He stood behind the delivery guy while Rhi counted out the bill and the tip, then deftly relieved the boy of his steaming burden and stepped through the door as though Rhi wasn't even standing there, mouth set in a firm, unpleasant line that bordered on a scowl. Matt set the pizza on the coffee table an d pulled the footstool up, looking for all the world as though this were a normal Friday night ritual between them: share a pizza, rehash the week, plan the weekend—

"What are you doing?" Rhi finally found her voice.

Matt opened the box, sniffing appreciatively at the wafting scent of pepperoni and cheese. "Well, as I understand it, the process is supposed to go dinner, movie, then first kiss. But I guess since we got the last one out of the way, we can skip the movie, and hey! Here's dinner." When Rhi made no reply, only stared at him, he offered a sheepish grin. "You're the most confusing person I know, Rhiannon Abernathy. Absolutely and without a doubt."

Rhi escaped to the kitchen, breathing deeply as she retrieved napkins and sodas, hoping her face wasn't as red as it felt when she reemerged. "I suppose I owe you an explanation, huh?"

"Is there one?"

"Not really," she said frankly, pulling an oozing slice from the cooling pizza. "I mean, I could say that I get things in my head sometimes that, I dunno, ricochet around and drive me nuts till I take care of them, but I guess that doesn't really explain much about....uhm..."

"Here's the deal," Matt said. "I'm not in love with you. I don't have a crush on you, I'm not stalking you or anything like that. I think once you're a little more comfortable with yourself in this town, at school, you'll turn out to be the kind of girl I'd like to go out with, but for now I'm interested in being friends, and that's it. I'm also interested in having someone to talk to at Prom who won't automatically think of me as April's sloppy seconds. That's why I asked you, and that's all I have to say on the subject. As for your point of view—I can't even begin to guess at what's in your head lately."

"So...you're not mad?"

"Mad?" Matt swallowed his soda and coughed. "Mad about what? Today at lunch? Again, Rhi, you confuse me. I can't think of any other way to say it. First you and I are having a good time, then you panic and try to run—only to show up at my house to make all my buddies jealous. Now you're acting like you think I'm gonna deck you. I'm not mad—I can barely tell which end is up with you."

Rhi wiped her mouth. "Well, you confuse me too, you know. I mean, I was fine eating lunch with you and hanging out and everything, but then all this crap with April hits the fan—"

"Shit."

"What?"

"The phrase is 'shit hits the fan'. I know you're not that prim, Rhi."

"Fine, all this shit hits the fan, and you're saying you did it because of me, and you want to go to Prom with me, and please won't I call you—what am I supposed to think?"

"I think you have intimacy issues," Matt commented, helping himself to more pizza.

"And I think you're awful familiar with my pizza for someone who invited himself to dinner," Rhi snapped. "There's no point to this, Matt. I don't want a boyfriend and you don't want me for a girlfriend. You're sending all these signals that you don't think that way, though, and so you're blaming me for when I don't know how to react?"

"My friends," Matt stated, "find you hot, and think I'm crazy for wanting to give you space. They also think you'd make a good addition to our team, since you're at least a head taller than the rest of them. So let's forget the other question we're hashing, and let me ask you this—ever played Ultimate?"

"Ultimate Frisbee? Uhm, I've tried frisbee golf a couple times, but not that."

"It's a little like soccer or football, only the players are supposed to be a little more civilized than that. I mean, it can get a little rough, but it's totally fun, and I think you might like it. So here's another question: wanna come play with us on Sunday?"

"Uh, sure." Rhi sipped her soda. "YOu guys just play together, or do you scrimmage, or what?"

"Oh, no, there's a whole league here. It's kinda like a bowling league, I guess, in that the teams organize it themselves, and we borrow the field from a rec center downtown on Wednesday nights for games. It gets kind of cutthroat, but it's really all in fun. We don't have coaches, but each team has a captain, and the league has volunteer referees and stuff. We even have t-shirts."

"Cool. Sure, I'll come watch practice. It is a practice, right?"

"Yeah, but we'd rather you play. We don't do drills or anything, unless someone wants to make up a new move or something, but we go for a few hours and we play a couple scrimmage games. You'll like it, don't worry."

"Oh, ok."

"This brings up another question. What am I gonna tell everyone who saw you today?"

"Are they all gonna be there?"

"Yeah. I'm gonna ask you to Prom one more time, Rhi, and then I'll let it alone. I might want to dance with you once, if at all, and I'm more interested in talking to you and making fun of everyone's clothes than in really doing anything. If I show up, will you show up too?"

"Do I have to dress up?" Now Matt could tell she was teasing.

"I don't even know if I'm wearing a tie. YOu could wear jeans if you want to."

"OK, then. I guess I could show up for a little while."

"Cool. Hey, if we're both gonna show up at the same time, wanna catch a ride with me?"

This time Rhi smiled for real. "Sure. Maybe we could get ice cream before hand, or something."

Matt grinned, unmindful of the red splotch of sauce on his chin. "Just so long as I don't get anything on my good t-shirt. I mean, this is a formal occasion, you know."

"Oh, of course."

"So I can tell the team we're going to Prom together?"

"As long as that's all you tell them."

"Deal."

They finished the rest of the pizza in a comfortable quiet, and Matt even helped with what little clean up there was—mostly just greasy napkins. As Rhi was rinsing the last o fthe grease off her hands, he stretched and said, "So, wanna give me the grand tour?"

The Abernathy home, like most of the others in the neighborhood, was a single-story ranch with what the realtor had called a 'habitable basement'. It wasn't a grand mansion, and Rhi knew that with all the bedroom doors open you could pretty much tell what the whole main floor contained without a tour. Standing in the living room, where opened the front door, the short hall to the bedrooms and bathroom, and the combination kitchen/dining room, Rhi pointed, stating. "My room. Mom's room. Bathroom. TV. Kitchen. Questions?"

"What's in the basement?"

Rhi shrugged, suddenly shy of revealing the occupation of her leisure time. "Just some of my stuff."

"Can I see?" Matt was already in the kitchen and down the basement stairs when Rhi grudgingly started to move towards the door. At the foot of the stairs he paused for a minute, then pointed to the punching bag. "That yours?"

"Uh-huh."

"Huh. April said you thought you were a hardass. Guess you more than think it, huh?"

Rhi shrugged her bony shoulders again. "I can take care of myself."

"Wanna show me a couple moves? Eh? C'mon, champ," Matt danced around her, tossing up mocking jabs, "show me what ya' got."

Rhi stayed as she was, arms folded. "No"

"C'mon. You won't hurt me, I promise."

"I don't feel like it right now."

"What, afraid you can't take me? Huh?" Matt was entirely teasing, but his loose fist suddenly swung a little too close to her jaw, and Rhi blocked it without thinking, what little good humor she retained disappearing. She hung onto the fist he'd tossed at her face, and when Matt couldn't readily free himself, she saw him beginning to understand.

"Ok, fine. Let's, uh, just go back upstairs."

She let go his hand and followed him back up to the kitchen, closing the door firmly behind her.

"I, uh, should get home," Matt said, glancing at the darkening sky through the window. "Some of the guys wanted to see a movie tonight, so...."

"OK." Rhi paused briefly. "Thanks for stopping by, Matt."

"No prob. Hey, you wanna come with us? Dinner and a movie, whaddaya say?"

"No thanks. I don't know when MOm's getting home from her date and I wanna be here to give her the third degree."

"Gotcha." Matt clapped her on the shoulder awkwardly. "See ya Sunday, my house, OK?"

"You bet. See ya, Matt."

"See ya."