"I told you, for the MILLIONTH time, I do not care!" Chris Chambers said heatedly as he slammed the patio door to Gordie's house shut. "I do NOT want to know what happened between you and Grace Hanlon last night. Do you think I have ANY desire to hear about it?"

Gordie LaChance snickered as he sat down at the table, as Chris and him began to scarf down rows of Oreo cookies. It was the day before school, the last day of freedom, of summer, and Chris was not looking forward to the following day. He dreaded another year of ridicule and spite, of hate and prejudice against him. You'd think after so many years it'd get old, but nope. Chris was still facing the hard aches every day. Stretching his lanky seventeen year old body across the LaChance kitchen table, he popped another cookie in his mouth.

"So, you and Grace going steady now, huh?" Gordie smirked evilly at his best friend.

"Well, sure, you can call it that," he said through a mouthful of cookie. "I mean, she's hot, yeah, and good, if you know what I mean, so sure. We're going . . steady."

Chris just shook his head. "Man, you're disgusting."

Gordie shook his head. "No, really, man I'm not! I like her, she's funny, honestly. It's just..she's more of a good trophy girl, you know."

Chris chuckled softly. "I'm sorry, man, but having a different chick every several weeks. Isn't it annoying?"

"Well, I mean, when's the last time you've had a girlfriend?"

"Last year."

"Who?"

"Anne Donahue," Chris mumbled, reddening slightly. Anne Donahue..his first REAL girlfriend. Too bad the girl had dumped Chris on his sweet sixteen. He was heartbroken, but he wouldn't let Gordie know that.

"Man, she's like four feet!" Gordie giggled.

"Aww, stop giggling, Gordie, whatever you do, plllllllease," Chris begged.

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