Unwrapping Holly

“Holly…” was all she said when I finally stopped talking. “Oh my God!”

“I know.”

“You went out on three dates?” she swore incredulously. “In three days?”

“I know.”

“With three different guys?”

“Yes.”

“And you… you slept with…”

“I know!”

My friend wasn’t trying to make me feel guilty. If anything, the half-smile plastered across her face was one of pure admiration. Jocelyn had been trying to get me to see the anti-Malcolm light for quite some time now. She was my head cheerleader, begging me to come out of my shell.

And well… here I was.

“I’ve always said you should get back in the game,” Jocelyn swore. “But Holly! You went and played three different sports at once?”

“That’s a shitty analogy.”

“No it’s not! Look at you, you’re a legend! A rock star! Donovan and Lincoln? And this other guy…”

“Brody.”

“And you said he’s cute too?”

“Beautiful,” I confirmed. “A green-eyed hunk.”

I punched a few buttons on my phone and brought up the photo of us together, the one taken at the Cloisters. Brody’s b

oyishly handsome face and bright white teeth made him look like a male model.

“You’re an asshole,” Jocelyn swore, grabbing the phone and staring into it. “You know that?”

“Why?”

“Juggling three guys at a time, Holly? I can barely keep up with one!”

“I’m not juggling three guys…”

“Oh no?” she said. “Then give me one.”

“Wha—”

“Him,” she said, taking the phone. “He’s cute! I’ll take him. Brandon.”

“Brody,” I corrected her. “Jeez, you can’t even get his name right!”

Jocelyn laughed and squirmed back into the cushions. “Fine, I’ll take Donovan then. Holy shit, I can’t believe you slept with him! Look at his body! He must’ve been amazing…”

He was, I thought to myself fondly. So was I, come to think of it.

“You don’t want any of these guys anyway,” I chided her. “I already had sex with them.”

“So?”