Page 46 of Role Model

Troy sighed. He didn’t want to talk about this, but he also kind of did. There was something about Harris that made him want to share. “We were rookies the same year. Roommates. I knew he was a dick, but he was also exactly the kind of guy my dad loved. So part of it might have been me recognizing him as a guy I should want to be friends with.”

“You must have liked him, too, though. At least a bit.”

“I did,” Troy admitted. “He was fun. Liked to party, liked to spend his money. Loved hockey, and being an NHL star. We would talk about all the cups we were going to win together. All the records we were going to break. The cars we were going to buy.” Dallas had also talked about sex and women a lot, while Troy had awkwardly tried to contribute, but he didn’t tell Harris about that. “We were close. Until a few weeks ago, he was my best friend. I know it’s fucked up, but that’s how it was.”

“Have you talked to him since?”

Troy huffed. “No.”

“Jeez. I’ve never liked that guy, and I think you did the right thing and are better off without him, but I’m sorry you lost your friend. That’s rough.”

“Thank you,” Troy said quietly. It was nice to have someone acknowledge the loss he felt for his former friendship, and to make it seem less shameful. “I didn’t witness anything. I never actually saw him assault anyone. I feel stupid, but it didn’t even occur to me that he would do that. Until I read those posts.”

“You believed them right away?”

“Yeah. It was a punch in the fucking gut, but yeah. I believed them.”

“Sorry,” Harris said again.

Troy exhaled and released some of the tension that was making his jaw ache. “So where are we going?” he asked, wanting to change the subject.

“Taffy Lane.”

“Taffy Lane? Where’s that? Is that a real street name?”

“Oh man. Just wait. It’s in Orleans and they go all out every year. It’s a total Christmas wonderland.”

Troy couldn’t wait to see what that meant. So he drank his cider and let a jolly bearded man take him to Christmas wonderland.

Taffy Lane was hideous. But also, kind of great.

“How much are these guys spending on electricity?” Troy asked as they slowly drove past a house that must have had tens of thousands of lights all over their house and front yard. There were also several generators running, keeping the cartoon characters on the lawn inflated.

“A lot,” Harris said, grinning.

“Why is there Darth Vader? What does he have to do with Christmas?”

“His lightsaber is candy cane striped. See?”

“Yeah, but...”

“Don’t question someone’s Christmas vision. Just enjoy it.”

Troy frowned at the allegedly festive Darth Vader. Troy wasn’t a nerd or anything, but he knew enough about Star Wars to say, with authority, that Darth Vader was not an appropriate Christmas decoration.

“He blew up a planet,” Troy argued.

“Yeah, but he felt bad about it after. Eventually.”

It was such a ridiculous debate, but Troy couldn’t let it go. “Too little too late. He should have tossed the emperor into that pit sooner.”

Harris laughed. “You are such a geek. Wow. I had no idea.”

“No I’m not. I saw those movies, like, twice. That’s fucking normal.”

“I prefer to applaud Vader’s heroic decision to stand up to his evil friend, no matter how long it took him,” Harris said. He caught Troy’s eye after he said it, as if making sure Troy got his point.

Troy shifted uneasily in his seat. He got it.

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