3 Chapter 3

“So, what’s with college, Marianne?”

“I dunno.”

“I always figured you and Tom were going to State together.”

“Nah. We decided to take a break. Do our own thing for a while.”

“Hmm.” Tom and Marianne had been a couple since freshman year, and I really pictured the two of them as the first to go off and get married. Their relationship was just so solid. Better than Brad’s and mine, which seemed to be based entirely on his constant desire to get into my pants. I often wondered if he would lose interest after I gave in to his never-ending quest to get between my thighs.

I was just about to press Marianne for more details about why she and Tom were apparently on the outs, but she changed the subject.

“Come on,” she said. “We don’t want to be late for the bonfire.”

I decided to let my curiosity rest and figured we could talk about something else for a while