Gordie met Chris at his locker the following morning. "Hey."

Briefly looking up and smiling, Chris said, "Hey, Gordie," and continued gathering the books he needed for his morning classes.

"What did you do last night?" he asked conversationally.

Chris' reply was delayed because he paused to think of Ren. He still could not figure out for the life of him why she'd been trying to act like she wanted to be friends with him. On his walk home from the diner, it was all he could think of. What was in it for her? None of her friends had been around so it hadn't been a practical joke they'd made her pull so that they could laugh at his reaction when a popular girl came and sat with him. Maybe she really had been sincere. When he thought about it later, she honestly had looked pretty lonely and friendless. That made him feel bad for her, and angry with himself for leaving her alone like that.

Deciding not to tell Gordie about Ren, Chris shrugged. "Nothing much, just went for a walk. What about you?" He also didn't want Gordie to know that he'd been out looking for him. He didn't want Gordie to think he was a pussy who couldn't deal with his own problems.

"Elizabeth came over. We watched a movie and I made her nose bleed."

"That's very kind of you, Gordie," Chris laughed. "I don't think that that's the way to win her heart though, I'm afraid."

Gordie grinned and elbowed him. "But she needed comforting and I was there for her."

I needed comforting too and you weren't there, Chris thought bitterly before he could stop himself. He hated thinking like that. Gordie was his best friend. It wasn't right to think badly about him. Especially not after all the times that Gordie had been there for him.

"So how much longer till she's sixteen?" he asked, trying to sound light-hearted.

Gordie shook his head. "Forever, man. I wish her dad wasn't such a hard-ass."

"Speaking of dads," Chris said carefully. "Um, do you think I could hang out with you after school?"

Wincing, Gordie glanced at him. "Your dad's on a mean streak?"

"Yeah I guess." Chris closed his locker door, and then spun his lock shut. The two of them walked down the hall together.

"Sure, but I promised Elizabeth I'd give her a ride home and help her with her English homework. You should see that girl's grammar. She's like, 'I are good at grammaring.'"

"I heard that," Elizabeth grumbled, catching up to them. "I'm not that bad."

"Chris is gonna hang out with us after school, okay?" Gordie checked with Elizabeth.

"Yay!" she cried. "Chris always provides entertainment."

"Actually, you know what guys," Chris said quietly. "I forgot that I have to look after my brother and sister. So I'll just maybe have to stay out of my dad's way."

"Oh," Gordie said. "You sure?"

The truth was, he didn't have to look after anyone after school. His family wouldn't notice that he wasn't home. But he felt like the third wheel when he was with Gordie and Elizabeth. He loved both of them, but it was like he was in their way all the time.

"Yeah, I'm sure, thanks anyway--" Turning the corner, he slammed into a girl, sending her sprawling to the floor.

Seeing that it was Caroline Jennings he'd knocked over, Chris didn't feel too bad, but he stuck out a hand to help her up anyway. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Get a fucking seeing eye dog, Chambers," she growled, ignoring his outstretched hand and getting up on her own.

"I'm sorry," he insisted, although he wasn't.

"Whatever," she snapped.

"Caroline, you ran into him too," a new voice said. Chris looked over and saw Ren. He hadn't noticed that she was with Caroline before.

Caroline stared in awe at her. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," she muttered. "Just accept his apology, okay?"

Raising his eyebrows, he looked at Ren pointedly. He was about to smile, but then Caroline glared at him. "Look both ways next time."

"And…" Ren said expectantly. "'I accept your apology…?'"

Caroline looked at Ren oddly and muttered, "And I accept your apology."

"Oh good!" Chris said sarcastically. "I was afraid perhaps you'd never forgive me!"

"Watch it, asshole," Caroline barked. "Come on, Ren, he's contaminating us, and we need to get your head examined."

"Yes, Master," Ren croaked in an Igor impersonation. "Right awaaay master."

As she past by, she smiled self-consciously at Chris, and he would have returned it if he hadn't been so surprised with her sticking up for him.

"Ooh," Elizabeth giggled.

"Ooh, yourself," Chris grumbled.

"Chris has a girlfriend," she sang teasingly.

"You do?" Gordie asked. "Where was I when that happened?"

"I don't have a girlfriend," he shot back irritably.

"Then why the googly eyes?"

"Excuse me, but I do not have googly eyes."

"Well, Ren sure did," Elizabeth said. "Wow. You snagged yourself some Grade A bitch, there, Chris! Takes a real man to do that."

"I haven't snagged anyone!" he exclaimed. "Gordie, your little friend is being a pain in my ass so please remove her."

"Ren Rasmussen likes you?" Gordie demanded, finally catching onto the whole conversation. "Holy shit, man, she's like every senior's wet dream!"

"Except yours," Elizabeth reminded Gordie.

"Right," he said. "Umm…yeah, except mine, sure. What did you do, Chris?"

"Nothing!"

"Do you like her back?" Elizabeth asked eagerly.

"No!"

"I think you do," she snickered.

"No!"

"She is pretty hot, though, hey?" Gordie said, nudging him knowingly.

"No!"

"Are you going to share her?"

"No!" Chris blushed. "I mean, yes. No! I mean--fuck you!"

Gordie and Elizabeth burst out laughing. Elizabeth sighed loudly and said, "See, Gordie, I told you he's good for entertainment purposes."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Caroline declared, "Okay, that was the weirdest behavior I've ever seen you emit, Ren."

"Sorry," Ren said, shrugging.

"Why are you smiling?" she demanded.

"I'm not!" she laughed, but her smile just grew.

"Yes you are, you're grinning like an idiot!"

"What the hell's gotten into you?" she asked in a scolding tone, like a parent berating their child. "Why did you stick up for him like that? Is it 'be kind to stupid creatures day' and nobody let me in on it?"

"Why shouldn't I stick up for him?" Ren asked nonchalantly. "You were being mean to him. He didn't mean to run into you."

"You've never stuck up for him before," Caroline reminded her. "You've never even talked to him before."

"Yes, I have," she shot back.

"When?" she shrilled. "Why?"

"What does it matter? It's not like he's got leprosy." She smiled to herself, giggling.

Stopping in her tracks, Caroline grabbed her arm tightly and spun her around. "Oh my gosh, don't even tell me you like him, Ren

"Fine. I won't." She giggled again.