Jake’s index finger worked the buttons on the radio of the Jeep with the dexterity he usually reserved for computer games or the Sega. He kept switching radio stations much to the chagrin of the other passengers.

"Jake, keep it on B96!" Brian told him with irritation.

Jake snickered. "If you switched the numbers around it would be B69! Get it? B69!" The past few weeks, Jake’s favorite number was 69. Matt hoped it was just a phase and that he had no experience with the actual practice.

Matt was lost in his own little world. He was concerned about Tim. He hadn’t messed around with Brendan the previous night, but he had thought about it. That scared him. He was like Jimmy Carter; he had lusted in his heart. But even more disturbing to Matt was that Tim had noticed his attraction. Was it true that he had committed emotional adultery?

He grinned to himself as he recalled an old George Carlin routine about sin. "If you say to yourself, ‘I’m gonna go down to 42nd Street and commit a mortal sin’ - save your carfare! Ya did it, man!"

But, I didn’t do anything. Nothing happened between Brendan and me. Matt realized he was feeling anger as well as guilt. He hated to be blamed for something he didn’t do. I thought about it, though. I even dreamed about it. Was it Freud who said that every dream is a wish unfulfilled?

"Dad!" Brian’s voice finally brought him out of his reverie. "Tell him to knock it off."

"Brian’s right. Keep it on one station."

Jake sighed dramatically and folded his arms over his chest. Recently, they had had to concoct a new set of rules for music in the car. Matt hated rap and hip-hop; Brian and Jake - especially Jake - loved it. So the new rule was whoever was in the passenger seat got to choose the radio station or CD on their way to the destination and the driver chose it on the way back. Sometimes Jake would try to talk Matt into listening to B96 or WGCI, an ‘urban hits’ station, on the way home but Matt never relented. Depending on his mood and the behavior of the boys, he might tune into a station with an adult contemporary format like WTMX or a rock station like WLUP or WCKG. Most often, he tuned the radio to his favorite, WXRT. If Matt was in a foul mood or the boys were acting up, he would put on "smooth jazz" WNUA or WBEZ, the local NPR outlet. He had even been known to tune into classical WFMT just to torture the boys. It was immature behavior, Matt conceded to himself, but he assuaged his own guilt by telling himself he was simply exposing the boys to other forms of music.

Matt turned to Jake and addressed him in a low tone. "Jake, I gotta let you know I’m really not in the mood for it tonight."

"Whatever," Jake mumbled under his breath.

Matt gritted his teeth and counted to ten. However, he resisted the temptation to switch the radio to WFMT. There were, after all, other kids in the car besides his boys.

At the corner of Joe Orr Road and Halsted, a Toyota ahead of him in the left-turn lane missed several opportunities to turn. Matt laid on the horn.

"Dad, it’s all right," Brian said in a calm tone. "We’ll make it on time."

Suddenly, Jake let loose a huge fart. Matt glanced over to see Jake grinning smugly.

"Gross!" Diane said.

"That was disgusting, Jake," Matt agreed. "Excuse yourself."

Jake laughed. "Exqueeze me. Must be all that roughage I’m eating."

In the rearview mirror, Matt could see the looks of pained displeasure on the faces of Diane, Brian and Pam.

Pam’s voice sounded from the back seat: "Jake, will ya grow up?"

The headlights of the Jeep grazed the dark brown siding of The Tivoli as Matt pulled into the parking lot. Matt was surprised to see how the plants against the building had been overtaken with weeds. Grass grew in the cracks of the pavement of the parking lot.

The Tivoli restaurant stood on the border of Chicago Heights and Glenwood; St. Luke’s School was less than a mile away. The restaurant had been an icon in the South Suburbs. It was known to have some of the best Italian food in the area. When it had opened, it was the place to go for Italian food. Suburban couples dressed up to dine on veal parmgiana, osso bucco and pasta carbonara. Changing times and the recession of the early 90’s had hit the restaurant hard. The owners added pizza to the menu and deleted some of the more expensive items in an attempt to attract families. It would be all for naught, however, and within another year, The Tivoli would close for good.

Matt pulled to the front door of the building. "You have a good time."

"We will! Thanks, Mr. R!" Pam called as she hopped out of the car.

"I don’t see Logan or Valerie," Jake fretted.

"They’re probably waiting for you inside," Matt assured him. "It’s getting rather chilly. Brian, hang on a second."

Brian paused before tumbling out of the back seat. Matt handed him two twenty-dollar bills.

"Just in case you need it. And to pay for pictures at the dance for both you and your brother."

"Thanks, dad! You rock!" Brian’s eyes swept across the parking lot nervously. "I’d hug you, but, well, you know…."

"Yes," Matt said wistfully. "I know." As Brian opened the door and stepped out of the Jeep, Matt reminded him, "Behave yourself. Have a good time, son. I’ll see you by the gym doors at 9. Send your brother back here, I want to talk to him."

"Sure, dad."

He watched their backs as the boys sauntered toward the front entrance. Brian caught up with Jake and spoke in his ear. Jake turned and with his hands stuffed in his pockets, shuffled back to the Jeep. A mist began falling and Matt switched on the intermittent wipers.

He wore an insolent grin on his face as he flashed in front of the headlights.

"’Sup, pop?"

"I’m very disgusted with you, son."

"I couldn’t help it."

"Yes, you could. You’ve been acting up for the last hour and you need to knock it off. Don’t embarrass Diane and your brother. I mean it, Jake."

"OK, OK, I’m sorry."

"And make sure you don’t abandon your date. Diane is a nice girl and she went to a lot of trouble tonight."

"Don’t worry, I won’t." However, Jake already had plans to do just that. He planned on cornering Mike and/or Logan at the dance.

"Behave yourself."

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Don’t worry, I will." A bit of his bravado evaporated as a thought crossed his mind: God, I hope he doesn’t notice that I smoked three hitters tonight. Can he see my eyes? Can he smell it on me?

"Son, pull up your pants." Jake had loosened his belt so that his khakis slid down his slim hips.

"But, dad, this is the style."

Matt’s cell phone interrupted his continuing lecture. He fully expected to see that the call was coming from Brian. But when he glanced at the display, he saw it was from his mom, Gloria.

"Hi, mom," he said into the tiny phone. "I’m dropping the kids off at the restaurant now…What? Nothing’s wrong." He paused, then his eyes cast daggers at his second son. "Well, Jake is being obnoxious."

Jake stood impatiently, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. His thoughts were clear in his eyes. Can I go now?

Matt listened for a moment and then continued. "He farted on the way over here. You want to talk to him? Sure, Mom." With a grin of triumph he handed the cell phone to Jake. At first, Jake backed away and shook his head.

"She wants to talk to you, Jake. Take it."

Jake reached for the cell phone as if Matt had was handed him a bag of angry rattlesnakes. "Hi, grandma. No, I don’t have an upset stomach. I don’t think I need Pepto-Bismol. What do you mean hike up my pants? How did you know they were sagging? You mean you’re psychic? Sorry, grandma, I didn’t mean to be smart." Jake tucked the phone between his chin and shoulder as he pulled his navy blue chinos up and readjusted his belt. "Yes, I’m sorry. Yes, grandma, I’ll behave myself."

Matt breathed a sigh of relief. Jake had come a long, long way but he still occasionally crossed the border into the Land of the Immature. Lecturing did little to change his behavior. It did a world of good to hear it from another person.

"I love you, too, Gram. OK, here’s Matt." Matt took the phone back from him.

"Just a minute, mom," he spoke into the phone. To Jake he said, "Have a good time, kiddo."

"See ya later, dad." And he trotted off to join the others inside the restaurant. Once inside the door Jake breathed a sigh of relief that Matt hadn’t noticed that he was higher than a kite.

After he was gone, Matt said into the phone, "Hi, again."

"And what’s wrong with you?"

"What do you mean? Nothing."

"I can hear it in your voice. Just like I heard it in Tim’s voice when I called the house. Are you two fighting again?"

Matt inhaled deeply. He certainly didn’t want to discuss his Close Encounter of the Extramarital Kind with his own mother. "No, we’re not fighting."

"Well, I guess it’s none of my business."

Relieved, Matt exhaled his breath slowly. That was the good thing about Gloria. While she never hesitated to jump in if there was an issue with the boys, she maintained a hands-off policy toward his relationship with Tim.

"If you need help, let me know."

"I will. I appreciate it. Gotta go now, mom. We’re taking Tommy to see The Lion King for the fourteenth time."

Gloria laughed. OK, sweetie. Love you."

"Love you, too, Mom." Matt started the Jeep again, changed the radio station to WXRT - anything was better than B96 - and pulled out of the parking lot. He was already planning what he was going to say to Tim.

As Matt had predicted, Logan and Valerie were waiting for them inside the front vestibule.

"Valerie, you look so pretty!" Diane complimented.

"Thanks," Valerie blushed modestly.

"And Logan, you look hot!" Brian gushed, despite himself.

Jake immediately checked the pay phone for any leftover change and jiggled several knobs on the cigarette machine.

"Knock it off, Jake!" Pam admonished. "Act your age, not your shoe size."

"They’re almost the same," Jake said with his lopsided grin. "I wear a 12."

"And don’t be a smartass," his brother hissed at him.

"Fuck you," Jake whispered back to him.

"Can’t take you out anywhere," Brian shot back, this time louder.

Logan gallantly held the door for the three girls and they filed into the restaurant first. Their eyes swept over the elegant dining room. The interior of The Tivoli restaurant was dark and rich with wood. A flickering candle and a white tablecloth adorned each table. Brian noticed that the dining room seemed rather empty for this time on a Saturday night.

The host appeared immediately at the podium. He was wearing a black vest over an immaculate tuxedo shirt and black tuxedo slacks. His patent leather shoes glistened even in the dim light. His upper lip sported a pencil-thin moustache and his hair was gelled aggressively into place. He raised a single eyebrow at the group as they entered, but did not say a word.

Jake approached the podium. He shook hands with the host. In his palm, he had a crumpled one-dollar bill.

"Hi!" Jake said, a little too enthusiastically. "We’re the Rosato party."

The eyebrow shot even higher. "You’re the Rosato party?"

"Yeah, Rosato party of six. We have a reservation for 7."

"You’re THE Matt Rosato?" The kids could tell the host was winding up for the pitch.

"Well…"

The host interrupted Jake before could explain. "Entre nous, I’m very busy here. So why don’t you take the kids back to the clubhouse before I get snooty?"

"Snooty?" Jake repeated.

"Snotty."

"Snotty?"

Brian attempted to mediate. "Jake, come on, we’ll call dad…"

"No! I have a reservation and I demand to be seated!" Jake’s voice began to rise.

"Why don’t you all run along before I have to call," he paused dramatically, "…the police."

"The police?"

Jake and the host stared at each other for what seemed like hours. Neither was willing to back down.

Brian attempted again. "Jake, let’s call dad."

Finally the host’s lips began to turn upward into a grin. "Ferris Buehler’s Day Off?"

"One of my favorite movies," Jake chuckled.

"Mine, too. I always wanted to do that. Your table is right over here, Mr. Rosato." He scooped up a small pile of menus and marched to a large, round table in a corner of the dining room.

Both Logan and Brian pulled the chairs away from the table for their dates. Jake sat immediately and began to dig into the breadbasket.

"Jake!" Brian jerked his head in the direction of Diane’s chair.

"Oh! Pardon me! My error!" His words dripped with sarcasm. As he scrambled out of his chair the tablecloth somehow caught on his belt. He pulled almost half the tablecloth off the table, along with several pieces of silverware. Fortunately, the table was not yet set with any glasses or dishes to break.

"Jake, you loser!"

"Hey, guys, is everything OK here?" Their server appeared. She was a brunette; very pretty and not much older than the diners she was serving. Her brass nametag read ‘Stacy.’

"Sure, Stacy, just a slight problem."

Stacy grinned, but her smile was forced, at best. She handed her young diners menus. Stacy was already mentally writing this table off. They would leave a mess and a lousy tip, she knew. "Would you like something to drink while you look over the menu?"

"I think we’ll just get two pitchers of pop.

"I need to powder my nose," Pam announced. Immediately, the other two girls stood to go with her.

Brian had the presence of mind to stand and Logan followed suit. "Jake," he gestured with a jerk of his head, "you’re supposed to stand when a lady does."

Jake shoved the rest of the slice of bread he had been eating and hopped out of his chair. "So sorry," he said sarcastically with a mouthful of bread. Several moist particles flew out as he spoke.

Valerie, Pam and Diane threaded their way between the other tables to the women’s restroom.

Logan chose to ignore Jake’s obnoxiousness. "What is it about girls when they go to the bathroom? They always seem to go in groups. What are they doing in there?"

Brian laughed. "I wondered that myself."

"Probably talking about us," Jake opined as he buttered another piece of bread.

"If they are talking about you, they are probably wondering what drugs you are on," Logan mumbled. Jake shot an unreadable glance at him.

"Drugs? No, it’s called being an immature asshole. Jake, you want to leave bread for everyone else?" Brian said to Jake as you would if speaking to a small child.

Jake responded by opening his mouth to show its chewed contents.

Stacy reappeared at the same time the girls did. "Are you ready to order?"

Pam addressed the other kids at the table. "Can we get one of the pizzas all vegetarian?"

"I didn’t know you were going vegetarian," Brian said in surprise.

"Yeah. Just kind of experimenting. I do feel better and I’m sleeping a lot better these days."

Brian filed this information away for further reference.

"Well, I for one, could never give up meat," Jake declared loudly.

"I’ll just bet," Logan said sarcastically. "You especially like your tube steaks."

Jake glared at Logan again.

They placed the order and Stacy disappeared into the kitchen.

For a long moment, the six young teenagers sat around the table staring at each other in unfamiliar clothing. It was Logan who finally broke the ice.

"Has anyone seen that new talk show with Carney Wilson?" Logan asked.

Diane commented, "She’s a major house."

"Everyone’s got their own talk show; or so it seems," Valerie replied.

"I think that in the future, instead of everyone being famous for fifteen minutes, everyone will have their own talk show," Brian said.

"Which will be cancelled in fifteen minutes," Logan added. Brian snorted with laughter.

"Wonder who will be the homecoming queen?" Pam said.

"Probably Brian," Jake smirked. Brian kicked Jake underneath the table.

The conversation was cut short by the arrival of the pizzas. The girls demurely placed their napkins in their laps. Stacy refilled the now-empty pitchers of soda.

Jake stuffed his napkin under his collar. "Jake!" Brian hissed. Jake ignored him and continued eating.

The group ate in silence for a few moments until their hunger was sated. Gradually, conversation returned to the table.

"Is Mike going to be there?" Pam asked Brian.

Before Brian could answer, Diane jumped into the conversation. "He’s bringing a girl from Homewood-Flossmoor. She’s supposed to be gorgeous. And her brother, who is a junior, is Allegra’s date." Diane reported the news in a breathless style of a Hollywood gossip reporter. "According to a friend I know at Homewood-Flossmoor, he’s babe-o-licious. At least that’s what I’ve heard. And of course, since he’s a junior he’s driving!"

Valerie summed up the situation. "So, Mike is really going with this guy from H-F. What’s his name?"

"Reuben," Brian informed them. "But his nickname is Blade." The gay status of Brian and Mike and the chameleon-like sexuality of Jake were open secrets within their group. The three boys could easily "pass" in the general population of Rich East. Most upperclassmen disdained to be bothered with the punk freshmen. And the freshmen had most of their classes concentrated in one area of the building. Indeed, freshmen had no reason to leave their area of the school except for lunch or unless they had an elective like band, chorus or foreign language. Additionally, the three boys were cute, intelligent and, in Jake’s case, athletic so they had earned a modicum of respect within the freshman class. So they escaped notice.

And the other kids conspired to keep the information quiet. Part of this was due to the respect and affection they felt for them and part of it was simple self-preservation. Pam was quite popular in her own right; athletic, smart with an earthy sense of humor. Diane was highly respected for her acting ability. Valerie was the mother of them all. She was a terrific listener, nurturing and supportive. Allegra was destined to become the valedictorian yet she was eminently approachable and a lot of fun to be around.

Pam threw her head back and laughed. "How butch! He’s probably some pencil-necked geek."

Brian shrugged. "Haven’t met him, yet. In fact, it’s like Mike dropped off the face of the earth the past couple days."

"Speaking of pencil-necked geeks, are Carl and Bagleboy going to be there?" Diane asked.

"Diane!" Brian chided.

Pam placed a hand on Brian’s arm. "Come on, Brian! You know those two are honorary members of the Pocket Protector Brigade."

Brian smirked his agreement but felt it would have been unseemly to voice it. They were, after all, his friends. "No, neither of them is going to be there." Dave and Carl were honorary members of their group. They had not yet ‘discovered’ girls, preferring to spend their free time with computers, video games and the fledgling Internet.

"What about Robb?" Valerie asked.

Before Brian could answer, Diane reverted to her Rona Barrett gossip reporter mode again. "Yes Robb will be there and he’s bringing some uber-bitch from Lincoln-Way. Her name is Jill Watson."

Brian absorbed this information, too, in silence.

By this time, the hungry kids had demolished the pizzas.

Logan stood up, gracefully pushed his chair in and started for the rest room. After a moment, Jake followed him. Jake thought that this was an ideal time to make a move on Logan. Emboldened from the weed he had smoked earlier, he thought this was a great opportunity to charm his way back into Logan’s good graces.

Brian’s eyes followed Jake across the dining room. He worked his jaw muscles in anger.

"Let him go, Brian," Pam said to Brian in a low tone.

"He’s being such an asshole tonight."

"Part of that is that he’s higher than a kite. Did you see his eyes?"

"I didn’t notice."

Pam shook her head. "Believe me, I went out with him. I know what an asshole he can be. But there’s something about him. I’m not exactly sure how to describe it. He can be totally lovable and endearing."

Brian’s face softened. "Yeah, there is a teddy bear down there somewhere. Once you get past the straight, macho, shithead posturing he’s really a sweet guy. And he would give you the shirt off his back."

"Cliché alert!" Pam laughed.

The kids picked at the remnants of the pizza and chatted. When Stacy returned to begin clearing the table, there was no pizza left at all. Stacy was pleasantly surprised at how relatively clean the table was.

"Do you guys want another refill of pop?" she asked.

Brian glanced around the table for consensus. "Sure, one more." He glanced at his watch. What the hell could they be doing in there? Brian hated to think of the possibilities.

"Wonder what they’re doing in there?" Valerie asked.

"Probably talking about us," Pam answered.

It was Brian’s turn to throw his head back and laugh. "But I’m here with three of Rich East’s prettiest girls."

The girls tittered. They knew about Brian but they also knew his compliment was sincere.

"In fact, this would be a perfect time to ask you girls if you want to be my back-up singers in a new group I’m forming."

Diane looked puzzled. "You’re forming a group?"

"Oh, it’s just an imaginary group. Plenty of air guitar."

"I get it. I just hope you don’t expect us to dress up like the back up singers in the Robert Palmer videos."

"Simply Irresistible," Pam sang.

"No something even better. You’re going to have to do you hair up like cooling towers."

"Cooling towers?" Valerie asked.

"You mean like Marge Simpson?" Pam said.

"No, you know. Cooling towers like at a nuclear power plant."

Now Diane looked really confused. "Cooling towers? Why? I don’t get it."

"Because the name of the group is Nick Nuke and Three Mile Island."

Pam threw her head back and laughed her Kathleen Turner laugh. "I love it! So you’re Nick Nuke and we’re Three Mile Island."

Valerie spluttered with laughter. "That’s hilarious. And you would have to wear a radiation suit. And the symbol for the group would be that black and yellow symbol they use for radioactivity."

Brian smiled. "And the name of the first album would be ‘I’m Not Gay But My Boyfriend Is.’"

Valerie and Pam shrieked with laughter, until they remembered that they were in a respectable restaurant and they covered their mouths with their hands.

Diane was still confused. "I still don’t get it. Cooling towers?"

"I’ll explain it to you later," Pam told her.

Brian rose from his chair. "I’m going to see what those two are doing."

The restrooms were located just off the main entrance. Brian could have sworn that the host winked at him as he turned the corner.

The door to the men’s room flung open just as Brian was about to push it open. He and Logan almost collided. Brian noticed that Logan looked upset. His face was flushed, his lips tight and his eyes misty.

"Oops! Sorry Logan! Are you OK?"

"Yeah, I’ll be OK. As soon as I get away from that brother of yours." Logan pushed his way past Brian and went back to the table.

Jake wasn’t far behind Logan. "Logan!"

Brian blocked his exit. In the dimly lit vestibule where they stood, there was a cigarette vending machine, a pay phone and a chair.

"We need to have a talk." Brian was surprised when Jake didn’t put up a fight or try to leave.

"So…talk," Jake said listlessly.

"What the fuck is your problem tonight? Because if you don’t knock it off, I’m gonna knee your balls through the roof of your mouth."

Jake looked down at his feet.

Brian backed Jake up against the vending machine. He usually didn’t get in Jake’s face and he knew Jake could have an explosive temper. "I asked you a question, asshole!"

It was only then, when his face was mere inches away from Jake’s, that he noticed Jake’s eyes were misty.

"Hey, Jake. Are you OK?"

Jake put on a false smile. "Never been better."

"If you want to talk about it…"

"Fuck off."

Brian searched Jake’s face. It was slammed shut. It was locked tighter than a church at night. Brian tried again. "If there’s anything I can do…"

"I’ll tell you what you can do," he said with a sneer. "You can hand over some of that money dad gave you when he dropped us off."

Brian tried to act innocent. "What money?"

"Don’t play me for stupid, Brian. You’re his favorite." Brian started to protest, but Jake continued, ". And I saw him hand you money."

Brian hesitated for a moment as he mentally listed his options.

"If you don’t, I’ll turn it up a notch. What you saw before was just the tip of the iceberg. I’ll embarrass you and everyone else…"

"OK, OK!" Brian reached for his wallet and thrust one of the twenty-dollar bills at his brother. "Here, asshole."

Jake took the bill, but still didn’t look happy. Brian had expected a look of triumph but instead his face was still a mask of sadness.

When they returned to the table, Stacy had already presented the bill to the group and they were trying to sort out how much each owed.

Jake finally brightened when he saw the total. "It’s 69 dollars! Get it? $69!"

"Oh my God, Logan," Diane panted as they untangled themselves from the car at the east entrance to the school. "Is your grandfather related to Speed Racer?"

"Sorry about that, you guys," Logan muttered.

The music blared from behind Mr. Jennings. "Well! If it isn’t two of my favorite students!" His voice dripped with sarcasm, which surprised Brian. He thought the PE teacher incapable of understanding sarcasm. "May I have your tickets, please?" He asked with a sleazy smile.

After they handed their tickets, Jennings’ face became a malevolent smirk. "Have a fun time, kiddies. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. Oh, and Rosato, Wagner? I’ll be keeping an eye on you two."

Both Jake and Brian glowered.

A female upperclassman that was helping at the registration table as part of her Student Council duties noticed the discomfort of the freshman. "There’s punch and cookies in the cafeteria and that’s where the voting is taking place."

"Voting?" Logan asked.

"For the homecoming queen and her court."

The hallway to the gym looked unfamiliar at night. It had been adorned with 1980’s movie posters: Star Wars, the Indiana Jones movies, Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, and of course, Back to the Future.

"I don’t know why you let him talk to you like that," Pam commented.

"What else can I do?" Brian asked as they proceeded down the hall.

"Report his ass to your counselor. Or go to the principal."

"That would only piss him off. And it would be our word against his."

They were almost to the gym when they encountered Robb and his date. Robb was dressed formally in a vintage tux with tails. A purple shirt gave his outfit a splash of color and also, Brian thought privately, advertised his gayness. A tall, beautiful young woman with long, chestnut hair and blue eyes accompanied him. She was very thin to Brian’s eyes; almost skinny. She looked chic and stylish in a sequined red dress. Her hair was coiffed to perfection and she wore a good deal of makeup.

"Hi," Brian said shyly, not knowing how Robb would respond. Would he be friendly or would he be cold? One never could tell with the mercurial Robb.

"Hey," he said coolly.

"Is this your little friend?" Jill asked, her voice dripping with condescension. "He’s so cute. If he were housebroken, I’d adopt him as a pet." She offered her hand to Brian with the fingertips down, as if she expected him to kiss it.

Brian awkwardly shook her hand and grinned but gritted his teeth as he did. Pam noticed he was getting angry.

Pam waved a hand in front of Robb’s face. "Hello? I’m another person in the world."

"And you must be another freshman." Robb pronounced the word ‘freshman’ as if it was a dirty word.

"You look nice. I mean, I like your tux," Brian stammered. It was another attempt to get in his good graces, plus he fully expected Robb to return the compliment.

"I know," Robb replied with a maddening smirk on his face. When several awkward seconds passed without a return compliment, Brian understood he had been dismissed. In more ways than one. It was over. If there had been anything between himself and Robb, it was gone. Brian had been expecting it; Robb had never once called him, he never talked to him in the halls and he seemed like he didn’t want to be seen with Brian. Still, Brian was a bit hurt.

"Come on," Pam said, taking a hold of his elbow and leading him away. "I see Mike and Allegra over there. And I want to get away from General Electric and Princess Frigidaire."

"Pam," Brian retorted as they walked away with their arms around each other’s waist, "the only thing electric about him is the batteries he puts in his dildo."

She threw her head back and laughed. It felt good to be affectionate with her. Brian genuinely liked Pam. He liked her sense of humor, her loyalty and her honesty, even if she were brutally honest at times.

Just inside the door to the gym, the group found Allegra and Mike with Blade and his sister.

Valerie’s excited squeal could be heard over the pounding strains of Turning Japanese.

"Let’s go out in the hall," Pam shouted above the din.

"You must be Pam," Rachel took both her hands. "I’m so happy to meet you." Pam regarded the girl from Homewood-Flossmoor. She was a stunning young woman. He medium brown hair was parted down the middle. She had a cute face with clear, creamy skin. Her most stunning feature was her green eyes.

Rachel turned to Brian. "And you must be Mike’s best friend." She leaned forward to Brian and gave him an air kiss.

"And I’m Reuben," the somewhat older boy said, reaching for Brian’s hand. "Everyone calls me Blade." Brian noticed immediately how Mike was looking up at him. He knew that look, and he knew Mike. Mike was totally infatuated with Blade.

After Brian recovered, he introduced Valerie, Logan and Diane. "And this is my brother Jake."

"Hi, Jake." He held out his hand, but Jake ignored it.

Jake pressed his lips together and nodded in Blade’s direction.

Oh, no, Jake! Brian thought. Don’t be an asshole now. Please, don’t go there.

Jake had no intention of being an asshole. He had been hurt once already that night and wasn’t about to be hurt again.

Inside the gym, the DJ was spinning Everybody Have Fun Tonight. "Sounds like it’s time to make our grand entrance," Logan said. "Let’s go!"

Jake forlornly followed the group, but didn’t dance, not that first dance nor at all that night.

He stayed around the gym just long enough to have his picture taken with Diane. Despite the fact that they were both attractive teenagers and well dressed it was a terrible picture. Jake was scowling in the photo.

After the picture he found a place on the bleachers and sat there until he was certain Brian was no longer watching and then he disappeared.

All night long, people kept asking Brian, "Where’s Jake?"

Brian was a bit concerned about him, but he was more concerned about Diane. After Jake disappeared, she was, for all intents and purposed, dateless. Brian felt a responsibility toward her. He’d promised Matt that they wouldn’t abandon their dates.

Brian reasoned that if Jake had walked home or gotten a ride from someone that they’d call him on his cell phone. He checked periodically throughout the night, but there were never any messages. He also figured that if Jake were in trouble, a chaperone would tell him about it. But that didn’t happen, either.

Jake had been nominated to the Homecoming Court but he didn’t win. After the court was announced and the DJ resumed playing, Logan had the idea to split up and find Jake.

Pam and Brian located him sitting forlornly in the cafeteria, eating Chips Ahoy cookies and watching Pretty In Pink on a video monitor.

"Hey." Brian sat beside him and draped an arm over his shoulders. "You feeling OK?"

"Oh, yeah. Swell." His eyes never left the TV screen.

"You only lost by 69 votes," Brian attempted to cheer him up. Jake responded with a wan smile.

"Come on, aren’t you going to dance?" Pam asked him.

"Hell, no! Leave me alone."

"God, Jake, you don’t have to be an asshole about it," Brian growled back. "We were just concerned."

Jake smiled a big, false, hideous smile. "I’m OK. Just leave me alone."

"Come on, Brian. Let’s leave him alone," Pam said gently.

"Dad will be here in a half hour," Brian reminded him, getting up.

"I’ll be right here." His right hand slipped into the pocket of his sport coat. His fingertips touched the baggie of pot he had scored. How he wished he was home and he could light up!

Jake wished he could just flush the whole night away.

Tim was watching TV in the basement with the fireplace lit when he heard Matt and the boys arrive home.

Jake stumbled noisily down the stairs.

"Hey," Tim said cheerfully to him as he made his way through the family room to his bedroom. "How was the dance?"

"Oh, it was a fucking blast," Jake said sarcastically and then slammed the door to his bedroom.

Tim gritted his teeth. He waited until the swarm of angry bumblebees settled before facing Jake again. When the channel 5 news broke for a commercial, he approached Jake’s bedroom door.

He rapped twice on the door and without waiting for a response, stuck his head in Jake’s room.

The only light in the room was from a small halogen reading lamp on a table beside Jake’s bed. His sport coat, shirt, khakis and tie lay in a heap in a corner of the room. Jake lay face down on his bed in only his boxers.

"Jake, I don’t appreciate being talked to like that."

It wasn’t until Jake tried to respond that Tim knew he was crying. Jake muttered something into his pillow.

"I didn’t understand you," Tim said.

Jake raised his head. "I said I’m sorry. Now, can you close the door?"

Instead, Tim padded over to the bed and gingerly sat on the edge. He placed a hand on Jake’s shoulder blade. Tim was alarmed; Jake seldom cried.

"It’s like you lost your wallet or something."

When Jake didn’t respond, Tim tried another approach. "It can’t be that bad."

"I don’t want to talk about it."

Tim pressed his lips together and nodded slowly. "OK," he said quietly. "Maybe you’ll feel like talking in the morning." He patted his shoulder a few times.

Tim rose from the bed and crossed the room. As Tim opened the door, Jake said, "Would you ask Matt to come down? Please? If he’s not busy, that is."

Tim’s shoulders slumped, his eyes looked sad and face contorted in disappointment. But he only said to the boy, "Sure, Jake. I’ll ask your dad to come down."