Maybe It's Magic

Chapter 5

Jake tried to get back to normal, back to Minecraft, but he felt too restless. He just couldn't get his head in the game.

He was a little relieved when Molly texted him a picture of George sitting at her laptop ("He won't stop playing Donkey Kong! He's obsessed!") because Molly sending silly pics felt normal, even if nothing else did. And why was he so worried? She said she wasn't mad.

But he had a hard time believing it. He couldn't help wondering if he'd almost ruined their friendship. If there was anything he'd learned early on, it was that Molly had an aversion to the idea that their friendship could be anything more. Hell, even when they were kids, she made it clear.

When they were in second grade, both dressed up for First Communion, their moms had gone on mercilessly about how they looked like a little bride and groom.

"Are we seeing the future here, Janet?" Aunt Deb had said, giggling as they snapped pictures.

"If we're lucky," his mom had said.

At the time, Mr. Doyle said to ignore them, they were being silly and girly, but Molly hadn't liked that one bit and refused to pose for any more pictures.

Later, after the mass, when everything had moved to their joint party, he'd wondered out loud if their moms could make them get married.

"Don't be a doofus." Molly had long since lost her veil and dirtied her dress and looked less bride-like. But still...

"My mom makes me do all kinds of stuff," Jake said fearfully, "and I know yours does, too."

"I don't care. She can ground me for a year and take away my camera and make me eat only carrots and I still won't marry you."

Jake wasn't sure he would be able to take all that. Not that he was into cameras, but he really liked his Playstation and his mom threatened to lock that up all the time. When he looked at their moms again, they were pointing at them. Maybe this was for real. "I don't want to, either. But if they make us, then I'll let you be in charge. Okay?"

He'd thought that would make Molly feel better about the whole thing, but she turned bright red, then pushed him and his white suit into the dirt before running into the house. She didn't talk to him for two whole hours.

It was a stupid little thing, rarely ever mentioned it again, but it did sit there as a reminder to him that stuff like that made Molly super mad. So from then on, Molly, in certain contexts, was the kind of thing he told himself not to think about. But there had been moments when it felt possible. Looking back, it was all in his head, but there were times...

One time had been spring break, senior year, when they were waiting on college acceptance letters, scholarship applications – basically their whole future. Maybe that was what had her so damned moody that day. But, really, there'd been a strange kind of tension between them all year. The whole thing started with a fight.

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Senior Year...

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"You're doing it again," Molly said, laying on her stomach on the floor of his room, her notebook open in front of her, tapping her highlighter lightly against it.

"Doing what?" Jake asked from above her.

She turned onto her side and raised her eyebrows. "Hovering over me."

He shrugged and stepped away. "Just want to see what you're so interested in."

She rolled her eyes and turned over again. "It's not interesting. It's studying. Remember studying, Jake? The thing I said I had to do? I should be doing it in my quiet, empty house, but no. 'Come over, Molly. You can study here'," she said in a deep voice before switching to a higher pitched version of her own. "B-but, Jake, I've got two finals coming up. 'But my mommy's away and I just want some company. I swear I won't bother you'," she finished deeply with a pointed look.