The Distance Between Us

Realizations

"C'mon, Conner...please, pick up..."  "Yo, this is Conner!  I've got better things to do right now.  Leave me a message and I might get to you."  Megan sighed as she heard the beep of the answering machine for the hundredth time this morning.  It had been a week since their big fight, and she hadn't seen or heard from him since.  He was avoiding her at school, and ignoring her texts and phone calls.

She put her cell phone down and buried her head in her hands.  It was obvious he didn't want anything to do with her.  What was she to do?  Nice going, Morse., she thought.  You just get back the best friend you've ever had, and you drive him away.  She looked up.  Than again, it wasn't really my fault.  Conner was the one who wanted me to give up what could be the greatest night of my life for one silly concert.

Megan sat up straighter.  Yeah!  This fight is his fault!  He's the one who should be trying to reach out to me!  She picked up her phone and glared at it, as if she was glaring at Conner.  If Conner doesn't want to see me, than that's fine by me!  I guess it is better that we went our separate ways!

She walked over to the wall, where her cheerleader calendar hung.  The date of June 17 was circled in fuchsia marker and was adorned with the words PROM NITE! on it.  Besides...I've got more important things to worry about...
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Conner lay down on his bed, fiddling with his childhood football, his mind far, far away.  He had nothing to do for the day.  He had tried to make plans with his new friends, but they all turned him down. The Senior Prom was tomorrow night, and they had to get ready for it with haircuts, final fittings, and last-minute checkups. It seemed like Prom was all that was on anyone's brain lately.

Just then, he heard a knock on the door. He looked up to see his dad standing in the doorway. "You okay, champ?" Conner sighed and went back to tossing his football up and down. "Yeah...no..." Clark came over to sit next to his son on the edge of his bed. "You wanna talk about it?" Conner shook his head, his eyes focused on his pigskin. "No."

Clark paused for a moment. "You and Megan haven't talked in a while." "A week and four days." Clark furrowed his brow. "Excuse me?" Conner sat up. "We haven't spoken to each other in one week, four days, eleven hours, and twenty-three minutes." He realized what he had said. "But, uh, who's counting?", he stuttered, eyes darting back and forth. Clark raised an eyebrow. "You are, apparently. And I'll tell you why—because you miss her."

Conner shut his eyes tight, cringing. "So what if I do?", he retorted. "Its not like it'll make any difference. She's got dozens of friends! She's like, the most popular girl in school! She's dating this total jerk who everyone loves, just because he's on the football team, and is class president, and is—" Clark cut him off with a "Hmmmm." Conner looked at him. "What?" "Interesting.", Clark said. "It always comes back to her boyfriend, doesn't it?"

Conner quirked an eyebrow at his father. "What are you implying?" Clark shrugged his shoulders innocently. "Well, it seems to me like the only real problem you have with Megan is who she's dating. Maybe you're not mad at her, per-say. Maybe the person you're really mad at...is Xander?" Conner rolled his eyes. "Don't be ridiculous! I'm not mad at Xander!"

He stood on his feet and walked around the room. "Even if he is, cocky...and loud...and disrespectful...and he treats Megan like she's some sort of shiny trinket on his arm..." His anger and frustration grew with every word he said. "And every time he smiles, I have to resist the urge to punch him right in the face...God, I just can't believe that Megan would ever date such a stupid, arrogant, no good jackass like Xander Farway! She deserves better! She deserves a guy who'll treat her better! She deserves—"

Just then, he realized what he was saying. He looked at his father, whose eyebrows were raised and whose interest was peaked. "So, you think Megan can do better. Like who?" Conner opened his mouth, but no answer came out. Clark rose to his feet and began his walk out of the room. "I think you have some serious thinking to do."

After his dad left his bedroom, Conner sat back on his bed, deep in thought. Why did it bother him so much that Megan was with Xander? True, he had been wracking his brain trying to figure out why someone as sweet and kind and generous like her would see in a guy like him. What in the world was she trying to accomplish by dating him? Unless she was actually in love with him. No!, Conner thought. No, that could never happen! Never in a million years! She can't be in love with Xander! That would be wrong! She can't love him, because—

And that's when the truth hit him like a ton of bricks. "Because I love her." At that moment, all the littles pieces fell together. The way he couldn't stop looking at Megan, the kiss that they had almost shared on the ferris wheel, why she always looked beautiful, even when she had messy hair and no makeup on, the nausea he felt when saw her with Xander...it all fit together perfectly, like the pieces of a puzzle.

Everything that had happened in the past eight months suddenly made sense. He was in love with Megan. He was in love with her weird charms, her giddy laughter, her glittering hazel eyes, even those cute little freckles on her adorable button nose. It had taken this long for him to figure it out, but now he had finally realized it.

"I'm in love with Megan Adrianna Morse."