Bottled Up Secret Read online

  On Thanksgiving day, my family and I put a time capsule together. I got some kit a year ago but never got around to coordinating it. Now that everyone is home for the holiday, I figure it’s a perfect time. The instructions say to put in pictures, movie stubs, receipts or whatever, but the most fun part is to write down where you think you will be when the time capsule is opened.

  My oldest sister, Sarah, was pushing hard to open it five years from now. She claimed she couldn’t picture herself past the age of forty, so it must be opened before she gets over the hill. After some arguing, we decide that ten years is long enough for significant changes to happen in all of our lives. That will put Sarah at age forty-one. I’m surprised she still agreed to write something.

  I sit with a pen and paper in my hands, not quite knowing where to start. In ten years, I’ll be twenty-seven years old. I can imagine what it will be like when high school is over, but post-college? God knows what I’ll be doing. I’m still trying to decide on a college major, let alone a career.

  How about my love life? In ten years, I’m sure I’ll be out to all of my friends and even my family. The thought stresses me out. How would I tell my family? Sit them all in a room? Call each of my sisters up on the phone? Can’t I just do it through email?

  Regardless, I hope to be in a relationship. I don’t think I’ll be married yet, and I definitely won’t have kids. Maybe if we did a fifteen-year time capsule…Where will I live? I like Ohio, but I’m hoping to eventually leave. Maybe Chicago?

  With no ink on the paper, I realize that my future is completely uncertain. Career, love life, location—who knows? It’s exciting because I have my whole future ahead of me, but it’s also scary. I don’t want to wake up in ten years and realize I’m not where I want to be.

  Perhaps to avoid disappointment, I keep my writing brief and vague: I want to be in a relationship, living in a major city, working at a job that I like. I also throw in a few of my favorite high school memories.

  Chapter Three

  The day after a lazy Thanksgiving, movie night arrives and I’m beyond excited. The movie’s going to be terrible, but who cares? I’ll be seeing Mark tonight.

  My friends always make fun of my taste in movies and music. “Brendan likes bad things,” they tell others. Or “The movie was so good…you’d hate it, Brendan.”

  According to me, a movie needs to meet a few criteria in order for it to be good. First, it needs to be less than two hours, lest my undiagnosed ADD kick in. Second, it needs to not be boring. I’d much prefer seeing a comedy or suspense film, which usually holds my interest, as opposed to something like a historical drama. Finally, it needs to have good actors in it. It wouldn’t hurt if these actors are hot as well.

  I pull into the theater two minutes before my friends and I agreed to meet and find that I’m the first one to arrive. As I’m waiting outside, I see Kelly walk up.

  “Where’s Reese?” I ask her.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Oh, you didn’t come together?”

  “No, Brendan. She and I don’t do everything together,” she says, trying to sound annoyed, but her slight smile gives her away. “All right, that’s a lie. Yeah, we do. She’s here. She just ran into CVS.”

  I laugh. “Of course.”

  A few minutes later, as Reese walks our way, I get a text from an unknown number. It reads, “Hey, are you there yet?”

  “Who is this?” I ask Kelly, showing her my phone.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Hey, B,” Reese says as she walks up to us.

  “Hey. Reese, who is this?” I ask, now showing her.

  “Let me look in my phone…nothing.”

  I write back, “Yeah, standing outside.”

  “We’ll see who shows up,” I say, not thinking much of it.

  I get a text back, “Cool, I’m parking now.”

  I look out at the parking lot, eager to identify the mystery number. My eyes land on Mark as he gets out of his car and approaches the theater. Seriously? How did he get my number? Also, why don’t I have his number? I’m such a bad stalker.

  “That was you?” I ask when he gets closer.

  “Oh, my texts? Yeah, you didn’t have my number?”

  “No.”

  “I love how you didn’t ask who it was,” he says, laughing.

  “I wanted to be surprised.”

  “Hey, guys,” he says to the others. They smile and nod.

  “All right, I vote we go in so we can save enough seats,” Kelly says.

  The previews haven’t started yet, but the theater is already crowded. We realize the only way we are all going to sit by each other is if we sit in a middle row close to the screen. As Reese and Kelly lead the way, I make sure to be right behind Mark so that we can sit by each other. I’m no fool.

  “Natalie asked me to save a seat for her next to me,” Mark says as we file into the fourth row. Of course she did. Competing with one of my best friends over a guy is tough, especially when he doesn’t know I like him and I don’t know if he likes boys.

  We’re about to sit down when Mark is forced to make a choice: keep an open seat to his right between him and me, or to his left between him and Kelly. Instead of making the choice, he hovers over both seats and asks, “Where should Natalie sit?”

  “Um, how about you sit here?” I say, grabbing his arm and pulling him toward me, leaving an open seat between him and Kelly. Bold, Brendan. There’s no way I was going to miss out on that opportunity.

  “Excited for the movie?” Mark asks me.

  “Um…nah.”

  He laughs. “Why not?”

  “It’s hard for a movie to keep my attention. I’m fine when I’m in a theater because I’m stuck here, but if I try to watch a movie at home, I’m easily distracted. And this is more of an action movie, which is not my favorite kind.”

  “All right, then what’s your favorite mo—”

  “My Best Friend’s Wedding.”

  He laughs. “Julia Roberts, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Never saw it.”

  “It may seem like a typical romantic comedy, but it’s so much more.”

  “What’s it about?”

  “Julianne—Julia Roberts—realizes she loves her best friend the day he tells her he’s engaged to another woman.”

  “Is that the tag line from the movie poster?”

  I laugh. “I’m sure it’s pretty close. So then she spends the whole movie trying to get the courage to tell him how she feels.”

  As I explain the premise of the movie, I suddenly realize the similarities between Julianne’s predicament and the situation I’m in right now. Julianne loves Michael; I like Mark. Michael loves Kim; Mark apparently likes Natalie. Julianne and I both know that the chances of Michael and Mark returning our love are slim, but we’ll never know for sure unless we tell them how we feel. Unfortunately, I’m not sure if I’ll ever have the courage to do that.

  “All right, what’s your favorite?” I ask.

  “This is tough. I love Anchorman.”

  “Oh, I actually like that one.”

  “Okay, good. And Fight Club.”

  “Oh,” I say, my voice dropping.

  “Not a fan?”

  “One of my top three least favorite movies. Turn to Kelly, though. She’ll tell you how much she loves it.”

  “Okay, wait, let me redeem myself. Mean Girls.”

  “Yes! There you go.”

  He laughs. “Too easy.”

  “Do you like horror movies?” I ask.

  “I do, but I get way too scared.”

  “Aw, you need someone to hold you during the scary parts?”

  “Exactly.”

  Shortly after the first preview starts, Kara appears at the left end of the row. I wave to her while she slides in next to Reese. Mark and I are still in isolation but I’m not sure for how much longer. I stop talking because I don’t want to interrupt the preview, although I’d much rather cont
inue my conversation with him.

  I’m pleasantly surprised when he turns to me and whispers, “I never asked how your Thanksgiving was.”

  “Oh, it was pretty good. All of my sisters are still in town. It’s nice to get a break from them, though.”

  “How many sisters do you have?”

  “Five.”

  His eyes widen. “No brothers?”

  “Nope. And they’re all older.”

  “Five extra moms,” he says.

  “Pretty much. How was your Thanksgiving? You went to your grandparents’.”

  “Went to my grandparents’, yeah. It was great. I’m really close with my cousins, and it was nice to see the ones who don’t live near me.”

  “Cool.”

  “When’s your birthday?” Mark asks.

  “April fifth. Why?”

  “So you’re an Aries. I just think astrology is fun.”

  “When’s yours?” I ask.

  “August twenty-second.”

  “Oh, you’re on the older side for your grade. An August birthday makes you a…Pisces?”

  He laughs. “Not even close. Leo.”

  “Ah. So are Aries and Leo compatible?” I say before laughing like it’s a joke, although I’m dead serious.

  “Actually, yeah. They’re a direct match.”

  “Makes sense why we get along so well.”

  “I imagine you get along with everyone.”

  “Well, I just try to be nice. You come off the same way.”

  “I try, but I’m not as open as you,” he says. “You’re an open book. I’m more private.”

  “Well, that’s not bad. Although it is nice to be able to get things off your chest. Don’t keep everything bottled up inside.”

  As the last preview finishes up, I turn to see Natalie climbing over our friends to get to her seat while Chris takes the open seat next to Kara. My one-on-one time with Mark is over.

  During the movie, I can’t help but notice how Natalie and Mark interact. Each time they turn to each other to say something, they erupt in quiet laughter. It’s very cute and flirty. I’m curious how Mark would react if I were as blatant with my flirting as Natalie. In some instances, I guess I have been.

  I have to admit I’m actually happy that Natalie and Mark have this connection. If they didn’t, Mark would have never started hanging out with our group. I fear what would happen if they stopped liking each other.

  A little less than two hours later, the movie is over. I would have liked more plot and less action, but it wasn’t terrible. After the movie, we head to Applebee’s for their half-priced appetizers, per usual. As I’m walking ahead of everyone else with Kara, I feel something hit me in my right shoulder blade.

  I turn around and see Reese bent over with her hands in the snow, making a snowball. Kara and I quickly pack snow in our hands to create weapons for ourselves. I’m hit in the leg as I stand up and pull my arm back. I whip the snowball toward Reese but miss. Kara, however, nails her in the stomach.

  “Ow!” she screams. Kara and I laugh.

  Kelly and Mark join in while the others watch with disinterest. We all run around each other, trying to keep our distance while still getting close enough to make a hit. Kelly and Kara exchange blows while Reese hurls one at Mark. I’m packing up another snowball when Mark comes closer to me.

  “Let’s go after Reese,” he says.

  “Okay,” I say, standing up with a snowball in hand. “One, two, three!” I throw one her way, but instead of doing the same, he turns and hits me in the side.

  “What the heck!” I yell at him, shocked by his betrayal. “Oh, you play dirty.” I quickly pack another snowball and throw it at him while he’s bent over. It hits him in the neck. “Agh! I’m sorry! Are you okay?” He rises up with a much larger snowball, revenge in his eyes. “Crap,” I say before running away.

  “Yeah, you better run,” he says, chasing after me.

  I run into an open grassy area, now covered in white. When I look back, I see him getting closer and closer. Clearly his soccer endurance trumps my tennis endurance. I suddenly feel myself trip over something, and before I know it, I’m on my hands and knees. I feel Mark standing over me.

  “All right, I give up, I give up,” I say, still on the ground, covering my head with my arms but peeking at him through my fingers. He raises the snowball above me, but instead of throwing it, he drops to his knees, before collapsing on his back, breathing almost as hard as I am. I bring my arms down and roll onto my back next to him, staring up at the clear, dark sky.

  “Aw, you showed mercy,” I say.

  “You sure about that?” Before I can react, he slams the snowball on my chest, rubbing the snow up and down my torso.

  I let out a wail that turns into a laugh. “I want to punch you so hard right now.”

  “Whoa, I’ve never seen you angry,” he says. “I like this side of you. Hit me, please!”

  “You like me with a little edge, huh?” I sit up and go to punch him in the arm but stop before making contact.

  “Oh, come on. Remember what you told me about keeping things bottled up?”

  “You want me to hit you? Are you into S&M or something?”

  He laughs. “No, I just want you to let out your aggression. You’re too nice. It scares me.”

  “I’m not going to punch you. Let me just shake you a little.” I turn and grip both his shoulders, shaking him before returning to my back. “I feel better.”

  “You tried,” he says, giving me two pats on my chest before rising. He reaches his hand out to help me get up.

  “Oh, I’m supposed to trust you now?” I say.

  “The snowball fight’s over. I promise.”

  I reach my hand out. He grabs it and pulls me up to my feet. I wipe the snow off of my chest while he sweeps it off my back. We head back to the group that, by this time, is almost at the restaurant. Their fight seems to be over as well.

  Applebee’s isn’t crowded, so we are immediately seated at two high-top tables pushed together near the bar. I try to sit next to Mark, but I can’t arrange it without being blatantly obvious. Chris and Natalie land on each side of him. I end up diagonally across from him, but I spend most of the dinner talking with Reese and Kara, who are seated at my end of the table.

  “What exactly is History Day?” I ask Reese, who has started to tell us a story about one of her school projects.

  “I’ll tell you what it is,” she says. “One day a group of teachers thought to themselves, ‘How can we give children ulcers sooner?’” Kara and I laugh. “Let’s make them do a group project about anything in history. We’ll keep it vague. And then let’s make that project worth thirty percent of their grade for the semester.”

  “Oh gosh. Who’s in your group?” I ask.

  “Well, I was limited to the twenty-eight people in my class and each group has to have a minimum of three people, so there’s me, Natalie, and Becky Phillips. Do you know who that is?” I nod. “Yeah, so I decided to get a group of really reliable, hard workers,” she says sarcastically. Even though Natalie is a few seats away, I don’t think she’d be offended if she heard. She’s never been the most studious.

  “What’s the topic for your project?” Kara asks.

  “We decided on communication.”

  “Wait, that’s it?” I say. “That’s a little broad, no?”

  “Yeah, it is, which means I can include every piece of information I find on the phone, and the Internet, and the phonograph, and languages, and whatever else. So I dare my teacher to give me something less than an A when I turn in basically an encyclopedia.”

  As I keep laughing at Reese, I turn toward Mark’s direction and catch him staring at me with a slight smile on his face. Once our eyes meet, he quickly looks down then back up to rejoin the conversation at his end of the table.

  Toward the end of dinner, he gets up to go to the restroom.

  “Is he gay?” Kelly blurts out after he leaves the table.


  “Mark?” Chris asks.

  “Yeah. I can’t figure him out.”

  “Join the club,” Chris says.

  “He has feelings for me,” Natalie says with feigned confidence. “He can’t be gay.”

  “Or is it, ‘He has feelings for you. Therefore he has to be gay’?” Chris says. Reese collapses in laughter.

  “He’s very flirty with everyone,” Chris continues. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a girl or boy. I think he just likes the attention.”

  Chris’s words aren’t the most encouraging. I’ve been thinking Mark’s flirtation toward me was real. I’m hoping it’s not just part of his usual routine with anyone who finds him attractive.

  After we get our checks and wrap up our evening, Kara asks me if I can drive her home. I didn’t realize her parents dropped her off at the theater. I say my good-byes, wondering when I’ll see Mark again.

  I’m actually glad I have some alone time with Kara. I’ve noticed some tension between her and Natalie and am curious if I’m just seeing things that aren’t there. I ask her about it after we get into my car.

  “Oh, you’re spot on with that,” she tells me.

  “What’s the deal?”

  “It’s nothing new. She still thinks I put Andrew in front of my friends. I try to balance as best as I can, but I still get crap for it.”

  “I’m surprised because, honestly, I think you do a really good job balancing friends with a boyfriend. We still see you every weekend, and we get you alone too. It’s not like you’re dragging him along to all of our friend outings.”

  “Right? You guys never see him. The worst part is Andrew gives me crap about this too. He says I put my friends before him.”

  “See, now that’s more true.”

  She laughs. “I think so too.”

  “Well, you and Natalie have a long history, and I’m sure the dynamic does change when a guy enters the picture. I haven’t noticed a change with you and me, but it might be different with a girl-girl friendship.”