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Maggie,” you say.
    “Yeah.” He changes the subject. “What’s up?”
    “Advice,” you say. “About Sunny.”
    “Yeah?” He sounds expectant.
    “We had a date,” you begin.
    “What did I tell you! She likes you.”
    “Wait,” you say. You tell him the whole story, more or less.
    The less being that you don’t get too specific about the kiss. As in, she seemed to enjoy it, but you did not.
    You conclude by saying, “So maybe you were right, Brendan. Maybe Sunny does sort of like me.”
    “But?” he says. “I hear doubts.”
    “I like Sunny too,” you say. “I love Sunny. But not like that.”
    Not in THAT WAY.
    Split screen, Brendan flipping through the TV channels while he talks, you clutching the phone, bug-eyed with panic.
    B: Whoa.
    D: Keanu Reeves says that in every movie, did you know that?
    B: Really. Well.
    [Silence]
    B: Okay. Well. This could be a problem. I don’t mind telling you, just between us, that Amalia mentioned what a great couple she thought you and Sunny would make.
    D: She did? Great.
    B: Yeah.
    D: What am I going to do?
    B: I don’t know. What do you want to do?
    D: I don’t know. I guess I just want things to be the way they were.
    B: That is not going to be easy. It may not be possible.
    D: But … Sunny … We …
    B: You’ve gotta do something fast, you know. The longer you let it go, the worse it’s going to get. It’s too bad.
    D: What is?
    B: That you and Sunny are such good friends. If it was just, you know, a normal date that didn’t work, you could smile at each other in the halls and let it go.
    D: Great. Just great.
    B: Unless you’re mistaken?
    D: No.
    B: Well then, you can’t be attracted to her if you’re not. You shouldn’t try to talk yourself into it. That’s not fair to her or you. You’ll just end up hurting her worse if you try to fake it. So go with the truth. That’s how to do it.
    D: It’s brutal.
    B: Not so bad. The alternative is worse.
    D: [gulp] Okay. Right. Thanks.
    B: Anytime.
    Cut to Ducky, sprawled on the floor of his room, wishing he were somebody else. A Cro Mag, for example. A being without feelings. Or at least, the appearance of feelings.
    What if I’m just a coward? What if I have — commitment issues?
    What if I’m afraid to get involved?
    Sunny would be the perfect girlfriend. We’d make a great couple. We like the same things. We share the same fashion sense. We’re so close anyway.
    Why not get closer?
    Why not?
    Why not?
    Why don’t I feel it?
    Aug. 27
    Friday
    Lunch Break at Work
    Sunny called in sick. This is a BAD SIGN.
    Mr. W says she’s fine when you ask.
    You have a paranoid moment, wondering whether he’s thinking, He hurt my little girl, the creep.
    But you know Sunny hasn’t said anything to him.
    “I hope she feels better,” you say.
    You have hurt her. You are a creep. An insensitive CRO MAG.
    You reshelve books. You brood.
    Wait a minute.
    You didn’t kiss Sunny.
    She kissed you.
    You didn’t even kiss back. She just didn’t notice.
    There’s Dawn.
    Gotta go.
    Afternoon Break. On a Bench, Outside
    Dawn actually found a couple of books for a customer and ended up helping you shelve for awhile [sic].
    She kept the conversation light.
    She did not talk about Sunny.
    You did not talk about Sunny.
    This lack of the mention of Sunny’s name leads you to believe that Sunny has talked about you to Dawn.
    But you can’t ask her, since she is more Sunny’s friend than yours.
    Terrific. Are you now going to have to divide your friends into “Sunny’s” and “Ducky’s”?
    Like you have friends to spare.
    What are you going to do?
    6:20 P.M.
    Bench-riding outside the bookstore. Again.
    Don’t feel like going home.
    Amalia just left.
    She said, “Ducky, I need to talk to you.”
    John Wayne never ran from a fight, but you’re pretty sure those words would have made him think twice.
    So she can talk to you, you just can’t talk to her. This is mean and petty and low and it’s how you feel. The basic