Page 40 of Space Junk: Houston, We Have a Hottie
“Nothing.” Both open their mouths to speak, but I cut them off. “It was a joke. A real, honest-to-God joke. He’d made a bet with his teammates. The day after we slept together, I heard him talking to them before class. They asked if the nerd was any good. It was all part of a bet. He got the nerd to spread her legs.”
It’s quiet for a while. The music keeps blaring, the dancers keep twirling, but our table is silent. I stare at the dance floor, unable to meet my friends’ eyes. Trying to focus on not embarrassing myself further by crying.
“Like I said. It’s nothing,” I say, blinking a lot.
“Well, I think you’re an idiot,” Rose says.
Trish jerks her head in her direction. “What the heck, Rose?”
“That guy was a dick. A legit dick,” Rose says, shaking her head as she talks, her big hair swaying. “In fact, I think we can all agree on his uber level of dickdom, can we not?” Rose looks to Trish, who nods, and then to me. I’m too shocked to say anything.
“Okay, so that guy was a dick. It’s agreed,” Rose continues. “But Jackie, how many men are there in the world?”
Her question catches me off guard but allows my mind to snap back to the present, running through numbers. “There are about seven billion people in the world. So roughly, and by no means should this be taken as a hard fact, it would be safe to say that there are around 3.5 billion males on earth.”
“And of that 3.5 billion, how many are in a datable age range?”
“Datable age range? That’s trickier. On the whole I do know that the Baby Boomer generation created a shock to the world population, and in turn created Generation X and then in turn the Millennials. I’m thinking that’s who you’re referring to when you said ‘datable’; however, you also have to take into account—”
Rose cuts in, “Babe. I love you. You’re super smart and you rock the sexy nerd vibe for sure. But just guesstimate for me, will ya?”
“Oh, okay, sure. Let’s see, I would say, taking into consideration we would only be dating men in the U.S., then I could give a safe guesstimate, although I want it on record that I truly do not like to guess, about forty million datable men.” Trish smiles and Rose rolls her eyes at me. She must give herself headaches with how often she does that.
“And, not counting Flynn, how many men have you slept with and or dated?” Rose ask.
“Um, one?”
“And you, who love probability and all things mathy—”
“Mathy?”
“Yes, mathy. Don’t interrupt.” Rose gives me a look. “As I was saying, you who love all thingsmathy, decided that you would let one man, albeit a huge dick of a man, speak for the rest of the forty million dudes on this planet.”
My mouth drops open.
“Now does that sound like a good, logical rationale to you?”
When I continue to stare at her, she turns to Trish. “Blow Job?”
Ten
Orbital Resonance
Flynn
I strollinto Big Texas thinking I need to buy Rose a second birthday present. Maybe some new riding boots to go with the saddle I’d gotten her. She deserves them for texting me Jackie’s whereabouts. I’ve been trying to connect with her all week, but unless I count the times she’s replied to my texts in total exasperation, I’m finding it hard to draw her out.
Speaking of hard.
I spot her across the bar, sitting at a table with Rose and a brunette who must be Trish.
Jesus.
I try to shift subtly. Anything to ease the semi I’ve just sprouted.
Some douchebag comes up to their table and takes Jackie’s hand. I see red for a minute before Jackie tugs her hand out of his and shakes her head. Only when the guy walks away do I release the breath I’ve been holding.
When Rose texted me,@ BT with Jackie and Trish. Help me fight off the man-whores circling your girl, I thought she was just playing, trying to stir up my jealousy. I didn’t know she meant it literally.
