Thursday 2 February 2006

Groundhog Day

Sir Walter Wally may have said there's six more weeks of winter, but things may be getting better for me.

First, Jake is talking to me again. He texted me a couple days ago saying he wanted to talk. We met at the burger joint down the street, where I finally apologized to him about ditching him that night at Tanner's, and he seemed to understand. His smile told me he was okay with it now, but there was something else...good.

And that was he's going to New York for art school. He's a pretty talented artist, having looked through his sketchbook...He’s got a pretty kickass portrait of me taking a corner, something he drew when he was injured in sophomore season, so he'll do great there I think. But then he was a pretty kick-ass midfielder too, and I can't help but feel guilty that I helped end his career and ruin our friendship at the same time.

Just thinking about it makes me feel terrible. While my best friend may be talking to me again, this news just confirms that there's no going back...the Jake I knew before that night, is not the same Jake I was looking at. In a few months, we'll not only be on opposite sides of the country, but...well, he's going onto a new life.

Meanwhile for me, even though we didn't win state, it seems my defensive skills were good enough to get me into a school out in Southern California. From what I saw they're pretty good, having produced a few MLS players that have gone on to US national team stuff. Would I have gotten that chance if I had been caught with Jake? Probably not. But in hindsight, would I have sacrificed it all for him? I'd say yes.

Too late now, though. I've got my life to live, and I gotta live it.