The Losing Game

Matthew and Damien treated each other much differently than other guys treated their friends. The two Huntley, Arizona natives were closer than brothers. The two had met in kindergarten and were inseparable through the fifth grade when Matthew’s family had lived in Montana. The boys’ senior year, after a divorce, Matthew and his mother moved back to Huntley, and the boys had begun their final year of high school together. They also picked up their friendship right where it left off in elementary school. Since they had kept in close contact during the six years they’d been separated, talking on the phone at least once a week and visiting each other every six months or so, they had no trouble in picking up right where they had left off. They hung out most weekends if neither had a date, and they spent nearly all of their spare time together, throwing a football around or just talking, usually about girls.
The two might have acted like brothers, but they certainly didn’t look the part. Matthew was the stereotypical tall, dark and handsome jock, while blonde, blue-eyed Damien topped out at only 5’6, and he wouldn’t dream of trying to be on one of Huntley High’s sports teams.
The two had no shortage of girls fawning over them. Since they attracted different types, there was never any kind of competition or animosity between them. That, however, changed with Fiona.
On a rare cool day in October, Matthew and Damien were taking advantage of the weather to jog outdoors around the school’s football field, rather than around the indoor track in the gym.
“Hey,” Damien said. “Did I tell you that Fiona’s coming to visit this weekend?”
“The Fiona?” asked Matthew, wiping a towel over his forehead. “Best friend from middle school and most of high school Fiona?”
“That’s her,” said Damien. “We’ve had kind of an. . .awkward relationship lately, but I’m hoping that her coming to visit will help clear the air.”
“Awkward how?” asked Matthew.
“Well. . .” began Damien, unsure as to how to explain the situation. “I mean, I haven’t seen her since she graduated, and whenever I talk to her, she just seems. . .I don’t know. . .different. Anyway,” he continued, “She’s gorgeous, you know, and she has this tendency to, I guess, make people fall in love with her on sight. These guys don’t even know her, and they decide that they’ve got to have her. She casts this spell on people. I can’t really explain it.”
“So if she’s so hot, how come the two of you never hooked up?” Matthew asked, slowing to a brisk walk.
Damien shrugged. “I don’t know,” he said, matching Matthew’s pace. “I think it’s because I knew her too well. I was never really attracted to her. She was always just Fiona. But she had this uncanny ability to put me at odds with my other friends. I tried to warn them against her, but, as I mentioned, she’s got this way with people, so of course, no one ever listened. It’s not that I didn’t trust her, or that I didn’t think my friends could take care of themselves. It’s more that she’s not. . .I guess she’s not really mature enough for a long-term relationship. I’ve known this from day one, even in middle school when month-long relationships were considered long-term. I just thought other people should know that, too. Because she’s hurt most of the people she’s dated. Badly. She usually can’t keep a relationship going for more than a month. And once someone falls in love with her, or thinks he’s fallen in love with her, it takes him months to even begin to get over her.”
Matthew raised an eyebrow. “So why is it you’ve stayed friends with her?”
Another shrug. “I guess it’s because I remember what it was like when we first met. I mean, she’s always been gorgeous, but when we became friends, she was different somehow. She was fun, and she didn’t seem to realize how pretty she was. And we had so much in common. . .plus, you’d moved away, so I was lonely. She and I just bonded. Even though she’s older. . .I don’t know. It never seemed to matter.”
“Well,” said Matthew, walking off the track and retrieving his jacket from a nearby bench, “You won’t have to worry about me. From the sounds of it, this chick’s toxic. And you know I always listen to you.” He grinned.
Damien gave a weak laugh. “Yeah,” he said vaguely. “I guess you do.”


The following Friday, Damien drove to the airport to meet Fiona. Matthew would have joined him, but he had football practice until 5, and Fiona’s plane came in at 3:30.
As he waited for her in the terminal, Damien felt an impending sense of dread, which he immediately, and guiltily, pushed to the back of his mind. Fiona was relatively harmless. The only person he was concerned about her hurting was Matthew, because, despite the fact that he looked tough, he was actually quite sensitive. The other guys on the Huntley High football team constantly made fun of Matthew because after every game, he made sure that every guy that he felt he had tackled too hard was ok. He was one of the few guys that Damien knew that was willing to cry in public, which was shown when Mrs. Tyslyn, a well-loved art teacher at the school, had died suddenly last Spring. Matthew had broken down in the middle of the hallway when he heard the news, much to the chagrin of most of the guys standing around him. The girls, understandably, thought that it was cute that Matthew was so sensitive, but it didn’t do much for his reputation with the guys.
“Damey! Damey!”
Damien snapped out of his thoughts when he heard Fiona’s voice traveling down the corridor. She looked fantastic, Damien had to admit, as she always did. Her black hair had been recently been permed, surrounding her pale face with hundreds of soft ringlets. She was wearing jeans so tight that Damien wasn’t entirely sure how she had gotten into them, or how she would get out of them, and a pink T-shirt that was supposed to look like she had picked it up at Wal-Mart, but Damien would have been willing to bet she had spent no less than 40 dollars on it.
“Hey, Fiona!” Damien said, walking towards her.
Fiona dramatically dropped her carry-on luggage to the floor and flung herself into Damien’s arms.
“I’ve missed you sooo much!” she said, covering his face with kisses.
“I’ve missed you, too,” echoed Damien, still not feeling the enthusiasm he should have.
“I feel like I haven’t seen you in years even thought it’s been, like, 2 months,” Fiona continued with her arms still tightly wrapped around Damien’s waist. “I’m so glad I’m here. Oh! And guess what?”
“What?” asked Damien, disentangling himself from Fiona’s grasp.
“My mom called your mom and your mom called Huntley, and they said I could come to school with you Monday! Isn’t that exciting?”
Damien sighed inwardly. There would be no protecting the male populace. “Great,” he said with what he hoped sounded like genuine enthusiasm. “You’ll recognize a lot of people, I’m sure. I mean, the only ones you wouldn’t know would be the freshmen.”
“I know,” cooed Fiona. “I can’t wait. Also,” she continued in a deceptively casual tone, “I can’t wait to meet Matthew. Are we gonna see him today? From the pictures you’ve sent me, he looks like a total fox.”
Damien had hoped he wouldn’t have to have this particular conversation, but it appeared he would have to.
“Look, Fiona,” he said as the two made their way to the luggage claim. “You know that I have no control over what anyone does, and I don’t even pretend like I do. But. . .well, you’ve kind of screwed up some of the relationships I have with some of the other guys, and I would hate to see that happen with Matt, so. . .I would really appreciate it if you didn’t lead him on, or. . .well, really, get involved with him at all.”
Fiona gave him a wide-eyed look. “Of course, Damey. I wouldn’t dream of doing anything that would make you uncomfortable. Matt’s off-limits. Besides, I just got out of a relationship. On Monday, actually. I really thought this one was gonna work out, too. I thought it was long-term.”
You’ve said that about every relationship you’ve ever been in, thought Damien.
“I even gave in and had sex with him,” Fiona continued.
That caught Damien off-guard. “You slept with him?”
Fiona nodded, and gave Damien her famous doe-eyed look. “I told you,” she said. “I thought this one was different. But yeah. I’m not looking for a relationship right now. Especially not with someone that you wouldn’t want me to mess with. And I completely understand. He’s your best friend, and I wouldn’t dream of doing anything to strain your relationship with him.”
She’d just said the eight words that were the kiss of death for men everywhere. I’m not looking for a relationship right now. Anytime Fiona uttered those words, within three weeks, she had a new boyfriend.
“So when am I going to get to meet him?” she asked again.
Damien didn’t like how insistent she was, but he did have her word. “Tonight,” he said. “My parents are going to some banquet for dad’s work, so I’ve got the house to myself. I was gonna make spaghetti.”
“Too bad your parents can’t join us,” Fiona said, grabbing her bag as it finally appeared on the conveyer belt. The bag looked large enough to hold a month’s worth of clothes. Damien was certain that she’d brought at least that. “I haven’t seen them forever!”
This was on purpose. Damien intended to keep Fiona away from his parents, or at least his mother, as much as possible. Damien’s father didn’t care one way or the other; he basically just did what his wife told him and looked forward to smoking his pipe and watching the news at night. Damien’s mother didn’t trust Fiona further than she could throw her. She thought Fiona was an evil-intentioned slut and she was certain that the friendship between Damien and Fiona wouldn’t end well. Damien didn’t think it was fair that his mother judged Fiona mainly on her relationship conquests, but he could also see where she was coming from. It was disheartening how fast Fiona went through men, and she usually didn’t care what happened to her exes or their feelings after she was finished with them. She was usually already on to some other unsuspecting victim. Damien suspected that the only reason his mother had even bothered to check to see if Fiona could go to school with him was because his mother and Fiona’s mother were close friends, and his mother didn’t feel the need to tell Fiona’s mother what she thought of her daughter.
Remember why you became friends with her in the first place, thought Damien. She wasn’t always like this. Certainly there’s a little bit of the old Fiona left.
“Yeah,” said Damien, taking the bag from Fiona. “But since you’ll be here until Tuesday, I’m sure you’ll run into them more than once.”
“Fantastic!” chirped Fiona, shaking her curls. “Let’s go meet Matthew! I can’t wait! It’s gonna be awesome!”
Let’s hope so. . .


That night, as Damien stirred the spaghetti sauce and waited for Matthew to ring the doorbell, Fiona changed her outfit no fewer than eight times.
“I don’t want him to think I’m an absolute slob,” Fiona whined. “Look at me, Damey. I look a tragedy.”
Damien knew that Fiona didn’t think she looked anything even resembling a tragedy.
“You look fine,” he said automatically, not feeling like giving in.
“You don’t think that!” cried Fiona. “I should change again. Did you like the orange dress better?”
The doorbell sounded, saving Damien from having to answer. “Matthew’s here,” he said unnecessarily.
Fiona squealed. “I’ll get it!” she said, tearing for the door.
A few minutes later, Fiona bounded into the kitchen, a dazed-looking Matthew trailing behind her, still wearing most of his football uniform.
“Hey, man,” said Damien, turning the burner on the stove off and giving the sauce a final stir. “Right on time. I see you’ve met Fiona.”
“Uh, yeah,” Matthew said. “We met.”
Fiona grinned. “You didn’t tell me that Matthew’s football number was 35. 35 is my absolute favorite number.”
Damien recognized both the soft coo Fiona was using and the look on Matthew’s face. He was already smitten, and she knew it.
“So!” said Damien, clapping his hands together. “Who’s ready for spaghetti?”
Fiona giggled and put her hand on Matthew’s forearm. “Ready spaghetti!” she said. “It rhymes!”
Damien looked pointedly from Fiona to her hand. Fiona, looking guilty, or at the very least feigning guilt, gave him a wide-eyed look and brought her hand back down to her side. “Let’s eat!” she said brightly. “It smells sooo good!”



All throughout dinner, Fiona kept Matthew enthralled with stories from her all-female school in Connecticut. She was a natural storyteller, and Damien could tell that Matthew was entirely taken in.
By the time dessert rolled around, Damien was beginning to feel the first prickles of anger forming behind his eyes. Fiona was working her magic, making it impossible for Matthew to not be spellbound by her. She giggled and flirted and kept touching Matthew whenever she wanted to emphasize a point. Which was often. Damien had given up glaring at her, and instead, sat in stony silence. Neither Matthew nor Fiona seemed to notice.
At 10 o’clock, Damien had finally had enough.
“Don’t you have a game tomorrow?” he asked Matthew.
“Yeah,” said Matthew, gazing at Fiona. “I should probably be going.”
Fiona gave Matthew a big hug. “If you want, and if Damien is willing,” she batted her eyelashes at Damien, “I’d love to come to the game!”
Matthew looked hopefully at Damien. Damien sighed. “Sure, man,” he said. “We’ll be there.”
Fiona squealed and hugged Matthew again. “It’ll be such fun!” she said. “Obviously, my school doesn’t have a football team, so this’ll be the first game I’ve been to since I graduated last year!”
Matthew grinned broadly. “Ok, then,” he said. “I’ll see you both tomorrow. And when we win,” he winked at Fiona, making her giggle again, “I’ll take you guys out for pizza. My treat.”
“Cool,” said Damien. “See you tomorrow.”
“See you tomorrow,” Matthew repeated. But he was looking at Fiona.
After Matthew had left, Damien turned on Fiona. “What was that?” he asked, his eyes flashing.
Fiona opened her eyes wide. “What was what?” she asked,
“That. You were totally flirting with him. Leading him on. Whatever happened to not wanting a relationship right now?”
The wide eyes sparkled with tears. She was good.
“I wasn’t flirting with him, and it’s not fair of you to say that I was! I’m still hurting after what happened with Kevin. Why would I do something like that? I don’t want any guy’s attention right now. It’s too painful.” She blinked so the tears would fall down her cheeks.
“You don’t even like football!” Damien accused. “Why do you want to go the game?”
“It’s the homecoming game, isn’t it?” sniffled Fiona. “I’ve come home.”
Damien glared at her. “You’re so full of it,” he said. “You’re trying to get him. I asked you not to.”
The tears and sniffles turned into an indignant look and righteous anger.
“Who are you to tell me what I can and can’t do?” Fiona demanded. “You’ve hardly kept in touch over the last couple months. And I’ve needed you! I’ve gone through so much, and I’ve had to do it alone! My own best friend wasn’t there for me.” She turned on the tears again.
We haven’t been best friends for years, is what Damien wanted to say. Instead, what he said was, “Look, Fiona. I’m sorry. You’re right. I don’t have a right to try to tell you what to do. I’m being a jerk. I really am sorry.”
She immediately brightened. “It’s ok!” she chirped. “I forgive you. Can I sleep with you tonight?”
Damien narrowed his eyes. “You have cold feet,” he said.
“I’ll wear socks,” Fiona promised.
It always happened like this. Damien would get tired of Fiona and her power over men and her entirely self-centered nature, but then he would remember the fun times they’d had, and she would say something that, for whatever reason, struck him as charming, and they’d be back on the same terms.
“Ok,” he agreed. “But you need to stay on your side of the bed. I’d like to wake up with at least half of my blankets this time.”
Fiona grinned. “Deal,” she said, offering Damien her hand.
They shook on it.

Damien woke up the next day covered in nothing but a sheet. He smiled. Typical.
He padded down the stairs to find his mother flipping pancakes. “Morning,” he greeted her.
She turned to give her son a hug. “Hey,” she said. “Pancakes?”
He shook his head. “I’ll wait until Fiona wakes up,” he said.
He saw his mother stiffen. “So the ice queen cometh,” she said. “She knocked up yet?”
“Mom!” said Damien. “She might hear you.”
“I don’t care,” his mom retorted, although she did lower her voice. “You know I don’t like her, and I can’t promise that I’ll be nice if I have to see her.”
Damien sighed. “I’ll try to keep her out of your. . .”
“Good morning, everyone!” sang Fiona, bounding down the stairs. “Meredith, you’re looking lovely this morning.”
Damien’s mom hated her son’s friends calling her by her first name, but thankfully, she didn’t cause a scene.
“Fiona, dear. How nice to see you. How was the trip?”
“Great!” said Fiona, helping herself to two slices of bacon. “The plane was so cold, but otherwise, it was peachy.”
“So you’re on Fall Break until Wednesday, hm?” Damien’s mother asked, subtly covering the rest of the bacon with a paper towel.
“Yep,” said Fiona, reaching underneath the covering for another piece.
Meredith pressed her lips together tightly. “Well, you kids have a great day,” she said, speaking more to Damien than to Fiona. “Your father and I will be out most of the day. We’re looking for an armoire to go in the guest bedroom.”
“Oh, fun!” said Fiona. “You know, on the way back from the airport, I saw the cutest little shop that might have what you’re. . .”
“See you kids later,” Damien’s mom cut in. She walked briskly out of the room.
Fiona wasn’t fazed. “What time’s the game?” she asked, helping herself to a stack of pancakes.
“Three,” answered Damien, gathering his own breakfast.
“Want to catch a movie before then?” she asked. “That new Brad Pitt movie is out now, I think. I’ve been dying to see it!”
Damien wasn’t terribly fond of Brad Pitt, but he wasn’t going to cause any waves. “Sure,” he said. “I’ll go check the paper for times.”
As he reentered his house, he could hear Fiona talking to someone. Judging from the tone of her voice, it was a male someone. He walked into the kitchen to see Fiona talking on his cell phone.
“Yeah. Uh huh. Right. Oh! Here he is.” She passed the phone over to Damien. “It’s Matthew,” she whispered. “I saw his name on the caller ID, and I didn’t figure you’d mind if I answered it.”
Damien didn’t answer her. “Hey, man,” he said into the phone.
“Hey,” said Matthew. “I just wanted to make sure you guys were still coming.”
“Why wouldn’t we?” Damien asked.
“Oh, I don’t know,” hedged Matthew. “I was just. . .checking.”
“You remember what I said before, right?” asked Damien.
“Yeah, dude. Sure.” He didn’t sound sure.
“Matthew,” said Damien with a slight edge to his voice.
“Damien,” said Matthew impatiently. “You’re treating me like a kid. I can take care of myself.”
Damien was taken aback. Matthew had never used that tone with him before. “Ok, Matt, ok,” he said. “Sorry.”
“Whatever,” Matthew said. “I’ll see you later.” He hung up abruptly.
Damien stared at the phone in his hand.
“Everything ok?” asked Fiona.
“Yeah,” said Damien, turning the phone off. “It’s fine.”
“You about ready for that movie?” she asked, stuffing the last of a pancake in her mouth.
“Oh, the movie,” said Damien, shuffling open the newspaper. “Uh, let’s see. There’s one playing at. . .12, 1:15, 2:30, 3. . .”
“Let’s go to the 12,” Fiona said, jumping up and putting her dishes in the sink. “It’s a two hour movie, and the game’s at 3, yes?”
“Yeah,” said Damien, folding the paper and putting it on the table.
“So with previews, we’ll be done by 2:30. And the school’s right down the street. So we should be good.”
“Right,” said Damien. “You can take a shower in the guest bathroom. There should be plenty of towels in there. There’s also a hair dryer underneath the sink. Think you can be ready in half an hour?”
Fiona saluted him. “Sir, yes sir!” she said. “I’ll be ready in 20,” she promised.


Twenty minutes later, true to her word, Fiona was ready to go. Her hair was pulled back with a scarf, and she was wearing a blue sundress that brought out the blue in her eyes. Even Damien had to admit that she looked gorgeous.
“The guys in this town don’t stand a chance,” Damien said, only half kidding.
“Oh, stop it,” said Fiona putting her purse, which, by no accident, matched her dress perfectly, over her shoulder. “I look a mess. I did this in twenty minutes.”
Damien rolled his eyes.
As the two waited in line for tickets, Fiona caught the eye of every single male that passed her by. She got the up and down more times than Damien could count. Damien found himself on the receiving end of more than one envious stare.
The movie itself wasn’t memorable in the least. It was a typical Hollywood blockbuster. Boy meets girl, boy and girl fight, girl is involved in CIA cover up, gratuitous sex scene, boy forgives girl for lying and they end up happily ever after. Damien wished he had his $7.50 back.
It was 2:45 by the time they left the theatre. The school was within walking distance, but they took Damien’s car anyway. Fiona wanted the extra time to touch up her hair.
As they approached the ticket counter, Fiona stepped in front of Damien. “I’ll buy the tickets if you buy the hot dogs.” She grinned, and the perfectly-placed dimple in her left cheek deepened.
Damien nodded his agreement, and Fiona, with a toss of her hair, approached the unwitting ticket seller.
“Two please,” she said, pulling on a curl.
The boy in the booth, who Damien recognized as a sophomore named Geth, blinked at Fiona. “Uh, two. . .s-students?” he asked.
Fiona flashed a dazzling smile. “One student and one alum,” she said, pulling her wallet out of her bag.
Geth frantically searched for his calculator. “That’ll be, uh, lemme see. . .”
“12.50?” Fiona offered sweetly.
“Uh, yeah. 12.50.”
Fiona handed over the money. Geth almost passed out when Fiona’s hand touched his own, and his hands shook when he gave her the change.”
“F-f-fifty cents is your change,” he stammered.
“Thanks,” Fiona said brightly. “Bye!”
Geth said nothing. He only stared.
“Not much to look at around here, is there?” Fiona asked offhandedly.
Damien laughed. “Not in the way of females,” he said. “About the best we’re got is Ginny Holden. And she’s nowhere near your caliber. I mean, you know, I’ve never been attracted to you, but I would have to agree that you’ve gotten even hotter since going off to school.”
Fiona laughed. “Oh, stop,” she said. “You’re making me blush.”
Damien laughed, and suddenly felt better about Fiona being there. Their visit had gotten off to a rocky start, but it was turning out to be ok.
Damien bought two hot dogs, and because he was in a good mood, two cherry slushies, and joined Fiona in the stands where she had already claimed two seats on the front bleacher. Damien noticed that the seats all around Fiona, save the one she had claimed for him, were already full. The guys of Huntley couldn’t get enough, apparently.
The game started, and the Huntley High Tigers immediately gained the lead. The Trent City Wildcats gave it their best, but by halftime, the Tigers were 21 points ahead.
As the marching band took the field for the halftime show, Fiona suddenly stood and waved her arms above her head. “Look!” she said as she climbed down the bleacher stairs. “There’s Matthew!”
Matthew stood at the bottom of the stairs beaming at Fiona. She gave him a big hug. “You guys are doing sooo great!” she gushed. “Especially you! I saw that catch you made in the second quarter. It was beautiful!” She planted a kiss on his cheek. “Looks like you’re gonna be buying me and Damien a pizza!”
Matthew’s eyes shifted up to Damien. “Yeah,” he said. “Looks like it. Hope you like anchovies!”
“Eeeww!” squealed Fiona, wrinkling her nose.
Matthew laughed. “Just kiddin’. You look like a plain cheese kind of girl.”
“Are you,” Fiona began, lowering her voice so that Matthew would have to lean closer to her, “insinuating that I’m boring?”
“Not at all,” said Matthew, glancing at his coach as the older man gestured for him to join his teammates in a huddle. “See you afterwards.”
“Bye!” called Fiona, wiggling her fingers at him.
As she climbed the stairs back up to the bleachers, she saw Damien’s eyes following her. She got the feeling that he’d been watching her the entire time. “What?” she asked as she took her seat.
“Nothin’,” Said Damien in a tone of voice that meant exactly the opposite.
Fiona blew a curl out of her eyes angrily. “Don’t give me this, Damien. You’re being ridiculous. I’m not interested in Matthew, and even if I were, I don’t see how that would be any of your business. I’m a big girl. Nobody, not even my mother, tells me who I can and can’t see. Last time I checked, it was a decision that only I could make. And I’ve been making that particular decision on my own for quite a while now.”
“And we see how far that’s gotten you,” Damien muttered.
“What?” demanded Fiona. “What was that?”
“I said,” Damien said. “That your own decisions have never gotten you very far. Your longest relationship has lasted, what? Five months?”
Fiona glared at him. “What does that have to do with anything? Longevity isn’t really the most important factor.”
“Then what is?” asked Damien. “How far you could get with them?”
People were starting to stare, but Damien and Fiona were glaring at each other so fiercely, they didn’t even notice.
“I’ve had some very deep, very meaningful relationships,” she protested. “And I resent that you’re insinuating otherwise.”
“That’s the only reason you came down here, isn’t it?” Damien said. “You wanted another guy to add to your collection. I’d talked about him so much, you just had to see for yourself.”
Fiona said nothing.
“Figures,” Damien muttered. “I should have known. You and I haven’t really been friends for a while now. I should have thought it was weird that you were coming for a random visit. But I get it now.”
“That wasn’t the only reason I came,” Fiona objected. “I did want to see you. I just figured a cute guy would be an added perk.”
“Wait,” said Damien slowly. “This trip has been planned since September. How long, exactly, did you date the guy that you slept with? Were you dating him when you decided to come down and prey on Matthew?”
Again, Fiona said nothing.
“Were you going to cheat on the guy?”
“I. Do. Not. Cheat,” Fiona hissed. “I have never in my life cheated on anyone.
“So how long did you date that guy?”
Fiona folded her arms across her chest and stared straight ahead.
“Fiona?”
“Two weeks,” she burst out angrily. “We dated for two weeks. It had been a week and a half when we had sex, and it had been exactly two weeks when we broke up.”
“I see,” said Damien. “And you were going to come out here anyway and screw around with Matthew.”
“No,” said Fiona. “I was going to cancel my trip on Tuesday. But then the breakup happened, and I thought, what the heck? Maybe my best friend could help me get through the break up.”
“Don’t you even give me this best friend crap,” Damien said angrily. “We haven’t been anything close to that for months. I thought that maybe you were coming down here to make amends for the last fight we had. When you proved exactly how much of a bitch you are, which was only a half step away from the slut I already knew you were.”
Fiona gasped, and a split second later, Damien found himself covered in the remains of a sticky slushie.
“How dare you?” she whispered. “How dare you?”
Damien stood. “I’m sure Matthew will take you home. Go get your pizza. And then you can come get your stuff from my house. I want you gone.” After wiping cherry goo out of his eyes, he stormed down the bleachers and out of the stadium.


Fiona didn’t return to Damien’s house that night. She finally returned on Sunday afternoon at about 4 to collect her things. “I’ve traded my ticket for one leaving early tomorrow morning,” she said flatly. “Thank you for letting me stay on Friday.”
Damien didn’t respond. He looked out the window and saw that Matthew had given her a ride. Likely, she was staying with him that night.
“Later,” said Fiona as she left Damien’s room. He didn’t even look at her.
The next day at school, Matthew looked as haggard as Damien felt.
“Hey,” he said cautiously, approaching Damien’s locker.
“Hey,” responded Damien, removing his Physics and Calculus books from his locker and slamming it shut.
“We gonna talk about this?” Matthew asked.
“What’s there to talk about?” Damien asked. “She and I aren’t friends anymore, and I assume the two of you are. . .what, dating now?”
Matthew avoided Damien’s eyes.
“You’re kidding me,” said Damien. “I wasn’t serious. You’re already dating?”
“Well,” began Matthew. He was interrupted by the ringing of the bell. Neither boy moved.
“We’re going to the track,” said Damien. “No one’ll see us out there.”
Once they reached the track, Damien plopped down on a bench, and Matthew sat gingerly next to him.
“Let me get this straight,” Damien said. “You’ve known her for, what, three days? And you’ve already decided to enter into a long-distance relationship with her?”
“We stayed up all Saturday night talking!” protested Matthew. “I feel like I’ve known her forever. And then last night. . .” he trailed off.
“Last night what?” Damien asked suspiciously.
“Last night, we. . .” Matthew couldn’t finish his sentence.
“Don’t tell me,” Damien said, squeezing his eyes shut. “Don’t even tell me. You didn’t. . .you did. Oh my God, you did.”
Matthew nodded. “I mean, it was her first time and everything, but it felt. . .”
Damien’s eyes shot open. “She told you that? She said that?”
“Yeah,” Matthew said. “She said that I was different than all the other guys she’s ever been with. She liked that I didn’t pressure her for sex on the first date. She said that she wanted her first time to be with someone special. She made me. . .” Matthew’s voice caught, and Damien thought he could see a tear in the corner of his eye. “She made me wish that it was my first time, too.”
Damien shot to his feet and began pacing around the field. “That was not her first time, dude,” he said, kicking at a clump of dirt.
“Well, I know it’s not technically,” Matthew said.
Damien narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean ‘technically’?” he asked.
“She told me about how her last boyfriend raped her. But I don’t think that counts.”
Damien’s chest tightened. “She told you. . .she told you what?”
Matthew looked at the ground sadly. “She also told me that you didn’t believe her when she told you. Which I thought was pretty low. Why would she have any reason to lie about something like that?”
“I don’t know!” shouted Damien, feeling dangerously close to punching Matthew. “Why don’t you tell me?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” asked Matthew, realizing that Damien could, at any moment, become violent. “You’re the one that wouldn’t believe her when she told you. And you’re the one that avoided her calls after that.”
Damien kicked the dirt so hard it flew into tiny pieces. “That’s a lie!” he shouted, his voice borderline hysterical. “She was using that as a sympathy act. She never once called me. Never once tried to get help with anything.”
Matthew shook his head. “She warned me you’d react like this,” he said. “I can’t believe you’d treat her like this. She was a good friend of yours.”
Damien had nothing to say.
“I’m just glad I found her after the game, since you left her behind. What were you thinking, man? She doesn’t know anyone around here. She could have been stranded here all night.”
“She knows plenty of people,” Damien said coldly. “She’s dated or messed around with a good majority of them.”
“Now, look here,” said Matthew, jumping to his feet, truly angry for the first time. “She is my girlfriend now, and I’m not going to have you talking like this about her. She’s a sweet girl that did nothing to you but try to be your friend. You’re the one that’s too stupid and selfish to realize that.”
Before he even considered what he was doing, Damien swung his fist wildly and caught Matthew right in the jaw before swinging his other fist and hitting him squarely in the nose.
Both boys stared at each other in shock. Neither one moved until Matthew put his hand to his nose. His palm was quickly covered in blood.
“You should go to the nurse,” said Damien quietly.
Matthew nodded. He walked slowly towards the main building.
Damien massaged his knuckles. He’s never hit Matthew before, even playfully. He was angrier than he’d realized. He didn’t bother going to the rest of his classes that day. He walked to his car and drove himself home.


Later that same night, Damien stopped by Matthew’s house to apologize. He found an angry and fuming Matthew.
“I’m not mad about the nose,” Matthew began. “I’ve gotten worse injuries being tackled by a 250-pound linebacker. What I’m pissed about is what Fiona told me when I called her this afternoon.”
Damien sighed, wondering what was next.
“She told me that you demanded that she not get involved with me.”
“I didn’t. . .” began Damien.
“Dude. Stop lying to me. And for once, I wish you could get it through your head that I can take care of myself. I don’t need you looking over my shoulder, making sure that I’m living my life that way you’d like to see it lived. I can make my own decisions, and I don’t appreciate your meddling in my personal affairs. Because that’s what they are. My personal affairs. Stay out of them. I don’t need you in them.”
Damien could see that he was going to get nowhere. “Look,” he said. “I came by to see if your nose was ok. That’s it. I didn’t come to fight with you. But if you want, I won’t say another word to you about anything personal.”
“My nose is fine,” said Matthew stiffly. “And I would appreciate you just keeping your mouth shut. I’ll see you in school tomorrow.” The door swung shut and Damien was left on the front porch alone.
He climbed into his car, thinking about what Matthew had said. Fiona was lying to him. That much was clear. But why? Why was she lying?
Then it hit him. She was jealous. All through middle school, Fiona and Damien had been inseparable. They’d done everything together, much as Damien and Matthew had all through high school. Fiona, although two years older than Damien, had failed the 8th grade, so she was there an extra year. He was able to spend both his 6th grade and 7th grade years with her, and although she had been in high school when he was in his last year of middle school, since the two schools were very close in proximity, Fiona and Damien were able to see each other every day after school.
Their friendship, though tenuous, continued through high school. When Fiona graduated, Damien went to the ceremony and hugged Fiona tightly as she cried about missing him when she went off to school. She left that summer to begin her work study job at her new school. Every time Fiona and Damien spoke on the phone, Fiona pledged that they’d be “best friends forever,” which, even at the time, Damien thought was incredibly cliché and juvenile. When Damien mentioned that Matthew was moving back to Huntley, Fiona has not been pleased. Even though she spent hours telling tales of all the wonderful people she’d met at school, she didn’t seem to want Damien to have any other friends. It had to be the jealousy.
As soon as Damien got home, he dialed Fiona’s number. She answered it with a frosty, “Yes?”
“Fiona, it’s Damien.”
“I know who it is,” she said. “What I’m wondering is why you’re calling.”
“I just wanted to know something,” Damien said, wondering if this had been a bad idea. “Are you trying to mess up my friendship with Matthew because. . .you’re jealous?”
There was a beat or two of incredulous silence. “Jealous of what?” asked Fiona. “You? Please. Your type is a dime a dozen.”
Damien counted to five before speaking. “Then I want to know what other reason you have for lying to him. You weren’t raped. You know good and well you weren’t raped. And I can’t believe you told Matthew that I asked you to stay away from him.”
“I felt he should know that his quote unquote best friend was taking certain liberties,” Fiona coolly responded. “He’s a nice guy. You should be more careful with your friends.”
“You know what, Fiona?” Damien was almost certain he would regret what he was about to say. “You’d never be able to come between Matt and me. As much of a wedge as you’ve driven between us, you could never break what we’ve got. If it came right down to it, you’ve got to know that if he was made to choose between you and me, he’s take me. He wouldn’t let a girl come between us. He’s not that stupid.”
“Are you finished?” Fiona asked. “You’re boring me.”
“Yeah,” said Damien. “That’s all I really had to say. I just hope you realize you don’t have as much control over people as you think you do.”
“Goodbye, Damien,” was Fiona’s response. “Don’t bother calling here again.” She hung up.


The next day at school, Damien rushed to Matthew’s locker to apologize again for being a jerk. Matthew wasn’t at his locker, which was unusual. It was an unspoken rule that the guys met up every morning, just to say hey. Usually, they met at Matthew’s locker, unless one of them was running late. Damien wondered if Matthew was out sick.
Damien went to his first class, and then his second, not thinking much of Matthew’s absence. He would see for himself if Matthew was absent in his next class, which the two had together.
Upon entering the classroom, Damien was surprised to see that Matthew was already seated in a desk across the room from his usual seat, and that he was surrounded by people. Damien took his usual seat and tried to catch Matthew’s eye, but Matthew refused to look at him.
After class was over and as Matthew was stealthily trying to exit without running into Damien, Damien grabbed his elbow. “Hey,” Damien said. “What gives?”
Matthew ran a hand through his hair. “Do we really have to talk about this now?” he asked.
“About what?” Damien asked. “I looked for you this morning, and I was going to apologize for being such an ass recently. I know I was being bossy and domineering, and that I didn’t have a right to. . .”
“Look,” said Matthew, cutting him off. “You’re right. You haven’t exactly been my favorite person here recently. You tried to break my nose, and you’re lying to me about my girlfriend.”
Damien started to speak, but Matthew held up his hand.
“I don’t want to hear it,” he said. “But you need to know that I consider our friendship. . .terminated.”
Damien looked at Matthew in disbelief. He’s never known Matthew to cut anyone out of his life. As a general rule, Matthew loved people, and the more friends he had, the better.
“I. . .look, man. I know we’ve been friends a long time. But I think. . .I just think that we’ve run our course. We’re done. We don’t really have anything in common anymore.”
His proclamation had come so far out of left field, Damien didn’t know how to respond. “What do you mean?” Damien asked, hating how whiny his voice sounded. “You’re like my brother.”
Matthew shook his head. “If I had a brother, I’d hope that he wouldn’t treat my girlfriend the way you treated Fiona. Look,” he said again. “Last night, Fiona gave me an ultimatum. It was either her or you. And, looking at how things have been between us, I chose. . .I chose Fiona.”
Damien’s eyes widened. The phone call. That phone call had started all this.
“I know that friends shouldn’t let a girl come between them,” Matthew continued. “But I think Fiona could be the real deal. And she feels the same way about me. So. . .so I’m gonna have to go with my gut. She doesn’t want me to be friends with you because she’s scared that you’ll keep lying about her, and that I’ll believe her. I told her I wouldn’t, but she was so scared. Damien, she cried. That’s how scared she is about you messing this up. I think I’m falling in love with her, and. . .”
“You can not possibly be in love with her!” Damien burst out. “You don’t know her.”
“I know her well enough,” said Matthew, calmly. “But, unfortunately, I don’t know you at all. So long.” He walked away.
Damien had been so sure that he’d win. He’d pretty much guaranteed Fiona that he’d win. But he’d also assumed that if an ultimatum had been drawn up, it would have been drawn up by him. Not by Fiona. He never would have let it come to that, an ultimatum. It was a childish and immature thing to do. Precisely why she’d done it.


Two weeks passed, and Damien and Matthew still hadn’t spoken. Damien often saw Matthew in class, writing long letters in his best handwriting. He knew who they were for. Matthew had seemed to change. Even in his dress and his manner of speaking in class. Fiona never had to ask a guy to change for her. She had merely to suggest a change that could potentially be made, and most guys jumped right on the chance to make her happy. Matthew was no different.
One day, Matthew was absent from class. An odd thing, since most of the years Damien had known him, Matthew had gotten the perfect attendance award.
The following day, Matthew was back, but he looked as if he’d been crying for hours. Damien knew what must have happened. But just to be sure, he passed a note to Heather Wright, a cheerleader that now sat to Matthew’s left in class.
“What happened?” his note read.
Her response: “Major breakup.”
2 ½ weeks. He had lost his best friend over 2 ½ weeks.
He looked up from the note at the same time Matthew looked at him. Their eyes met for a brief moment. Matthew’s look was full of pain, but the message was still clear. He knew everything had changed, but he didn’t really want it to change back. Damien’s eyes, which had every right to read I told you so didn’t. Instead, they echoed Matthew’s sentiments. He knew they couldn’t go back. And now that he’d seen what it came down to, what their friendship really consisted of, he didn’t really want to either.
He’d lost. They both had.
Fiona, it seemed, was the only one who’d really gotten what she wanted.
But then again, she always had.