The Virtue of Patience

"I do that sometimes," he replied as he slipped his key into the deadbolt, "I'll just...come out and watch the world go by with my cat. It's nice."

"That sounds wonderful." She said quietly as Garrett opened the door. They stepped inside and he closed the door behind them.

"I like how it feels just as cozy inside," Brie said, looking around, "I can see why you love this place."

"Oh totally. So hey, you want anything to drink? I figured we'd just settle in at the dining room table and get to it."

"Honestly, ice water would be great."

"You got it." Garrett lead his classmate into the dining room, where he put their backpacks down on the table, and turned on the lights. He went into his kitchen, pulled out a couple of glasses and filled them with ice from the freezer, leaning his face into the cold for a moment just to cool down. He ran each glass under the faucet and brought them back out to his waiting classmate. She thanked him and took a long drink.

They sat down next to one another at the round table, opened their backpacks and pulled out their respective biology homework. Brie spread hers out in front of her and picked up one of her pencils, making like she was about to write her name at the top of the first sheet, but then stopped and put the pencil down. She looked unsure of herself, and Garrett, noticing the change, stopped what he was doing and looked quizzically at her.

"Hey Brie, you okay?"

"Yeah. I just...wanted to thank you for doing this. You didn't have to but you did anyway, and it means a lot, especially with how nice and helpful you've been in class, too. Not a lot of people would do this for me, and, I'm...I'm glad that you're one of them."

Garrett stared for a split second at the tall, athletic vision sitting next to him, her eyes downcast at her homework. In them, he saw a sadness and worry that he hadn't seen before, and it alarmed him. Immediately, he tried to put her at ease.

"Of course, Brie. What are friends for, after all?" He realized the impact of this statement too late; he'd never referred to himself as her friend before, and he was suddenly terrified that he'd overstepped his bounds.

She looked at him, smiling. "You're right, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be a downer."

"You're not a downer!" Garrett said with a touch of incredulity.

She giggled. "Thanks, Garrett. Wanna get started?"

Garrett's fears abated, the two dove into the work before them. It was a little slower going than usual for him, but Brie was just having more trouble grasping the concepts Ms. Curtin had been laying out before them. While her confidence was shaken, by the time they were a quarter of the way through it she was already beginning to get the hang of it. There was hope for her yet, Garrett thought to himself.

Not long after this point, Brie suddenly jumped as if startled, causing Garrett to do the same. She looked under the table-as did Garrett-to see Gordie at her feet. He looked her in the eye and meowed.

"Oh shit, I forgot. That's Gordie," said Garrett, "he likes to do that."

"Well, Gordie is a brat," she said, reaching down and scratching Gordie behind his ears. He at first meowed in protest, but after realizing that he wasn't in any stranger danger, relented and shoved his nose into her palm.

"Wow, he's friendly!" She said, continuing to scratch and rub the top of Gordie's head.

"He likes everyone as long as they give him attention." Garrett replied, chuckling at Gordie's immediate affection. Brie continued to scratch Gordie for a moment and then stopped, looking to return to work. After only a moment, she jumped again.

"AH! Hey, Gordie, stop that!"

"What did he do?!"

"Hey!" She said, pulling her legs out from underneath the table. "No, Gordie, bad kitty!"

"What happened?"

"He's nibbling on my leg! It didn't hurt a lot but it scared me!"

"Gordie, go be an asshole somewhere else!" Garrett said sternly, reaching under the table to swat at the cat, who meowed angrily and ran off into the living room.

"Sorry," he muttered, "he does that sometimes too." She giggled again.

"It's okay, he's still cute."

It was a quarter after five, and they'd plowed through most of the assignment when there came the sound of a key in the front door. It opened, and in walked Bill. He entered the kitchen and stopped, a look of surprise on his face.

"Hey Garrett. Who's your friend?"

Shit! He'd forgotten to get a hold of his dad! "Hey dad, she's my bio lab partner, and I'd meant to call but I just...we got into it and I forgot."

"No problem, she doesn't look dangerous," he said with a sly smile, "and it looks like you're at least doing something constructive."

Garrett and Brie smiled nervously as Bill set his keys on the counter. He offered his hand to Brie. "Hi, I'm Bill. I'm Garrett's dad."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Brie," she said, taking his hand, "Garrett is helping me."

"Well I raised him to be helpful." Bill said, smiling. "Okay, I'll let you get back to it. Also I don't feel like cooking tonight-it's been a long day-so I think I'll just order pizza from Leslie's. Anything you don't like on yours, Brie?"

"No, not really." She replied, shrugging.

"Gotcha." He smiled at them and went back into the living room, where he kicked back on his recliner and picked up the house phone on the side table next to it, whereupon he dialed up Leslie's Famous Pizza.

"Okay, we're in the home stretch. You got this, Brie." Garrett said, looking her in the eye.

She returned the look and said, "thanks Garrett. I think I'll be okay."

They dug back into the assignment, determined to show their biology work who was boss. After forty-five minutes, the doorbell rang and Bill answered it; their pizza had arrived, a piping hot combination that made Garrett's mouth water. Brie looked up as well, her eyes gleaming. Bill paid the delivery driver and said goodbye, closing the door and bringing dinner back into the dining room with him.

"You two about done? I'm hungry, so I don't really want to wait."

"We've only got two more questions to finish, Mister Trenton. It won't take long." Brie piped up.

Bill chuckled. "Just 'Bill' is fine, Brie. Yeah, go ahead and finish up. I guess I can wait...for a little bit."

The two teenagers smiled as Bill returned to his recliner. They put the pedal to the metal, busting through the last two questions in just under ten minutes. Finally, they both dropped their pencils and looked at each other.

"Feeling better about it yet?" Garrett asked.

She smiled. "No," she said, "not really. But I think I've got the basics. In case you couldn't tell, bio isn't my best subject."

"I'm shocked."

She smiled and looked at him again. "Thank you again, Garrett. You're awesome, you really are. I probably wouldn't have been able to do this without you."

"Sure you would have," he said, "it just would have taken a while. Don't tear yourself down, Brie."

She looked down at her work, avoiding eye contact. "Maybe. I dunno," she said quietly, "it was just nice to have you here guiding the way."

Garrett felt a pang of sympathy in his gut. In that moment, he wanted nothing more than to protect and bolster the girl sitting next to him for as long as he could. He smiled, saying "hey, I'm glad to do it anytime. Wanna eat on the porch?"

She perked up. "Yeah, totally."

After finding some plates and informing Bill that they were going to eat outside, Garrett put a few slices on his plate and headed outside as Brie borrowed their phone in order to check in with her mother. Garrett sat down on the steps of the front porch, letting the cool evening breeze wash over him as he enjoyed his food. The sun was setting, casting a golden glow over the neighborhood, were there was little in the way of sound beyond the low hum of distant traffic and the faint rustle of the branches that hung from the willow tree on the far left side of the front lawn. The blue sky deepened to a soft shade of pink on the horizon, the sun having dropped behind the houses across the street.

Garrett stopped eating for a moment to appreciate this perfect backdrop to his evening with his newfound friend, who after a few moments came outside to join him. She shut the door behind her, plate in hand, and sat down down next to him on the step.

"We're good. I told her I was going to eat here."

"Awesome. I already started, hope you don't mind," he replied.

"Nope!" She picked up a piece off of her plate and dug in. As she did so, Garrett got the feeling that Brie never attempted to be 'ladylike' when she ate; there were no small, polite nibbles here. She was hungry and clearly had nothing to prove. After the rigors of volleyball and plenty of difficult homework, he couldn't really blame her.

"Yeah, you were definitely hungrier than I was," Garrett said, smiling.

"What can I say? Volleyball will do that to you."

"Well, hopefully we can get you at least a B in bio. I don't want you to get in trouble with the coach."

"I think I'll be okay," Brie said, "with you helping me out, I'm not that worried. I just wish that I could repay you somehow."

"Beat up anyone who tries to fuck with me; you're tougher than I am."

She giggled. "Maybe. Do you get picked on a lot, Garrett?"

He finished his last slice and looked over the houses across the street, the sunset framing them in a soft glow. "Nah, not really. I may be a dweeb, but I learned to keep it quiet, you know? I'd rather be a ghost than a target."

"Smart," she said, halfway done with her own final slice, "you've probably saved yourself some trouble."

"Yeah but I shouldn't have to, you know? I shouldn't have to worry about getting picked on or even fucked up just because I'd rather play Half-Life than football."

She cocked her head quizzically. "Half-Life?"

"It's a video game. Look, point is, I hate having to downplay my interests just because some people don't think that they're cool enough."

Suddenly, her face fell and she looked at her feet. Garrett swore he could see her lower lip tremble ever so slightly.

"I know what it's like to wear a mask."

He didn't respond, waiting for her to continue. After a moment, she sighed quietly and spoke again.

"I know what people say about me. That I'm cold, that I'm antisocial, that I'm some bitchy ice queen who thinks she's too good for everyone else...but I let them think that because then they leave me alone. Then I don't get hurt or screwed over."

"What about me?" Garrett asked, his curiousity mounting. She looked at him.

"Because I knew you would be safe," she said, "that you weren't two-faced. When you first talked to me last month, I just...knew. I could tell that you were just trying to be nice to me, and I know that because so many people have been so fucking cruel to me right off the bat; I can tell almost immediately now, what someone will be like when they approach me. And I've been teased about everything: my height, not acting feminine enough for some of the other girls, for not wanting to talk that often, not really being into partying...so I just tower over anyone who talks shit and stare them down. It works, too...I've even freaked out a few guys who were gross and creepy to me."

"Honestly, I was super nervous at the thought of talking to you," Garrett said, "you were kind of intimidating, but...I dunno, I guess I just wanted to know the truth."

"Well, now you know. So...what do you think?"

"What do I think...?"

"What do you think about me, Garrett?"

He thought for a moment. "I think that people are missing out on someone great."

She gave him that little smile, her eyes sparkling like the stars that would soon light up the night. "Thank you, Garrett."

He just smiled back at her. God, she was so beautiful that it hurt. It filled him with an ache that went to the core of his being; he'd never felt attraction this strongly before. It killed him on the inside to know that they were only friends, and that that was likely all they would ever be.

* * *

It was nearly midnight now. Brie had long since gone home, his father was asleep, and now Garrett was lying in bed, watching the shadows dance on his walls, softly backlit by the moonlight that crept in through his window.

They'd talked for several hours, just getting to know each other as budding friends do. They had talked about their interests, their frustrations, and even their insecurities (the big one for Brie it was her height, for Garrett it was his mild social awkwardness and difficulty making friends).

It had been remarkably easy to get lost in their conversation; she'd proven so easy to open up to that, in hindsight, it shocked him. Before he'd initially approached her, she'd seemed so cold and distant; even after they'd become acquaintances, she'd always maintained that distance just a little bit, so that evening had been a real eye-opener. He suspected that he was one of the few people attending Danville High School who had ever received any insight into the real Brianne Haskett, and he found that he was glad to have proven himself worthy of the honor.

He couldn't ignore the truth, though: he was crushing hard on his new friend. Really hard, as a matter of fact; everything about her appealed to him. She was kind, she was patient, she accepted him as a person, she was charming and could hold a conversation...and, to top it all off, she was a beauty who, in his mind, was way out of his league. Garrett knew that it would probably never happen, but at the same time...well, he had no real experience with relationships and he didn't know much about women, but he still found himself thinking about how if he could pick anyone to teach him, it would be her.

He didn't know how she felt about him, but he was pretty sure she only saw him as a friend. He wasn't a desirable guy, that was all there was to say about it. But, then again, there were quite a few things that Garrett Trenton didn't know.

He didn't know that, before going to sleep, his father had smiled, thinking that his son had found a lovely young lady who seemed to fit him like a glove, and that he'd intentionally kept his distance so that Garrett could talk to her without interruption.

He didn't know that Brie had been ecstatic the whole drive home, both in that she was no longer so worried about flunking biology and that she had actually made a friend, someone who didn't treat her like a freak and actually listened to what she had to say. He didn't know that she felt more grateful of the fact that he'd talked to her that day in class than for just about anything else lately.

He didn't know that, after walking into her apartment that night, Brie had sat down with her mother on their couch and told her all about her study session with Garrett Trenton: how he was patient, helpful and intelligent, how he never mentioned her height, how he had a really pretty house and a kind father. She stressed that this boy was proving himself to be, overall, a wonderful addition to her life.

He didn't know that her mother had received this with some small measure of surprise (being worried, as all mothers would be, that the boy in question might have tried putting the moves on her little girl). He didn't know that, by the time Brie had been finished, Emma Haskett's fears, while not entirely allayed, had been tempered with a strong measure of curiosity. She wanted very much to meet the young man who seemed to be making such a positive impact on her daughter's life.

Most importantly of all, he didn't know that Brie had lain awake in bed for over an hour that night, staring at the ceiling, a near-overwhelming cacaphony of thoughts and feelings swirling through her mind. Among them was the fact that, after he had told her that her that others were missing out on her, there had been a very brief but very strong desire to reach out and take his hand, to interlock her fingers with his own and to not let go. She had, of course, fought off this urge; it would have been super awkward and more than a little bit creepy to do to a recent friend...a recent friend who was honestly really great, and also attractive in a way she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Yes, these were all things that Garrett Trenton of Danville, California would very much have benefitted from knowing, but alas, would remain obscured for the time being. Eventually, he passed into a quiet slumber, wondering all the while just what the future would hold.

* * *

December 2002

"...so do you think you can make it?"

Garrett didn't even stop to think before answering her question, even though he'd been panicking internally. "Yeah, absolutely. What time?"

Brie gave him a bright smile and said "around five okay?"

He shrugged. "Sure, yeah. I'll wear a collared shirt."

She giggled. "You don't have to be formal. It's just dinner with my mom and I. No pressure."

"Yeah, well, maybe for you," he muttered, "I just don't want to look like an asshole."

"You're a lot of things, Garrett, but an asshole isn't one of them," she said in a more serious tone than he'd expected, "you've been an amazing friend to me, and I've told her nothing but good things about you. She just wants to meet you in person."

"Okay, okay, you're...you're right," Garrett replied, "I'm sorry, Brie. And thanks for the vote of confidence."

"You're welcome. So...Friday at five? Dinner, then we study for the final. Can I grab you at four-thirty?"

"Yeah," he said, "absolutely."

"Awesome!" She swooped him up in a tight hug, which he returned softly while his head was buried in the nape of her neck. She put him down and said, "Okay, I gotta get to class. See you tomorrow!"

She turned and hurried off to her seventh period class, while Garrett quickly made his way to algebra, ignoring the people who'd been giving him bewildered looks while Brie had hugged him. This was something he'd become used to recently: ever since he and Brie had gotten closer and been seen together at school, he'd become something of a curiosity. The tall, strong, silent ice queen of Danville High walking around with and hugging on a quiet, nondescript ghost of a dude like Garrett Trenton was, to many of the people that the two of them shared the space with, a noteworthy change of events that warranted investigation.

More than once, random people had asked him if they were dating, or had inquired about what Brie was like. His responses were always the same: "no" and "talk to her yourself", respectively. Frankly, he had better things to do than answer inane questions asked by lazy assholes who wouldn't have given him the time of day otherwise. In fact, he'd once been approached in the quad by Tanya Morales, one of the most popular girls in school and a higher-up on the Danville cheer squad, whereupon she'd begun pestering him about Brie. "That big fucking weirdo never says a word to me or anyone else but now she's all over you? I don't get it. How'd you even get her to talk to you in the first place?" She had demanded, to which Garrett had simply shrugged and said "I just said 'hi'. And hey, maybe just ask her yourself."

That had earned him a glare capable of withering plant life. She had then stormed off, while her friend and cheer squadmate Sasha, along with Sasha's boyfriend Michael, who had been along for the ride, stared after her. Sasha, who was known to be far more level-headed and reasonable than Tanya, looked back at Garrett.

"Look, I get that she was a drama queen about it," she had said, "but you have to admit, it's kinda weird. Jana and Chelsea won't talk about her; they never have, and Brie herself just, like, walls off pretty much everyone else, so I guess we're all just...I dunno, wondering how you did it."

"I wasn't lying, really. I said 'hi' one day, she said 'hey' and it just went from there."