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Show All the Variables & Other Love Stories 71 around, and it dawned on Cara that he wasn't yelling at Stella-he was yelling at her, the real her. He threw her down on the bed, got on her, and called her Cara. "The son of a bitch used my real name," she told Zach. "We stared at each other for a dead second. The whole room went quiet. I slapped his face and he ran out, I think crying. He never came back, just dropped out. He didn't want to be seen again after that, after having confessed himself to everyone. So that's why I admire what you just did, Zach. It takes courage to be vulnerable and still look the world in the eye." They skied a few runs and diverted themselves in a snowball fight on the side of the mountain broken up by ski patrol. They approached the patio at the Saint Bernard holding hands but their parents were still skiing and they had lunch alone. Cara asked Zach if he'd ever tasted merlot and dark chocolate which he hadn't. "Oh, you must," she cried. "If s wonderful! It's better than bad sex. That's what they call it at school, 'better than bad sex.'" Zach knew what it meant. He believed many things to be better than bad sex. "But how are we going to get wine?" he asked. Cara ordered two glasses of merlot and a bar of dark chocolate. "Are you crazy," Zach whispered bent low over the table. "What if they card us?" Cara dismissed him with a hand, "They won't." They giggled over the tart wine and bitter chocolate, and Zach, who was unaccustomed to drinking at all, was slightly drunk when their parents came looking for them. Mrs. Neal in particular was vexed by the alcohol served their children, but not especially angry, and a little drank herself. |
