him."
"You seemed really happy to make some new friends."
"I hope we can hang out more often. Maybe you'll get lucky and
the girls will start asking me to hang out with them every once in a
while."
He looked confused. "Why would that be lucky for me?"
"You'd be off the hook. You wouldn't have to keep me entertained all the time. Given the fact that you get stuck with me every
night too, you must be getting pretty sick of me by now."
"Actually," he said with a shrug, "not at all."
The carhop knocked on the window. He quickly paid her, grabbed
our drinks, and turned back to me. I unwrapped both straws and put
them in our drinks before grabbing my drink out of his hand.
"Good grief, this thing is huge. If I drink all of this I'll be up all
night."
"What else is new?"
I punched him in the shoulder as I took my first swig.
"I had to say it. You set it up perfectly."
"True, I did."
Riley watched as I took another sip. He was acting strangelyhe had been all day-and I was getting suspicious.
Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and laid my head back
against the headrest.
"What's the matter? Are you feeling okay?" he asked.
"Can I ask you something without you getting upset or taking
it the wrong way?"
I turned my head and looked at him.
He set his drink into the cup holder and immediately ran his
fingers through his hair. "I would hope so. I guess it depends on
what it is."
"It's not that it's any of my business or anything. I just don't
want to think something that's not true," I said.
"Go ahead; just lay it all out there."
My mind raced as I played with my straw.
"Please just get it over with; I'm dyin' here."
"Someone told me that you've had sex with a lot of girls and you
have the reputation of being a player. Again, not that it's any of my
business or that it should even matter to me, but-"
"But what?"
I shrugged my shoulders, looked down at my drink and wished
I'd never said anything. He was obviously uncomfortable.
"Just say it."
I looked back up at him. "Are you playing me, Riley?"
"What?"
"Being so nice, spending all this time with me. Is this a game for
you? A summer challenge?"
His eyes were large and full of shock. "Is that what you think?"
"I don't think so, but I don't know. I mean it isn't as if we've ever
been extremely close before, and now all of a sudden we're attached
at the hip."
"That's not true, Charlie. We've always been close."
"We hated each other."
"No, we enjoyed torturing each other; there's a difference."
He laid his seat back and covered his eyes with his fists.
"You're upset with me. I knew I shouldn't have said anything."
"Yes, I'm upset, but not with you. And yes, you needed to say
something. Good grief, if that's what you've been thinking all this
time ... Geez, the thought of it makes me sick."
I touched his arm and then quickly pulled my hand away. "It
hasn't been `all this time."'
"Have I been acting like a complete jerk and didn't know it?"
"No, I just started wondering today."
"So I was a jerk today?"
"Of course not."
"Then what in the world happened today that made you start
doubting my intentions?"
"You acted different."
"Different how?"
"It was the way you looked at me. It was just, I don't know, different." I nervously plunged the straw up and down in my soda. I'd
never been a fan of confrontation, and I certainly wasn't enjoying
this conversation. "I'm sure I could have totally misread it. It's not
like I'm an expert on this or anything. Good grief, Riley, just forget
I ever brought it up."
"No, it's okay."
"Is it all true, Riley?"
"I don't even know where to start."
As I watched him shake his head, I realized his face had paled.
"So I'm right?"
"Yes."
I doubted my facial expression hid my disappointment.
"I mean no."
"No?"
"Okay, here goes. First, I do not have sex with a lot of girls. As a
matter a fact, I've never had sex with anyone."
"You haven't?"
"No."
"I thought Anne and I were the only
"You seemed really happy to make some new friends."
"I hope we can hang out more often. Maybe you'll get lucky and
the girls will start asking me to hang out with them every once in a
while."
He looked confused. "Why would that be lucky for me?"
"You'd be off the hook. You wouldn't have to keep me entertained all the time. Given the fact that you get stuck with me every
night too, you must be getting pretty sick of me by now."
"Actually," he said with a shrug, "not at all."
The carhop knocked on the window. He quickly paid her, grabbed
our drinks, and turned back to me. I unwrapped both straws and put
them in our drinks before grabbing my drink out of his hand.
"Good grief, this thing is huge. If I drink all of this I'll be up all
night."
"What else is new?"
I punched him in the shoulder as I took my first swig.
"I had to say it. You set it up perfectly."
"True, I did."
Riley watched as I took another sip. He was acting strangelyhe had been all day-and I was getting suspicious.
Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and laid my head back
against the headrest.
"What's the matter? Are you feeling okay?" he asked.
"Can I ask you something without you getting upset or taking
it the wrong way?"
I turned my head and looked at him.
He set his drink into the cup holder and immediately ran his
fingers through his hair. "I would hope so. I guess it depends on
what it is."
"It's not that it's any of my business or anything. I just don't
want to think something that's not true," I said.
"Go ahead; just lay it all out there."
My mind raced as I played with my straw.
"Please just get it over with; I'm dyin' here."
"Someone told me that you've had sex with a lot of girls and you
have the reputation of being a player. Again, not that it's any of my
business or that it should even matter to me, but-"
"But what?"
I shrugged my shoulders, looked down at my drink and wished
I'd never said anything. He was obviously uncomfortable.
"Just say it."
I looked back up at him. "Are you playing me, Riley?"
"What?"
"Being so nice, spending all this time with me. Is this a game for
you? A summer challenge?"
His eyes were large and full of shock. "Is that what you think?"
"I don't think so, but I don't know. I mean it isn't as if we've ever
been extremely close before, and now all of a sudden we're attached
at the hip."
"That's not true, Charlie. We've always been close."
"We hated each other."
"No, we enjoyed torturing each other; there's a difference."
He laid his seat back and covered his eyes with his fists.
"You're upset with me. I knew I shouldn't have said anything."
"Yes, I'm upset, but not with you. And yes, you needed to say
something. Good grief, if that's what you've been thinking all this
time ... Geez, the thought of it makes me sick."
I touched his arm and then quickly pulled my hand away. "It
hasn't been `all this time."'
"Have I been acting like a complete jerk and didn't know it?"
"No, I just started wondering today."
"So I was a jerk today?"
"Of course not."
"Then what in the world happened today that made you start
doubting my intentions?"
"You acted different."
"Different how?"
"It was the way you looked at me. It was just, I don't know, different." I nervously plunged the straw up and down in my soda. I'd
never been a fan of confrontation, and I certainly wasn't enjoying
this conversation. "I'm sure I could have totally misread it. It's not
like I'm an expert on this or anything. Good grief, Riley, just forget
I ever brought it up."
"No, it's okay."
"Is it all true, Riley?"
"I don't even know where to start."
As I watched him shake his head, I realized his face had paled.
"So I'm right?"
"Yes."
I doubted my facial expression hid my disappointment.
"I mean no."
"No?"
"Okay, here goes. First, I do not have sex with a lot of girls. As a
matter a fact, I've never had sex with anyone."
"You haven't?"
"No."
"I thought Anne and I were the only
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