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“Me?” Chase asks when she fixes him with her smile. “Um, Lindsey. Of course.”
Lindsey leans her head on his shoulder and beams.
“That’s cute,” Daria says. “But you’re one of the girls now. You have to pick a guy.”
“I have to want to sleep with a guy?” Chase asks.
“That’s the rule,” Lindsey says, suddenly interested. “Full participation, remember? So if you were a girl, who would you want to sleep with?”
“If I were a girl, I’d be a lesbian. And I’d still want to sleep with you,” he says, smiling at her.
I can practically see her melting.
I feel a little queasy.
“That may work with Lindsey, but we all know you wouldn’t be at our sleepover if you were a lesbian. So, who would it be?”
“Lesbians can’t come to your sleepovers?” he asks. “That seems wrong.”
“You have met your girlfriend’s parents, right?” Daria asks.
“Yeah, so tell us,” Lindsey says.
“Fine,” he says, “but just to make it clear, I’d never sleep with a guy. And this never leaves this room.”
“Fine, fine, Mafioso,” Daria laughs. “Spill already.”
“Okay, if I were a girl, I’d still secretly be a lesbian, and I’d only come to your sleepover so I could have pillow fights with you. But if you ganged up on me and made me choose a guy to sleep with, I’d pick someone who was like a decent guy and good at sports. Like Oliver. But only so you wouldn’t know I was a lesbian.”
The girls laugh, so I join in, even though I have no idea who Oliver is. Daria claps her hands in delight. “This is so much fun!” she squeals. “Okay, okay, my turn. If I could have my first time over, I’d do it with a guy like Todd. But only if he’d never slept with any of my friends, because everyone knows how I feel about that. I bet he’d be really gentle and sweet.”
“Yeah, probably,” Elaine says, starting to disassemble another sandwich.
Everyone is staring at her this time, but no one says anything. The tension in the air is so thick I can feel it crackling through the group. Finally Elaine looks up.
“What?” she asks in a voice I’ve never heard her use and never expected. Almost…defensive.
“Todd… Wasn’t your first?” Lindsey asks.
“I never said he was,” she says with a shrug. “Y’all assumed, so I let you. Not everyone feels the need to spill all the gory details every time she hooks up with someone.”
Chase leans back, a broad grin on his face, and we all look at him. I meet Daria’s eye, and for one horrifying moment I think he’s going to tell Lindsey right now.
“This ought to be good,” he says, clearly enjoying every moment of the drama. Daria shakes her head at me once, her eyes wide, a look of such relief on her face it’s almost comical.
“But… I’m your best friend,” Lindsey says, her lip trembling. “You didn’t tell me about your first time?”
“Oh, come on. Don’t get hysterical about it. I just didn’t want you to feel left out. I knew you were waiting for the guy you’d marry or whatever.”
Chase looks a bit startled, and his smile falters. Apparently Lindsey hasn’t let him in on her plans for the future.
“So who was your first time then?” Lindsey asks, only looking slightly consoled by Elaine’s explanation.
“Colin,” Elaine says, popping a slice of cucumber into her mouth.
Everyone falls silent again, this time looking at Daria. Her usually expressive face is so totally blank, I’m not even sure she heard. Meanwhile, I’m just trying to keep up with all of it. I don’t know everyone’s history like the rest of them do. I glance at Elaine, and see a look of pure self-satisfaction on her face. She is clearly enjoying telling Daria this after who knows how long.
“Colin?” Daria says at last, her voice almost hesitant. “MyColin?”
