When Mary Met Halley

Three

I rolled my eyes as Leif slid into the passenger side and neatly plucked the cigarette from my fingers, leaving his skateboard outside. He took a drag and handed it back, blowing the smoke out of his nose.

"What the fuck, dude," I said mildly, which was not at all how I felt. I was too mad to cry, too tired to yell. My shoulders were locked from tension. "Give me the short version."

He sighed but obliged. "She was on the expedition."

"Yeah, kinda figured that." Caleb had been gone for ten months on an archaeological dig across the country from our home state of California. "How trite is that, seriously." I couldn't believe it. He was nothing if not loyal. Or so I'd thought for the eighteen years I'd known him.

"Sorry, I know. It's beyond shitty. I've been pissed." He was gloomy, but he did gloomy well because he was emo as hell.

At least someone was loyal. I punched his arm, but gently. "You didn't even tell me. How long have you known?"

He stole the cigarette again, shifting his long body. "I was trying to tell you when she came in," he pointed out. "He told me the night before last, on the phone. Asking me for advice and shit, if you can imagine that. Then she showed up at the house last night. I guess they were supposed to meet at nine, after he talked to you; he obviously didn't answer his phone."

"I can't believe this," I said. I smoked when it was my turn and picked at the red polish on my fingernail. "I'm really just, I can't."

He rubbed his face. "He's an asshole," he said, uncharacteristically. Everyone was an asshole in Leif's eyes. Except for his twin, who always got leeway. And me. "He didn't even tell her about you."

I was flabbergasted. "What? Like, at all?"

He drew in the dust on the dash, aimless circles and swirls. "Not until right before he called me."

"Pretty convenient for him to be in a coma right now," I fumed. I mostly meant it. How dare he do this to us.

He dangled his elbow out the window, then reached to adjust the mirror a tiny bit. A tiny yellow spider had a web there and he poked at it without hurting it. "He said he loves her, Tug. Like that."

Well, wasn't that precious. "God." I handed him the cigarette. "Does this mean they've been fucking and everything?" I picked at the steering wheel. "He should have just told me, I could have handled it."

We both knew this was true.

"It's shitty," he said again, shaking his head. "You want me to tell her to leave or how should I handle this?"

"Fuck, I don't know. I don't know."

At that moment I saw the automatic doors open and spit her out. She looked around, shading her eyes.

"She's not seriously coming over here," I said.

But she was.

"Great," he said under his breath when he saw.

"Fuck this," I said, taking the last of the cigarette and opening the door. I stood up and waved my arm to get her attention, my heart racing. "Hey," I called. "Looking for me? I'm sure you want to try to explain or some shit?"

Leif didn't bother trying to stop me. He just watched, probably wishing he had popcorn with jalapeños.

She came toward us, hesitation all over her. Then determination took over. "Can we please just talk, for a minute?"

I took the last drag and dropped the filter, grinding it out with my flip flop. I blew the smoke out as she got close, refraining from aiming it at her face. "Were you guys sleeping together?"