Read Online Geography Club by Brent Hartinger - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Brent Hartinger
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a question, not a statement, and I saw Kimberly wrinkle her nose in disgust. I knew right then that she liked her men loud and confident and crude, and that poor Gunnar didn’t stand a chance.
We bought tickets for the stupid romantic comedy rated PG-13, but once we were inside the multiplex, Kimberly said she wanted to see the stupid erotic thriller rated R instead. As for me, I didn’t want to see either the romantic comedy or the erotic thriller. I wanted to see the animated Disney musical, which I guess just proved that I really was the gay boy that I’d been thinking all along that I was. But once again, I knew enough to keep my opinion to myself, so we snuck into the erotic thriller just like Kimberly wanted.
There was a late-night entertainment complex in the same strip mall as the theater, and after the movie, we walked toward it across the parking lot.
“That movie was so gay,” Kimberly said. She meant it sucked, and I hope it goes without saying that I was totally offended by this.
Then I noticed Gunnar looking at me in the dark, as if trying to read my reaction to Kimberly’s comment about the movie. I thought, Why is he looking at me? Does he have suspicions about me or what? But then it occurred to me that he was probably just trying to gauge my reaction to Kimberly, which was pretty thoroughly negative by this point.
Inside the entertainment place, Kimberly went off to play the pinball machines, with Gunnar trailing behind her and feeding her quarters as she went.
Trish and I went to the snack bar, where I ordered us a couple of burgers and Cokes.
“Kimberly’s a lot of fun,” I said as we stood around waiting for our food. I said this in a completely neutral way, so Trish wouldn’t take offense if she really did think loud, obnoxious Kimberly was a lot of fun. But I really meant it sarcastically, and I figured Trish would pick up on it if she thought the same thing.
“Oh, she’s okay,” Trish said. “She just gets like that when she has too much to drink.” Kimberly had brought a flask into the theater and had been slipping rum into her Coke all during the movie. Of course, this didn’t explain her being a bitch even before the movie, but I didn’t point this out to Trish.
Once we picked up our food, we headed for a booth, and I noticed that a couple of guys were checking Trish out. (Like I said, her clothes were pretty tight.) They both looked at Trish, their eyes scanning her like an X-ray machine. Then finally they looked at me, and I knew what they were thinking. They were jealous. This was all new to me, so I didn’t quite know what to do here. Should I bare my teeth and growl?
“How long you guys been friends?” I said to Trish once we’d started in on our food.
“Forever,” Trish said. “Since first grade.”
“Like Gunnar and me. We met in the fourth grade.”
“She’s really not that bad once you get to know her.”
I had a mouthful of food, but I spoke up anyway. “What makes you think I think she’s bad?”
Trish just smiled knowingly. “I can tell.” Maybe I hadn’t been as neutral as I’d thought when I’d said that about Kimberly being a lot of fun. Or maybe Trish was just perceptive.
“I’m glad you came tonight,” Trish said.
“Yeah?” I said.
“Yeah. I liked when we had that class together last year. I liked talking to you.”
“Yeah? Me too.” The truth was, I barely remembered talking to her, and I sure hoped Trish wasn’t so perceptive that she could see this too.
Suddenly, Kimberly appeared, desperate for us to join her in a game of House of the Dead II.
There’s not too much more to tell about the date. We finished eating, then played video games, then ate some more. By then, Kimberly was feeling kind of sick, so Gunnar and I drove the girls home, and he walked Kimberly to the front door, and I said good-bye to Trish at the car. This was so we could all kiss each other good night and not have it seem like some kind of
We bought tickets for the stupid romantic comedy rated PG-13, but once we were inside the multiplex, Kimberly said she wanted to see the stupid erotic thriller rated R instead. As for me, I didn’t want to see either the romantic comedy or the erotic thriller. I wanted to see the animated Disney musical, which I guess just proved that I really was the gay boy that I’d been thinking all along that I was. But once again, I knew enough to keep my opinion to myself, so we snuck into the erotic thriller just like Kimberly wanted.
There was a late-night entertainment complex in the same strip mall as the theater, and after the movie, we walked toward it across the parking lot.
“That movie was so gay,” Kimberly said. She meant it sucked, and I hope it goes without saying that I was totally offended by this.
Then I noticed Gunnar looking at me in the dark, as if trying to read my reaction to Kimberly’s comment about the movie. I thought, Why is he looking at me? Does he have suspicions about me or what? But then it occurred to me that he was probably just trying to gauge my reaction to Kimberly, which was pretty thoroughly negative by this point.
Inside the entertainment place, Kimberly went off to play the pinball machines, with Gunnar trailing behind her and feeding her quarters as she went.
Trish and I went to the snack bar, where I ordered us a couple of burgers and Cokes.
“Kimberly’s a lot of fun,” I said as we stood around waiting for our food. I said this in a completely neutral way, so Trish wouldn’t take offense if she really did think loud, obnoxious Kimberly was a lot of fun. But I really meant it sarcastically, and I figured Trish would pick up on it if she thought the same thing.
“Oh, she’s okay,” Trish said. “She just gets like that when she has too much to drink.” Kimberly had brought a flask into the theater and had been slipping rum into her Coke all during the movie. Of course, this didn’t explain her being a bitch even before the movie, but I didn’t point this out to Trish.
Once we picked up our food, we headed for a booth, and I noticed that a couple of guys were checking Trish out. (Like I said, her clothes were pretty tight.) They both looked at Trish, their eyes scanning her like an X-ray machine. Then finally they looked at me, and I knew what they were thinking. They were jealous. This was all new to me, so I didn’t quite know what to do here. Should I bare my teeth and growl?
“How long you guys been friends?” I said to Trish once we’d started in on our food.
“Forever,” Trish said. “Since first grade.”
“Like Gunnar and me. We met in the fourth grade.”
“She’s really not that bad once you get to know her.”
I had a mouthful of food, but I spoke up anyway. “What makes you think I think she’s bad?”
Trish just smiled knowingly. “I can tell.” Maybe I hadn’t been as neutral as I’d thought when I’d said that about Kimberly being a lot of fun. Or maybe Trish was just perceptive.
“I’m glad you came tonight,” Trish said.
“Yeah?” I said.
“Yeah. I liked when we had that class together last year. I liked talking to you.”
“Yeah? Me too.” The truth was, I barely remembered talking to her, and I sure hoped Trish wasn’t so perceptive that she could see this too.
Suddenly, Kimberly appeared, desperate for us to join her in a game of House of the Dead II.
There’s not too much more to tell about the date. We finished eating, then played video games, then ate some more. By then, Kimberly was feeling kind of sick, so Gunnar and I drove the girls home, and he walked Kimberly to the front door, and I said good-bye to Trish at the car. This was so we could all kiss each other good night and not have it seem like some kind of
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