Page 29 (1/2)

"See there, Vera, it’s how they roll nowadays," her dad says, and I swear it’s all Eht a book called Decode Your Teen! when Grant was in high school, and are oblivious to the fact that adolescent lingo changes daily

Hours later, we lie in Emily’s bed, stuffed with raspberry cobbler and fresh whipped cream

"So what’s the deal with Abercrombie boy?"

Emily sits up and hits me in the face with her pillow, and I squeal "Your brother is a bad influence!"

"My brother is a tool" She stuffs the pillow back behind her head

"So, what’s the deal with Derek, then?"

She throws an arm across her face "It’s hopeless"

"Hopeless how?" I turn onher

"We’re complete opposites He’s super prep boy He wears khaki chinos He’s never even heard offun of his I have purple stripes in s in places I had to have parental peret My favorite nail polish is called Va All of his friends think I’m a freak"

"Did he tell you that?" I ask, and she turns on her side to face me

"He didn’t have to tell me I can see it on their stupid faces"

I sweep her purple-accented hair out of her eyes "Who cares what they think?"

"Oh come on, all that ‘If they’re your real friends, they’ll accept whoever you love’ is a load of crap I can’t expect a guy to stand up to that kind of pressure And I like e!"

"Has he asked you to change?"

"No," she says, sounding aluy?"

"Oh my God So much" She turns into me and buries her face undertosorta moment"

She nods her head

"Emma?" My name is uess all you can do is wait to see if the cord holds"

Funny how I can in no way apply this wisdom to myself, no matter how sensible it sounds when I say it to E a break fro Eh they don’t knohich end is up The invitation to ditch my temporary abstinence plan is powerful Plus, E her oeet ti there I came home to LA this weekend certain I could be patient… but everythat resolve

The exclusivity factor of this little gathering is high I’ve recognized several filues and a couple of John’s friends--trust fund babies who live for rubbing elbows (and other body parts) withwill turn up on the Internet Non-celebrities who get invited to these events understand that outing any of us puts them on the other side of that door in the future That’s why you seldos Figuring out who narced ast a restricted set of people is far too easy

I’ the curls of sue down the throat of an aspiring runway model as they paw each other in the space cleared for people pretending to dance Really they’re all just cos n ones, especially This one looks and sounds, I don’t knoedish? I’ht, I’irl a few feet froirl and the two of the each other’s clothes off Slowly Once they have ular intervals, toNo probleh the next half an hour without tossing my short-lived celibacy out the , let alone the rest of the night, and I know it

John’s model is in the shower He’s too soft My tere sent home in a taxi while it was still dark out Now, he and I are sprawled on the sofa in our usual Sunday ht, arette between his fingers, like a cartoon sularly, he’s curiously gifted with the stuff he can do with a cigarette, especially considering how infrequently he picks one up He’s o out?"

I watch the sainst the cushion The shower goes off "I don’t know Sure Nothing high-profile, though"

The bathroom door snaps open "John?" His name in her mouth sounds more like Jonah--two syllables