"Steven Gould - Wildside" - читать интересную книгу автора (Gould Stephen Jay)

box in his big hands. I jumped out of the car and held the rear door open. He laughed, but stopped
almost immediately with a nervous look over his shoulder.

"Come off it," he said. "I'll ride in front."

"Nope."

He shrugged. "Okay. Let's get out of here, before my mom starts up again." He folded himself
into the backseat. The Town Car was huge, but Rick, though thin, was over six feet four. With him in
it, the seat looked only adequate instead of luxurious.

When we were moving I asked, "You want to talk about it?"

He met my eyes for a moment in the rearview mirror, then looked away. "No," he said. "I don't."

I dropped him at Clara's, so he could do the P.P.P.O., the pre-prom-parental-ordeal, and
drove on.

I had to go up to the house to get Joey. His father let me in.

"Nice outfit, Charlie."

"Thank you, Mr. Maloney. Where's Joey?"

Someone said, "Ow!" from the back of the house. Mr. Maloney pointed over his shoulder with
his thumb. "They're in the kitchen, but be warned, it's not a pretty sight."

Tiny Mrs. Maloney, standing on a step stool, was pinning a white rose boutonniere on Joey's tux
jacket while Joey's older sister, Lisa, was putting on the silver-and-ebony cuff links. "Why didn't you
do this before you put on the jacket, you idiot?"

Joey wiggled. "Well, excuuuuuuuuse me. I don't wear a tux every day, you know." He saw me.
"Ah, thank God. Help me Charlie Ben Kenobi, you're my only hope."

"Hold still!" said his mother.

Mr. Maloney went to the refrigerator. "You want a beer, Charlie?" Mrs. Maloney started to say
something, but clamped her mouth shut.

"No thanks, Mr. Maloney. I'm driving."

Mr. Maloney blinked. "Ah, good point." He looked at Joey. "Very good point."
 Joey blushed.

Mr. Maloney took a beer for himself, then, with the refrigerator still open, said, "Coke?
Sugared, I'm afraid. Er, we don't have any diet Coke."

It was my turn to blush. "No thanks, Mr. Maloney. Gives me zits." Not to mention adding to my
already hefty waistline.