"Oh, Bo" - oh bo.
. . .
Hamilton, Massachusetts, 2007
We're sitting on the park bench as usual, writing puns for Bo's songs.
"What rhymes with 'Bostonian'?" Bo glances at me, his notebook in hand. I think for a second, scrolling through lists of words in my mind. Finally, I have an answer:
"Abso-fucking-lutely nothing. Why do you need a rhyme for Bostonian anyways? You're from Hamilton, my friend! The good ol' 01982!" I smile, making a rainbow gesture in the air. "I mean, look at this beautiful little town that we live in! It's a true gem!"
Bo just stares awkwardly at me until I put my arms down.
"Fine," I mutter. "Try 'Cambodian'." Bo smiles and quickly jots the word down before he moves on to the next word.
"What rhymes with 'Aryan'?" I roll my eyes and get up off the bench, bored out of my mind. "Come on, let's go do something fun!" I grab his hand and pull at him, but he stays put.
"Justine, calm down," he says absentmindedly, adding on to the words in his notebook.
"No, pleassseeeee???" We can run and dance! Let's go to the woods where you carried me! Come onnnnn, Bo! Pleassseeeee? Please, please, please?" I beg him, pulling on his hand like a child.
Finally, he stands up and folds his notebook in half to stuff in his jeans pocket.
"Fineeeeee...." He chuckles, looking at me in a way that makes me blush. "You're such a little kid."
"Shut up, pedophile," I grin as he rolls his eyes. He's not the only "comedian". The mood is so happy right now, and I can't bear to ruin it. But, there's something I have to tell Bo. I sigh inwardly. Maybe I'll just tell him when we get to the woods.
. . .
"This is the spot!" I stand proudly on the pavement, pointing at the bench surrounded by trees. Bo chuckles and sits down. All day today, he's been sweet and quiet. I'm slightly concerned.
"I have to tell you something," I say as brightly as I can.
"What is it?" he asks, raising his eyebrows as he slides his arm around me.
"Um... I got into Juilliard!" Bo's eyes widen, and his jaw drops.
"No way! Justine, that's fucking amazing! Congrats!" I smile. Thank God he's not upset. Everybody else in our town from the class of '08 has gone off to college except for me and Bo. I would've, but Juilliard rejected me the first year I applied, so I took this year just to refine my technique and work with teachers from all over the place to become a better dancer.
"When do you leave for New York?" Bo smiles genuinely, his face warm and happy. My heart melts when I realize he's happy for me.
"Um... I leave...." I pause, staring into his expectant eyes. "... next Monday."
"What?!" Bo jumps up, obviously upset by the news.
"Yeah. Juilliard sent me a letter and I have to leave early if I want to lock in my schedule... It's my dream, and you know about my depression and you know how this helps me. Dancing helps me forget about life, Bo, and it's always been my dream, and I've gotten so much better since then. Please, please don't be mad, Bo. I need you to support me. I'm scared." My voice drops as I look into his disbelieving eyes. Please don't be mad, I think. I need Bo for this. I don't want to live in the big city all alone, and I need him to push me to my dreams.
"I'm not mad," Bo says quietly. "It's just really quick notice is all."
"I know," I say, leaning my head against his chest. "I'm sorry." I sigh. I'll miss Bo the most once I move. We're not even dating, even though the love has always been there. For years, I know I've loved him and I'm certain he loves me, but the timing was never right. It still isn't.
I can hear his heart beating as he puts his arm back around my shoulders. He's staring into the distance, as if he's thinking about everything too. We sit for a long time in silence, thinking about life.
Finally, he breaks the silence.
"I love you," he says abruptly. My heart skips a beat, but he doesn't even move. He keeps staring forward.
"I love you too," I say, sinking more into his chest. He sighs, and I do too.
How the hell did we get ourselves into this mess?
. . .
A/N: super short chapter, but I really wanna get back to LA, and this is an important part of the plot anyways. The MA chapter after the next is gonna be really dramatic and sad so look out for that.
As usual, vote and comment!
(PS: Did ya catch that "Bo Fo Sho" reference at the beginning? Nice.)
