Run(54)

“I got you something,” Bo said, hopping up onto the hood next to me. She told me to hold out my hand. I expected a beer, like last time, but instead she placed something small, round, and sweet-smelling in my hand.

A Little Debbie cake.

“Hold on,” she said, before I could say anything. “I ain’t done yet.”

Then she pulled a small, thin candle out of nowhere and lit it with a cigarette lighter. I couldn’t help laughing.

“Happy birthday,” she said. “I know it ain’t much, but—”

“It’s perfect,” I told her. “Best birthday cake ever.”

“Liar. Blow out the damn candle.”

I did as I was told, then we split the snack cake between us.

“Tell me something I don’t know about you,” Bo said, once we’d finished the Little Debbie.

“Uh …” But this game had gotten hard. It wasn’t easy coming up with things Bo didn’t know about me. I’d already told her so much. Told her more in the past few months than I’d told Christy in over a decade of friendship. “Let me think about it. You go first.”

“All right.” She paused. “You probably won’t believe me.”

“I always believe you.”

“Well … I ain’t never had sex.”

“Wait … what?” I sat up straight and turned to look at her. “You’ve never … really? Not once?”

By now, I knew most of the rumors about Bo weren’t true. Some had been exaggerated; others were just outright lies. But somehow, I’d never even questioned the idea that she’d slept with somebody. Probably a few somebodies. How could you get a reputation like hers otherwise?

“Not once,” Bo said. “Too many people in my family get pregnant young and ruin their lives. I decided a long time ago I wouldn’t be one of them.”

“Wow,” I said, stunned. “I can’t believe I lost my virginity before Bo Dickinson.”

I clapped a hand over my mouth, mortified. Had I really just said that?

Now Bo sat up straight. “What’d you just say?”

I felt my face start to heat up. “I, um … I kinda slept with Colt.”

“You slept with Colt? My Colt? Colt Dickinson?”

“Um …” I pulled my knees up to my chest and leaned forward. “Yeah … Since you went home, it was just me and him at his house on New Year’s Eve and …”

“You had sex with Colt, and you didn’t tell me?”

“I know, I’m sorry. I just thought … I thought you’d think I was lame, making a big deal out of sleeping with someone. I didn’t want you to think I was dramatic or anything. Of course, if I’d known you were a virgin—”

“Don’t make this about me,” she said. “Shit. You really slept with Colt?”

I nodded. “Is it … Is that weird for you? Since he’s your cousin and all?”

“I mean … I reckon it’s a little weird, but I really ain’t that surprised.”

“You sure acted surprised.”

“I’m surprised you slept with him,” she said. “But not surprised something happened between y’all. It’s obvious he likes you.”

It’s not like I didn’t know this. Colt told me so himself. But it still made me smile a little.

“Wow. You slept with Colt … Well, I guess that’s the something I didn’t know about you.”

“Guess so … I’m still hung up on yours. You’ve really never slept with anybody?”

Bo snorted. “Told you you wouldn’t believe me.”

“No, no. I do. I’m just …”

“Don’t get me wrong. I’ve done a lot of other stuff,” she said. “I’ve fooled around with a lot of boys. Kissed even more boys. And a girl.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” I threw up my hands. “Forget the sex. What girl’d you kiss?”

She sounded embarrassed—and maybe for good reason—when she answered. “Dana Hickman.”

“What? When?”

“New Year’s. Seems that was a big night for both of us. Dana was the one who drove me home. I was upset and she was being nice and we made out in her car.”

“Wow,” I said. “But you two aren’t dating or anything, right?”

“No.” She sighed, and I could tell she was more than a little sad about that. “Her daddy’s a deacon at the church down on Peyton Street.”

She didn’t have to say anything more than that.

“Poor Dana,” I said.

“Yeah.” Then, in this rush of words, like she was making herself ask even though she didn’t want to, she said, “How do you feel about me liking girls?”

I was caught so off guard that I just sat there, gaping, for a second.

“You’ve been nice about it,” she said. “But we never really talk about it. And I know you go to church with your parents every Sunday and—”

“Bo,” I said, putting a hand on her arm. “Honestly? At first, I … I was uncomfortable. I didn’t say anything about it because I liked you, and I didn’t want to push you away. But … the more time I’ve sorta sat with it … Yeah. My preacher has always said it’s a sin to be with people of the same sex. But my parents always taught me that being a good person matters more than anything. And you’re a good person.”