Speed Dating Page 7

  “I don’t think you have to worry about that,” Mads said.

  “Everybody ready?” Lina asked. “Go!”

  Mads focused on the boy in front of her. Alex Sipress. She knew him from school. In fact, she’d hung out with him once at a party at Sean’s house. She’d been tipsy that night. Okay, drunk. Okay, she’d puked. In Sean’s mother’s room.

  “We meet again, Octopussy,” Alex said. “I already know the short but sweet story of your life. Want to go out one night?”

  “I can’t,” Mads said. “I have a boyfriend.”

  “So what are you doing here?”

  “Filling in for a sick girl. I’m just entertaining you until you go to the next person.”

  “Oh.”

  Mads didn’t know what to say next. Entertaining fifteen boys for six minutes each was not going to be easy.

  They sat quietly. It was awkward. In the silence, Mads heard Quintana say, “I like excitement, but it’s like a drug. You’ve got to keep upping the dose, doing more and more risky things… .”

  The boy she was talking to listened, rapt, practically bouncing in his seat.

  “That guy wants to leap over the table and jump on top of her,” Alex said. “Right now.”

  “Yeah,” Mads said.

  “Do I get her next?” Alex asked.

  “No. You have to go around to the other end of the table and work your way down. You get Quintana last.”

  “Is that good or bad?”

  “Depends. Probably good. You’ll be the last guy she sees, so she’ll remember you best.”

  “Awesome.”

  “Time!” Lina called. “Everybody switch.”

  Alex got to his feet. “Thanks for killing six minutes with me.”

  Quintana’s boy moved into the seat across from Mads. Mads studied him. He was short, chubby, with pale brown hair. He wore a Giants T-shirt. His looks were unmemorable, except for the beads of sweat on his upper lip. Mads hoped for his sake he had a killer personality.

  “Hi, I’m Dave. So what’s exciting about you?”

  What’s exciting about you? she wanted to ask. “You know what?” she said. “Nothing is exciting about me. Why don’t we just sit here and listen to the people next to us talking? You don’t mind, do you?”

  “Her?” Dave nodded at Quintana. “I could listen to her talk all day. But preferably all night.”

  “You’re witty, Dave,” Mads said. “Too bad I already have a boyfriend.”

  Dave gave her a funny look, as if there might be something wrong with her. Then they turned their attention to Quintana. Mads hoped she and her boy, Jason, would be so into each other, they wouldn’t realize they were being eavesdropped on.

  “Of course I take showers when I have to,” Quintana said. “When I’m in a hurry or after gym or whatever. But I really love a good, long soak in the bath. With almond-scented oil, that’s my favorite. Just lie back, naked, the sun streaming in through the window, making me all warm… .”

  Did Quintana know what she was doing to this guy? His mouth hung slack as he absorbed what she said. A drop of saliva appeared at the corner of his lip, grew bigger, then dripped down his chin.

  “You’d think she was talking about food,” Mads said.

  “From now on, I’m switching to baths,” Dave said.

  “Jason, why are you staring at me like that?” Quintana said. “Just because I said the word ‘naked’?”

  “N-n-n-naked,” Jason stammered.

  Let me try that, Mads thought. She tapped Dave’s hand to get his attention. “Hey. Dave. Listen to this.” She paused, licked her lips for maximum effect. “Naked.”

  Dave didn’t seem to hear her. He was still mesmerized by Quintana. Mads tapped him again. He turned toward her groggily. “Huh?”

  “Did you hear me? I said naked.”

  “What? Yeah. Is time up yet?”

  Mads sighed. Why didn’t it work for her? Was it her voice? Her intonation? The context?

  “Time’s up!” Lina called.

  Dave got up to leave. “Uh, I’ve got to—” He walked away without finishing the sentence. It was as if his mind had melted.

  “Nice knowing you, Dave,” Mads called after him.

  “I’m bored,” Quintana said as the next boy took his place.

  “You don’t seem bored,” Mads said.

  “Don’t I?” She frowned. “These boys don’t have much to say, do they? I’m doing all the talking!”

  She turned to her new partner. “Is it hot today? Or is it me?” She pulled her sweater over her head, leaving only a white tank top. “There. That’s better. Now, who are you?” She reached across the table and smoothed the boy’s rumpled shirt so she could read his name tag. “Jason. I just had one of those.” She glanced at the first Jason, who was now sitting across from Mads but still riveted to Quintana. “Are all Jasons as good-looking as you two?”

  Mads sat through more of this, boy after boy after boy, making mental notes, until Sean finally reached the chair across from Quintana. Mads told her boy—nameless, faceless, at this point she hardly cared who he was—to sit down and be quiet if he knew what was good for him. She didn’t want to miss a word of the Sean-Quintana bout.

  Quintana: Hi, Sean.

  Sean: Hi, Quin. Tana. Anyone call you Quin?

  Quintana: Sure. My family. Old friends. But what are you doing here? I thought you were taken.

  Sean: Hey, I’m not married. Anyway, Jane’s pissing me off. She’s been hanging with this college dude, so I thought I’d make her jealous.

  Quintana: Oh. Well, how’s it working so far?

  Sean: Not so good. Till now.

  Quintana: I’m not sure I want to be used to make another girl jealous.

  Sean: Then I won’t. I’ll dump Jane altogether if you’ll go out with me.

  Quintana: Just once? You’d dump your girlfriend for one date with me?

  Sean: That’s what I said. You in?

  Quintana: Well… okay. Why not.

  Sean: Excellent. I’ve got another date this Friday, but she’s got a curfew. What if I pick you up afterward, say, eleven?

  Quintana: You’ll dump your girlfriend, but you won’t cancel your date with another girl?

  Sean: You’re right. I can always see that girl another night.

  Lina: Time!

  Sean: See you Friday?

  Quintana: I’ll think about it.

  Sean: Okay. You think about it, and I’ll see you Friday.

  He moved over to Mads. He was the first boy of the day who didn’t have to be forced to drag himself away from Quintana. He grinned at Mads and said, “Hey, kid. Paint any pictures of me lately?”

  Quiver. “Not lately,” Mads said. “I’ve been doing animal portraits. But if you feel like posing, I could draw you again.”

  “Maybe. My mom says she wants a portrait of me for the living room. But I think she means a professional portrait. No offense.”

  “Oh.”

  “Not that you’re not a good artist or anything. Just… you know.”

  “Sure.”

  Sean looked around, scanned the table, and got up. “Well, I really just came to this thing for a kick, see who’d show up, you know. I got what I wanted out of it. Think I’ll split. Later.”

  “Later.”

  He walked away from the table with a wave to Alex and another to Quintana. Now there were more girls than boys at the party. Mads was no longer needed as a place-holder. She got up and joined Lina at the head table.

  “Learn anything?” Lina asked.

  “Yes,” Mads said. “I learned that boys really, really like Quintana.”

  “You already knew that.”

  “I know,” Mads said. “But now I’ve got a PhD in it.”

  10

  Absorbing the Moonbeams

  * * *

  To: hollygolitely

  From: your daily horoscope

  HERE IS TODAY’S HOROSCOPE: CAPRICORN: Life is full of mysteries. Why shoul
d today be any different?

  * * *

  How did you find this restaurant?” Holly asked. It was Friday night, their first date, and Eli had brought her to a tiny Mexican place in Santa Marta. Santa Marta was about an hour’s drive from Carlton Bay, and even smaller. The restaurant, Lucia’s, sat on a cliff overlooking the ocean. It was dark and candlelit and decorated with Mexican handicrafts. “It’s very romantic,” Holly added.

  “Oh, I have an interest in Mexico, and Mexican things,” Eli said. He tapped his fork against hers so it made a ting. “The candlelight turns your hair into gold.”

  Holly self-consciously touched her hair. “Thank you.”

  She couldn’t believe this night had finally come. She’d been thinking about him so much since the Speed Dating party, imagining his face, trying to guess what he would say to her if they were alone together. Which wasn’t easy, since he hadn’t given her much to go on the first time they’d met. And he’d taken so long to get in touch with her, it made her uneasy. Yes, he said he was afraid he’d fall in love with her too quickly, but Holly’s fake-o-meter buzzed slightly at that excuse, as much as she wanted to believe it. Still, what choice did she have but to meet with him, then wait and see?

  “Tell me about yourself,” Eli said. “I want to know everything.”

  “Hmm,” Holly said. “Where should I start? The creature that is Holly has many lives, many moods, many facets.”

  “I can see that,” Eli said. “Tell me about your family. Do you have any brothers or sisters? What are your parents like?”

  “I have an older sister, Piper. She’s a freshman at Stanford. We get along okay when she doesn’t pull her Queen Bee trip on me. We get along better than ever now that she’s away at school.”

  “Is she beautiful like you?”

  “She looks different from me, more like my mom. I think she’s prettier. She’s really thin, and her hair’s darker than mine, and she has freckles. She’s cool-looking.”

  “And your parents?”

  “Curt and Jen? They’re okay. They don’t bother me too much. My dad likes to tease me sometimes. They go to a lot of parties and dinners. They pretty much let me do what I want.”

  “You’re so lucky,” Eli said. “My family has me in a dynastic stranglehold.”

  “A what?”

  “I don’t blame them. It’s only because there’s so much at stake. My father has a ranch down in Santa Barbara. He left us two years ago to live there.”

  “So your parents split up, huh? Sometimes I think mine should. Just get it over with, you know?”

  “No, you shouldn’t wish for that,” Eli said. “Trust me, it’s a terrible thing when it happens. My mother—I probably shouldn’t say this, but my mother has been addicted to painkillers ever since.”

  “That’s terrible,” Holly said. “She must have been so hurt when he left.”

  “Well, yes, she was hurt when he left, but the stab wounds didn’t help, either.”

  Holly gasped. “Stab wounds? What are you talking about?”

  “My poor mother,” Eli said. “She’s had to have a lot of surgery ever since… ever since Imelda stabbed her with her own diamond-studded stilettos.”

  Holly needed a moment to take this in. “Stilettos? As in shoes?”

  “Yes.”

  “Your mother wears diamond-studded shoes?”

  “She’s very flamboyant,” Eli said. “But then, so is Imelda.”

  “Who’s Imelda?”

  “She was our maid. Now she’s my stepmother.”

  “Your father had an affair with her?”

  Eli nodded. “She’s very greedy. She wanted to marry my father, so she tried to kill my mother. My father took her away, partly to save my mother’s life. Now my mother’s a basket case. She can walk, but she prefers the wheelchair.”

  “Wow,” Holly said. “That’s some family story.”

  “I know. More sangria?”

  He poured the fruity punch into Holly’s glass. Holly picked out an orange segment and sucked on it. No wonder Eli had acted so strangely. His background was pretty weird.

  “What about brothers and sisters?” she asked. “Do you have any?”

  Eli looked away. “That’s very complicated. I’ll explain it to you some other time.” His eyes returned to settle on her face. “Right now all I want to do is drink you in, like this sangria. Salud.”

  They clinked glasses. She felt herself getting lost again in the gray-green-gold labyrinth of his eyes. What am I getting myself into? she wondered. Whatever it was, it wouldn’t be dull. She could feel herself perched on the edge of an adventure.

  After dinner, they got into his car, a blue Honda, and drove south along the coastline. Holly had been surprised when he offered to pick her up; since spying on him with Sebastiano and spotting him in the student driver car, she’d thought he didn’t have his license yet. But it turned out he’d just gotten his driver’s license, even though he was already seventeen. He might have been on his way to take his driving test the day she had seen him.

  Just outside of Carlton Bay, they pulled into an overlook and stopped to watch the moon over the water. They got out of the car and sat on the rocks, side by side. Eli didn’t say much, and he didn’t touch her, didn’t reach for her hand, didn’t start petting her hair the way so many boys did. He simply sat still and stared at the moon. Holly did the same, stealing sidelong glances at him from time to time. What was his story? She knew some of it, the lurid family parts, but that wasn’t what she meant. What did he want from her? Where did he think this was all going, if anywhere?

  “I like to sit outside and kind of absorb the moonlight,” he said at last. “I can feel it sinking into my body through my skin and my eyes. I feel like it gives me some kind of special power.”

  “Power to do what?” Holly asked.

  “I don’t know,” Eli said. “But I think I’ve absorbed enough moon rays for tonight. Ready to go?”

  He stood up and held out his hand. She took it, and he helped her to her feet. They returned to the car and drove home. A CD was playing, the Shins. The music filled the car, so that there was no need to talk. Holly had the feeling the Shins were doing all their talking for them, much more beautifully than they could do it themselves.

  He pulled up in front of her house. She looked at him. He looked at her. He leaned forward.

  Here we go, Holly thought. No guy can make it through a whole evening without trying some sort of pass.

  He pressed his lips against hers, softly. Then he pulled back. “Good night,” he said. “I had a beautiful night.”

  That was it? She held still for a moment to make sure he didn’t want to suddenly start mauling her. She wouldn’t have minded, not much.

  But he just smiled. So she said, “I had a beautiful night, too, Eli. Thank you.” She opened the car door and said, “Good night,” before shutting it. He waited while she walked along the stone path to her front door. She opened the door and waved. He blinked his headlights, then drove off.

  That was the sexiest kiss I’ve ever had, she thought as she leaned against the door. The energy from his lips still buzzed on hers, like that lip gloss that stings and is supposed to give you a puffier pout. Maybe it was the moon’s energy she felt in that kiss.

  He was a little weird. She knew that. And from what she’d heard so far, his family was beyond dysfunctional. But none of that mattered. He was Eli. She’d met him at 3:17. And she was a goner.

  11

  Dissection

  * * *

  To: linaonme

  From: your daily horoscope

  HERE IS TODAY’S HOROSCOPE: CANCER: You’re perfectly happy sitting alone with a good book. This will come in handy when your social life withers away to nothing.

  * * *

  Mood Swing

  Current Mood: Don’t ask

  The third Speed Dating party was held at Vineland last Saturday, and scored another big success. Though this time, the crowd that sign
ed up was a little different from before. The first two groups of Speed Daters were, for the most part, a fairly conventional crew. This time about half the participants were hardcore Goths, punks, or otherwise misfits. Interesting. But it worked.

  One guy a Draper student who shall remain nameless (because I can’t remember what his name was), showed up sporting a David Bowie Spiders from Mars look, complete with dyed-blond hair, space-blue spandex over a cadaverous frame, and a lightning bolt painted over one eye on his chalky face. At the first Speed Dating party he might have been a reject, but this time he had the Goth chicks swooning. A certain Rosewood Poetess was especially smitten, though she didn’t want to admit it. When her six minutes were up and she faced the prospect of losing David Bowie to a girl with a safety pin in her cheek, and the next boy in line was a yucky freshman wearing a cape, she decided to stop playing by the rules. She dug in and refused to let David Bowie go on to the next girl. “He’s mine for the rest of the party,” she declared. “You in the cape—go around me.”

  Safety Pin Girl refused to go along with this, and who can blame her? David Bowie was definitely the catch of this crowd, and Cape Boy the dud. True to her punk ethics, Safety Pin Girl took a swing at the Poetess, narrowly missing the ruby stud in her nose. The Poetess dropped all pretense of literary diffidence and slapped Safety in the face. Safety jumped to her feet, knocking her chair over, and dove on top of the poor Poetess, who didn’t have as much practice brawling as your typical punk girl gets on an average weekend night. Holly, Mads, and I had to break up the fight before it got bloody, which doesn’t take long when you’re dealing with the heavily pierced. A few of the boys sprang to our aid. Not Bowie, though, perhaps he was afraid of smudging his lightning bolt. Safety and the Poetess were ejected, and the party proceeded. I later learned that the Poetess managed a glimpse of Bowie’s e-mail address and has been in touch with him. No news of an actual date yet. Maybe he’s too busy making contact with his home planet.