Page 37 of The Second Dance

“Yeah, it is. I always thought it seemed like you got along pretty good back then. You seemed happy.”

“Ha.” She looks away. “Youseemed happy.”

“I was. Most of the time.”

“Of course you were. You had it all. One of the golden boys.”

“This, coming from one of the golden girls.”

She frowns at me. “I was definitely not one of the chosen few, Bo.”

“Sure you were.”

“Did we even go to the same school? You were very popular. I slid under the radar.”

“Andy. You were class president four years in a row.”

“Because I’m responsible.”

“People could give a shit about being responsible back then. They elected you because they liked you, ya big dummy.”

“If they liked me so much, why’d they fuck with me all the time?”

We’re toeing around dangerous territory. It makes me a little sick to my stomach to remember how she was treated after prom, but I want to face it. Take responsibility for my part in that whole debacle.

“Who was fucking with you?” I ask, my voice pitching unintentionally lower.

She shrugs. “Mostly the guys in our class.” She squints at me. “The damn football team. I know what they called me… Fraulein. They get points for creativity.

I wince. “You knew about that?”

“Yeah, and I know it was because of my mom.”

“Your mom… stood out. You both did. If the guys noticed that, you can hardly blame them.” I rub the back of my neck. “You two had a fan base.”

“What are you talking about?”

I glance over at her. “Your mom and you.” I pause, exasperated by the blank look on her face. “I shouldn’t be telling you any of this.”

“You opened this can of worms. Finish what you started.”

“What do you want to know?”

“What they said about my mom.”

I wince. “Andy…”

“Bo.” She echoes, mimicking my tone.

“She was hot, okay? She looked like Claudia Schiffer. And you were just as pretty, but with even better… assets.”

She’s shaking her head, not quite believing me. “If that’s all true, why the stupid nickname?”

“Remember that heritage project we did in ninth grade?” I peek at her face. “And you wore that milk maid costume… it was kind of legendary.”

Her cheeks blush a pretty shade of pink. “Oh, my god.”

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