The Virtue of Patience

"No shit? Like, that's all? You're not joking?" Michael had asked, as disbelieving as his girlfriend's squadmate.

"No joke."

"Huh," Sasha had mused, "well...props, I guess. Again, it's just weird to see, and that's why everyone is so curious."

"She's not what you think she is," Garrett said, "that's all I'm going to say."

Sasha shrugged. "Fair enough. And you're probably right; I mean, I've never talked to Brie before, so it's not like I would know. Come on, Michael, let's go find Tanya before she picks a fight or something."

Garrett had, of course, left out the caveats that Brie simply wasn't a people person and therefore extremely selective about

who she opened up to-so while he hadn't technically lied to Tanya, Sasha and Michael, he didn't want to tell them (or anyone else, for that matter) anything that they didn't need to know. He understood the value of privacy, as did Brie, and on some level he believed that that was part of why they got along so well.

As he sat through algebra that day, Garrett mulled over his upcoming dinner with Brie and her mom. He felt apprehensive and nervous, perhaps far more than was necessary. He realized that he was looking at it less like meeting the parents of a friend and more like meeting the parents of a fiancé-even though, despite what some of his more imaginative classmates might have believed, they weren't dating. That didn't make the prospect any less nerve-wracking, though, and the days that followed did little to soothe his worries.

Even when Brie picked him up that Friday, he was still running over the ways in which he might make the best possible impression. As they pulled into the parking space outside the duplex that Brie and her mother shared, the undercurrent of dread did not subside; it intensified. As the two approached the front door, Garrett could only brace himself...but just before taking out her key, Brie stopped, looked Garrett in the eye, gave him a smile and briefly touched his hand.

"I know you're nervous, Garrett, but you'll be okay, I know it."

"How'd you know?"

She smirked and said "I can read you like a book, Garrett."

He really, really hoped that that wasn't true.

* * *

The inside of Brie's place smelled heavenly. It was a scent of cooking beef and vegetables, immediately making his mouth water. Immediately, he felt an odd pang of guilt for only having pizza when she'd first visited his place. This felt like the red carpet treatment, and he'd given her McDonald's level.

As Brie set her keys down on a small table next to the front door, he soaked in the sights of the duplex. Cream-colored carpet covered the floor of the living room the he now stood. Against the opposite wall sat a huge leather sofa, a small wooden coffee table covered in books and magazines directly in front of it. Directly to his left, sitting on top of what looked like a very old entertainment center, was a TV and what looked like dozens of VHS tapes. Beyond that was a sliding glass door leading out to a small enclosed patio, where a table and a set of chairs sat alongside a barbecue.

"Mind taking your shoes off?" Brie asked, removing her own. "Keeps us from having to vacuum as often."

"Sure," he said, prying off his slip-ons, "no problem."

"Hey Brie, hope Garrett came hungry!" Called a woman's voice from the kitchen to the right.

"Hey mom, he did!" Then, in a low voice, she asked him "you came hungry, right?"

He smiled, and she returned it as they walked into the kitchen, where a tall (though still at least five inches shorter than Brie), brown-haired woman in a pair of black framed glasses was brushing olive oil onto a loaf of sourdough bread. She looked up and smiled at him.

"Hi Garrett, I'm Emma. I'd shake your hand but I really gotta get this bread in the oven. Dinner's almost ready!"

"Hi, Emma," he said, giving her a small wave, "yeah, it smells amazing."

"Thanks! London broil, oven-roasted asparagus and bread. Sound okay?"

"Yeah, that sounds great. Need any help?"

Emma smiled at him. "No, I'm almost done here. Thanks, though! You and Brie can just hang out 'til I'm done."

"Garrett, you want anything to drink?" Brie asked, walking over to and opening the fridge.

"Water's fine."

Minutes later, Brie and Garrett were sitting on the couch (or, rather, nearly being absorbed by it), while Emma finished up their dinner one room over. Brie set her water down on the table and spoke in a quiet voice.

"Thanks for coming, Garrett, really. It means so much to me."

Garrett looked up into her earnest blue eyes and smiled. "It's okay, Brie, really. I wasn't going to turn you down, no matter how nervous I was. Honestly, I don't even know why I worried; I mean, it's not like we're dating or anything."

Garrett had expected her to laugh, but she simply looked down at the water glass in her hand and shrugged.

"Yeah. Fair enough."

Garrett suddenly got the feeling that he'd made a mistake. The silence began to feel as if it were crushing him from all sides, so he asked "Brie, you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just kind of spaced out."

Before Garrett could reply, Emma stuck her head out from the kitchen and said "hey guys, bread'll be done warming up in fifteen. Mind if I join you?"

"Sure, mom."

Emma sat down next to Brie, her daughter between herself and Garrett. She smiled at him (shit, she even had the same smile) abd said "so I hear that you're the reason Brie's passing her biology class."

Garrett shook his head. "No, she's worked really hard on her own. I just helped her out as much as I could. She deserves most of the credit."

"Well you were a big help all the same," she replied. "and she talks about you all the time, so I figured it was time we met."

Suddenly blushing, Brie looked back at Emma. "I do NOT talk about him all the time!"

"Okay, okay, maybe not all the time, but you're still a big name here."

"Mom!" Brie said, exasperated.

"Anyway," Emma continued, still smiling, "I'm glad Brie finally got you over here. I know London broil won't totally make up for all your effort, but hopefully it helps."

"It's really not a problem," Garrett said, "you and Brie don't owe me anything."

"Well, I feel like I do," said Brie, "you've done a lot for me."

"Well we still have the final next week, so don't thank me just yet."

"So tell me about yourself, Garrett," Emma cut in, "I don't know anything about you, only what you've done."

So Garrett did just that. He told her briefly about his love of fantasy, horror and science fiction, his interest in computers, his dislike of large crowds, and everything in between. He told her about his father and his cat, and how they had become a close-knit unit over the years, and how he could talk to his dad about anything. How he really just wanted to get through high school and be done with it so that he could move on to better things.

As he finished, the timer on the oven went off. Emma stood up and said, "right, who's hungry?" Both teenagers stood as well, and they went to help Emma carry everything to the small, round dining table. As they sat down, Emma used a carving knife to slice the London broil into strips, and they tucked in.

"So I'm curious," Emma said as she helped herself to the asparagus, "where's your mom in all this? You didn't mention her before."

"Oh. Uh, she's not around anymore. Hasn't been since I was a kid."

"Oh," she said, setting the serving fork down, "I'm so sorry, Garrett, I didn't mean to-"

"No it's okay, really. She's not, like, dead, she just...well, left when I was a kid. She and my dad stopped getting along and eventually she just...bailed. I haven't seen her since I was seven; all my dad told me was that he thinks that she just got sick of having to be responsible. It's one of the only things he doesn't like to talk about, for the most part. It hurt him a lot, and I never really asked him about the specifics."

"Brie's dad walked out too, when she was ten and her sister was fourteen. He had a lot of problems, we'll leave it at that." Emma said quietly.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what to say." Garrett said.

"Well, we're all bonding," Brie said, "even if it's over shitty parents. It's a start!"

They laughed together, the tension dissipating as the telltale plinking sound of early raindrops began to pelt the window behind Emma, signifying the onset of winter in Danville, California.

* * *

September 2003

"Holy shit, you did great, Brie!"

"Oh my god, thank you!" Brie said breathlessly, scooping Garrett up in a tight hug. He returned it, and she let him go, blushing and smiling hugely at him.

"I couldn't believe I scored that last point. I was sure I would fuck it up!"

"Well you didn't, and you won it! You actually scored the winning point!"

"I know, I'm so stoked!"

The crowd gathered in the gym for the Danville High/Pope High volleyball game had mostly stood from the bleachers and were either milling around or headed out the multiple sets of double doors leading in and out of the building. Families and friends chatted with the players and the players with one another, many of whom walked by to congratulate Brie on her incredible last-minute victory spike.

"Hey, did your mom make it?" Garrett asked.

"No, she had to work. It's okay though, I know she would have come if she could have. Hey, do you wanna get something to eat? I'm starving!"

"Yeah, sure! Do you wanna change first?"

"Fuck no, I don't care. I need a burger!"

Garrett laughed. "I love you and your enthusiasm for food, Brie."

She smiled back at him, but for a fraction of a second, he thought he had seen a look of surprise in her eyes. He couldn't be sure, though, and so he did not bring it up.

* * *

The past nine months had seen Brianne Haskett and Garrett Trenton become a close duo, and their time together had by no means been limited to study sessions. After they had both passed their mutual biology class the previous year, they'd spent as much time together as they could: whether they were wandering around town, screwing around at the mall, watching sunsets together or just watching terrible movies at Garrett's house, they never seemed to tire of one another's company. Garrett never felt as if he had to talk to keep her interest, either; they could simply sit in silence for a while and enjoy whatever moment that they happened to be living in together. That was what mattered the most to Garrett: he never felt like he had to act in a particular way around Brie. He could be himself without fear of judgment, and deep down he knew that such a friendship was a rare thing indeed.

Therefore, he took time to quietly treasure the moment he was currently sharing with his friend, as they sat across from one another in the padded booth in the dining room of Paddy's Burgers and Shakes, a popular joint for Danville students and locals alike. Brie, eyes closed, was clearly savoring every last bit of her Paddywhacker (a burger with jalapeño, hot sauce and pepper jack cheese) while he sipped on his chocolate caramel milkshake.

"So, uh, I wanted to tell you something," Brie said, putting her burger down after finishing approximately half of it, "I wanted your take on it."

He put down his shake. "Sure, what's up?"

"Um...before the game, you know Eric Martinet? From the basketball team?"

"Only ever seen him."

"Well, he asked me out on a date. And I said yes."

"Oh wow. That's cool. So, you, like...what, want me to tell you whether I think it's a good idea or not...?"

"No," she said, "I guess I just...wanted to know if you were okay with it." Her hands had gone to her lap, her shoulders sagged and her eyes were suddenly uncertain.

Garrett replied "Well...do you like him?"

"I mean...he seems okay," she said slowly, "he wants to take me out to lunch tomorrow at that little Italian bistro downtown."

"Ciccarelli's?"

"Yeah, that one. I mean, I guess we'll see how it goes. I've...never been on a date before," she added quietly, "so I'm just nervous."

"Well that aside, I guess I'm okay with it as long as he treats you right," Garrett said, "he's a senior, right?"

"Yeah."

"Don't let him push you into anything you don't want to do just because he's older and good-looking," he warned, "just...be careful, okay?"

"I will, Garrett," she said, her smile coming back, "thank you."

He returned the smile, his world crumbling just a little on the inside.

* * *

"Garrett? Phone's for you, it's Brie!"

Garrett stood from his desk, paused his game and went to the kitchen where his father was holding their house phone.

"Thanks, dad." He took the phone and put it to his ear.

"Hey, Brie...?"

"Can I come over, Garrett?" Her voice was shaky and strained.

"Um, yeah, sure, that should be fine...are you okay? You sound upset."

"I really am, Garrett. I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Um...okay," he said, "I'll see you in a bit."

She didn't say goodbye, she merely hung up. He suddenly had a sinking feeling in his gut that something had something happened on her date; he just knew it, and he was worried sick about his friend as he sat on his front porch, waiting for her little white Civic to pull up to the curb. After about fifteen minutes it appeared, a slight screech as she hit the brakes and killed the ignition. The driver's side door flew open and out she came, her 6' 3" frame covered by a light blue sun dress, her short brown hair coming loose from its' ponytail. Her eyes were a deep red, tears streaming down her reddened cheeks.

"Oh my God, Brie! What happened?!" Garrett said in alarm, now standing.

"Eric happened, Garrett. Fucking Eric happened." She choked, stopping just a foot from him. Her hands were balled into fists and her lips were quivering. Before he could reply she let out a sob and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him against her as tight as she could. He embraced her in return, her tears streaming onto his shirt. He didn't speak, he simply let her cry, not letting her go.

After several minutes, her grip relaxed and she leaned away, looking him in the eye. The quiet, strong young woman he'd always known now looked utterly devastated and broken, and he wanted nothing more than to help her out of it.

"Garrett, can...can we sit down?"

"Yeah, absolutely," he said, taking a seat on the porch steps. She sat beside him, and looked over to meet his gaze.

"He tried to pressure me into sex, Garrett. We'd gotten done eating and we went over to Weylon Park, we were just sitting by ourselves and he...he came onto me."

"He fucking what?!" Garrett nearly shouted.

"Just let me finish. He...we were sitting on a bench, and he takes my hand and puts it on his crotch," she said, voice wavering, "I pull it back and he says 'what? I figured this is where we were headed anyway', and I told him no, I don't want to do that. He laughs, he actually LAUGHS, and says 'bullshit, you know you want me and so do I'. So I just stood up and was about to leave, and he grabs my wrist..."

"He what?!"

"Garrett, please! And...and he says 'what the fuck is your problem, I took you out and bought you food, you ungrateful bitch!' I...I couldn't believe it. I still can't. I pulled my hand away, I tell him to get away from me and to never come near me again, and he just flips the fuck out. Starts yelling at me, calling me a fucking freak and a tease and a whore, and...he mentioned you, Garrett."

"He...what?" A chill went down his spine.

"He...he asked if it was because of you. He said, 'what, is it that little faggot Garrett? You're fucking Garrett, is that it? You gonna lead me on and fuck him instead?' And I...I slapped him. Really, really hard. And I just turned and ran. Not walked, ran. He didn't follow me, luckily."

"No shit. I'm glad you got out of there, Brie. Fuck Eric, that guy is an asshole and doesn't deserve you. I'm so glad you got out of there."

"Thanks, Garrett. I would have gone to my mom first but she's at work right now. Jana is working too and Chelsea is out of town with her family, so...I just had to talk to someone. I don't mean that as a knock against you at all, please don't think it is. You were actually the first person I thought of while I was running, though. Like I HAD to get to you, where I'd be safe."

At this, her head dipped down and she began to cry again. Her tears fell silently onto her sun dress, leaving dark spots in their wake.

"The things he called me...I...I'm not a whore!" She cried out. "I...I wasn't being a tease, I just wanted to go on a date! I j-just wanted t-to have FUN!" She shouted the last word at the top of her voice, whereupon it turned into a racking sob. Garrett had no words. He was dumbfounded that this fucking prick could so flippantly treat the kind, caring and deeply sensitive young woman sitting next to him on the porch steps in the way that he had. It made his head spin, and he could feel his anger boiling higher and higher...but then, she turned and looked at him, he beautiful eyes deeply reddened but still piercingly blue, and she said, "I just want you to stay here with me for a while, Garrett. Help remind me that I'm not what he said I was."

Before he could stop himself, he reached over and took her hand in his. She looked down at this, then back at him, tears still flowing freely. And she squeezed...not hard, but firmly and sincerely. In that moment, Jason was aware that he had not felt this badly for someone since his father after his mother had left them. He and Brie were both seventeen now, and this had been her first and so far only date...and it had ended in her being manhandled and insulted by some scumbag who didn't deserve to breathe the same air that she did. As he held her hand and watched her weep in silence, knowing that there was nothing he could say that would heal the hurt, he felt that she was beautiful in her tragedy, her anger. It was righteous, that anger; that of a kind soul who'd been mistreated for no good reason, and Garrett found it truly offensive that it would even occur to begin with.

"This is going to sound weird, but..." Brie began, looking up from her lap at him, no longer weeping, "but it...it reminded me of when my dad left us when I was a kid. My mom didn't tell you the whole story, and I want you to know it."

"Brie, you don't have to-"

"No, I do. The only other people who know are Jana and Chelsea, and you're as much my friend as they are. I...I think you should hear everything."

"Okay, Brie. Take your time."

She paused, took a deep breath, and began to speak. "It's pretty simple. My dad was-maybe still is, I don't know-an alcoholic. Like, he couldn't go to sleep without at least a few beers, from what my mom told me. He would come home drunk and keep drinking, then he would pass out in our living room back at our old house. It was bad, he really had a problem."

"Jesus," Garrett said, "that's-"

"That's not all," she cut in, "he was never physically abusive, but he would hurt my mom, my sister and I in other ways. He'd scream at us when he drank, tell us that we were stupid and worthless, that he drank because we stressed him out. I don't think that that was true, in hindsight, I think he was just a stupid fucking drunk, but coming from your own dad it still hurts a lot. Still does, honestly. He would talk down to my mom, too; call her a crazy bitch and a control freak because she didn't want him drinking around us...but she didn't give up, even though she probably should have. My mom is strong and stubborn, and she was just so determined to make things work for mine and my sister's sake."

Garrett sat in stunned silence, only able to stare in disbelief at what he was hearing.

"Anyway, the night it finally ended...he was drunk as fuck, of course, and he just...fell through the front door, almost. My mom runs up to him, like 'Todd, what the hell, are you okay?', and he just jumps up and tells her to fuck off. They start to argue and Claire, my sister, goes up to him and says 'daddy, are you okay?' And I...I swear, it's burned into my memory, he looks down and says 'get the fuck away from me, you fucking brat'. Word for fucking word, Garrett. My mom hauls back and slaps him so hard that he almost falls over. She just starts to scream at him, I've never seen her so angry since then, calling him a bastard and a worthless drunk, and to never speak to Claire or I like that again. And he comes back with something I'll never, ever forget: he screams 'I never wanted those fucking kids to begin with!'"