stand.”
“Then what was it, Lauren?” Kathryn asked, her confusion sharpening her tone.
“Have you slept with him?”
“Um, no. I think I’ve made it pretty clear that he shouldn’t keep me in his sights.”
Lauren glanced down at her watch. “Yeah, well, I doubt he would want to piss too close to home. Look, Kathryn, the guy’s an—”
“What does that mean?” Kathryn cut her off.
Lauren cocked her head, meeting Kathryn’s glare only briefly before shaking her head slowly back and forth. “It’s not just sex with him,” she finally said, her tone distant but less guarded.
“You want to talk about it?” Kathryn asked. She tried to sound gentle.
“I have,” Lauren responded, with a renewed, but faint smile. “To the right people,”
Kathryn nodded, trying to indicate that she got the drift. “I’m sorry for...”
“Don’t be,” Lauren said. Kathryn was surprised to feel Lauren’s hand on her wrist. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
Kathryn just nodded and returned her eyes to Lauren’s. They were glazed, staring through her. “You should come by some time. Meet Maria. She has a knack for putting things in perspective.” Lauren released Kathryn’s wrist and looked back to her watch. “Gotta run.”
And she was off. Kathryn watched her go. Several feet away, she stopped. “Tell Randall I said hi. I’d love to know what he’s been up to.” She waved, turned, and disappeared into the crowd.
Nice of her to invite me to meet Maria, Kathryn thought, and not bother to tell me where she lives.
"Oh come on!” April barked.
Kathryn lifted one hand to quiet her. “She didn’t say she was a lesbian.”
“No. But you did.”
“It was weird, all right. You remember her, don’t you?”
“Jesse might be a total prick. I’ll give you that. But he’s not capable of turning a woman into a lesbian.” April returned to sawing her piece of overcooked chicken. Kathryn slumped back into her chair, her appetite gone. She should have known better than to tell April, the queen of skeptics, about Lauren, her whacked-out psychology, and her maybe-lesbianism.
Starnes Dining Hall was deluged by the lunch rush. The surrounding tables were packed, but the clatter of dishes wouldn’t be loud enough to distract other people if she and April decided to really get into it. She noticed April staring at her across the table and realized she was pouting. “Lauren Raines is going through some sort of freshman identity crisis, and I pity this Maria woman who’s going to have to weather it with her. A good dyke would know better.”
“Why are you so hellbent on defending him?”
“Honestly? Because I think the fact that you’re so dead set on slandering him is a little weird.” Having finished only half her chicken, April pushed back her tray. “Kathryn, don’t turn into one of those women here who thinks you can’t have sex without at least one person being a victim. They’re boring. No one wants to hang out with them.
Kathryn felt coldness arrowing into her chest. “I’m not allowed to dislike Jesse as a matter of principle?”
“Jesse sleeps with the first person who falls at his feet. And you’re obviously waiting for the perfect guy to bump into you at a party and slide a ring on your finger. Neither of those approaches can be qualified as principles .”
Kathryn glared at April. “All Jesse Lowry has done since he got here is hurt people. I don’t like that. That’s principle.”
April seemed chastened by the ice in Kathryn’s voice, but if Kathryn knew her own roommate, she wouldn’t give up that easily. “Fine,” April said softly. “But if Jesse were someone else’s roommate, would you really care what he did in bed?”
“Stop trying to convert her, April. We’re
“Then what was it, Lauren?” Kathryn asked, her confusion sharpening her tone.
“Have you slept with him?”
“Um, no. I think I’ve made it pretty clear that he shouldn’t keep me in his sights.”
Lauren glanced down at her watch. “Yeah, well, I doubt he would want to piss too close to home. Look, Kathryn, the guy’s an—”
“What does that mean?” Kathryn cut her off.
Lauren cocked her head, meeting Kathryn’s glare only briefly before shaking her head slowly back and forth. “It’s not just sex with him,” she finally said, her tone distant but less guarded.
“You want to talk about it?” Kathryn asked. She tried to sound gentle.
“I have,” Lauren responded, with a renewed, but faint smile. “To the right people,”
Kathryn nodded, trying to indicate that she got the drift. “I’m sorry for...”
“Don’t be,” Lauren said. Kathryn was surprised to feel Lauren’s hand on her wrist. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
Kathryn just nodded and returned her eyes to Lauren’s. They were glazed, staring through her. “You should come by some time. Meet Maria. She has a knack for putting things in perspective.” Lauren released Kathryn’s wrist and looked back to her watch. “Gotta run.”
And she was off. Kathryn watched her go. Several feet away, she stopped. “Tell Randall I said hi. I’d love to know what he’s been up to.” She waved, turned, and disappeared into the crowd.
Nice of her to invite me to meet Maria, Kathryn thought, and not bother to tell me where she lives.
"Oh come on!” April barked.
Kathryn lifted one hand to quiet her. “She didn’t say she was a lesbian.”
“No. But you did.”
“It was weird, all right. You remember her, don’t you?”
“Jesse might be a total prick. I’ll give you that. But he’s not capable of turning a woman into a lesbian.” April returned to sawing her piece of overcooked chicken. Kathryn slumped back into her chair, her appetite gone. She should have known better than to tell April, the queen of skeptics, about Lauren, her whacked-out psychology, and her maybe-lesbianism.
Starnes Dining Hall was deluged by the lunch rush. The surrounding tables were packed, but the clatter of dishes wouldn’t be loud enough to distract other people if she and April decided to really get into it. She noticed April staring at her across the table and realized she was pouting. “Lauren Raines is going through some sort of freshman identity crisis, and I pity this Maria woman who’s going to have to weather it with her. A good dyke would know better.”
“Why are you so hellbent on defending him?”
“Honestly? Because I think the fact that you’re so dead set on slandering him is a little weird.” Having finished only half her chicken, April pushed back her tray. “Kathryn, don’t turn into one of those women here who thinks you can’t have sex without at least one person being a victim. They’re boring. No one wants to hang out with them.
Kathryn felt coldness arrowing into her chest. “I’m not allowed to dislike Jesse as a matter of principle?”
“Jesse sleeps with the first person who falls at his feet. And you’re obviously waiting for the perfect guy to bump into you at a party and slide a ring on your finger. Neither of those approaches can be qualified as principles .”
Kathryn glared at April. “All Jesse Lowry has done since he got here is hurt people. I don’t like that. That’s principle.”
April seemed chastened by the ice in Kathryn’s voice, but if Kathryn knew her own roommate, she wouldn’t give up that easily. “Fine,” April said softly. “But if Jesse were someone else’s roommate, would you really care what he did in bed?”
“Stop trying to convert her, April. We’re
Similar Books
