"Well, I'm still proud of you. So what's going on?"
I wanted to say nothing was going on, but that wouldn't do it justice. Something was definitely happening-I was forming a friendship with River and Gabe. River had opened up completely and had rekindled in me a new kind of love for him. And I liked Gabe more than I had for the past ten years.
River talked about Minneapolis, where he and Gabe lived together, outside of the city. Many of his relatives lived nearby. He loved the farm and couldn't wait to get back there. He even made me promise to come visit them after the tour ended.
Gabe also opened up and talked to me even more than before. He showed me new pages he was posting on the Fiery Boys website, suggested new features for my phone, and raved about the latest band equipment. Everything in his world was totally digital, mega, ultra, and nano. Or something like that. But we were talking quite a bit-he even asked about my friends and family. I had really connected with River and Gabe.
But I had to tell Kira something, and the truth couldn't be revealed. "It's. . . complicated." Yeah, that about covered it. "I'll tell you all about it someday, but I can't yet."
"Wow! Mystery and suspense. Well, at least you're having fun."
"Yes, I finally am."
"Can you tell me one thing, though? Did you really get drunk, pour tubs of whipped cream and chocolate sauce on each other, then have a three-way with River and Gabe?"
I laughed so hard I nearly fell off the bed. "Sorry, that never happened. But there is a story there, and I promise to tell it one day."
"Awesome." Kira was enraptured, even though she didn't know a thing. But she did know the Internet buzz. And that was something I wanted to hear. Gabe had looked at some sites, but Kira might have seen different ones.
I forced myself to ask, although I wasn't sure I wanted to hear the answer. "Do the fans hate me for this?"
"Not really. Most people are happy you got some. In fact, we'd be pretty annoyed if the winner didn't get at least one little romp."
Ouch. That seemed to be my destiny: not even one little romp. See? I knew I wouldn't be having sex with any of them.
"What about Inferna?" Jason had already confirmed that the slutty fan-girl was unhappy, but I was curious to know the details.
"Oh, just the usual. Now that you're a grade-A slut, she has proof that you must die."
"I'm a slut? Has she looked in the mirror lately?"