Page 55 of Them Bones

“Doesn’t it bother you?” Cody asked. “That all of your friends throw themselves at your boyfriend?”

“He’s not my boyfriend. But… no,” she said, her hands circling her mug. “Shane has surprised me from the start. With girls. Women. He never really seems all that interested, beyond like, base-level politeness. Even that, sometimes, is kind of hard to get out of him.” She chuckled. “He’s never looked twice at anyone in front of me. And I believe him when he says he’s not seeing anyone else, even though we aren’t technically exclusive.” She took a sip, looking thoughtful. “But honestly, Cody, he never really seems that interested in me, either.”

“Um… unless you fake anawfullot of orgasms – which trust me, I’d be thrilled to hear since I’ve been jealous of the guy my whole life and knowing he’s bad in bed would be a delight for me – I don’t see where you’re getting the idea that he’s ‘not interested’ in you.”

Jenna laughed, and Cody sat up straighter. He loved her laugh, it was loud and ugly and honest, and always surprised him since Jenna was normally so quiet, reserved.

“I hate to tell you this Cody, but he’sstellarin bed. He reads my body like a book, translates it into a dozen other languages, and then makes it read them all out loud.”

“Of course he does,” Cody grumbled.

“But sometimes sex with him is… I don’t know. He’s nottherewith you.Sometimes I feel like my body is just an instrument, to him, and he’s composing a song for someone else. It’s beautiful, but it’s not meant for me.”

“Are you a poetry major?” Cody asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Business,” she said, quirking a smile. “I really shouldn’t complain. I mean, he fucks me raw, doesn’t sleep with anyone else, he’s kind to me, and he introduced me to you,” she smiled warmly at Cody, touching his hand, “but I do sometimes wish I knew him, a little. Or at all.”

“Well, that’s not just you sweets. I’ve known him most of his life and I still don’tknowhim… You know?”

“I’m crazy about him, but I’m not sure he’s mine. It feels like… like he already belongs to somebody else.”

“Well, I volunteer as a tribute, if you ever want revenge sex,” Cody said.

Jenna smiled ruefully, and they sipped their coffees.

Fuck you, Shane,he thought, whipping out a bump.This girl is perfection and you couldn’t care less.

LANEY

Shane was gone almost every weekend all spring and summer. He’d drop Dusty off after school on Friday without coming in, and then wouldn’t show back up until Monday morning. He never talked about where he went on the weekends, never mentioned a girlfriend at all, but Laney knew. And the jealousy was eating her alive.

Seeing him kiss that girl had done something to her insides that couldn’t be undone. Like her organs had shifted to reshape themselves around the permanent hole that he’d punched into her gut. Winter had passed, and then spring, and she kept telling herself it would hurt less. That the image of him kissing her would fade. But by early-summer, she’d resigned herself to the fact that it was burned into her retinas like one of those pictures you stare at until it becomes 3D.

It made her want to break things.

The only good thing about weekends was that without Shane around, Cary usually stayed at his apartment. And when Cary stayed at the apartment, Ma took the opportunity to disappear.

Laney loved having the house to herself again. Just her and Dustin. She only wished she could enjoy it a little more.She knew she was miserable company for Dusty these days, but between Ma sucking the life out of her and her stubborn maintenance of a sky-high emotional barricade against Shane, she spent most weekends horizontal on the couch in the basement watching movies or taped episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer season two. She still cried every time she watched the finale.

Shane liked to pretend that he didn’t like the show, wrinkling his nose in distaste and making fun of her obsession with Angel. But one Tuesday she’d asked him if he could make her some popcorn, and he’d shush-ed her and said ‘on the commercial’.

Things had gotten a little awkward during the episode ‘Surprise’ when Buffy and Angel finally slept together.

“Hmm…” she’d said, eyeing him.

“What,” he’d said, not looking at her.

“It’s her sixteenth birthday, you know.”

“So?”

“So he’s two hundred and seventy years old and he doesn’t seem to think she’s too young to date.”

“It’ll end badly.”

“No, it won’t! They’resoul mates.”

The following week in ‘Innocence’, Angel lost his soul and started trying to murder Buffy’s friends. Shane’s poignant silence was discomfiting, and she could have sworn Dustin was shaking with silent laughter the entire episode.

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