"I need space." Those were the words Jacky said to Ryan the night before they both left for separate colleges. Now, each of them will try to learn who they are without the other. Will their paths lead them back together?
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Ryan
Ryan felt Harper glaring at him all through breakfast. The diner they'd landed at was one of those greasy places that seemed like the board of health should have shut it down years ago, with sticky menus and endless cups of coffee and photographs from the 70s on the wall. They were too big a group to sit together, so Ryan sat with Jacky and his friends while his roommates and Charlie sat at a table across the narrow aisle. Every time he looked over, Harper was glaring and Charlie was scrolling on his phone looking morose, and a tidal wave of guilt threatened to consume him.
The breakfast sandwich he'd ordered was good, though, when he was able to get a bite in. Jacky's friends had a lot of questions.
"So I heard you want to be a doctor?" Billy asked, elbows on the table. "What kind of doctor?" When Ryan told him he wanted to be an oncologist, Billy sighed sadly, poking at his omelet. "I was hoping you'd say proctologist. I mean, if you want to examine my prostate, you know, for science..."
"Don't be gross," Jacky scoffed.
"We are trying to eat here," Braedyn interjected.
"Do you like living in the city?" Liliana asked, changing the subject.
"Yes, it's cool," Ryan said.
"I applied to sooo many schools in New York, but when it came time to choose one I chickened out. But New York has a different vibe from Boston, I think."
"Technically, this is Somerville," Ryan said.
Billy waved him off. "That's like saying Manhattan isn't New York. Anyways, so did you two make up? Mr. Jennings here called you his boyfriend earlier. Are you back together?"
Ryan nearly choked on the bite he'd just taken. He avoided answering the question by taking several sips of his coffee. Across the aisle, the hushed tones and random silences meant that Ryan's roommates and Charlie were clearly listening to his conversation. Suddenly, he wasn't very hungry at all.
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Jacky
After the brunch from hell, Jacky was hoping to somehow get Ryan alone. They emerged onto the busy sidewalk, bracing in the frigid fall air, and Jacky turned to Ryan. He was about to open his mouth when Charlie appeared on Ryan's other side. "Can we talk?" they asked.
