Page 7 of A Good Book

Ben was too tall to sit there without hitting his head on the top bunk, so he leaned to the side and propped himself up on his elbow.

Olivia’s dad made the bunk beds out of two-by-fours. The Def Leppard posters. The boombox. The milk crates hung on the walls as shelves. The mini fridge. It felt like everything was hers.

“Speaking ofkinda, Matt has a girlfriend, but she’s probably transferring to UCLA. Good timing.” I smirked.

Ben slowly shook his head. He was tired of hearing about Matthew Cory, but that was too bad. It went with the territory of being my best friend.

“And he said things are fine between Sarah and him. And I know she said that too, but it’s always the one who does the breaking up that makes it sound like everything is good. So I was glad to hear it from Matt too. It’s not like I want to spend a lot of time talking about their relationship, but totally avoiding it is awkward. After all, they lost their virginities to each other.”

“Aw yes. The infamous condom fiasco.” Ben picked at a thread to Olivia’s comforter.

“Shh…” I giggled, hiking one knee up and hugging it to my chest. “You’ve been sworn to secrecy about that.”

“Gabbs, you swear me to secrecy about everything. You start every sentence with ‘this stays between us.’ I’m afraid to speak my own name, let alone anything about your family.”

“Speaking of things staying between us, Olivia likes you, and she wants me to put in a good word for her.”

Ben’s eyebrows shot up his forehead. “Oh? So what’s the word?”

“Ha ha. You know what I mean.”

The word was sixty-nine. But how was he to know the word was a number? Unless I told him. Which I would never do.

“I haven’t really taken a long look at her, but she’s not ooglay. Right?”

“Duh. No. She’s not ugly. She’s fine if you’re into makeup and big hair.”

“Big boobs? Smart?”

“You’re such a doofus. How can you ask about her boobs and if she’s smart in the same breath? You’ve seen herbreasts.I haven’t asked for her GPA yet. Besides, I don’t think she’s looking for a boyfriend. Just someone to …” I rolled my lips together. Ben and I were well-practiced at finishing each other’s sentences. Surely, he could read between the lines.

His lips parted, eyes flaring a bit. “She just wants to mess around? She’s looking for a boy toy?”

“I don’t know.” I averted my gaze to the window.

“Oh, you know. I’m not stupid. Having a girl as a best friend has given me exclusive access to Chick World. And I know chicks tell each other everything. So spill. Is this what she wants?” He gestured his hand up and down his body like one of Barker’s Beauties showcasing a new refrigerator.

I snorted. “You’re a dork. Girls are not chicks. And I don’t know why she’d want,” I mimicked his gesture, “all of that, but she seems to think she does. However, I don’t like the idea. She’s my roommate, and as much as she pretends it would just be casual, I fear you could break her heart.”

Ben scratched his chin. “Of course I could break her heart. It’s not my fault that when they fall, they fall hard.”

I stuck my finger down my throat. “Gag me. Could you be more arrogant?”

“I’m the right amount of confident, and you know it.”

“Shut up.” I wadded a piece of paper from my desk and threw it at him.

He caught it and laughed. “You’re so tough.”

I jumped out of my chair and lunged at him because I was tough. He fell flat on the mattress as I landed on him, our faces inches apart, grinning as far as our ears as we laughed.

“Now you’re just asking for it,” he said, tickling my sides.

“Stop! You need a shower.” I giggled, trying to wriggle out of his hold. “S-stop … I’m gonna pee my pants!”

He didn’t stop, so I flailed my arms and legs, trying to break free from his hold.

“Tell me I’m a stud, and you’re the nerd,” he demanded.

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