By Brooke Kelly
Theo knows he has to break Penny’s heart. At only sixteen years old, he thinks there must be some way to do this nicely, politely, kindly. His brother’s phone-crackled voice plays over in his head as he pulls into her driveway: “Of course she’s gonna cry, kid. It. . . It’s gonna be brutal.”
He stalls in the car as sweat pools in his armpits, courtesy of the beater’s broken air conditioning. It isn’t until the heat becomes unbearable that Theo forces himself out of the driver’s seat, knocking one knobby elbow on the doorframe.
The boy’s hands tremble as he lets himself in through the unlocked garage door, and the salty aroma of beef and broccoli stew fills his nostrils. Dread churns in his stomach as Mrs. Adams greets him with a wide smile. No, he isn’t staying for dinner.
“Let me know if you change your mind, sweetheart,” she calls over her shoulder as she adjusts the settings on her Crock-Pot.
Theo hesitates at the foot of the stairs, eyes locked on the kitchen as he remembers spooning barely warm stew straight out of the Crock-Pot as Penny giggled and leaned on the counter behind him. He had slammed the lid back down and hid the spoon behind is back as Mrs. Adams turned back into the kitchen, but he couldn’t contain his laughter and the stew dribbled down the front of his face. Mrs. Adams tells that story every time she remakes the meal, laughing harder at each retelling. Theo guesses she won’t tonight.
Maybe I don’t have to do this. Maybe I can be happy again. She made me happy for so long, right? What if the spark comes back, and I laugh at the idea of ever breaking up with her. I love her. I love her?
The doubts do not stop the inevitable, and Theo slowly puts one foot on the step in front of him.