The Manga Girl by Lorenzo Marks

had told him she hadn’t gone with Jason, Nick was keen to know how she had behaved in front of the others.
          “Well, she was pretty drunk - we all were - and Jason was trying to move in for the kill. In all fairness, he must have thought he was in with a good chance because up until then, she had seemed pretty interested. But once you were out of the frame, she started making fun of his advances.”
          That would make sense, Nick thought. If I wasn’t there to witness it, what would have been the point?
           “She was witty about it too,” Sid continued. “And the more she rejected him, the harder Jason tried. He kept coming out with really cheesy lines and Lucy just ripped him apart.”
          Nick grinned as he pictured the scene. In hindsight he realized, walking out was the best thing he could have done.
          “In the end, he started getting mad at her,” Sid said.
          “Lucy can do that to you,” said Nick.
          “So then he started trying to insult her back, and then everyone else came to her defense. Finally, Summer told him to fuck off, and so he did. I’ll tell you what, buddy, I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, that girl’s special. You don’t want to lose her.”
          Right on cue, like a heavenly apparition, Lucy strode gracefully across the golden-green lawn towards them. She wore a wide-brimmed straw hat and a pink summer dress, through which Nick could see the backlit outline of her body.
          “Hey, Sid,” she said, and then looked up at Nick, one hand on her hat. “Are you ready?”
          “You’ll cover it with Bob?” Nick asked Sid, climbing down the ladder.
          “I got it,” Sid replied. “Have a good afternoon, guys.”
          Lucy blew Sid a kiss, took Nick’s hand, and they crossed the lawn and went through the front gate. When Nick started to cross the road, Lucy said, “Where are you going? The station is that way.”
          “We’re not taking the bus. This is your ride.”
          Parked opposite, was a gleaming, canyon red, Mustang GT convertible.
          “This is yours?” Lucy asked, open-mouthed.
          “The other love of my life. Hope you’re not the jealous type.”
          “She’s beautiful.”
          Nick opened the door and they climbed in.
          “Comfortable,” Lucy said, running her hands over the leather seats. “How old is she?”
          “’Eighty-six model.”
          “Older than me.”
          “Much older. She’s in good shape, but she sometimes needs a spell in the repair shop.”
          Nick turned the ignition key.
          “Listen to that. Original engine.”
          “Sexy.”
          “Where to, ma’am?”
          “Porter Square. You’re going to meet some of my family.”
          “Oh.”
          “Don’t worry. They’re nice people.”
          “Will it be a problem, me not being Japanese?”
          “No. Besides, I choose who I want to date,” Lucy said.
          “Right.”
          Nick pulled out and when they reached the red light, he glanced over at Lucy, whose nipples were pointing against the fabric of her dress.
          “Are you wearing anything underneath that?” he asked.
          “A g-string.”
          “You are a naughty girl.”
          “And we know what happens to naughty girls, don’t we?” she said, putting her hand on Nick’s crotch and giving it a little squeeze.
          They took the turnpike and then turned onto Massachusetts Avenue and headed south into Cambridge and then to Porter Square. Lucy directed Nick to the rear parking lot, where they were lucky to find a space, and they went into the Porter Exchange Mall. There were plenty of people about, and as usual, Lucy’s flimsy attire was attracting a lot of attention.       
            She led him through the mall