The Hardest Fall

Why did I get the feeling I wouldn’t be at the top of her movie-buddy list?

“My turn. What do your parents do?” she asked, cutting into my thoughts. “I’m thinking your dad was…a pro athlete? Maybe?”

“Hmmm,” I hummed, pinching my bottom lip between two fingers. “As far as I know, my dad never played football, at least not while he was in high school, so that rules out him being an athlete like you imagined. He is actually a plumber, and my mom is a kindergarten teacher.”

“Wow,” she said as she exhaled after a few seconds of awkward silence. “Wow, I really am an asshole, aren’t I?”

“I wouldn’t put it exactly like that.”

She laughed, and I had to grip the back of the couch tighter. “I would. So you’re not some rich kid, then? Not that being rich is bad or anything, I just assumed, you know, because…who the hell knows at this point—obviously not me.”

That soft pink started to spread over her cheeks again, and this time it was me who was laughing.

“I’m not rich, no. My family isn’t rich either, but we’re not doing that bad. Like you, I try to make extra money whenever I have time. Plus, I have an athletic scholarship, so that helps.”

She tucked her hair behind her ear and looked down at her lap.

“What do your parents do?” I continued so we could get back to how we’d been a few minutes earlier before she started to hide herself from me.

“My dad is an investigative journalist. He used to write for The New York Times, but after he married my mom, they moved to Phoenix. He writes for a local newspaper now. My mom…” She cleared her throat and averted her eyes. “My mom passed away a few months before I came to college. On top of everything that came with her sickness, we had other issues as well. We weren’t the closest mother and daughter, but she was still my mom. So, crying at the drop of a hat when I was a freshman might have had something to do with that too. New city, new people, and when you add in everything else, it wasn’t a good combination for me.”

That wiped the smile off my face and I straightened up, shifting in my seat. “I’m sorry for your loss, Flash.”

After a brief glance in my direction, she gave me a small smile and nodded. “She had breast cancer. We were too late.”

“My last year in high school, we lost my grandpa,” I started after a short period of silence. “We have a pretty close-knit family, pretty loud sometimes, and in each others’ business pretty much always. He lived down the block from us so he was always in our lives, a built-in babysitter. I used to run to his house every evening so I could play catch with him while he told me stories from his old days…just random, unimportant stuff.” Looking away from Zoe, I smiled. “I swear to you I was there every day. As soon as the clock hit five, I was at my grandpa’s, and every time he opened that door his first words were, You again, kid? What’s a man gotta do to get some peace and quiet around here?” Just picturing his easy smile had me chuckling to myself. “And then he’d reach for the football before I could even open my mouth. Don’t tell anyone, but I think I was his favorite. He loved that I was around so much. The effect his presence had in my life…” I shook my head and lifted my eyes up to Zoe, who was listening, rapt, her eyes sad and understanding at the same time. “You lost your mom…I know that’s different, harder, and I know nothing I can say would make it any easier, but I understand how hard it is to cope with loss. It sounds so fucking stupid and selfish since they can’t even… I’d give anything to have him around so he could see where I’m heading, or just hang out and talk, you know.”

I forced my gaze back at Zoe and caught her quickly brushing away a single tear that was running down her face.

“Yeah, I know.” She tilted her head. “We’re getting pretty deep here. You’re serious about getting to know each other, huh?”

To be completely honest…I wasn’t. Sure, I wanted to ask her a few questions, maybe get a feel for what to expect with her, but I hadn’t planned to get so deep, so soon—or at all, really. The conversation had just led us where we were. To lighten the heavy mood, I tried to steer us in another direction.

“Let’s do a rapid-fire Q&A.”

“Oh, I’m gonna suck at that. I’m not good with one-word answers but hit me.”

“Cat person or dog person?”

“Dog person. Cats…they kind of scare me, not the kittens or the cuddly ones, but I don’t like how some of them focus on you like they’re plotting ways to kill you. You know what I mean? It’s not all of them, but still. I’m a dog person all the way. You?”

I couldn’t hold back my smile. She was right, she wasn’t the best person for short answers, but I wasn’t complaining. “I’ll say dogs, too. So, art and photography, huh?”

“Yeah. Your major?”

“Political science. Your favorite movie snack?”

Her lips stretched into a smile and she played with the edge of her shirt.

“Moving on to harder questions, huh? Peanut butter M&Ms, hands down, but I don’t actually buy them—that would be dangerous. Same with chips. Usually, I have no self-control when it comes to food. Yours?”

“Popcorn. You gotta have popcorn when you’re watching a movie. And not buying M&Ms…not sure what to say about that. What’s your biggest weakness?”

“I thought it was my turn, but fine, I’ll answer.” She sighed and dropped her eyes before answering. “Pizza. It’s pizza.”

“What’s up with the face?” I asked, laughing.

“It’s bad,” she answered, looking up at me through her eyelashes. “Really bad. I can eat a big one all by myself even though I know I’ll feel miserable and have trouble sleeping because of being so full, but I can’t say no. I can never say no to pizza. I’m definitely not gonna start saying no any time soon, either. Ask me what food item I would choose to have for the rest of my life or if I was stranded on an island and I could only have one thing and—”

“Let me guess, you would say pizza.”

“Yeah. It’s a weakness. Carbs galore. I know it’s not good for you and all that stuff, but it’s so good. All that cheesy gooey goodness, and the sauce is just as important. So is the dough, and the toppings…God, the toppings. Every layer is important. So many choices. It’s magical, a circle of love. What’s your favorite topping?”

The more she talked, the more my smile grew.

“Pepperoni, or any kind of meat, really.” I could’ve sworn I heard her groan softly as she licked her lips.

“What is your biggest weakness?” she asked.

“Not to sound like I’m copying you, but if we’re talking about food here, it has to be cheeseburgers. Pizza would be a close second. Okay, next one. Tell me your biggest pet peeve.”

“This shouldn’t be a surprise, but I have more than a few. I’m fascinated by people, which is a big reason I love portrait photography, but…I hate fake people. Can’t stand them, don’t care to be around them. People who constantly talk over you as if your opinions don’t matter—just nope. It gets my blood pumping in the worst way. Entitled people. Unflushed toilets. Saggy pants on guys. People who believe they’re the shit and good at everything—they usually aren’t, and even if they are, I’d love to be the one to comment on it, not hear it from them. I could go on and on, so please shut me up.”