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scared of how
they’d judge me while they judged her. But at the same time, Nellie fascinated
me the way a fetal pig floating in a jar of formaldehyde did.
    “Okay, sure,” I said. “Why not?”
    “Really?” she said and slammed the countertop. “You know,
I knew it the day I saw you walk in this place that you and I were destine to
be friends. This may sound creepy, but every time you came in here, I tried to
work up the nerve to talk to you. I’m a little shy.”
    “I don’t get that impression,” I said.
    “It’s true. One thing about me, Sophia,” she said and
leaned on the counter, “I tend to get attached to people, so you have to tell me
to back off, okay?”
    “Sure.”
    “But I’m loyal as the day is long, that’s what Brandt
says. When I am your friend, you’ve got a friend to the end.”
    Nellie and I exchanged telephone numbers and as promised,
I met her at the coffee shop the next evening. The dread I felt about our
outing as I walked to the coffee shop was quickly lifted when I saw the boy
standing next to Nellie as I walked through door.
    “Sophia,” Nellie said as she ran toward me, “you look
beautiful.”
    “Thank you,” I said.
    “How do I look?” she said as she did a twirl.
    I searched for a word to adequately describe the drab
brown dress she wore, which was not far removed from her blue waitress dress.
    “Radiant,” I said.
    “Yes,” she said, “I think so too. Come meet the boys!”
    “Boys,” Nellie said as she dragged me by the hand over to
the two guys sitting at the counter, “this is Sophia Pearson. Sophia, this is
Brandt Therrault and Conrad Weylin.”
    Both of the guys stood up from the counter, but it was
Brandt who got my attention.
    “Pleased to meet you,” Brandt said and shook my hand.
“This is my friend Conrad. Conrad’s in town from Providence.”
    Conrad was a nice enough looking fellow, but he was
certainly no Brandt.
    “Hello, Conrad,” I said and removed my hand from Brandt’s
grip and extended it to him, “it’s nice to meet you.”
    “My pleasure,” Conrad said and kissed my hand.
    “Conrad, Sophia’s a model,” Nellie said and nudged me out
from in front of Brandt and toward Conrad. “In fact, she did a swimsuit shoot
today. How did that go?”
    “Um, fine,” I said.
    “Conrad is an art student in Providence. Very
forward-thinking,” Nellie said and winked at me.
    “So, what’s the plan?” Conrad said and pulled his jacket
off the back of the counter stool.
    “Well, I have a really wild evening planned for us,”
Nellie said and pulled her coat on. “A film in the Combat Zone, for starts.”
    “The Combat Zone?” I said. “My father calls it the Ward of
filth.”
    “I told you she was rich, Brandt. A real upper-crust, blue
blood. What’s the big deal, Sophia? I’m sure you’ve not even been down there,
have you?” Nellie said.
    “Well, no,” I said. “But this is Boston, I’m sure there
are many things we could do on a Friday night that don’t include the Combat
Zone.”
    “Look, Nellie,” Brandt said, “if Sophia doesn’t want to
go, perhaps we should make alternate plans.”
    Nellie and Brandt looked so strange standing next to one
another. He could pass for one of the All-American male models I worked with.
He had short, blond hair and looked like he fit in with the rugby or rowing
teams rather than with Nellie. But for him, I happily dipped my toe in the
cesspool that was the Combat Zone.
    “No,” I said, “it’s fine. I’m all for the Combat Zone.”
    “Excellent,” Brandt said and smiled. “Let’s get a cab.”
    The group of us filed out of the coffee shop and Nellie
grabbed my arm and pulled me back inside.
    “Are you interested in him? Because if you are, I don’t
know if I’m comfortable with that.”
    “Is he your boyfriend?”
    “No, but...it’s hard to explain. Just don’t like him,
okay?”
    “How do you know him?” I said.
    “Brandt’s father and mine used to work on the