"Don't let the fear of striking out

keep you from playing the game..."



I should have known it was coming. My life has never, ever been as unpredictable as it has recently. Yet, I want to kick myself for not noticing; it's so... obvious. Right when I've finally got a plan, a thesis for my future, something always comes in and ruins my intentions, however good and un-rebellious they are.

Shane hasn't been much help lately, and in the past few months he's become my confident. But with the side note of his father's death on top of his back to back flights to and from California, he's sort of a lost cause right now. While I want to help him, comfort him in anyway I can, it's hard when he's in Florida, then California, then Florida--and I'm still stuck in NY for a few more weeks.


Like I said, once I've got everything decided, something (or in this case, two somethings) intercepts my otherwise great intentions.


Jack, who I haven't spoken to for quite some time, has taken it upon himself to persuade me not to leave. According to me, we have unfinished business. I, however, was not aware. I thought I had tied up my loose ends, but apparently he slipped through the loop.


"I heard you were leaving."

"I'm graduating early; it's for the best. I don't belong here," I answered.

"What are you running from?"

"Who says I'm running?"

He asked me to have coffee with him, and stupidly, I agreed. It's not that I still don't love him, because in all honesty, much like Anthony, I think I will always love him. He's simply that one boy I won't ever forget, no matter the lengths I should take to try and erase him from my memory.


"I hate to ruin the moment--you know, with you excitement about leaving and all--but you're the one person that makes this place worth coming to," he commented offhandedly.
"I couldn't even begin to understand why."
"I figured you'd say that."


Coffee with Jack reminded me of why I love him. Aside from stunning good-looks and irreplacable chivalry, he's easy to talk to and so utterly relatable. In my four-ish years of knowing him, we've never really gotten to know each other; at least not on a level that counts for anything besides sexual. Perhaps it's his upbringing, though I know deep down it's a sign that if I were to stay, something special could come of that, of him.
Now, I know you're going to assume that I am making a big deal out of nothing, but understand this is just the jist. It isn't everything. If I were to write everything in the specific detail to which it occured, you'd either immediately know who I am, or call the police.

Moving on from Jack, I'd like to state that I haven't spoken to or seen Anthony in at least a month. While I know he's wandering around campus, as Holly has pointedly told me she's given him "rides," I personally find it ridiculous to circle myself again. I'm done with him. I'll say it again.

With Shane, Jack, Anthony, and all of the others combined, wouldn't you love it if I added another into the mix? It's techincally not adding as I've skimmingly mentioned him before.

Thomas, the boy who I completely demolished. For a month, maybe two, we were talking, rather frequently. And I for one was enjoying it. But me, I've always overanalyzed the situation and ruined it with my high standards.

Since I can remember, I've always compared boys to Anthony. They're too corny. They're not as tall, not as muscular. They don't dress like he does. They don't have the money he does. They don't smell like he does, or come on to me like he did. But most of all, they aren't him. They look nothing like him; act nothing like him. And while I know that is absolutely no way to go about anything, especially considering how he treated me, I can't help but do it still to this day. Though the mere fact that I am trying to find a substitute for him should be the least of my worries, I'll never get over the fact that I didn't get him. I think since he turned me down, I've been trying to figure out why.

Somewhere inside, I'm almost sure it's because he isn't the type of guy ready for any sort of relationship other than a one-night-stand. Too bad I can't get that through my thick head.

You'd think I'd be satisfied with having a guy who cared enough about me to call me every night and wish me a good night. Yet, barely a month into it, I was skeptical as always, and began ignoring Thomas' calls. Finally, he got the hint and stopped calling. We barely talked in class, and I ignored him any way I could.

Awkward situations have never been my forte. Not in the slightest.

But now, as of recently, I've climbed the bridge over the awkwardness, and finding that ignoring his calls is one of my biggest mistakes. Though I could give it up to the fact that all of my friends have boyfriends who they so courteously flaunt in my face, and that I want ever so badly to finally have that one guy I can maintain a steady commitment with, I wonder if it's because I really, truely, like him.

Not in the way I like Jack. Or the way I was overwhelminly physically attracted to Anthony. But maybe in a way on a deeper level.

Thomas... is average. In looks. In intelligence. In style. He's basic. But withstanding. And constant. But maybe that's what I need. Maybe, I should settle. Settle for what I can manage. Stop using Anthony as a model for the perfect man, because he is not, by any means, the kind of guy I wish upon any girl.

Except, don't they tell you never settle for the least? Then wouldn't I be doing just that? I guess the real question is, do the pros out weigh the cons?

I know for a fact that if I tried hard enough, I could get back in Thomas' good graces. However, I don't deserve him, not after what I did to him. I know how much he liked me, and I twisted that back and through it at him. After I repeatedly told him I wouldn't. He remembers every detail of our short-term "relationship." The courteous courting dates. The tedious phone calls. The infinite texts begging him to come over and comfort me over a bad day. And even the aftermath, when I'd run into him at school events and he'd completely unawkwardly strike up a conversation with me while I cowered away.

That was a year ago.
And he still remembers.

I'm leaving in a couple of weeks. For good. And Thomas will be nothing but a forgotten memory of a guy I shouldacouldawoulda. Then again, do I have to leave? Internally, I'm chanting yes, but is it really for the best?

Who's to say.



Des

Labels: Anthony, Jack, Shane, Thomas