The Six Rules of Maybe

emerged from the garage carrying a box labeled CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS .
    “Oh, let him have it, sugar. He’s Scarlet’s friend.”
    “Whatever you say, sweet pea.”
    “That’s the man I married.”
    I rolled my eyes in Jesse’s direction. I’d never seen them so lovey dovey before. Usually, they were either ignoring each other or doing the functional back and forths that I guessed were what wasleft after a long life together. I wondered what happened. Maybe you just woke up one day from fifty years of TV watching and gutter cleaning and table clearing and realized that you had to have a garage sale and that you were in love. Maybe there was hope for Juliet and Hayden. Someday when they both had white, poofy dandelion hair, Juliet would look at Hayden and realize the depths of her true feelings.
    “Those will look very handsome,” Mrs. Martinelli said to Jesse. “We got those on our trip to Arizona.” She searched around for the pen cap.
    “Under your chair,” I said. I smiled, shrugged, and handed Jesse the single cuff link. Who knew where the other one was.
    “Thank you very much,” Jesse said to Mrs. Martinelli.
    “Look through the record albums. I think we have Bay City Rollers.”
    Jesse bent his head to attach the cuff link to the pocket of his denim jacket, next to the silver snap.
    “That will look very handsome,” I whispered. He grinned.
    He looked up and we had an awkward moment, where you’re both in that vacant space where there are a thousand things to say and nothing to say.
    “I should go.”
    “I’m heading out to—” Our door opened then, and Zeus came charging out, and Hayden yelled, “Catch him!” and I lunged, but Jesse caught his collar with one quick hand.
    “God! Sorry guys. Prison break,” Hayden said. One thing about Zeus, he completely broke training when the front door opened. You had to walk out sideways, or he’d shove through and run for it. He was fearless about going after what he wanted. Who cared about streets and cars and the chance of death when there was all that open,endless space full of high speed possibilities?
    “Zeus … ,” I explained to Jesse, who seemed surprised to be suddenly grasping a dog, let alone one crazy with near-escape joy.
    “My fault!” Juliet said from the doorway. Hayden retrieved Zeus, and they exchanged hands on that collar. I saw them standing together, and I had an unfair moment, a comparison moment, when I saw Hayden’s sure strength, his firm grip, and Jesse’s uncertain one, Hayden’s known pieces and Jesse’s unknown ones, the way Hayden filled the space in my mind like few people ever had, maybe no one.
    “Thanks for the catch,” Hayden said, and smiled at Jesse.
    “I’d better be going,” Jesse said. He got on his bike. I felt guilty, like maybe he could read my thoughts. But maybe not, because he just smiled and said, “See ya,” and shoved off on his bike, that cuff link still shiny on his jacket.
    “Who was that?” Hayden said, and knocked me with his elbow.
    “Someone from school,” I said.
    “I don’t know, Scarlet Ellis. I got to wonder what’s going on here. It looks like a someone from school.”
    “No, not at all.”
    It sounded harsh and definite. I didn’t want him saying that. I wished he hadn’t seen us. It was wrong to think like I was thinking; stupid, I knew that, but there it was. The nighttime talks meant something to me. I was loyal, even if Juliet wasn’t.
    Mrs. Martinelli held up a large ancient drill and waved it my way. “Your young man didn’t want any of these nice tools?” she said.
    I wouldn’t have agreed to go shopping in the city with Juliet if I’d known Hayden was coming along. But there he was with his leather key chain dangling from his finger, heading for the truck, leaning into clear the seat so there was room for both of us. I didn’t want to be with them all day; I knew that much. His devotion made me feel lonely when I was with them, in a way it didn’t when it was just the two of us. I didn’t understand why people were always so devoted to Juliet. Instead of plain old love, she got absolute dedication; and instead of regular human anger, she got complete forgiveness. She gave so little back, too. Why was it that when we got crumbs from people who usually gave nothing, we were thrilled? A person’s everyday abundant generosity, though—it could become ordinary and meaningless, the way you stop smelling perfume after the first few thrilling