soccer team had a game after school. After dinner, I was about to phone her when I got a call from Dave Vanderhauf.
He sounded nervous, and we shot the shit for a few minutes. Then he said, “Hey P.D., did you know that Kelly is dating Nicklas Ericcson?
No fucking way.
“Where’d you hear that?” I asked.
“Well, Ericcson brought her to a party on Saturday; a bunch of guys from the team were there. I actually didn’t even recognize her, because she looked more, um, grown up than the last time I saw her. But she was all friendly and chatty, so I knew it was her.”
“Are you sure they were together?”
“Uh yeah, he was all over her.”
Shit, no way Kelly was like that. Now, I really couldn’t believe this, although I couldn’t think of a logical explanation. I grunted in reply.
“Well, I didn’t think it was a big deal for you, I mean you’re dating that girl from my school, right? But in case you wanted to know.” Hoff was a good friend, and I had talked to him about Kelly more than a few times. He was cool though, and didn’t make a big deal out of it.
I was pretty stunned and didn’t end up calling Kelly after all. This was something we needed to hash out in person, so I figured I’d go to school early and talk to her.
Kelly seemed completely normal when I caught up with her at her locker before school.
“Morning, Phil.” She smiled at me and I felt relieved. I was sure there was nothing up. She pulled off her jean jacket, and she was wearing tight clothes again. Just a regular top and jeans, but they showed off her body. Usually I was all for girls wearing revealing stuff, but with Kelly, I wanted to put her jacket back on. Was all this dressing up for Ericcson’s benefit?
“It’s not true, is it?” I asked.
“What’s not true?”
“I heard that you’re going out with Nicklas Ericcson. That can’t be right.”
“Why not?”
There were only a hundred reasons, but I blurted out the first one that came to mind. “’Cause he’s a douchebag.”
“He’s not a douchebag!”
“Really? Because I dated a girl who had just gone out with him, and I think ‘insanely selfish’ was how she described him. Or maybe it was ‘egotistical a-hole.’”
She shook her head. “Nicklas is not like that at all. He’s a really nice guy.” This was typical Kelly, she always saw the best in everyone. But she also had a bullshit detector, which should have gone off after five minutes with Ericcson.
“So you are going out with him?”
“Kind of, I guess.”
I felt shocked to hear her say that. I guess I didn’t really believe it until this moment. “But Kelly, what about your promise?”
“My promise?”
“You promised that when you were ready to go out, you would tell me.” She had also said she’d want to go out with me first, and that was something I had counted on.
“But you have a girlfriend. You always have a girlfriend. Besides, it kind of happened by accident. It wasn’t like I made this big decision to start dating.”
“Kelly, are you nuts? How can you accidentally be going out with someone? That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“I don’t know, it started with a dare, and then things, uh, progressed.”
“How far have they progressed?”
“Are you the dating police, Phil? I’m not telling you anything else.” Kelly’s temper was starting to flare up, and I knew I was pushing her too hard. But she was making me crazy. The whole idea of Ericcson laying one finger on her was so wrong. She slammed her locker shut. “Do I ask for all the details on you and Anakin?”
“It’s Anika, and I would tell you if you wanted to know. She’s history.”
“Does she know that yet?”
I swallowed. “Well, not yet, but she knows things are not going well. We don’t have a lot in common. But really, Kelly, why him?”
She paused for a moment, and I wondered if she was going to even answer me. Then she looked up at me, her eyebrows raised. “It’s…
He sounded nervous, and we shot the shit for a few minutes. Then he said, “Hey P.D., did you know that Kelly is dating Nicklas Ericcson?
No fucking way.
“Where’d you hear that?” I asked.
“Well, Ericcson brought her to a party on Saturday; a bunch of guys from the team were there. I actually didn’t even recognize her, because she looked more, um, grown up than the last time I saw her. But she was all friendly and chatty, so I knew it was her.”
“Are you sure they were together?”
“Uh yeah, he was all over her.”
Shit, no way Kelly was like that. Now, I really couldn’t believe this, although I couldn’t think of a logical explanation. I grunted in reply.
“Well, I didn’t think it was a big deal for you, I mean you’re dating that girl from my school, right? But in case you wanted to know.” Hoff was a good friend, and I had talked to him about Kelly more than a few times. He was cool though, and didn’t make a big deal out of it.
I was pretty stunned and didn’t end up calling Kelly after all. This was something we needed to hash out in person, so I figured I’d go to school early and talk to her.
Kelly seemed completely normal when I caught up with her at her locker before school.
“Morning, Phil.” She smiled at me and I felt relieved. I was sure there was nothing up. She pulled off her jean jacket, and she was wearing tight clothes again. Just a regular top and jeans, but they showed off her body. Usually I was all for girls wearing revealing stuff, but with Kelly, I wanted to put her jacket back on. Was all this dressing up for Ericcson’s benefit?
“It’s not true, is it?” I asked.
“What’s not true?”
“I heard that you’re going out with Nicklas Ericcson. That can’t be right.”
“Why not?”
There were only a hundred reasons, but I blurted out the first one that came to mind. “’Cause he’s a douchebag.”
“He’s not a douchebag!”
“Really? Because I dated a girl who had just gone out with him, and I think ‘insanely selfish’ was how she described him. Or maybe it was ‘egotistical a-hole.’”
She shook her head. “Nicklas is not like that at all. He’s a really nice guy.” This was typical Kelly, she always saw the best in everyone. But she also had a bullshit detector, which should have gone off after five minutes with Ericcson.
“So you are going out with him?”
“Kind of, I guess.”
I felt shocked to hear her say that. I guess I didn’t really believe it until this moment. “But Kelly, what about your promise?”
“My promise?”
“You promised that when you were ready to go out, you would tell me.” She had also said she’d want to go out with me first, and that was something I had counted on.
“But you have a girlfriend. You always have a girlfriend. Besides, it kind of happened by accident. It wasn’t like I made this big decision to start dating.”
“Kelly, are you nuts? How can you accidentally be going out with someone? That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”
“I don’t know, it started with a dare, and then things, uh, progressed.”
“How far have they progressed?”
“Are you the dating police, Phil? I’m not telling you anything else.” Kelly’s temper was starting to flare up, and I knew I was pushing her too hard. But she was making me crazy. The whole idea of Ericcson laying one finger on her was so wrong. She slammed her locker shut. “Do I ask for all the details on you and Anakin?”
“It’s Anika, and I would tell you if you wanted to know. She’s history.”
“Does she know that yet?”
I swallowed. “Well, not yet, but she knows things are not going well. We don’t have a lot in common. But really, Kelly, why him?”
She paused for a moment, and I wondered if she was going to even answer me. Then she looked up at me, her eyebrows raised. “It’s…
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