Chris shrugged and then Sully said, “Well, do I get to ask you the same question. Not that I’m sure I want to know the answer.” Chris looked at Sully. “I see Sully Reardon,” he said. “And?” “And that’s it,” Chris said. “I don’t know about you. I just know you write and I know your name. And from what I know you’re one of the good guys. I mean it’s lot of assholes at SV’s. But I don’t know you yet.” And then Chris added, “And you don’t know me. Remember that, Sully.” Chris’s look was...

“You think Chris is odd?” “I refuse to discuss anyone else’s children... in front of their parents.” “But you think something is odd.” “Actually, Dr. Powers,” Sidney said. “The only one who said anything about odd was you.” Mark was attractive. But he was thin and his head was large and Irish. When he was solving a problem he stood with it pushed forward and his shoulders hunched, looking so serious that Sidney expected him to say, “We got a really big show tonight. A really big show....

The two boys looked equally depressed and then Balliol said. "We could hop the bus and go to the mall. Shopping always makes you feel better." "Shopping always makes you feel better." Balliol stuck his bottom lip out and shrugged. There was some truth to this. "I think," Balliol said, "if we used my credit card to buy anything and everything that looked nice it would make you feel better." Sully palmed Balliol’s head in a fake smack and said, "You think spending money makes everything...

Chris’s eyebrows flew up. “That’s rough.” Mason shrugged. Chris looked around the room. “Well, not J.D. He’s a good guy—” “Hate,” Mason repeated, “all of these people.” Addison Cromptley, slouched in his seat beside Seth McKenna, stirred when Jack Butterfield passed him the note. Seth looked to Addison and Addison, looking up to see that Mr. Breeder—what the hell kind of name was that—wasn’t looking at him. He uncrumpled it, looked up at the window. Mason’s head popped up. ...

But it wasn’t right to say things like that Joel reminded himself, crossed himself. Seth was just waking up and the first signs of daylight were in the sky. Every night Seth filled the coffee pot with water and coffee so that in the morning all Joel had to do was hit the red button and the coffee was on. His son, his cranky, crabby son who looked like a pothead with all his hair and his flannel and his depression, laid out his shoes and his clothes and even his underwear while Joel was sle...

One of the boys looked at him earnestly. He looked at Becky. Then he looked at one of his friends. They looked at each other and, just like that, the boy took out a gun aimed it at Addison and said: “Yeah, you can give me all your FUCKING money.” There was no insult. There was no smile, just a deadly earnest that told Addison he’d better bend down and open the drawer. “All right,” he said, trying to suck the bile and bring his voice above the heart that was beating double time, that was...

“Yeah,” said Sullivan. “Yeah.” “Unless you go blind,” Balliol murmured, and then said, “Up! Here comes the bus.” “Bye,” said Chris again. “Later,” Balliol said as the large bus sighed to a halt. “Bye,” said Sullivan, and climbed on the bus behind Balliol. Balliol was putting his fare in the machine, and the bus was lurching off down Page Street so violently that Sullivan crashed down in the seat beside his best friend. “Chris Powers knows my name.” “And you know his.” “But he’...

“You don’t,” Addison said. “But I’d still sort of like to know... I mean, we know how Tommy feels.” “Well, I sort of feel the same way,” Mason said. “All right, I do feel the same way.” Tommy smiled, heartened by this. “Besides, it just weirds me out, Add. You having sex. I’ve never known someone who’s not a virgin.” “Mase?” “Hum?” “I’m pretty sure your dad’s not a virgin.” WHEN RICK HOWARD CAME DOWN the stairs to the locker room clapping his hands hard three times, it meant...

“THE BEST THING ABOUT THIS YEAR,” Mason Darrow reported receiving a cigarette from the hands of his best friend, “is that I was the best looking person in our year,” Mason took a drag. “Except for you. Be a pal and open that window, Addison.” “Except for me, you don’t say,” Addison smirked, a Maverick smoking from between his lips while he turned the fan toward the window and pushed the window wide open. “The whole class has gone down hill,” Mason continued, putting his cigarette in th...