Chapter 8 - Twenty Questions
"Have you ever thrown up after riding a ride at a carnival?" Marie asked Silk. They were hanging out at her apartment and Marie started asking him twenty questions, just for fun.
"No."
"Have you ever… skinny dipped?"
Silk shook his head. "Last one."
"Have you ever stolen twenty dollars from your parents?" Marie enquired.
"No."
"Not even a quarter?"
"No," Silk stated. "Have you ever thrown up after riding a carnival ride?"
Marie nodded. "The Matterhorn. I was thirteen and I had a hot dog before I went on. It didn't settle well."
"Have you ever… dated someone to make the guy you really liked jealous?"
Marie nodded her head. "My first boyfriend. I thought if I went out with him, Simon would notice. He'd be so jealous that he would have to break up with his girlfriend. Eventually, I started liking the guy I was dating and we stayed together until he became a jerk."
"I thought you broke up because you wouldn't sleep with him?" Silk asked.
"Yeah. He was being a jerk about it."
Silk smiled. "Have you ever stolen money from your parents?"
"No."
"Have you ever… skinny dipped?"
"No," Marie replied.
"Did you go see Grease the first weekend it came out? Do you know any of the songs by heart?" Silk asked after a minute of thinking up a question.
"I guess that makes two questions," Marie mumbled. "John Travolta, man. What do you think? And yeah I do."
Silk took a drink of his pop. "Did you actually go see Star Wars?"
Marie smiled as she tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. "I went with Josh. He talked about it non stop. I promised him that the next time he went I would go with him."
"What is your favorite Queen song?"
"Somebody to Love."
"Have you ever met a famous person?"
"No."
"Who did you want to marry?"
"David Cassidy."
"Of course," Silk muttered. Marie playfully hit him and he pretended that it hurt. "Since you saw Star Wars, have you read Lord of the Rings or the Hobbit?"
Marie replied, "No. Are they good?"
"Great story," Silk said, "a great adventure."
"Maybe someday I will."
"Can you quote Plato?"
"No. Can you?"
"No. I couldn't think of anything."
Marie chuckled. "Can you quote a scene from Star Wars?"
Silk nodded. "But this is about you now."
Marie smirked. "I'm sorry."
"Who was your first?"
"As in who was my first sexual experience?" Marie questioned. Silk nodded. "Um… my second boyfriend."
Silk took a few minutes to think of another question. "Do you believe in fate?"
Marie bit her lip before answering. "Yes. I believe everything happens for a reason. If I had actually decided to go to a different college, I wouldn't be experiencing the stuff in my life right now. I wouldn't have a best friend who I care so much for, a team full of players that I also care about, a job I love." Marie shrugged. "A friendship that's new that I am grateful for."
Silk smiled. "Do you think the team will be ready to play against the elite teams in the Olympics?"
Marie nodded. "I'm impressed where the team is right now. At first I thought it wasn't going to work because of Rob and Jack. Now they're slowly becoming friends and the guys are playing like a team."
Silk asked, "Who's better Gonzo or Grover?"
Marie gave him a funny look. "Grover," she slowly answered.
Silk laughed at the look on her face. "I couldn't think of a good question."
Marie muttered. "It's more like Big Bird actually."
"Babysitter?"
'Yeah. You?"
"Little cousins."
Marie nodded. "Cookie Monster or Animal?"
"Cookie Monster," Silk answered before taking a drink of his pop. "Have you ever… told someone else's secret that they didn't want anybody to know about?"
Marie smirked. "Do you have one?"
"No."
"Dave… I can truly say no. I'm not that vindictive," Marie responded. "But there was a time I wanted to. I'm not mentioning when and who."
"Favorite Kurt Russell movie?"
Marie took a minute to think of all his Disney movies. "Now You See Him, Now You Don't."
"Have you ever gotten caught doing anything illegal?"
"No."
Silk racked his brain for the last question he could think of. "Um… have you ever broken your arm?"
"No," Marie replied smiling.
"How do you spell top?" Silk asked.
"T.O.P"
"What do you do at a green light?"
"Stop," Marie answered. She realized what she said. "Oh damn it." She laughed with him. "Did you hear about what they found when they opened Beethoven's coffin?"
"What?"
"A sheet music and a pen."
"Really?"
"Yeah he was d-composing," Marie said. Silk laughed when he got it and shook his head.
"A man walks into a bar."
"And."
"He says, 'ouch'."
"That was corny," Marie replied.
"Yeah, I know," Silk remarked. Marie laughed at the way he said it. "A horse walks into bar and the bartender says, 'what's with the long face?'"
Marie smiled at that one. For the rest of the night, they kept on joking around and having a blast.
vvv
Marie and Simon were out on a date sitting at a table at a nice restaurant. They had just finished eating and were now waiting for dessert. Marie was laughing at something Simon said when she looked over at the side and her laughter died down. Jessica and Will were across the room, and they were acting all lovey dovey. Simon saw the look on Marie's face and followed her stare.
"Will and Jessica," she meekly told him. "I haven't see them since that one night."
Simon reached across the table and took one of her hands. "Forget about them. They're not worth your time thinking about them. Caring what they think."
"I could care less about them because I'm with you," Marie replied smiling. Their dessert came and they took their time with it. They sat there after, just talking. Marie went to the restroom while Simon paid for their dinner. After she left the stall, she was washing her hands when another occupant came out. Marie looked up and her eyes widened for a second.
"Marie… how are you?" Jessica asked quietly when she walked up.
Marie turned off the faucet and wiped her hands dry. She didn't know what she was going to say or do. "I hope you're good," she finally said.
Jessica smiled weakly. "I am."
Marie stood there staring at Jessica. She seriously didn't know what to say. They pretty much attacked each other when everything went down, what was left to say? Marie waved to her and left the restroom. She was only out the door when she heard the voice that she didn't want to hear.
"Marie… does he know how much of a bitch you really are?" Will asked.
Marie sighed and slowly turned around. "Fuck you," was all she said.
Will smiled. "I hope he realizes…"
"I hope you're going to say is what a great woman I have," Simon said coming up.
Marie smiled at Simon. "Look… Will who I date is none of your damn business. You're the one who ended it because you were an asshole."
Jessica exited the restroom and stopped short. "Will, let's go. There's no need for a show for the other patrons." Jessica pulled him away.
Marie silently thanked her when they were leaving. She really didn't want a big scene. Marie looked at Simon and gave him a small kiss before they headed out. Marie knew that they weren't worth it and she will never devote a thought to them ever again. She had what she wanted and she was falling hard. She liked that feeling. She was happy.
