Page 61 of Open Water
HARTWICK INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL NOVEMBER 22-24
Ethan parked. Stared at the marquee.
"That's my name," he said.
"Yeah."
"My film is playing in a theater."
"Yeah, Ethan."
He sat in the driver's seat with his hands on the wheel and for three seconds he wasn't the confident, sarcastic Ethan who had a comeback for everything. He was a twenty-year-old kid whose art was about to be seen by strangers for the first time.
Ethan had been such a good friend and now he was making a big move in his life. He was presenting his work out into the world. And I was proud of him. This was a whole other level of coming out. And I could only imagine what was going through his head.
"It's going to be great," I said and I put my hand on his shoulder. "I'm here for you like you've been here for me."
Ethan looked over, his hazel eyes, fear turning to relief.
He exhaled. Nodded.
"Alright. Let's do this."
"Lets."
Chapter 13: Liam
The Spaghetti Palace hadn't changed.
Red-checkered tablecloths, dim lighting, and the giant ceramic tomato by the cash register. Same smells — garlic, cheap wine, the breadsticks they kept in baskets on every table whether you ordered it or not.
The hostess sat us in the same corner booth that I sat with Emily just a few months ago. But things were different now… very different. I couldn't tell if it was progress or the mess of my life had gotten worse. If it was progress, then it was weird, terrifying, progress.
Noah and Priya came in five minutes late. Priya was still in her blazer from the tournament, her debate binder tucked under one arm, glasses slightly crooked. She was talking before she even sat down.
"Davis choked. Third round. I could see it from the prep room, he started hedging on the empirical data and the Amherst team just ate him alive. We had a six-point lead going into that round and he gave back eight."
"Priya—" Noah started.
"We placed second because one person couldn't hold his nerve under pressure. Every other round was clean. Ours were clean. I can't fix someone else's rebuttal from the prep room."
She slid into the booth across from me. She was shorter than I expected, Noah had talked about her so much she'd gotten taller in my head. Dark hair pulled back, a pen tucked behind her ear that she'd probably forgotten about. She looked like someone who'd been arguing at high speed for six hours and was still running hot.
"Priya, Liam. Liam, Priya," Noah said, sliding in next to her.
"Finally," she said. "I've heard so much about you I feel like we've already met."
"Same. Noah won't shut up about you."
"Good. He shouldn't." She picked up a breadstick and pointed it at Noah. "Tell him what you said about me after the first round."
Noah's ears went red. "I said you were impressive."
"You said I wasterrifyingly competent.Own it." She bit into the breadstick and looked at me. "So. Rowing. I don't know anything about it. Noah tried to explain it once and I fell asleep."
"It's boats," I said. "You go fast."
"See, that I understand." She grinned. "Congrats on the Head of the Charles thing, by the way. Noah showed me the video. You looked miserable the entire time, which I assume means you were doing well."
