Pat’s Story

Thursday morning, I forced myself to run with my brother, mostly because I wanted to make sure I logged five runs this week so I could avoid another detention. We didn’t talk much. Well, I didn’t. I let Walter babble on about his wrestling match the day before. After the weight room, I told him I would catch him later.

The book I had borrowed from the rectory was the first one I had read that provided information about how to live a chaste life, not just why. One suggestion was to channel my energy into a physical activity. I had already figured that out, but it didn’t seem to be enough. It also suggested a hobby, which was something I was going to work on. I hadn’t figured out exactly what to do yet.

Another thing it said was that I needed to find like-minded people to share with. I had a couple of ideas about how to do that. I also needed to be open and honest with my partner about how I was feeling. That was the part that I had messed up.

I knew things between me and Melinda were over, but I wanted to at least tell her what was going on and why I had been so angry yesterday. When I got back from my run, I asked if I could meet her in the library during her free period. Like me, she had a double lunch period, and I knew she would use the second period to study. I included Walter on the text so he could decide if he needed to babysit us.

She never responded whether she would be there, but I took my chances and went anyway. I had just decided she wouldn’t show when I heard her crutches clacking down the hall. Crutch, I reminded myself when I saw her standing in the doorway.

I longed to go to her. Kiss her. Hold her close. But I stayed where I was, sitting on the chair. I closed my Latin book and put in on the table as she sat in the other chair.

“Is Walter coming?”

Melinda looked around. “He was right behind me.” She shrugged as she faced me. “Dunno where he went.”

“Doesn’t matter. I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“A lot of things. But, I’m sorry for yelling at you yesterday. You didn’t deserve it.”

“I’m not mad at you. Are you angry at me for breaking up with you?” Her voice was so full of compassion, it nearly brought me to tears.

I shook my head. “I’m not angry at you. I’m just angry.” I closed my eyes and sighed. “I borrowed a book from Father Aidan yesterday. And it says I need to talk to people. I can’t just keep things bottled up and I shouldn’t try to just handle them on my own. Because then—”

“You start skipping classes?” Walter shut the door as he came into the room. He plopped his bag on the study table and brought a chair over to us. He straddled the chair, facing me and Melinda.

I smiled weakly. “Actually, I start yelling at my dean.”

“You didn’t!” Melinda sounded horrified.

I nodded. “Anyway, I wanted you two to know what’s going on.” I turned to Walter. “Did you tell her about the dorm?”

He shook his head. “Not my story to share.”

“What about the dorm?” Melinda looked between us.

I spoke slowly, choosing my words carefully. “The day we came back . . . I found Frank in my car. With a girl.”

“What were they—” She nodded slowly when Walter raised his eyebrows. “Ohhh.”

She blushed. It was adorable. I wanted to kiss her, even if it was just the top of her head. Instead, I stayed in my seat and continued my story.

“After flipping out, I went to my room. Where I found Zach and Chloe.”

“They weren’t—”

I nodded.

“In Pat’s bed,” Walter added.

“Eww!” Melinda looked at me with such compassion, I thought she might climb into my chair.

“So, I moved into a new dorm. Haven’t spoken to any of them since.”

“Is that why you skipped classes? You were upset?”

I nodded. “Monday, everyone was like, Hey, Pat! How’s it going? And I couldn’t tell anyone how I was really feeling. And it got to be too much.”

“Why didn’t you talk to me?” I could hear the injury in Walter’s voice.

Melinda shook her head slightly and spoke softly. “He couldn’t. You’re still his little brother. He wants you to look up to him.” She turned to me. “I mean, in a positive way. Not a conceited way.” She turned back to Walter. “If he told you how he was feeling, he wouldn’t be the protective big brother anymore.”

She had hit the nail on the head. I longed to hold her. “You know me better than I know me. Anyway, last night I had a meeting with my dean. Long story short? I have Sunday D and I’m on restriction.”

Walter swore. “For how long?”

“Two-week restriction, although he’s letting me do DMH. I have to study in my dorm during study hours and I can’t go into town. Here’s the thing. I have to go to church Saturday night, because the Sunday Mass is during detention.”

“So, you can’t drive Melinda this week?”

Melinda turned to Walter. “It’ll be fine, Walter. I walked all around New York City. I think I can get to town and back. We’ll just leave a little earlier.” She turned back to me. “Don’t worry about us.”

“Good, because I have detention until April.”

My brother’s eyes widened in shock. “What? That’s crazy!”

“Nine weeks. When you add in the breaks and long weekends, it comes out to mid-April.”

“Mom’s gonna flip.”

I sucked a breath sharply. “Yeah, I figured I’d call her after classes to tell her.”

Melinda looked at me with such compassion, my heart started racing. “Pat, you know we’re here for you if you need to talk. Or yell. Or whatever. Don’t shut us out, okay?”

I nodded. I needed a hug. Glancing at Melinda, I saw the look on her face. She knew it. But she didn’t leave her seat. And that stung just a little.

---

Since I had last period free, I went back to my dorm after English to call Dad. I knew Mom would go crazy about my punishment, but I thought there was a chance Dad might understand.

I was wrong. My dad hardly ever yelled. This was one of those rare times he did. I had to lower the volume just so I wouldn’t violate the noise ordinance in the dorm.

I didn’t try to excuse myself. I just let him rant. Then he handed the phone to Mom and that Irish temper was flaring. By the time she hung up, her face was as red as her hair. I figured I might as well call Meghan while I was in the mood to have family members yell at me.

But she didn’t yell. She told me how she would go to the infirmary faking illnesses to avoid going to classes. Headaches were the best ones, although they had to be used sparingly. I should have thought of that. Then I wouldn’t be in detention until Easter.

I did a little research and sent a quick email to my dean. I had a lot of questions about this restriction business. Then, I lay on my bed until study hours.

I stared at the ceiling and replayed my entire conversation with Melinda. How she looked. How she sounded. How I wanted to hold her. Didn’t she look like she wanted to hold me? Did she look like she missed me as much as I missed her?

Melinda’s Story

Thursday morning, I was a little surprised to receive a text from Pat asking if Walter and I could meet him in the library study rooms during our free fifth period. He hadn’t said a word to me during our drive home yesterday, but now he wanted to talk? Was he just going to yell at me again? And why did he want Walter to join us?

I wasn’t sure how to respond. I spent most of the morning debating with myself whether I should even go.

Something told me not to seek Sarah’s advice. I already knew what she would say: Stay away from him. I think she was more angry about my breakup than I was.

But, I still cared about Pat. It hurt me that he was in so much pain. And if he needed to talk to me, then I wanted to hear what he had to say.

After lunch, I followed Sarah and Larry to the dishroom. Now that I was only using one crutch, I could finally carry my own tray most of the time. I waited for them to head to their fifth period classes before turning to Walter.

“I’m going upstairs to study.”

He narrowed his eyes. “No, you’re going upstairs to talk to Pat. Is that a good idea? For either of you?”

“Probably not. But I still care about him.”

“I’m coming with you.”

“Yeah, I figured.”

I found Pat sitting in one of the comfy chairs in the study room. He looked pained. I wanted more than anything to sit in his lap and hold him close. Comfort him. Kiss him. But I couldn’t. I sat in the other chair as he placed his book on the small table.

“Is Walter coming?” Pat asked.

I looked around. “He was right behind me. Dunno where he went.” I turned back to him with a shrug.

“Doesn’t matter. I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

Pat played with his hands nervously in his lap. “A lot of things. But, I’m sorry for yelling at you yesterday. You didn’t deserve it.”

“I’m not mad at you. Are you angry at me for breaking up with you?”

Pat shook his head. “I’m not angry at you. I’m just angry.”

This admission nearly broke my heart. I didn’t care what he said. He was wrong. I knew he wouldn’t be angry if I hadn’t broken up with him.

With a sigh, Pat continued. “I borrowed a book from Father Aidan yesterday. And it says I need to talk to people. I can’t just keep things bottled up and I shouldn’t try to just handle them on my own. Because then—”

“You start skipping classes?” Walter entered the room, frowning at his brother as he headed to the study table. After dropping his bag, he brought a chair over to face us. Turning it around, he sat hanging over the back.

Pat sent his brother the ghost of a smile. “Actually, I start yelling at my dean.”

I was shocked. “You didn’t!”

Pat nodded. “Anyway, I wanted you two to know what’s going on.” He turned to Walter. “Did you tell her about the dorm?”

Walter shook his head. “Not my story to share.”

I looked between the boys. “What about the dorm?”

Pat spoke hesitantly. “The day we came back . . . I found Frank in my car. With a girl.”

“What were they—” When I saw the look on Walter’s face, I understood. I could feel my face growing warm and looked at the floor. “Oh.”

Pat nodded. “After flipping out, I went to my room. Where I found Zach and Chloe.”

“They weren’t—”

Pat nodded.

“In Pat’s bed,” Walter added.

“Eww!” That was beyond disrespectful. Now I understood why Pat had been so angry. Why he had skipped classes. My heart broke for him. I wanted to hold him and reassure him. It took all my strength to stay where I was.

Pat continued his story. “So, I moved into a new dorm. Haven’t spoken to any of them since.”

“Is that why you skipped classes? You were upset?”

Pat nodded. “Monday, everyone was like, Hey Pat! How’s it going? And I couldn’t tell anyone how I was really feeling. And it got to be too much.”

“Why didn’t you talk to me?” I could hear the pain in Walter’s voice, but I understood perfectly. I sent Walter a compassionate look.

“He couldn’t. You’re still his little brother. He wants you to look up to him.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, I realized someone could misunderstand what I was trying to say. I quickly turned to Pat. “I mean, in a positive way. Not a conceited way.” I turned back to Walter. “If he told you how he was feeling, he wouldn’t be the protective big brother anymore.”

The corner of Pat’s mouth turned up for a fraction of a second. “You know me better than I know me. Anyway, last night, I had a meeting with my dean. Long story short? I have Sunday D and I’m on restriction.”

Walter swore. “For how long?”

“Two week restriction, although he’s letting me do DMH. I have to study in my dorm during study hours and I can’t go into town. Here’s the thing. I have to go to church Saturday nights, because all the Sunday masses are during detention.”

“So, you can’t drive Melinda this week?”

I turned to Walter. “It’s fine, Walter. Really. I walked all around New York City. I think I can get to town and back. We’ll just leave a little earlier. This actually works out better, anyway, because the only time I could meet with Deacon John is after mass.” I turned to Pat. “Don’t worry about us.”

“Good. Because I have detention until April.”

“What?” Walter’s eyes grew wide. “That’s crazy!”

“Nine weeks. When you add in the breaks and long weekends, it comes out to mid-April.”

“Mom’s gonna flip.”

“Yeah, I figured I’d call her after classes to tell her.”

“Pat.” I wanted to touch him, at least hold his hand, but I resisted. I settled for sending him a compassionate look. “You know we’re here for you if you need to talk. Or yell. Or whatever. Don’t shut us out, okay?”

Pat nodded. It took every ounce of my strength not to give him the hug I knew he needed.

---

Friday afternoon’s basketball practice ran late, since Clarissa wanted to teach the girls a new defensive maneuver that she thought might be helpful in Saturday’s game. By the time Sarah and I arrived at dinner, many of our friends had left. Soon, the two of us were alone with Larry.

Sarah looked around. “Where’s Walter?”

Larry shrugged. “I talked to him before wrestling. Thought he said he’d meet me here, but I never saw him.”

“It’s not like Walter to miss a meal.”

I nodded my head towards Larry. “If he’s not upstairs, I’ll text you. He probably just had dinner at the MAC Attack or something.”

I didn’t bother waiting for study hours to go to the library. As soon as I finished eating, I excused myself. Although I loved my roommate, seeing Sarah cuddling with Larry was still uncomfortable. It made me miss Pat.

So did being in the library. Studying was becoming difficult. Between missing Pat and Walter focusing on Zayne, I was feeling lonely.

As I approached the study room, I wondered if I should even bother staying. Glancing through the window, I saw Walter sitting in one of the comfy chairs with Zayne in his lap. Studying in my room would definitely be better than spending the next ninety minutes watching my best friend making out.

On my way back to my room, I stopped by Clarissa’s apartment, knocking on the open door on the second floor.

“In!” A pudgy little boy toddled towards the baby gate. He wore only a diaper and his hair was wet. He extended his arms to me. “Up!”

I smiled. “Where’s Daddy?”

“In! Up!”

I could hear Mr. Price calling within the apartment. “Tommy? Where’d you go?”

I shouted into the apartment. “He’s over here.”

Mr. Price appeared, the boy’s pajamas around his neck. “Tommy, it’s time to get ready for bed.”

“In! Up!”

“Come on.” Mr. Price picked up the boy, then looked up. I don’t think he had realized I was standing there. “Melinda? Everything okay? I thought you were at the library.”

I shrugged. “I wasn’t feeling great, so I came back. I’m gonna skip tonight’s NeoGenesis. I just wanted to let you know.”

Mr. Price nodded. “Is everything okay? Do you need to go to the infirmary?”

I shook my head. “I’m fine. I think I just need to lie down. But, thanks.”

Attention Hammerheads

Melinda is always trying to build her vocabulary. What were some words in this episode that were new to you? She will add them to her vocabulary journal.