amazing me-collage on top of it. Itâs still preferable to cremation, though. Body burned into nothingness? No thanks!
âThanks, Pow.â
âOn to more important things: you and Taryn get nasty again?â
âWeâ¦did.â Unlike Paolo, whoâs pretty graphic in describing his sexual adventures, Iâm not much of a kiss-and-teller. It makes me uncomfortable, like Iâm exposing my most vulnerable self in casual conversation. Not to mention that Veronica could be overhearing everything weâre saying. I should at least throw Paolo something. âAnd it was good.â
âJust good?â
âIt was great, okay? But thenâ¦â
I tell Paolo about the splotch that was on Taryn, how freaked she was, and howâwith an awkward kiss and a âSee you at my SittingââI had to leave her mid-freak-out to come here.
âHoly crap, dude, that sucks.â
âI know.â
âShe really did STD you!â
âOr maybe I gave something to her.â I sigh. I walk to the fridge, all nervous energy, and take inventory, hoping for some kind of cranberry juice.
âNo, man, I meanâjust finished the cran-apple thismorning, sorry, hombreâmaybe she gave it to you yesterday!â
âRight. Lookâ¦Taryn and I didnât sleep together yesterday.â
âYou didnât?â
âWe didnât.â
âDid you have sex today?â
âWe did.â
âBut not yesterday.â
âNot yesterday.â
Paolo has plopped down at the kitchen table, thinking really hard about all this.
âYou said you had sex yesterday, though.â
âWellâ¦I did have sex yesterday.â
Paolo is thoughtful, then astounded. âDudeâ¦â He is speaking very quietly. âAre you telling me you got yourself a prostitute?â He mouths the word
prostitute
.
âNo! What? No!â
âYou said you had sex that wasnât with Taryn, so I donât know!â
âOkay, okay, look, I wasnât gonna tell you this, but I had sex withâ¦â I shake my head toward the kitchen door twice.
âWhy are you jerking your head around like that? I canât understand what youâre saying.â
âNo, look at me, I had sex withâ¦â And I again give my head two violent shakes toward the living room as I simultaneously point with my finger.
âNoâ¦,â Paolo mutters.
I shrug.
âYou did it with my mom?â Paolo whispers.
Iâm about to violently disagree when the door opens and Paoloâs mom walks in.
âSorry to interrupt again. Left some work stuff in here.â
Paolo is completely still as she rifles through a stack of papers near the phone. âOh,â he says. âCool. Yeah.â
He stares at me with a mixture of discomfort, disgust, and awe.
âGot it,â Paoloâs mom says, holding a notebook. âSo serious in here.â
She walks out.
âWow,â Paolo says, shaking his head in wonder. âYou could cut that sexual tension with a knife! Canât believe I never noticed it. I mean, it makes sense in a way. I could see myself doing it with your mom if she werenât married.â
âWhoa, whoa, stop, stop. Ew, man.â
âOh, so you can do it with my momââPaolo realizes how loud heâs being and reins it inââbut when I even
mention
returning the favor with yours, you get all squirmish.â
â
Squirmish
is not a word, and I absolutely did NOT do it with your mom. Geez, dude, give me some credit here.â
Question marks hover over Paoloâs head. âYou didnât do it with my mom?â
âNo.â
âOh, so what was all theââ Paolo stops short, looking as if heâs just seen someone rub feces on his bike. âVeronica.â
I grimace.
âMy pure sister, Veronicaâ¦â
âIâm sorry, dude.â
âTainted. By
N.R. Walker
Laura Farrell
Andrea Kane
Julia Gardener
Muriel Rukeyser
Jeff Stone
Boris Pasternak
Bobby Teale
John Peel
Graham Hurley