Read All the Pretty Lies for Free Online

little.”
    “You could’ve been living all this time.”
    “And leave my best friend behind? Not a
chance.”
    “You’re all talk. You weren’t gonna do anything until I did it first.”
    “Nuh-huh.”
    “Yuh-huh.”
    “Hey, I’m not the virgin here.”
    “No, but I didn’t see you getting a
tattoo.”
    “That’s not my idea of wild. Besides, look
how that turned out.”
    “What do you mean? It hasn’t ‘turned out’ at
all yet. I just haven’t decided what I’m going to do.”
    “Yes, you have. You just won’t admit it.”
    “Won’t admit what?”
    “That you’re too chicken shit to go back in
there and put him to the test.”
    “I’m not too chicken shit. I’m just giving it
some time.”
    “Time to what? Ferment? This is sex, not
wine, Sloane.”
    “I know, but…”
    “But nothing. What happened to all this
‘spread my wings’ and ‘seize the day’ and ‘no regrets’ shit?”
    “Nothing happened to it. It’s just that…I
mean, he asked me to leave. It’s not easy to come back after
something like that.”
    “Look, you are gorgeous, you’re smart, you’re
funny as hell and you’ve got a kick-ass rack. What’s not to love?
Trust me. You just turn on that smile and you’ll have this guy on
his knees.”
    “No offense, but I don’t think that’ll work
with him. I mean, he’s not like the other guys around here.”
    “He’s a man. He thinks with his dick. As long
as you keep that in mind, you’re golden.”
    “You should put that on a mug.”
    “I know. I’m like a modern day
Confucius.”
    “If Confucius was full of random wisdom
involving penises.”
    “How do you know he wasn’t?”
    “You make a good point.”
    “Now, stop changing the subject. When are you
gonna go back in there and get him to finish you up? And then
‘finish you up’?” Sarah snorts at her cleverness. I shake my head,
but I can’t hide my smile.
    “I don’t know. But I will.” I turn to stare
out the window for a few seconds before it occurs to me. “Why are
you so interested in my virginity anyway?”
    “It goes against nature for a girl to reach
the ripe old age of twenty-one and still be a virgin. Something
like that could disrupt the space-time continuum. Before we know
it, there are earthquakes all over the place, volcanoes are
disappearing, cave men are popping up in bars.”
    “This isn’t Land of the Lost, Sarah.”
    “But it could be. This is just me doing my
part for the good of mankind.”
    “Wow, I never considered that the state of my
hymen might be of interest to the world at large.”
    “I know. So innocent. So clueless. That’s why
I’m here, sweet child,” she says peacefully. “I’ll be your
guide.”
    I shake my head. “This can’t be good. You get
lost in the parking lot at the grocery store.”
    “Hey! That happened one time.”
    “And that was one too many.”
    “Shut up, whore!”
    “Not a chance, slut.” We grin at each other.
Such is the banter between me and my best friend.
     
    ********
     
    I’m antsy. I knew this would happen. I’ve
felt this way every evening since the last time I saw Hemi. I asked
Sarah if she wanted to do something tonight, but she had already
made plans with her on again-off again boyfriend, Todd. And as
pathetic as it is, she is pretty much the extent of my
plans. When she’s got something else to do, I stay at home. I
usually draw. Or read. But for some reason, neither of those
activities appeal to me tonight.
    It’s not like it’s some random, mysterious
“reason.” I know exactly what the reason is. Or, rather, who the reason is.
    Hemi.
    I want to go back, but something is stopping
me. Maybe I was secretly hoping he’d call me, that he’d change his
mind and seek me out. Every woman wants to be chased, right? Right.
And I mean, my phone number is listed on the release form. But he
hasn’t called, hasn’t chased. He made his position clear and he’s
sticking to it.
    Maybe I should, too.
    For the