Chapter 19

12:45 a.m. Saturday

"Did I hear you say she offered to fuck you both?" Elizabeth asked as Paul was ushering her up the stairs. She seemed ready to charge back down and have it out.

"Well, she said, 'screw you' to us both," Andy pointed out from over Regan's shoulder. "We assumed, given her reputation, that's what she meant."

Elizabeth waited until everyone was on the ground floor before she turned on Andy.

"You guys!" she said, shaking her head. "I was ready to kick her ass because I thought she propositioned you."

Paul started to say something but Andy shook his head slightly and he shut up.

"Let's just go grab something to eat and head home," Paul suggested.

"We should probably just go," Andy added. "Regan has to be up early."

"I'm fine," Regan countered. "I'm having fun. Besides, I'll sleep during my hair and nail appointments."

No one in the group had drunk anything stronger than soda during the night so driving wasn't an issue.

Regan took Andy's hand and hooked her other arm through Paul's elbow as the foursome left the party to head to other pursuits.

"Where do you want to go?" Andy asked.

"Let's go back to that diner off of Wayne," Regan suggested.

"They have good food!" Paul chimed in.

Andy only groaned. One of the worst memories of his first meeting with Regan Riley was the short time he'd spent with her in the diner off Wayne Avenue.

"Not this time," Regan said softly. "Not ever again. I promise."

Andy let out a sigh and nodded his agreement. After all, he knew of no other all-night restaurants that weren't situated beside crack houses.

"Regan can ride with me," Elizabeth offered. "You and Andy can ride together and talk about how exciting a night you've had so far."

Andy looked at Regan but she only shrugged. She enjoyed getting to know Elizabeth – and she figured Andy might be getting tired of her after spending nine consecutive hours with her.

Elizabeth started chattering as soon as Regan's butt hit the seat.

"That was so awesome," she said. "I can't believe we just hummed our guys at a party! I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to do that. I mean, you know, just do something wild. I was always too scared. You have the same effect on me as you do on Andy."

"I give you a boner?" Regan asked with a laugh.

"You would if I was a guy," Elizabeth retorted. "I was talking about ... I don't know. You have no reference but Andy was always ... morose. He went through life just existing. Then he met you on the highway. I swear, that night at the party was the first time I'd seen animation on his face in years. I told you I always looked out for him. You're fun, Regan. God, you're wild."

"I'm not," Regan cut in. "He's the only guy I've ever kissed. Tonight? Three months ago, the thought would have never entered my mind. I think you're giving me credit for something I don't deserve. Andy is the fun one. That night ... the party where I saw you again ... he was just ... I can't describe it. How much have I told you?"

"Just the basics," Elizabeth said with a shrug. "Wyatt Erving, Billy Green and Stan Dalton were giving you a rough time after you snuck out of school. Andy almost ran into them on the highway and he wound up kicking Wyatt's ass. Oh, by the way, when you said he kicked Wyatt's ass, you weren't joking. They guy had black eyes for six weeks. If he even sees Andy across the room, he runs away. Do you know it's the second time he's beaten Wyatt up?"

"He said something about middle school," Regan related.

"That was because of me," Elizabeth said. "I guess he knew Wyatt from when he lived out that way. Anyway, probably the second or third day of sixth grade, Wyatt asked him – in front of me – why he was hanging out with a 'beaner.'"

"Oh, Jesus," Regan said.

"You have to understand, Wyatt was considered a tough guy," Elizabeth continued. "He failed a grade and he's a year older than everyone else. I don't know if he expected Andy to back down or what but he clearly didn't expect what he got. Andy was carrying his books under his arm and he didn't even drop them. One minute we're walking to catch the bus and the next minute Wyatt Erving was on the ground."

Elizabeth shook her head and smiled at the memory.

"Andy looked down at him, told him that wasn't a nice word and he didn't want to hear it again and we kept walking," Elizabeth added. "He stood with me at the bus stop to make sure Billy Green wasn't going to give me shit and that was that. He never mentioned it again to me. I thanked him the next day. He said he was happy that he could help and never said another word about it."

"Apparently I'm not the first damsel he's rescued," Regan said.

"I wasn't in any danger, I don't think," Elizabeth said. "I think Andy and Wyatt used to be friends. Then his mom moved to the city and they didn't see each other for three or four years. I would bet the next time Wyatt said a single word to Andy was that day on the highway."

"Probably for the best," Regan said.

"So, finish your story," Elizabeth urged.

"That night, uh, after the party, we went to the diner we're headed to now," Regan said. "Some of my friends from school were there and they treated him really badly. And I just sat there and let them. There was one girl who thought she was the lead bitch at C-B. The rest of us just let her go because it wasn't worth dealing with. Now that I think about it, she's a little like Wyatt Erving, I guess. Finally, Andy got fed up and left. I just watched him go. I felt like shit. I mean, here's this guy who's just been sweet as can be to all of us and I set there and let this skank tear him down. She kept going when we got to the train station – and I knocked the crap out of her."

"No kidding?" Elizabeth asked.

"Her father had paid to have her nose fixed a couple of years ago," Regan continued. "Well, I got to pay to have it redone. You think the guy Andy hit had black eyes for a long time? Harmony's eyes are still screwed up. So, after I clocked her, I called Andy again and he came to pick me up – again. We went back to his apartment and, uh, played around some. We made out and he ... he got me off."

"Really?" Elizabeth wondered.

"The thing is, I fell asleep before I could ... help him out," Regan said. "Then I made a butthole of myself the next morning. I was upset that I had treated him so badly, you know, leaving him hanging. He overheard me berating myself in the bathroom and he thought I was upset about letting him..."

"Finger you?" Elizabeth supplied.

"Yeah," Regan said with a blush. This was different than talking about things with Andy, she decided. "Then he took me home. I know I told you all about that."

"In glorious detail," Elizabeth said with a chuckle. "I can't wait to meet your mother."

"She's actually been pretty cool the past few days," Regan admitted with great reluctance. "Part of it is because of Andy's dad. I know that."

"Is that screwed up or what?" Elizabeth said. "Quiet, unassuming Andy Drayton, the heir to all that. I guess that would improve his standing with your mother."

"You have no idea," Regan said with a sigh. "You haven't, uh, told anybody, have you?"

"Who would I tell?" Elizabeth asked rhetorically. "I like to have the information about everyone else. I don't like sharing it. I mean, yeah, with you, it's cool. But others in school, I keep quiet."

"That's good," Regan said. "I'm not sure how many people Andy really wants to know."

Andy and Paul were waiting in the parking lot when Elizabeth pulled in. Their conversation had been more generic. Neither knew the other well enough to share intimate details of their sex lives.

Rather, they talked about Stanford's sports teams and what Andy could expect from life in the dormitories. Their girlfriends latched onto a hand as soon as they got out of the car and the foursome walked into the restaurant.

It hadn't changed much in the nine weeks since Andy had last been there. In fact, if he had to wager, he would have bet that the same poor souls that were in there a few weeks earlier were still in the same seats.

The sign said they should wait to be seated but they stood for a couple of minutes before a harried waitress noticed them.

"Sit wherever you want," she said. "I'll get to you when I can."

Elizabeth frowned but Regan spoke first.

"We're in no hurry," she said sweetly. "Just take your time."

The waitress gave a tired smile and the group sat only one table over from where Andy had sat with Regan's friends. They chatted amiably for a while before the waitress showed up at their table.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I work evenings but one of the night shift girls called off so I'm stuck here until three a.m. with all the drunks and morons because I don't have a houseful of kids at home. The other waitress seems content to take six smoke breaks each hour."

The young woman appeared to be only a few years older than the teenagers at the table.

"Don't worry about it," Regan said. "We haven't been drinking but we might fall into the moron category. You never know."

Andy rolled his eyes. He distinctly remembered Regan's friends terrorizing the waitress during his last foray into the establishment – while Regan sat silently.