ones."
"Apparently not."
"Well, that's a relief."
"Now, the whole `player' thing, I can sorta understand that. I do
tend to go out with a lotta girls and then not ask them out again.
But it's just because I don't like `em enough to go out a second time.
Honestly, I don't even kiss most of `em. I don't know who says I've
had sex because I've never told anyone that I have."
"Have you told anyone that you haven't?"
"Just you," he confided. "Maybe some people just assume, who
knows? The guys on the team talk about sex all the time, and some times I joke around with them about it, but I've never claimed to
have had sex with anyone."
I sipped on my soda but kept my eyes on Riley.
"The last date I went on was a couple of days before you got
here. It was the girl I took to prom."
"Tiffany?" I asked.
"How'd you know that?"
"Sources."
"Anne?"
"How did you guess?"
"Do you remember when you had that phone conversation with
Anne, the one where she asked if you were a virgin-"
"You heard that?" I screamed.
"The entire thing. I couldn't help myself."
"But you were listening to your iPod."
His forehead scrunched in a look of complete guilt.
"You weren't listening to your iPod?"
"No, I was listening to you."
"Oh good grief."
"And when you and my mom were talking in the kitchen that
first night and my chair tipped over?"
"Yeah."
"I was eavesdropping on your conversation then too. I leaned
back so far trying to hear you that the chair tipped over."
"Are you serious right now?"
"There's more."
"There's more?"
"Yes."
"What?"
"When you had your first nightmare and you were half asleep-"
"Oh no. I don't think I want to hear this ... what did I say?"
"You told me you'd never been kissed."
"Oh my Lord!" Without thinking I threw the car door open and
jumped out.
"Charlie, wait."
It was too late; I was already walking across the parking lot.
"Charlie-" I heard his footsteps running up behind me.
"I asked you the next day if I said anything and you said no." I
paced back and forth between two picnic tables.
"I know. I didn't wanna embarrass you."
"Yes, finding out this way is so much less embarrassing," I said,
full of sarcasm. "I can't even think right now ... what else did I say?
Wait, don't answer that."
"You told me that-"
I threw my drink at him, and it exploded on the ground in front
of his feet. "I said don't answer that."
"You asked me if I was a player and if I had sex with a lot of
girls."
"You knew the whole time? You knew I thought that about you?"
"Yes, I tried to say something that night after your nightmare. I
told you it wasn't true-you just didn't remember the next day. Ever
since then I've been waiting for a way to tell you. It was killing me to
know that you thought all that stuff about me."
"Why do you even care, Riley? As long as you aren't playing me,
what difference does it make if I think you're playing someone else?
It isn't my business."
"I want it to be your business. I want you to know that's not who
I am."
"Why?"
He rolled his eyes and sighed as he plopped down on picnic
table bench. "How honest do you want me to be here, Charlie? This
may not be something you wanna hear right now. Maybe we should
save the rest of this conversation for a later time."
"No." I sat down across from him. "Go ahead."
He covered his face with his hands, took a deep breath, let it out,
and the words "I like you" popped out as the air left his mouth.
"Pardon?"
"I like you," he whispered from behind his hands.
"Well, I like you too. I mean we've known each other forev-"
"No ... I mean I like you like you." His hands lowered, and he
looked me directly in my eyes. "I'm crazy about you actually."
"Am I being punked right now?" I looked around to see if someone was watching and ready to jump out laughing at my expense.
"No, of course not. I like you, what else can I say?"
"Well, when in the world did that happen?"
"Uh ... pretty much the second you pulled into our
"Apparently not."
"Well, that's a relief."
"Now, the whole `player' thing, I can sorta understand that. I do
tend to go out with a lotta girls and then not ask them out again.
But it's just because I don't like `em enough to go out a second time.
Honestly, I don't even kiss most of `em. I don't know who says I've
had sex because I've never told anyone that I have."
"Have you told anyone that you haven't?"
"Just you," he confided. "Maybe some people just assume, who
knows? The guys on the team talk about sex all the time, and some times I joke around with them about it, but I've never claimed to
have had sex with anyone."
I sipped on my soda but kept my eyes on Riley.
"The last date I went on was a couple of days before you got
here. It was the girl I took to prom."
"Tiffany?" I asked.
"How'd you know that?"
"Sources."
"Anne?"
"How did you guess?"
"Do you remember when you had that phone conversation with
Anne, the one where she asked if you were a virgin-"
"You heard that?" I screamed.
"The entire thing. I couldn't help myself."
"But you were listening to your iPod."
His forehead scrunched in a look of complete guilt.
"You weren't listening to your iPod?"
"No, I was listening to you."
"Oh good grief."
"And when you and my mom were talking in the kitchen that
first night and my chair tipped over?"
"Yeah."
"I was eavesdropping on your conversation then too. I leaned
back so far trying to hear you that the chair tipped over."
"Are you serious right now?"
"There's more."
"There's more?"
"Yes."
"What?"
"When you had your first nightmare and you were half asleep-"
"Oh no. I don't think I want to hear this ... what did I say?"
"You told me you'd never been kissed."
"Oh my Lord!" Without thinking I threw the car door open and
jumped out.
"Charlie, wait."
It was too late; I was already walking across the parking lot.
"Charlie-" I heard his footsteps running up behind me.
"I asked you the next day if I said anything and you said no." I
paced back and forth between two picnic tables.
"I know. I didn't wanna embarrass you."
"Yes, finding out this way is so much less embarrassing," I said,
full of sarcasm. "I can't even think right now ... what else did I say?
Wait, don't answer that."
"You told me that-"
I threw my drink at him, and it exploded on the ground in front
of his feet. "I said don't answer that."
"You asked me if I was a player and if I had sex with a lot of
girls."
"You knew the whole time? You knew I thought that about you?"
"Yes, I tried to say something that night after your nightmare. I
told you it wasn't true-you just didn't remember the next day. Ever
since then I've been waiting for a way to tell you. It was killing me to
know that you thought all that stuff about me."
"Why do you even care, Riley? As long as you aren't playing me,
what difference does it make if I think you're playing someone else?
It isn't my business."
"I want it to be your business. I want you to know that's not who
I am."
"Why?"
He rolled his eyes and sighed as he plopped down on picnic
table bench. "How honest do you want me to be here, Charlie? This
may not be something you wanna hear right now. Maybe we should
save the rest of this conversation for a later time."
"No." I sat down across from him. "Go ahead."
He covered his face with his hands, took a deep breath, let it out,
and the words "I like you" popped out as the air left his mouth.
"Pardon?"
"I like you," he whispered from behind his hands.
"Well, I like you too. I mean we've known each other forev-"
"No ... I mean I like you like you." His hands lowered, and he
looked me directly in my eyes. "I'm crazy about you actually."
"Am I being punked right now?" I looked around to see if someone was watching and ready to jump out laughing at my expense.
"No, of course not. I like you, what else can I say?"
"Well, when in the world did that happen?"
"Uh ... pretty much the second you pulled into our
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