“Whatever tickles your pickles, but you have that look on your face that tells me you’re interested. I have no idea what’s holding you back. And you remain keeping an eye on them the whole time you’re here. You gotta give me something here, Shane. What do you want me to think?”

“Nothing. Do I have to explain everything that I do, well, or don’t, to everyone? But yeah. She’s interesting all right. But not the type of interesting-interesting you’re talking about, Joe.” Shane laughed a bit which came out tensed, the sort that bellowed she was fibbing. It was at that exact time that Jenny and Alice both asked for another bottle of beer, only their second for the night. Joe obliged.

Alice glanced at the direction that Shane had her eyes locked on, and whispered in her ear before going back to the table, “Heard this before, Shane? Wasn’t my fault if you didn’t make a move…”

Shane only tipped her bottle for more beer to gulp down after Alice’s words sank in. Jenny slid beside her. “Is there something going on between you and Carmen?”

“Jenny, if there were, shouldn’t I be dancing with her right now? I wouldn’t let Papi lay her hands on her. But no, there isn’t anything so…”

“You want there to be a something?” Jenny rested her head on Shane’s shoulder, a beer in her hand and the other arm wrapped around her friend’s waist.

With her lips straight and face as blank as a dead man’s stare, Shane turned to look at Jenny. “I don’t know, Jenny. I don’t know.” She thought.

“My favorite words? ‘Fucked up.’ Everything’s getting weirder by the minute. We’re seniors all right. We’re talking later, okay?” Before Jenny left, she kissed Shane on the cheek and gave her a soft pat on the shoulder.

“Hey, Jenny, wait up.”