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“There are other fish in the sea,” she tells Kota.
“That’s not where T-Boz, Left Eye, and Chilli told me to find men.”
“Who?” Dex and I question at the same time.
“Legendary girl group, TLC,” Tina says with attitude. “You guys don’t know anything.”
Beside me, Kota nods her head. Knees hugged to her chest, she’s got the cuff of my hoodie up to her nose, sniffing it maybe. Hopefully.
She sure looks like mine.
“Anyway, that’s not what ‘Waterfalls’ is about, babe. It’s about risky behavior leading to getting AIDS. Nothing to do with where to find men at all.”
Kota twists her head toward the back. “It is?”
“That’s not what it’s about.” Dex scoffs.
I shake my head. “Yeah, I don’t think that’s right, Tina.” I’ve heard that song on the radio before and I’m pretty sure it’s just about different bodies of water.
“TLC literally made condoms a part of their outfits to spread awareness. How do you not know this?”
I shrug, and I’m assuming Dex does, too, because he doesn’t respond verbally.
“God, what were you guys even doing in the nineties?”
“Swimming in my dad’s balls,” I tell Tina seriously.
Until Dex’s laughter makes me chuckle.
The right side of my face catches fire—just the one side. When I glance over, I have to do a double take. Kota’s full-on glaring at me.
She’s mad at me again? What’d I do now?
“So you did know how to swim,” she sneers. “Just like you probably knew how to drive, too.”
What the fuck? Swim…
Oh.
Shit.
“It was a joke. I meant I was, you know…” I wave my hand around. “A fucking sperm in my dad’s balls.” It sounds so much worse saying it like this.
Even Kota’s expression morphs to one of disgust.
“I wasn’t actually swimming in the nineties. I wasn’t even born yet.”
She looks unconvinced.
“None of us were.”
Still, nothing.
Goddamn it.
“How much did she drink?” I ask Tina, my voice laced with accusation.
She looks at me through the rearview blankly. Miss Nineties Trivia doesn’t have all the answers now, does she?
