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Daniel McQuaid was sitting in the hallway, his head lowered, crying. He’d taken his glasses off so he could wipe his eyes. The pinecone he’d thrown was still sitting down the hall. Nobody had come to check on him, not even Tyler. McQuaid couldn’t figure out at that moment if that was a good or bad thing. On one hand, if somebody did come by, there would be someone to comfort him. On the other hand, he’d have to admit that he was so distraught because he found his crush kissing his friend’s ex-girlfriend.
Emaline and Kate walked out of the auditorium and noticed him. They glanced at each other and Emaline smiled.
“You go visit with your family. I’ll catch up later,” she whispered.
Kate nodded and left, leaving Emaline and McQuaid in the hallway together. She came over and sat down next to him.
“Hey,” she said softly, and he sniffled, wiping his eyes aggressively.
“What do you want?” he asked quietly, because if he spoke any louder than he was, he’d hear the tears in his own voice and lose it all over again.
Daniel McQuaid never cried. He didn’t think it was a weakness for men to cry, but he sure thought it was a weakness for himself to do it. When people would ask him why he never did, he’d say big emotions are “lame” and that he simply chose to disconnect from them.
Sometimes, he just couldn’t anymore. So when he started crying, it was very hard for him to stop.
“Why are you upset?” Emaline asked.
“No reason, really.”
“I can tell that this isn’t ‘no reason’. Why are you upset?”
Emaline noticed the pinecone in the distance and it clicked for her.
“Oh, sweetie,” she whispered, and wrapped her arms around him.
He pushed her back off and huffed.
Daniel McQuaid also didn’t do hugs. It’s not that he saw them as a weakness, he just didn’t like being touched. The most he was normally okay with was a high five. Maybe a fist bump, and occasionally, without thinking, he’d put his hand on Tyler’s shoulder to stabilize himself before doing something crazy, just like he did before he’d followed Emaline out of the gym.
“I thought you liked me.”
“I do like you, McQuaid. As a friend.”
“I don’t understand. If you didn’t like me, why’d you say all those things to me? Even today. ‘So hot, McQuaid.’ ‘McQuaid, good-looking tux.’ Why did you say all those things if you didn’t mean them?”
She sighed and laughed embarrassedly. “Because it seemed like you needed the confidence that came from me saying those things. Maybe looking back on it, it was wrong to flirt with you so much, but look at you now.”
“Crying in a school hallway? Ah, yeah. This is exactly where I envisioned I’d be right now.”
“No, I mean—“ she laughed and looked down. “You were gonna ask me out, right?”
He nodded his head.
“See? That’s confidence! You were gonna ask a girl out, and that’s one of the most courageous things a guy can do. Especially with the fear of getting rejected.”
“And look at what happened.”
“McQuaid, just because I like Kate doesn’t mean you aren’t an awesome guy. Besides…” she smiled, and he finally looked up at her. “I think a ton of girls are gonna be all over you after watching that movie.”
“A few girls did come up to me after the movie and ask me to sign their programs.”
“See? Just because I don’t like you like that doesn’t mean other people won’t. You’re an amazing person. You just have to show them that.”
“Can I make a confession? You can’t tell anybody.”
“I promise.”
“You’re the first girl I ever liked. I mean, there were actresses in some, uh…” he glanced away, trying to think of an excuse. “…Certain films I watched that I found attractive, but you’re the only girl I’ve had actual feelings for.”
She smiled and grabbed his hand. Admitting those feelings made McQuaid want to start crying again, or maybe throw up.
“I feel honored,” she told him, and he smiled at her. “You kept that pinecone I gave you, didn’t you?”
“Yes. And I talked into it every night. I know it’s completely unlogistic, but subconsciously I think I hoped that you’d be on the other end of whatever I was talking to. I admitted my feelings into that thing every night.”
“You’re so cute.” They both laughed for a moment. “So, where did you think you’d be right now? You know, other than crying in a school hallway?”
He blushed and sighed. “Well, right about now, I figured I’d be kissing you again.”
She laughed, then leaned forward and kissed his cheek. “How’s that?”
“I’ll take it.”
“Let’s get back in there, huh?”
Emaline stood up, then grabbed McQuaid’s hands and pulled him up too. She straightened out his shirt and bowtie, then grabbed his jacket and glasses off the floor and pushed them into his hands.
“Go get ‘em, champ.”
He smiled, then hesitated and hugged her. She was shocked, but she hugged back. When he finally let go, he smiled at her. He put his glasses on.
“Thank you,” he muttered, then turned around and went back into the gym.
She watched him go with a smile.