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Chapter Ten

August, 1966

The drive-in was pretty full, understandably so given that it was Friday night in summer. It hadn't been Tim's first choice of place to go for a date, he usually preferred Buck's with its slew of bedrooms, but Charlie's girl had apparently insisted. At least his best friend seemed to be having a good time, because Tim and his date were decidedly not. Katie had been annoyed the moment they'd picked her up, and Tim got the feeling this double date had not been her idea. Not that it had been his either.

He certainly hadn't expected to see Rose there, and definitely not out on a date with that asshole boyfriend of hers. He'd heard about them getting back together from Curly. He wasn't surprised that she'd gone back to him, and he didn't much care either. If she wanted to waste her time with a shit-for-brains boyfriend that was her perogative.

Still, when she walked past where they were sitting he decided to follow her inside. Talking to her would be more fun than sitting with his petulant date.

"Rose." He said, stopping behind her in the line for the food.

"Hey, Tim," she greeted, giving him what he thought was a rather forced smile. "Whatcha up to?"

"Showing a girl a good time." He said, "You?"

"Out with Billy."

"Took him back then, huh." Tim said. "Thought I told you to start hanging out with the right guys."

He knew it was a low blow, bringing up their night together, but he couldn't help himself. Getting a rise out of her was better than letting her actually enjoy her date. Rose was defiantly glaring at him in a way he enjoyed far too much. He liked knowing she wasn't indifferent to him.

"Billy is the right guy." She told him. "He's a good guy."

"Yeah," he scoffed, "He probably gets good grades, goes to church, and helps little old ladies across the road."

"And what's wrong with any of that?" She asked, "Maybe if you were a bit nicer you'd get yourself a girlfriend."

"Actually girls fall over themselves to go out with me." He said, grinning at her devilishly, "I seem to remember you doing something similar."

"We both know that's not how it went." She replied, raising her eyebrows at him, "I never got to thank you for not saying anything to anyone."

"I promised didn't I."

"Yeah you did." She said softly, and Tim frowned at the sad look in her eyes even as she smiled.

It was the first time he really regretted what happened between them. She wasn't the first girl he'd never called after sleeping with, and she had expected it, instigated it even. But now he wondered if that wasn't what she wanted, if that had been what he wanted.

"What'd you do to your hair?" He asked, frowning.

"Oh, my Ma bought me a straightener." She answered, self-consciously flicking it over the other shoulder. "You don't like it?"

Tim shrugged. He didn't like it, but that seemed a far too sentimental thing for him to say. It was bad enough he'd noticed the change in hairstyle.

"I should get back to Billy." She said, grabbing the drinks off the counter, "I'm sure your date wants you back too."

"Jealous?" He asked, secretly glad that she wasn't sad anymore. Upset girls were not something he knew what to do with, or enojyed being around.

"You wish." She replied, shooting him a grin before walking away.

Returning to his date he tried his hardest not to think of Rose again. It was difficult with how obviously Katie didn't want to be there, but it got easier when he headed to Buck's afterwards and found a girl who did want to be with him. In fact, he didn't think about Rose again for the next few weeks, not until he ran into her brother.

"Heard your sister got back with that Taylor kid?" Tim asked, even though he was pretty sure it'd get him a punch to the gut.

"And?"

"Ain't he a friend of yours?" He asked, and Diego nodded, "You cool with that?"

"Don't think she'd care much if I wasn't." Diego replied, "'Sides, he's alright, likes her a lot."

"Thought they were on-and-off?"

"Yeah," Diego said, "More her doing than his, but they'll sort their shit out eventually."

Now that he thought about it, he wasn't exactly surprised that she'd been the one doing the dumping. She hadn't expected anything from him, so Tim figured she probably didn't expect all that much from her boyfriend.

"Look, I know something happened between you," Diego said, causing Tim to narrow his eyes at him, "But do me a favour, and leave her alone."

"Why?" Tim asked, "Don't think I'm good enough for your darling sister?"

"We both know you don't want a girlfriend."

"And if I did?"

"I'd tell you to find someone else." Diego said, "No offence, but she deserves better than you."

Tim was pretty sure he agreed with that statement, only he didn't like it very much.