Theresa tapped the corner of her register as her tongue dangled out from the side of her mouth. She studied the figure before him, his head hanging down as he tried to pretend like he was anything other than embarrassed to run in to her in the middle of the day, in the middle of business, with no preamble whatsoever.

"Well, well, well. Ryan Atwood."

He shrugged sheepishly.

"On gofer duty again, I see?"

"What I get for bein' the kid," he grumbled, flipping through the petty cash in his hand.

"Sorry Lily's not here?"

He stopped in mid-count, eyes still on his hands, not looking up at her. "Idon'tcare," he muttered in one word. He was not convincing. Not to her.

Theresa shook her head at him. "Sure. Uh huh. Want to sell me a waterfront property, too? C'mon, Atwood."

"What?" he protested.

"You know you're early. They just called your order in like ten minutes ago."

He spread his hands. "Then I guess I'm killing time – oh! I almost forgot." He dug in his back pocket and produced a rolled-up magazine that looked like it used to be vaguely familiar.

She stared at it as he flung it onto the counter. "Okay. You do realize there's no way I can return that now, right?"

He shrugged. "Eh."

"So?" She eyed him carefully as she unfolded the picture of the stepfamily on the counter.

"So what?"

"Anything good in there?"

His nose turned up just a little. "You couldn't have nicked a Sports Illustrated or something?"

"Ryan!" she exploded in mock frustration.

"What? I'm just sayin'. You know. Next time a store clerk accidentally sneezes in your direction. Think Sports Illustrated." He grinned.

Theresa cracked up even against her better instincts. "You didn't even read it, did you?"

"Did, too," he said defensively. "You know, I didn't know Social Security sucked so much. So much for my early retirement."

She closed her eyes. "Ryan-" Of course he didn't get it, and now she didn't know why she ever expected him to.

"I mean, really, if that's what we have to look forward to? Life of crime sounds so much more appealing." He tapped the magazine.

It was a joke, but it wasn't funny. Theresa glanced to be sure Gary was busy before leaning in. "Did you – do you know how Arturo really got the LeBaron? I mean-" She glanced down. "He was kidding, right? About it being, you know-" She shrugged as she looked back up to meet his eyes.

"Yeah, no," he said in a monotone. "He was kidding."

"Cause nobody ever tells me anything. Cause I'm the girl. And they all think I'm still twelve years old."

"Aren't you?" He looked puzzled.

"Fuck you, Atwood. I will tell Manny over there to spit on your food."

He laughed. A genuine laugh. One that reached his eyes. She only noticed because they were so rare lately. She didn't know why it made her sad, to see him laughing now. It should make her happy. "Look, I mean, I'm the kid, too. I never know, either. Seriously."

"So there was nothing else good in there?" She flipped through the crumpled magazine pages.

"Uh. I kind of skimmed," he said apologetically. "It was boring. I wasn't kidding about that Sports Illustrated."

"Uh huh." She bit back her own smile.

"It's all scare tactics. 'The Demise of Modern Society!'" He shook his head. "It's completely reactionary."

She stared at him dully. "And to think they almost put you in summer school."

"Well. My point exactly, see. Why rush school, anyway? If we're going to be working until we're all on our third set of hips."

"Order up, chica!"

She turned to see Manny counting off the Allen lunch orders. She moved to help him double-check and bag the meals.

"So seriously, I mean, nobody spat on this, right?" Ryan asked as he hefted the first orders. She made a face at him. "What? I'm kidding!"

But she could never tell when he was kidding any more. That was the problem.

The door swung wildly as he returned for the last set of orders.

"Lily's working tomorrow," Theresa said, not looking up from her register.

"Oh." He was trying to sound disinterested. She rolled her eyes.

"Ryan Atwood. Grow a pair and ask her out already."

"What? No. I-"

She slapped her palms on the counter, leaning forward. "Don't pretend you're not lusting after her. You see these eyes? They do work. I'm not blind, you know. Twenty-twenty vision, actually."

"Yeah, but-" No. He had already admitted it. Now was too late for 'but's. "She's not interested."

"You don't know that."

"You do."

Maybe she did. Maybe she just wanted to make sure he did, too. And maybe she didn't.

"So you'll never know. Hit on her already. That thing at Trey's tomorrow. Ask her to come. Don't be all wishy-washy, get specific. Worst she'll do is say no."

"Yeah," he said, considering. "Yeah, guess so."

Theresa gave him a wry smile.

"Why do you care so much all of a sudden?" he asked. He tilted his head to study her.

"Because," she said slowly, "I just want to see you happy." She realized with a start that it was true. Well, sort of. Not really.

Ryan shrugged. "I'll think about it."

She bit her lip as he made his way out with the last of the orders. If Lily made Ryan happy, maybe she could be happy with Eddie, and then everybody could maybe be happy. And that wouldn't be so bad.

It wasn't like stranger things hadn't happened.

It looked disturbingly like Trey's place hadn't been cleaned since the last party, and a bottle of Coors Light sitting on the cardboard coffee table made Theresa shiver.

"You all right?" Ryan asked her, concerned. He was leaning against the window, looking outside, anxious.

"Yeah, just cold," she said without thinking.

He laughed. He thought it was a joke. Of course he did. Trey had no air conditioning.

"Want a soda?" Ryan added, popping the tab on his own Dr. Pepper.

Theresa turned to consider this. It was 7:30 and the party should have started at 7. Well, "party" was a vague misnomer. They were renting Terminator 3. Eddie and Arturo weren't back from Blockbuster yet, and Trey had gone to pick up Becca and Lily, leaving Ryan and Theresa to wait here. She wasn't sure if it was deliberate on anyone's part or not. Didn't matter – Ryan was uncharacteristically antsy, he'd been bouncy and distractible the whole bike ride over, and still seemed nervous.

"Nah," Theresa said. "Think we oughta get rid of some of the, uh...?"

"...Mess?" Ryan filled in.

"Well. While I realize Trey does have a unique decorating style-"

"It's not exactly conducive to him getting laid," Ryan said, then stopped, frozen, the expression on his face clearly indicating that he wished he hadn't finished that particular sentence, in that way.

She shrugged, pretending she didn't care. "Not like that stopped him before."

Ryan considered this. "True."

Theresa started collecting the assorted empty bottles and cans. Leave it to Trey to never leave a beer half-empty. She racked her brain for a snappy remark. "This place looks like a heroin den. Just... substitute beer. For heroin."

"Trey doesn't do heroin," Ryan said seriously, then added, "Not yet, anyway."

"Yeah?" Theresa asked, her voice neutral.

"You know unemployment is the only thing keeping him from being a total cokehead. He would be if he could afford it." Ryan paused. "He does do a lot of beer, though."

Theresa suddenly remembered something Arturo had said. "Does Trey ever deal?"

"I think. Maybe sometimes. I don't know."

"You don't know?" Theresa echoed. "He hasn't worked since Christmas. Like, how much could he be bringing in?"

"A lot. I guess. There are some serious junkies around here," Ryan said.

"Tell me about it," she replied, even though she really didn't know.

"Remember when that guy got shot over by your Pizza King last month?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah?"

He took the last swig of his Dr. Pepper and wiped his mouth off. "That was drugs," he said definitively.

"Really."

"Oh yeah. Cops couldn't prove it, but that's what I heard."

She nodded slowly, thinking of Arturo hiding things in his room and turning up with mysterious new cars. No. Better not to think about it.

"So then does Trey recycle?" She turned to him with an armful of bottles.

He snorted. "Do pigs have wings? No. Trash it." He carefully set his can on top of her armful.

A car screeched to the curb out front. Theresa carried the bottles into the kitchen – was it her imagination, or was the floor at an angle, and god this house was horrendous – and returned to find Trey and Becca and Lily loping into the house.

"We cleaned up for you," Ryan said pointedly.

Trey looked bored. "Good. Where's my movie, yo?"

Ryan gestured around. "Do you see Eddie and Arturo?" Theresa had to giggle, quietly.

"My mom loves Schwarzenegger now," Becca declared. She flopped on to the armchair, and Theresa could swear she saw a dust cloud rise around her. She decided not to say anything. "She hates his movies but she's voting for him anyway."

"Trey, who are you voting for?" Theresa asked, suddenly interested.

"Voting?" Trey echoed, and from behind him, Ryan shook his head. She tried to catch his eye, but he was still looking sideways at Lily.

"There they are," Lily said with obvious relief, and ran to the door. She had been lurking awkwardly to the side since her arrival. Looking very much like she would rather be somewhere else. Anywhere else.

Arturo and Eddie entered looking suspiciously sheepish. She had a bad feeling about this. "Guys," Theresa said apprehensively.

Trey shot a hostile glare at Eddie before addressing Arturo directly. "Where's Arnold?"

"Um..." Arturo and Eddie exchanged a glance.

"What?" Becca demanded, folding her arms.

"Terminator 3 was all gone," Arturo said. "So me and Eddie, we had to make an executive decision."

"What?" Trey asked.

The guys exchanged another glance. "It's hard for us to agree on anything, okay? I mean – anything the girls would like." Eddie glanced apologetically at Theresa.

"Out with it, jackass," Trey snapped, still glaring at Eddie. Theresa swallowed.

Arturo held out the cassette. Becca shoved her way forward to grab it. She made a face. "The Princess Bride?"

It was all Theresa could do not to make an uncharacteristic shriek of delight. Instead she bit her lip, grinning at Ryan. Sometimes she remembered why she loved her brother and her -

What was Eddie, anyway? To her? A boyfriend? No. A friend? With benefits? Wasn't that what she'd always called Ryan? Oh, to hell with it.

"But I've seen that already," Lily said. "I haven't seen T3."

Ryan looked mildly torn. "You mean you've seen it and you don't want to watch it again?"

Theresa wanted, in that moment, to snatch the cassette from Becca's hands and bash Ryan repeatedly in the head with it, hoping it would clue him in to what a big warning signal this was. Instead, she simply said, "So, popcorn?"

The words seemed to sufficiently nominate her for kitchen duty, so she set to work in Trey's rarely-cleaned kitchen, wiping the occasional stickiness as she went. By the time she carried the beer and popcorn into the living room, the seating arrangements were set. She paused at the door, feeling suddenly uncomfortable. Trey was in the beaten-up armchair, Becca settling comfortably at his feet. Lily was perched on a corner of the couch, Ryan beside her, Eddie on his other side. And Arturo was already stretching out on the floor, a pillow in his lap.

"Hey," Eddie said, noticing her discomfort. "You wanna... sit?" He leapt up, not giving her a chance to respond. She really didn't want to sit. She thought that maybe she wanted to leave. But there seemed to be no choice now, and so she set the bowl of popcorn on the table, perhaps a little too roughly, before heaving herself on to the couch beside Ryan.

He turned and raised his eyebrows at her. "Hi?"

"Hi," she replied curtly, fixing her eyes on the screen.

It was too hard. No. Too hard to sit here with Eddie at her feet, leaning just close enough, gently brushing her leg with his arm. And Ryan at her side, who as far as she could tell, was getting closer and closer to Lily. And farther and farther from her. No. She couldn't look.

By the time Inigo Montoya was scaling the Cliffs of Despair, Becca and Trey had exchanged a whispered giggle and excused themselves. Theresa waited for Eddie to claim the chair, but Arturo beat him to it.

"How come nobody ever recognizes the guy with the mask?" Lily burst out in frustration. "It's not like he had fucking plastic surgery."

Theresa was close enough to Ryan that she could actually feel his shoulders slump in disappointment even as Arturo cracked up. She kicked Eddie slightly, and she could see him grin without turning to look at her.

This wasn't a movie to watch alone. But it wasn't a movie to watch like this, either. With Ryan beside her, afraid to feel up Lily because Theresa was here. And Eddie at her feet, afraid to feel her up because Ryan was here. It was ridiculous. Really. But...

"What in the world could that be?"

The remark from the screen was punctuated by a loud, masculine moan from Trey's room, which made five heads shoot up in amazement. Arturo broke their shock with a loud snort.

"Hey, Romeo! Keep it down, eh?" Eddie yelled.

"Fuck you," came Trey's response, sounding less than sincere. Theresa made a face.

Ryan seemed to be breathing a little faster beside her. Theresa looked over. Lily was still closer. She looked away and scooted as far into the corner of the couch as she could.

Another grunt, this time sounding like Becca's voice. Arturo leapt to his feet. "Atwood! I'm comin' in there!"

The response was a crash from the bedroom. Now even Ryan looked alarmed. "No!" Trey yelped from behind the door. "Wait – we're-"

The door flew open and Becca stumbled out, dragging a rumpled Trey behind her. She was giggling still, and he looked bashful as they settled down on the floor.

"D'you guys mind?" Ryan asked, irritated.

Trey cleared his throat, but said nothing. He leaned his face in Becca's shoulder and she giggled again.

Theresa could take no more. She jumped up and felt all eyes on her. "I'm going to the bathroom," she announced.

Lily leapt up. "Me too," she said, relieved. Theresa glanced at her, puzzled, but said nothing.

Much to her surprise, Becca stood as well. "I'm coming, too."

"But there's only one bathroom," Trey stammered, looking to the other guys for support. Eddie and Ryan looked away. Arturo was still fixated on the movie.

"We know, shithead," Theresa snapped, and turned to follow Becca to the bathroom in back of the house.

The girls filed in and closed the door. The moment it was shut, Lily turned on Becca and Theresa took a step away from the two of them out of a sense of self-protection. This did not look good.

"The fuck was that?" Lily exploded.

Becca looked mortified. "Excuse me for getting a little action."

"Like it's not bad enough I'm stuck here with Ryan trying to make-" Lily stopped short, staring at Theresa with sudden concern.

"Trying to make a move?" Theresa finished. "I know. Shit, I told him to."

The girls were silent for a moment. "You did?" Lily didn't sound convinced.

"Yeah. I did. So what?"

Becca slumped against the sink. "Damn. I can't take this. I need a cigarette."

Lily produced a pack and offered around. Relieved, Theresa took one as well. She produced her Bic and the girls took turns lighting up.

"You told Ryan to make out with me?" Lily repeated.

"Course I did," Theresa said. "He's crazy about you."

"But you two-"

"I'm seeing somebody else, why shouldn't he?" Theresa asked. The warm, familiar smell of smoke was filling the air, calming her frayed nerves.

Becca jumped on the sentence. "You are? Who?"

"Nobody," Theresa said. "Nobody important. Look, forget I said anything. She's right! Cut out the PDA. None of us in that room want to see it. Not now." Not with Ryan's brother. Not with her brother. Not with Ryan, not with Eddie. She stared down at the cigarette in her hand.

Becca frowned. "I can't help it if I'm the only one around here with a man." She stopped short. "Wow. I'm sorry. I meant-"

"I told you," Theresa said, tucking her left arm behind her right elbow as she held her cigarette off to the side. "You're not."

Lily looked down at the floor. "So I'm the only single one."

"Lily," Becca sighed.

"Maybe I should just go for Ryan," she said, sounding dejected.

"He's not that bad a catch," Theresa pointed out.

"He could be cute," Becca added.

"Eddie's cuter," Lily said.

Theresa's head snapped up. "No he's not," she said automatically.

"He's taller," Becca pointed out.

"And Ryan's just so mean sometimes."

"Only because he likes you," Theresa said.

Lily shrugged. "I don't know."

Becca turned and stubbed her cigarette out in the sink before dropping it in the garbage. "Okay girls. This isn't working." She dug in her purse and produced another cigarette, this one skinny and brown.

"You're not gonna share that with the boys?" Lily asked in surprise.

Becca snorted. "Hells no. Do you think Trey shares anything with me if he's not trying to get laid?"

"When is Trey not trying to get laid?" Theresa asked, amazed.

This caused all three of them to crack up. Theresa coughed a little as she stubbed her own cigarette out in the sink and offered her lighter to Becca so that they could light the joint.

"When is any guy not trying to get laid?" Lily asked critically. "I mean, every guy in that room out there is trying to get laid."

"Arturo's not," Theresa said.

"That's cause he did Portia Blackwell last night."

Theresa felt her nose wrinkling against her will. "Ew. He did not."

Becca merely shrugged and looked away innocently as she lit the joint and took the first drag. She passed it to Theresa. "So then it is Eddie."

Theresa was caught off guard and nearly dropped the joint in the toilet. "What?"

"Your guy. C'mon."

"No – no, he's..."

"You're caught, girl," Becca pointed out. "You just admitted it."

Maybe Becca wasn't as stupid as she pretended sometimes.

"I mean – no, you're here with Trey – and Lily's here with Ryan..."

"Am I?" Lily asked sharply. "Cause I can't tell."

"And 'here with Trey' ain't exactly it," Becca added. "He don't even know how many brothers and sisters I got. Or what I like to eat. Or... or anything. There's sex. That's pretty much it."

"Really?" Theresa asked, passing the joint to Lily.

"I bet Eddie wants more than sex," Lily said, as she accepted it and took her turn.

"Ryan doesn't," Theresa said. "I mean – I don't mean that. He does want more than sex. With you," she said, in deference to Lily. "It's just amazing sometimes, how guys just think with their dicks."

"Mmm-hmmm," Becca said, nodding in agreement, her eyes on Lily.

"So how is Eddie?" Lily asked, passing the joint to Becca. "Like, compared to Ryan?"

"I'm not comparing!" Theresa said, aghast.

"Suit yourself," Lily shrugged.

Someone pounded on the door. "Are you bitches getting stoned in there without us?" Trey shouted.

"What does it smell like?" Theresa shouted back, sending Lily and Becca in to fits.

She took the joint from Becca and leaned against the sink, satisfied. Being a girl wasn't as bad as she thought it was sometimes. At least here she fit in, and she didn't have to worry about what curve ball was going to be thrown at her next. She inhaled deeply off the joint, feeling the marijuana smoke filling her lungs, burning her from the inside out. She didn't want to face Ryan, and she didn't want to face Eddie.

"Hey!" The door flew open, revealing all four guys peering in. "No fair," Arturo complained.

Theresa smiled a thin smile, noticing how all her calm seemed to evaporate once the guys were in the room again. She could feel her teeth grinding, her jaw setting, and her fingers tightened around the joint in her hands.

So this was how it was going to be now.

She wasn't sure she would get used to it.