupid pact, only you guys knew it was a pact. She thought that no one liked her." 

"So, she wanted one of us to like her?" I asked. I could almost laugh. If only she knew. 

"No," Isla sucked on her bottom lip for a moment, thinking. "All girls, even the cool ones, want to feel pretty sometimes." 

"She didn't feel pretty?" I was very lost. 

"Had any of you guys commented on her appearance before tonight?" 

"No," I said, of course not. Why would we? We were friends. "I don't tell the guys they're handsome either." I tried. 

Isla sighed. "Mo's a girl." She said, placing her hand on top of mine. Her hands were slender and pale. I could feel the callouses on her fingertips. I smiled despite myself. Mo's a girl. Mo's my best friend. Mo's the person I've kept the most secrets from. 

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚ ˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

𝙼𝙱 ⋆ 𝟷 𝚈𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝙰𝚐𝚘

Danny had always lived the reality that he wouldn't be going to University. He was smart, and he tried hard, but a full-ride scholarship was simply out of his reach. He was fine with going to a local college, and staying close to home. 

The summer before senior year, everything changed. His mother and father sat him down in the living room of their old farmhouse mere weeks before school started. "If you could go anywhere for college, where would you go?" His father asked, brown eyes sparkling with anticipation. 

Danny thought for a moment. His parents loved to talk to him, have proper conversations and pose hypothetical questions. He liked it too. "Maybe UBC or UT like Aiden?" He responded, leaning back into their old sofa. 

"Wherever you want to go, baby," His mother leaned forward on the sofa opposite him, "You will go." 

Danny raised his eyebrows. Was this a pep talk for scholarship grants? 

"Yeah, I'll try my best, Mom..." 

His Dad leaned forward as well, patting him on the knee. "There is no trying. Any school you get into we will pay for." 

Danny's heart dropped. He felt an overwhelming mix of confusion and excitement. Suddenly, he was leaning forward as well. "But..." 

"We got a call," His Mother interrupted, "This property is historical land. It's worth..." She paused, bit her lip, "A lot." 

"You're selling the house?" 

"Hell yeah, we're selling the house." His Dad laughed out loud. 

"Are you guys sure? You don't have to do this for me," Danny blinked back a tear he hadn't realized was forming. 

His parents both stood up, and so did he. They enveloped him in a hug. "Anything we can do for you, we will." His Mother responded into his shoulder. 

That evening, when he arrived late at their cove, he was beaming brighter than ever. The ocean was distant, the tide far out. Mo was picking up starfish and carrying them gently back to the water so they wouldn't dry out. Danny often wondered how many starfish lives she had saved. 

Wes would offer to help and then throw the starfish throwing star style into the ocean. After a good kicking from Mo, he stopped offering. That evening, Wes and Aiden were sitting on the rocky sand near the bushes. 

The sun was starting to move toward the horizon, blazing orange lighting up the sky. In the distance, the silhouette of Mo, her hair moving with the breeze. That was the first pang of guilt. His smile faltered. Where would this new freedom take him? 

"Looks like a painting today," Aiden said suddenly, acknowledging Danny's presence with a nod. Danny nodded back, and then looked down. 

"My parents are gonna pay for me to go to University," He blurted out with a sigh, "Anywhere I want." He shook his head. "I mean, anywhere I get in." 

"Oh, shit man." Wes chuckled. He was genuinely happy for his friend. He stood up before Aiden and threw his arms around Danny. 

"You could get in anywhere," Aiden said, hugging Danny next, "You're almost as smart as I am." 

"Thanks." 

A silence fell over them all. "What are you gonna tell Mo?" Wes asked first. 

"The truth," He lied. 

Well, it wasn't a lie at first. He had told everyone that UT would be his top choice. That way, he and Aiden could travel back home together. And they wouldn't be alone. His heart pulled for something more though. Something completely new. 

When he got his acceptance letters, he stared at them for a long time. That pull on his heart worsened until he decided. Then, he felt free. Awful and free. 

"I got into UBC, but not UT." The lie. 

The group sat quietly on Mo's porch the day he told that lie, taking in a new reality. Danny had glanced around, trying to choke down the truth. When his eyes landed on Aiden, he was already looking right back. Aiden knew the truth, somehow, right away. 

They never talked about it. But, Aiden clocked on to the lie immediately. Mo wouldn't cry in front of the guys, but that night, she would cry into her pillow. Everyone was leaving, changing, and growing. All she felt was stuck. At least Wes seemed content with his choices. 

Danny would sit awake all night after telling his lie, contemplating if he had made the right choice. But, what could he tell them otherwise? That he wanted to separate from his old life completely? That he wanted to find himself? That sounded stupid. The lie was better. Easier.