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And Car corners

"Yeah, well, you should’ve saved your pennies Your life would be easier if you would’ve let lancing at his watch "I have to get cleaned up for work Just remember to ask Dia--"

"I already said I heard you Howto reet"

"Well, I won’t"

"Good," he said, "because if you do, we’re going to have a proble two hubcaps She’d bought it with , which , cleaning, passing esShe’d even written a term paper for Carmine for fifty dollars once A leak in the exhaust systeas fumes that she tried to cover with a dozen tree-shaped air fresheners Car in it, but to Dia, the car was the Holy Grail

She was perched on the hood of it in the parking lot that et it," she said, shaking her head as soon as he stepped out "Explain it again"

Carainst his black Mazda in the spot beside her "There’s nothing to get It is what it is"

"What is it?"

"Sex," he said, laughing at the bewildered expression on Dia’s face Her blue eyes were hidden beneath layers of dark makeup, and she’d added some pink and purple streaks to her short blonde hair since yesterday She defined eccentric in herby a strap around her neck Nothing about Dia conformed, which hat had drawn Carh he was popular, there weren’t many people he considered friends He felt there were two types of people in the small town of Durante, North Carolina, where they lived--those anted him, and those ished they could be hi in a world surrounded by nothing but lies, Car to drop the subject

Carirls had gathered and shrugged when he spotted Lisa Donovan She had long blonde hair, her body sliirl in school--nothing to write hoave a shit about his life

"She’s quick to get naked Less work for irl to straighten you out"

"I don’t need straightened out," Carmine said "Why drown in love when you can have soaround in lust?"

"But her?" Dia pressed "Out of everyone in this school, you pick Moanin’ Lisa"

Car on a chunk of Dia’s colorful hair "Looks like you’re the painting today, Warhol"

"Hey, I’ll take it," she said "Andy Warhol was one of the best"

"He was crazy"

"Maybe, but he was still a genius" She nodded toward the group of girls "Which Moanin’ Lisa, clearly, is not I don’t think she can even string together a sentence Have you tried to have an intelligent conversation with her? It’s like talking to a brick wall"

"No, we don’t do a lot of talking," he said "She’s not so bad froh"

Dia shook her head as Carain He had no real interest in Lisa, or any other girl for thatfro feht not have been intellectually sti, but they did stimulate another part of hi lot then, co to a stop beside theirlfriend, clier seat Tess was Dia’s twin sister, but the two couldn’t have been more opposite

They’d all known one another since they moved to the area in elementary school, but the relationship between Doe--the life Carmine had left wasn’t the sa to the change

"What are y’all up to?" Doet Carmine to see the error of his hen it co"

"Can’t say I’irl with an ounce of self-respect would want him"

"I’m not that bad I’, and not to roaned loudly before he could finish He shrugged, thinking he’d summed himself up nicely "Besides, it’s not like I plan to date her The only tiirl out is after I’et out"

"See, that’s why you’ll always be alone," Tess said "You only think about yourself"

"So says the vainest bitch alive," he said "You better be careful throwing stones in your glass house, Tess You’re liable to get cut"