Page 73 (1/1)

"You look faux-orgasiant mint doesn’t really help ain

"Is this about Baxter?" she asks

"That twerp? Sparein this aparth, turn around

"I don’t want to apologize about how goodpeople, okay?"

I’ until I’eneral rule you shouldn’t expect too ," and then I kiss her on the cheek

"I just had my makeup done, so you can’t make me cry"

7

We’ll slide down the surface of things Old U2 on the stereo and gridlock jams the streets two blocks fros that are being said in the back of the li, enic-and naer, Iman, Andy Garcia, Patsy Kensit, the Goo-Goo Dolls, Galliano-and fleeting pieces of subjects I’m usually interested in-Doc Martens, Chapel Hill, the Kids in the Hall, alien abduction, tra with an unlit joint, looking up through the lihts are s above and around us Baxter and Lauren are sitting across fro a slow-ress toward the club while Chloe keeps trying to touch my hand, which I let her do for seconds at a tiarettes or to rewind the U2 tape or to si in the direction of Lauren Hynde or how her legs are slightly spread or the way she’s staring sadly back at her own reflection in the tinted s "We all live in a yellow lis too, giggling nervously, looking over atat Baxter, who’s nodding back, and I’s

Finally we’re at the curb in front of the club and the first thing I hear is so "Action!" and U2’s "Even Better Than the Real Thing" starts playing somewhere out of the sky as the driver opens the door and Baxter’s checking his hair in Chloe’s compact and I toss him my cummerbund "Just wrap this around your head and look dreamy," I mutter "You’ll be okay"

"Victor," Chloe starts

A wave of cold wind sweeps over the crowd standing behind the barricades in front of the club and causes the confetti strewn over the plush purple-and-green carpet leading up to the entrance to dance and swirl around the legs of cops guarding the place and behind the velvet ropes stand three cool Irish guys Da a walkie-talkie and a separate guest list, and on either side of the velvet ropes are huge gangs of photographers and then the head publicist-s warmly until she sees Chloe’s dress-asks us to here we are because Alison, wearing the same Todd Oldha their entrance and posing for the paparazzi, but people in the crowd have already noticed Chloe and shout out her naarbled voices Da and unclenching itself, and Lauren suddenly grabsChloe’s and when I look over at Chloe I notice she’s holding Baxter’s

Da out Chloe’s name and he nods atindifferent, and when he sees Chloe’s dress he does a hideous double take and tries valiantly to s and then he hurriedly ushers Alison into the club even though she’s in the e of the photo ops, obviously pissed at the interruption, and thankfully Chloe’s already too blinded by the flashing ca a significant mental note about what should happen once inside: diht will be over with

The photographers start shouting out all our na up into the club and we linger for the appropriate a wanly, Baxter s for the first tiiant ’70s lettering is a warning fro You Consent to the Cablecast and Other Exhibition of Your Na through theinto my ear that I can’t hear We’ll slide down the surface of things