Again, But Better

Leo Primaveri
Who’s this?
Alfie Primaveri
Breaking News: Shane’s
with a dude.
Anthony Primaveri
No. Fucking. Way.
Leo Primaveri
Do you actually speak to
each other?
Alfie Primaveri
Can’t wait for the
wedding.
I’m gonna throw up.
Babe’s voice. “Shane? Are you okay?”
Pilot’s tagged in this photo. I’m gonna die. My mouse
scrambles up: 
Delete. Delete. Delete. Delete. Delete.
I speed
back to the notifications and open another. There’s a post on my
wall from Leo and Alfie’s mom, my aunt Marie.
Marie Primaveri
Miss you, sweetie! It looks like you’re having a
great time. Leo tells me you have a boyfriend out
there. I hope it’s the cutie in the pictures!
The computer’s pulled away from my face. “Shane,
seriously, you’ve been muttering 
no
repeatedly for, like, a solid
sixty seconds.”
I pull it back. “Sorry, family thing,” I mumble. I pick it up
and run out of the kitchen. I hear my chair fall, but there’s no
time to stop. This is dire.
I slam into a seat at our bedroom table and delete the post.
Another new notification pops up from Leo. He’s online. He
posted on my wall.

---

Leo Primaveri
You deleted our comments about your new
boyfriend? I’m hurt.
Delete.
Another new notification on my wall.
Leo Primaveri
You keep deleting my posts about your boyfriend.
What’s his name—Pilot?
Delete.
Angry tears sting my eyes. Why is Leo leading this
parade? I sit back up, opening a private thread in Facebook
Chat.
Shane
WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
Leo
Relax, cuz, just having fun.
“Ahhh!” I scream at the screen. It’s one thing to do this
when we’re at a family party—I swallow at the lump in my
throat and type.