Page 55 of Student Seduction
“It’s only the greatest television series ever. Like ever. It’s a cult classic from the 90’s. Stacy used to watch the reruns a long time ago and I got hooked. I can’t believe I never made you watch it.”
“Until now,” I mumbled over my first bite of pizza.
“So listen, we’re going to fast forward all the boring parts about her parents and some emo stuff with Brian Krakow. If you can stay awake, we’re going to speed date all nineteen episodes in existence.”
I swallowed a sip of my soda. “Wait. If it’s the greatest show ever, why are there only nineteen episodes?”
Drew sighed. “Multiple reasons. For one, it was ahead of its time back when the only teen shows were after school specials. For two, the main character was like thirteen. So she couldn’t work all these long hours on set or whatever and her parents weren’t having it. Or something. I Googled it years ago. I can’t really remember exactly.”
I polished off my first slice and moved to the second. “So what’s it about?”
Drew stared thoughtfully at screen. “Everything. First love. Dyslexia. Alcoholism. Drug use. Abusive relationships. Homosexuality. You name it, it’s in here.”
I nodded appreciatively. “Okay, then. Let’s do this.”
Several hours later, sometime around two-thirty in the morning, we finished our abbreviated version of aMy So-CalledLife marathon.
I had thoughts. And questions. And concerns.
“Okay, wait,” I began once Drew had turned the television off and the lamp on. “It took Jordan likeelevenepisodes to even admit he knew this girl, much less liked her. Then he slept with her friend. What the hell?”
Drew’s brows pulled together. “That’s the point.”
“What’s the point? I just wasted hours of my life I’ll never get back and nothing is resolved. We never actually reached any kind of resolution.”
“Dysfunction,” Drew broke in on my ranting. “The fucked-upness of it all is the point. It’s adolescence at its finest. Come on, Em. You don’t ever feel that way?”
“What way?”
Drew sighed. “Like you’re waiting on your real life to begin. Like this is not at all what you expected. Disappointed, disenchanted, whatever, with the way things are.”
As he spoke, I began to see us as the characters on the show. Drew was a much more athletic much less flamboyant Rickie. Camille was a slightly more stable Rayanne. Ethan was kind of like Danielle, though I’d never tell him that. And I, I was Angela Chase.
Making Aiden my Jordan Catalano.
I was definitely never going to let Camille join his band should he ever start one.
“It wasn’t terrible,” I admitted. “And the back stairwell make out scenes were kind of hot.”
Drew smirked. “We talking about the show still or your actual life now?”
Leaning back on the couch, I wished I had some peanut butter M&Ms, but I was too tired to go downstairs to get some.
“I understand that part of it. Like when she knew she should put a stop to it but she just couldn’t. It was like she was living for those stolen moments and everything in between was just…less somehow.”
Drew pulled a pillow to his chest. “It’s like we’re all programed to love the wrong people, to only get a thrill from things that are bad for us.”
I got the sense we weren’t talking about me anymore. “Do you think you love Devon, Drew? Do you think he loves you?”
Thankfully he shook his head. I released the breath I’d been holding.
“I think I was in love with the idea of having someone to love. And I don’t think Devon Owens, or his brother for that matter, are capable of loving anyone right now.”
I chewed the side of my thumbnail. “Is Devon getting help?”
His voice was soft when he answered. “He has anger management class on Monday nights and counseling on Thursdays. He has to lie and tell his dad it’s extra lacrosse practice. He actually quit the team. His dad never came to games anyway. He’ll never know.”
“I am sorry that he’s had it rough, but I will never forget finding you that night. Or how you looked in the hospital. Or how afraid I was for those hours I didn’t know if you’d be okay.”
