Four Girls and a Guy - Suzanne Jenkins Page 0,6
If he told you that, he was trying to get a rise out of you. There was never any indication that he even acknowledged me as a human being, let alone a woman.”
“There’s something else though,” Samantha said.
“What now?”
“He’s bi.”
“Samantha, Bentley Carter is not bisexual. I’m almost willing to place a money bet on that. If he told you that, he was definitely trying to get a reaction out of you.”
They looked out the window at the view. Alison turned back to Samantha. She suddenly wondered if Samantha had told Ben Alison’s secret. “What led up to him making that confession? Was there some inadequacy he was trying to explain away? Some sexual shortcoming, so to speak?”
“Not really. He said he could perform equally with a man or woman. He actually had asked me if I’d be interested in a ménage. That’s how the conversation got started.”
“No, no, no, no, no, you didn’t! I don’t believe it.”
Samantha doubled over laughing. “Of course I didn’t. Remember, my father is a priest in the orthodox church, for god’s sake!”
“I did forget!” Alison said, appalled.
Samantha looked at Alison sidelong. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you’re kind of a prude for being a transgender person.”
“Yeah, well, get over it,” Alison muttered, going for coffee. “You think that has anything to do with morals? I know a lot of cisgender people who are reprobates.”
“Honey, I’m sorry. Now I’ve offended you.”
“No, you haven’t. I’m used to having to defend myself,” Alison said. “I don’t like a guy who would suggest exposing my best friend to weird sex.”
“Aw, am I your bestie?”
“One of three,” Alison answered.
“Yeah, I thought Ben was being a jerk for asking me to do it, and then I met his friend. He’s gorgeous. I’d sleep with him alone. I told Bentley that, and he broke up with me.”
“Jeez, that’s pretty funny. So Ben is jealous.”
“I don’t know who he’d be jealous of though. Would he be jealous of me that I was with another guy? Or because he wasn’t the center of the other guy’s attention?”
“So many variables in a threesome,” Alison said. “Did you slip and say anything to Ben about me?”
“No! What do you take me for?”
“Well, I’m not ashamed of it, so if you did, it’s okay. If I came out now, I doubt it would cause too many problems unless the pronoun issue came up, and it’s not a problem for me.”
“You’re in the minority, then. And I never said a word,” Samantha said, holding up her cup. “Can you get me another?”
“You didn’t consider doing it, so why the discussion? I think you’re still pissed off at me about last night.”
“Not me, Ally. I’d be the last one to hold a grudge.”
The door to the apartment rattled as beautiful Laura came home from work, carrying bags from the grocery store.
“You! I should beat the crap out of you,” she yelled, pointing at Alison.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” Alison said, pouring creamer into her coffee with a smirk. “I’m officially on the wagon as of today.”
“What the fuck?” Laura said, hugging Alison with one arm. “Anyway, is Joan alive?”
“She had to meet the parents in town,” Samantha explained. “The Greenways flew in for the last hurrah before law school.”
“Poor Joan. Her mother is insane, you know that, correct?”
“I’ve heard,” Laura said, unpacking the ingredients to fix dinner. “They are threatening to cut off her money unless she promises to return to Philadelphia after she graduates.”
“She just said she wants to stay here with us,” Alison said.
“Look, it depends on where we get residencies,” Samantha said. “Joan wants to go back to Philadelphia. And, Laura, are you going to stay here?”
“Well, I do have something to tell you,” she said, her back to them as she filled a pan with water to boil spaghetti.
“Oh, great. What?”
“I have a job. A tentative job, that is.”
“What? I thought you were going to stay here for grad school.”
“I had to drop,” she said. “I can’t pay my tuition, and I still owe them for last year. I’m lucky they let me graduate. And I’ve got to make money. My mother has made enough sacrifices. And the barista job isn’t going to cut it.”
They were aware she secretly had a little side job that funded some of her expenses, but no one mentioned it.
“Where are you going?” They looked at her, stunned. In spite of her pecadillos, Laura was the glue, the rational person, the normal one of the four.
“You won’t believe