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He rubs his hand against his face and grits his teeth. “You’re the first to hear this.”

Gavin knows I can keep a secret. Whether that’s keeping shush about a surprise party he’s throwing for Marcos, or the time he attended an eighteen and over comedy show—he was still in high school—for this stand-up comedian his parents deemed inappropriate. His parents would be enraged if they knew he not only attended the show of said inappropriate comedian but used a fake ID to gain entrance. “I’m all ears.”

“I want to transfer to UCLA.” His jaw clenches then relaxes. “It has a great psychology program, and L.A. is awesome. Every time Marcos and I visit for a concert or Anime Expo, I just want to explore everything. It’s like I’m always going on an adventure that I never want to end.”

“That’s great, Gavin. But what happened with UC Davis?”

I remember Marcos and Gavin cheering and hugging when they were both accepted into the same school. As a major plus, they both loved the campus.

A grin curves across Gavin’s face, a blend of I love it there and I’ll miss it there. “It’s a great school, and I’ve enjoyed all the experiences it’s given me. But the city is quiet and suburban like Sunlight, and I’ve already spent twenty years of my life in that kind of environment. I guess I want a change.” His face, along with his grin, drop down. There’s a hint of guilt saturated on his face.

It takes a few seconds to study his face before everything clicks. “You haven’t told Marcos?”

Gavin confirms my suspicion with a heavy sigh and slouched shoulders. “I’ve been too nervous. You know he hates change.”

I nod, remembering how he was once mad at Nora for changing the time they were going to see this Marvel movie. He had his whole day planned out, and he argued with Nora about why she should’ve told him in advance before buying tickets for an earlier showtime.

“I’m worried he won’t want to do long distance. I want to do something new with my life, but I’m scared of losing him.”

Hearing Gavin say this hits me hard. Wanting to pursue a path that excites you but not knowing how it will affect the ones you hold dearly in your heart. I wish I could help, but how can I when I haven’t even told my parents what I really want to do?

“It’s scary.”

“Yeah, it is. That’s why I’ve been walking around here. This place helps me relax and think logically.” He scrubs his hands against his face, a groan muffling into his palms. “I don’t know how I’ll be able to face Marcos today.”

My stomach pinches at the thought of losing my main subjects, losing the vision I have for this week’s theme—trust. Gavin clearly has a lot on his mind. I should tell him that he and Marcos don’t need to be in my photo, that I can find others. But since I have little time to take and edit my photo and prepare my presentation, I squash down this offer. It’s selfish, I know. But seeing Gavin and Marcos together over the years, I’ve seen their trust in each other grow stronger. I can’t think of better main subjects. I want to take my photos with the vision I had in my heart. And I’ll be able to present them with my heart too.

Then an idea clicks.

“Want to practice how you’ll talk about this with Marcos?”

Gavin raises both his eyebrows. “What?”

I almost swallow down my words thinking my suggestion is stupid. But a closer look at Gavin’s eyes, I catch a glimpse of hope. So I repeat my suggestion and add, “That’s how I’ve been preparing for my presentations, by practicing. I can pretend to be Marcos, and you can practice how you’ll tell him you want to transfer to UCLA. I’ll act like Marcos with different reactions so you’ll be prepared no matter what.”

Gavin nods slowly, considering this.

“If you think it’s dumb, we don’t have to—”

“Not at all. It’s perfect. Can we start with the worst-case scenario?”

And that’s what we do. I first start off by pretending to be Mad Marcos. Then Sad Marcos. For the next few minutes, we cycle through Indifferent Marcos, Shocked Marcos, and Happy Marcos until Gavin feels confident in how he’ll deliver the news.

“Okay,” Gavin says, “I think I got this.”

“I think you do too.” I’m hoping my help is enough.

Gavin texts Marcos explaining that he’s already at Serenity Park. Since Marcos needs to help his parents clean up, he agrees to meet us over here. Twenty minutes later, Marcos arrives with a smile that rivals the brightness of the sun. I really hope he keeps that smile once Gavin tells him about his plans. He greets Gavin with a kiss and me with a hug.

“Are we all ready?” Marcos asks.

I notice Gavin’s scrubbing his hands together. Should I cancel all plans to take my photo? I feel bad making Gavin go through with this when he’s so worried. My stomach plummets. I may need to find new subjects after all.

Marcos’s phone rings, and he answers the call in Spanish, his mom’s voice responding on the other end.

Gavin waves me for me to follow him until we’re out of Marcos’s earshot. “I’m terrified.”

“Understandable,” I say. “But I think you’ll be okay.”