Indy, by the way, was a tall, built, fantastic redhead and Ally was tall, lean and gorgeous with shiny, dark brown hair.

“Sit down, sit down. Let’s get to it. Someone get this girl a drink.” Shirleen had a seat saved for me, right next to her, right smack in the center of the long table. She was patting it and grinning at me huge.

“I’ll get you a drink,” Stevie mumbled getting up. “What’ll you have?”

“Cranberry juice and vodka. Let me give you some money,” I told him.

“Girlie, sit! Gay men don’t get to buy women drinks very often. Live it up,” Tod shouted.

Stevie moved off, I sat and Shirleen yelled after Stevie. “Hurry with that drink, you don’t want to miss anything.” Then her eyes moved back to me. “All right, girl, tell us all about it.”

“Maybe we should tell our stories first,” Jet suggested.

“I’m thinking that’s a good idea,” Indy put in.

I was happy to be off the hot seat even if it was for five minutes so I nodded.

It wasn’t for five minutes. It was for a helluva lot longer (two full drinks longer).

Indy told me her story. As she did, I was glad when Stevie brought my drink because Indy’s story included the car bombs (yes, bombs, plural).

Even though Luke gave me the scary-ass flavor of Jet, Roxie and Jules’s stories, he didn’t get into the half of it (not even a quarter of it). What he missed out was the part that included Eddie making Jet move in with him during her drama (and she never moved out). Hank and her uncle conspiring to move Roxie in with Hank after her drama (and she did). And lastly, Jules doubling up on toiletries in about ten days between her place and Vance’s place (she was still doubled up as they had her place in the city and his cabin in the mountains).

Every single one of them had been nailed and then nailed within a week.

“I need another drink,” I whispered when Jules was done.

May patted my arm and Stevie disappeared for more drinks.

“Now, your turn,” Shirleen said.

Instead of launching into my story, I turned to Jules who’d been the last one to share and said, “I know you got shot and I’m sorry about that but I think what you did was brave.”

Jules stared at me.

Indy, Ally, Tod and Stevie were already my friends and Shirleen had claimed me (whatever that meant). I could tell right off that Jet, Roxie, Daisy and May were cool. Jules I hadn’t cracked. Jules wasn’t looking at me with kind eyes. She was looking at me with assessing ones. I didn’t know what to make of her.

When she didn’t speak, I looked away. “Sorry, not my place to say.”

“What I did was stupid,” she said to me and my eyes moved back to her.

“Maybe, but it was brave too and you saved someone’s life. So even if it was stupid, he’s still here and so are you. I think brave outweighs stupid in the end, don’t you?”

May was smiling at me with a warmth I felt from across the table and, on a quick glance, I noticed everyone else was too. My eyes settled on Jules and I was pleased to note she was smiling too.

Stevie set my drink in front of me and I took a gulp, looked around again and saw the expectant faces. There was nothing for it. I took a deep breath and started from the beginning. Two drinks later, I was done.

I told them the whole shebang, leaving nothing out. Not my weight; not my Dad; not my sisters and mother; not my years-long crush on Luke; not him punching out the boys who called me Fatty, Fatty Four-Eyes; not him sitting next to me on the stoop after my Dad left; not our embrace at his Dad’s funeral; not my promise and breaking it with my non-return of Luke’s calls; not Rick, Dave and Noah; not Dom; not Sandra Whoever-She-Was; not Luke cuffing me to him and his bed – not a thing.

Everyone stared at me when I was done.

“Oowee, these boys don’t play games,” Shirleen announced, sitting back and fanning herself with her hand.

“Holy crap,” Indy mumbled.

“He even makes Lee’s pursuit look old-fashioned and Lee used cuffs on you too,” Ally said, moving her stare to Indy.

“What ‘cha gonna do now, Sugar?” Daisy asked.

“Yeah, are you going to Luke’s place tonight or your own?” Roxie put in.

I looked at Roxie. “My place,” I said without hesitation.

Everyone drew in breaths.

“Oh Lordy,” Stevie whispered.

“Here we go again,” Jet said.

“No, really, it isn’t like that,” I told them.

“It’s always like that,” Daisy told me.

“What I don’t get,” Shirleen said to the table, “is why you women don’t just give in? It ain’t like these boys aren’t fine. Are they fine?” she asked Tod and Stevie.

“They’re fine,” Stevie confirmed.

“They are so fine,” Tod threw in with a little jazz hand wave to emphasize his point.

“I mean, I get me a chance at a taste o’ Luke Stark, I’d take a bite outta that boy faster ‘n Jiminy Cricket,” Shirleen said.

“You called it, Sugar,” Daisy giggled and it sounded like tinkling bells.

“Men suck,” I declared, not having much fight in me after four cranberry juice and vodkas and zero dinner.

“Maybe so, but Luke Stark pushed me against the wall and told me he was gonna f**k me, I’d say, ‘When and what you want me to wear?’ And I would not care if he did pull a slam-bam-thank-you-ma’am. I’d just take my orgasm and go. You hear what I’m sayin’ to you?” Shirleen asked.

I heard what she was saying. I heard it loud and clear.

“Did you not hear me when I told you Noah stole five thousand, three hundred and twenty-five dollars from me?” I asked back.

“I was you, I’d tell Luke Stark about them five thousand some odd dollars. He’d find this Noah whose-ee-whatsit and nail his ass to the wall,” May told me.

“That’s right,” Shirleen agreed.

“Okay, then Dave, Rick, Dom,” I went on. “Men are all ass**les,” I looked at Tod and Stevie. “Present company excepted, of course.”

“Of course,” Stevie mumbled.

Tod just smiled.

“Hank’s not an ass**le,” Roxie muttered.

“I’m glad for you, it sounds like he isn’t and that’s cool,” I emphasized my comment by reaching out and squeezing Roxie’s hand. Then I sat back and declared, “But for me, I’ll take my rabbit vibrator, thank you. It works every time.”