Truth Be Told

one

Going out for some drinks on Friday nights has been part of their unspoken routine during the weekend. Or going out in general, really. Some nights, they settle for the cheapest fast food joint and hang around until they feel like going home.

Perry and him work for the same tutor center, though Colin highly suspects that Perry's in it for the girls. The two of them couldn't be more different, but they grew close after a living together for quite some time.

When Perry learned about Colin's dating life, or lack thereof, he took it upon himself to set Colin up with girls and, on some occasions, guys.

"Seriously," Perry tells him now, sounding more aggravated than he should be, in Colin's opinion. "I've never seen you date anyone. Ever. And we'd known each other for almost two years now."

"That's not true," Colin says. "Remember that Stella girl? I went out with her."

"Once." Perry steps in in front of him just as they exit their apartment building. "And only because I tricked you into it."

Colin nearly killed him that night. Perry told him to come down to Café Diem, one night during sophomore year and once he got there, Perry introduced him to Stella, only to promptly disappear right after. Colin had to spend the rest of the night with her.

"It was still a date," he argues now, shouldering past him.

"Which did not get you laid," Perry argues back. "Tell me, you actually have a girlfriend waiting for you back home, don't you?"

"Yes," he deadpans. "We also have three daughters and two sons and she's pregnant right now with baby number six. Do you want to be a godfather?"

Perry doesn't look amused. "You're funny."

"I can name him after you." A smile begins to form on Colin's face, but it immediately disappears when he catches sight of a familiar black-haired girl, clad in a maroon hoodie, her curls put up in a careless bun.

It's Sadie Reynolds.

Just thinking of the name makes Colin grimace.

She's standing near a lamppost, tapping furiously on her phone. She looks up, craning her neck as though she's trying to spot someone from the crowd.

Colin grips Perry's arm and veers him away, forcing him to cross the street before Sadie could spot either of them.

"Yo, what the fuck?"

"I want to try the new pizza place that opened up over there," Colin reasons halfheartedly. His eyes dart back to where Sadie is standing. She's back on her phone. It doesn't seem like she'd seen him.

Perry seems to notice his gaze, though, and he looks right at Sadie. "Oh, wow," he says. "She's pretty hot."

"What?" he asks, for some reason irritated. He instinctively looks back at Sadie's lone figure amid the bustling crowd. "That? Hot?"

"What? You were checking her out too."

A look of disgust takes over Colin's face. Perry's brows shoot up. He looks over his shoulder to give Sadie one last look. Colin keeps on walking and Perry has to run a little to catch up to him, nearly tripping over somebody's shoe in the process.

"Who is she?" Perry looks positively excited. "Was she an ex-girlfriend? What happened? Was it a bad breakup?"

Colin shoves him. "No"

"It's definitely an ex-girlfriend."

He glowers at his friend, who seems riveted by this new line of inquisition. "Knock it off."