stop my spinning head. I looked up at the stars. They were so numerous in Prairie Glen; LA’s city lights were more than the starlight could take, and they’d run back here, like me. “I know the fee ling, stars,” I said. Then I realized I was one second away from seeing a broken swing set and taking it as a metaphor for my broken dreams. “Argh, I’m sorry, stars. I’m usually less cheesy than this.” Alcohol made me maudlin and clichéd.
“Who are you talking to?” Oliver said as he sat down beside me, slightly breathless.
I kept staring straight up at the night sky. “What are you doing? Where’s your date?”
“In the bar.”
“Go back to her.”
“Nah. Do you ever get the feeling that this town is too small?” he said.
“I think it’s just the right size.”
“You know you were about to get killed crossing the street. That was dumb.” He lie down next to me, and poked me in the ribs. I swatted his hand away and said, “Sometimes I’m dumb. But I wasn’t going to get hit by a car. I’m drunk, not blind.”
“I saw the car coming right at you.”
“You’re being a drama queen. I ran across. The cab won’t be here for twenty minutes. I don’t know why, since I could walk across the whole town in twenty minutes, but whatever. I thought I’d sit down.”
He made some kind of manly gruff sound indicating he was upset with me. Then he said, “You could have just asked me to walk you home instead of trying to get me to save you.”
I turned my head. “Save me?”
“Sure. Look at you. You got drunk twenty feet away from me, and then you interrupted my date, made a scene, and then left. You’re the drama queen.”
“Maybe I got drunk because I was drowning my so rrows, and it has nothing to do with you,” I said, turning back to the stars.
“What sorrows?” he huffed. He folded his arms under his head and stared up at the sky with me. “Are you going to tell me the co nstellations now?”
“I never took astronomy. I don’t know any constellations, e xcept Orion. I like Orion.”
“Yeah? Why?”
“He’s got a sword,” I said. “And my sorrows had to do with a cute guy named Colin who I thought was flir ting with me, but it turned out he has the hots for Ursula.”
Oliver snorted. “That’s dumb.”
“No it’s not. She’s beautiful.”
“Of course she’s beautiful. But it’s dumb that you got drunk because of some guy. You said yourself you were staying away from men.”
“Good point. This was just the reinforcement I needed. Men and me don’t mix. They just don’t get me.”
“I get you,” Oliver said.
“Yeah, but you’re not a man. Not in the same way.” I said it in an offhand manner, and even though Oliver was the most attractive man I could think of as I ran through a mental flipbook of men, and I was developing an unhealthy, one-sided crush on him, he was still my friend, not just a man. I smiled at him and poked him back in the ribs.
“I think I should be offended, but somehow I’m not.”
I waved my hand in the air in a vague gesture. “You know what I mean.” I propped myself on my elbows so I could look down at him. He looked right in my eyes and said, “I know what you mean.”
“I’m sorry for being drunk. But you can go back to your date. I’ll wait out in front of the bar.”
“Eh, it wasn’t really a date. This is better. I’ll wait with you until your cab comes.” Then he added, “Just to make sure you don’t cross the street drunk again.”
“My hero,” I said, clasping one hand to my chest and the other to my forehead, pretending to swoon. His lips twitched and he said, “I’m glad you find emasculating me a fun hobby.”
“Good. Then we’re on the same page.” I settled back down in the grass.
“Delaney?”
“Yeah?”
I felt his breath in my hair. “Can I ask you a f avor?” I nodded. “Could you not walk outside drunk in the dark anymore? It scared me.”
“Okay,” I said.
“Thanks.” He
“Who are you talking to?” Oliver said as he sat down beside me, slightly breathless.
I kept staring straight up at the night sky. “What are you doing? Where’s your date?”
“In the bar.”
“Go back to her.”
“Nah. Do you ever get the feeling that this town is too small?” he said.
“I think it’s just the right size.”
“You know you were about to get killed crossing the street. That was dumb.” He lie down next to me, and poked me in the ribs. I swatted his hand away and said, “Sometimes I’m dumb. But I wasn’t going to get hit by a car. I’m drunk, not blind.”
“I saw the car coming right at you.”
“You’re being a drama queen. I ran across. The cab won’t be here for twenty minutes. I don’t know why, since I could walk across the whole town in twenty minutes, but whatever. I thought I’d sit down.”
He made some kind of manly gruff sound indicating he was upset with me. Then he said, “You could have just asked me to walk you home instead of trying to get me to save you.”
I turned my head. “Save me?”
“Sure. Look at you. You got drunk twenty feet away from me, and then you interrupted my date, made a scene, and then left. You’re the drama queen.”
“Maybe I got drunk because I was drowning my so rrows, and it has nothing to do with you,” I said, turning back to the stars.
“What sorrows?” he huffed. He folded his arms under his head and stared up at the sky with me. “Are you going to tell me the co nstellations now?”
“I never took astronomy. I don’t know any constellations, e xcept Orion. I like Orion.”
“Yeah? Why?”
“He’s got a sword,” I said. “And my sorrows had to do with a cute guy named Colin who I thought was flir ting with me, but it turned out he has the hots for Ursula.”
Oliver snorted. “That’s dumb.”
“No it’s not. She’s beautiful.”
“Of course she’s beautiful. But it’s dumb that you got drunk because of some guy. You said yourself you were staying away from men.”
“Good point. This was just the reinforcement I needed. Men and me don’t mix. They just don’t get me.”
“I get you,” Oliver said.
“Yeah, but you’re not a man. Not in the same way.” I said it in an offhand manner, and even though Oliver was the most attractive man I could think of as I ran through a mental flipbook of men, and I was developing an unhealthy, one-sided crush on him, he was still my friend, not just a man. I smiled at him and poked him back in the ribs.
“I think I should be offended, but somehow I’m not.”
I waved my hand in the air in a vague gesture. “You know what I mean.” I propped myself on my elbows so I could look down at him. He looked right in my eyes and said, “I know what you mean.”
“I’m sorry for being drunk. But you can go back to your date. I’ll wait out in front of the bar.”
“Eh, it wasn’t really a date. This is better. I’ll wait with you until your cab comes.” Then he added, “Just to make sure you don’t cross the street drunk again.”
“My hero,” I said, clasping one hand to my chest and the other to my forehead, pretending to swoon. His lips twitched and he said, “I’m glad you find emasculating me a fun hobby.”
“Good. Then we’re on the same page.” I settled back down in the grass.
“Delaney?”
“Yeah?”
I felt his breath in my hair. “Can I ask you a f avor?” I nodded. “Could you not walk outside drunk in the dark anymore? It scared me.”
“Okay,” I said.
“Thanks.” He
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