"Would you like to go out sometime?" I asked.
She stared at me for a moment. "I can't."
"All right."
"I have a boyfriend."
"OK."
She smiled. "I'd really like to. You understand."
Sure, I understood a lot of things. It was amazing how intense my disappointment was. I couldn't believe it. I hardly knew her, I kept telling myself, I was never going to know her.
"How long have you been going together?" I asked.
"Two years. He's a great guy. You'd like him."
"Would he like to go out with me?"
She laughed. "You crack me up."
"I'm just one big bundle of laughs."
She quieted. "Thanks for asking. You're a nice guy, Mark."
Nice. I hated that word.
See You Later by Christopher Pike