“I would have thought that after she helped you clean the bathroom, you would have
at least kissed her good night.”
“Well, I didn’t.”
“Did you even try?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“She’s not that kind of girl,” I said, and even though we all knew it was true, it still
sounded like I was defending her.
Eric latched on to that like a leech.
“I think you like her,” he said.
“You’re full of crap,” I answered, and he slapped my back, hard enough to force the
breath right out of me. Hanging out with Eric usually meant that I’d have a few bruises the
following day.
“Yeah, I might be full of crap,” he said, winking at me, “but you’re the one who’s
smitten with Jamie Sullivan.”
I knew we were treading on dangerous ground.
“I was just using her to impress Margaret,” I said. “And with all the love notes she’s
been sending me lately, I reckon it must have worked.”
Eric laughed aloud, slapping me on the back again.
“You and Margaret—now that’s funny. . . .”
I knew I’d just dodged a major bullet, and I breathed a sigh of relief as the
conversation spun off in a new direction. I joined in now and then, but I wasn’t really
listening to what they were saying. Instead I kept hearing this little voice inside me that
made me wonder about what Eric had said.
The thing was, Jamie was probably the best date I could have had that night,
especially considering how the evening turned out. Not many dates—heck, not many
people, period—would have done what she did. At the same time, her being a good date
didn’t mean I liked her. I hadn’t talked to her at all since the dance, except when I saw her
in drama class, and even then it was only a few words here and there. If I liked her at all, I
told myself, I would have wanted to talk to her. If I liked her, I would have offered to walk
her home. If I liked her, I would have wanted to bring her to Cecil’s Diner for a basket of
hushpuppies and some RC cola. But I didn’t want to do any of those things. I really didn’t.
In my mind, I’d already served my penance.
The next day, Sunday, I was in my room, working on my application to UNC. In
addition to the transcripts from my high school and other personal information, they
required five essays of the usual type. If you could meet one person in history, who would
that person be and why? Name the most significant influence in your life and why you feel