I opened my mouth to say something when Roxie cut in.
“That is so cool! ” Then she leaned toward me. “What’s a date with Vance like?”
“It wasn’t exactly a date,” I told her, feeling weird, mainly because this was weird. “We watched Monday Night Footbal with my uncle and then talked.”
They al looked disappointed again.
“You were necking with him like a teenager in this very room just a couple of hours ago. I saw you my damned self,” May carried on spil ing al my secrets.
I widened my eyes in a “shut up” look at her and noticed the hot chicks had al gone perky again.
“I bet he’s a good kisser,” Al y said.
“I bet he’s a good everything,” Daisy put in. “You get anything else from him?”
Was this real y happening? I didn’t even know these people.
“Um…” I muttered. It wasn’t any of her business but I didn’t want to appear rude.
“Oh come on, share. You’re among friends,” Al y said even though I knew her less than the other four and I didn’t know the other four at al .
I didn’t do girl talk at least I hadn’t real y done it since col ege. I didn’t know where to begin and anyway, it was important to note (again), I didn’t even know these people.
“Maybe you should understand something,” Indy said, watching me closely, “Lee and I are getting married.” I just looked at her. I didn’t know how that information made anything more understandable. “Congratulations,” I said.
“Eddie and I are living together,” Jet put in.
I looked at her guessing she was talking about Eddie Chavez and wondering why she shared this information.
She kept talking. “We met, like, five months ago. Then I had this situation where a loan shark was after my Dad but came after me, then some other guy tried to rape me and then –”
“I’m stil sorry about that, Sugar,” Daisy cut in.
“It wasn’t your fault, Daisy,” Jet assured her, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze.
“Stil , he was workin’ for my husband. I feel responsible,” Daisy went on.
“Don’t,” Jet said on a dazzling smile.
I watched this conversation wondering if maybe they were a little crazy when Roxie butted in.
“I’m living with Hank, Lee’s brother. We met each other less than two months ago. I moved from Chicago. My ex was kind of a jerk –”
“Kind of? He was a first class jerk,” Al y threw in. “He was more like a grade A prime asshole.”
Roxie smiled at her. “Yeah, wel , anyway,” she looked back at me, “the point is he kidnapped me and then, after I was rescued, he stalked me. It was a nightmare. Vance was the one who rescued me. Tracked me down and found me handcuffed to a sink in a sleazebag motel in Nebraska.
He was very cool about it, took me to an outlet mal on the way home and everything and I didn’t even have to ask.” I nodded, not knowing what to say, stalking ex-boyfriends, kidnapping, rapists, outlet mal s. It was too bizarre for words.
Indy smiled at me. “We know you know Lee. Wel , Lee, Eddie and Hank, they’re al part of our tribe. Vance is too.
What we’re saying is, you get sucked in by one of the boys, you’re part of our tribe too.”
“We’re the Rock Chick Welcome Wagon,” Al y put in on a grin.
“See, these guys move kind of fast,” Jet added.
“It can make you dizzy,” Roxie said.
“So you need your girls around you,” Indy finished.
I looked to May to see how she was taking al of this and she was smiling at me like a loon. Maybe she was a loon, maybe all of them were loons.
“So, what’s goin’ on with you and Vance? Spil , Sugar.
We’re here for you,” Daisy told me.
My eyes settled on her and it struck me immediately that she wasn’t just saying that. I realized with some intuitive clarity that they weren’t here to be nosy and interfering.
They meant al this shit.
I opened my mouth to tel them it was none of their business, to guard my heart like an emotional Rottweiler when, just like I did with Zip blurting out my plan to save al the runaways from drug dealers, I told them everything.
Everything.
From the minute Vance cornered me in the al ey to when he was holding my hand. I held nothing back. I even told them I was a virgin.
When I was done, they were al staring at me with wide eyes and open mouths.
“Shit,” Daisy breathed then swung her head to Roxie, “he moves even faster than Hank.”
“You can say that again,” Roxie replied.
“You’re a virgin?” Al y asked, eyes stil huge.
“I can’t think about that right now,” I said to Al y. “It’s one thing at a time. He told me I should wear something nice. I don’t have anything nice. The only nice thing I have is a dress I wore to a col eague’s wedding two years ago and it’s a summer dress and now it’s November. I can’t wear a summer dress in November. And anyway, I don’t even know what ‘nice’ means.”