you want to go next year yet？〃
〃No；〃 Dan answered hollowly； then shuffled out of Jenny's roomand back into his own。 His dad
was so gung…ho about the whole college thing； it was seriously annoying。
〃Columbia's close！〃 Rufus called after him。 〃You could live at home！〃
As if he hadn't already mentioned that a thousand times。
Alone in his room； Dan found a rubber band in his desk drawer and tied his hair up into a stubbly
ponytail； leaving the shaved part exposed。 He picked up the beard trimmer again。 〃Crack Me like
and Egg！〃 he whispered； imitating his father as best as he could。 He grimaced。 There just wasn't
ebough gristle in his voice to sound convincing。
Trading the trimmer for the pile of college catalogs he'd been thumbing through for the past three
months； he flopped don on his bed。 Only one more week to choose between NYU； Brown； Colby
or Evergreen。 He flipped to a picture of a tweedy； intellectual…looking Brown student； his back
propped against the trunk of agiant elm tree； scribbling away in a notebook like a young Keats。 He
looked exactly as Dan had envisioned he'd look himself next year… before he'd been discovered by
the Raves and before he'd just shaved the back of his head。
He ran his finger over the shaved part of his head and glanced down at his outfit。 He'd have to go
shopping； because none of his clothes went with his hair anymore。
And you thought that was something only girls worry about。
If only Jenny were there to help out； Dan thought grimly。 But his little sister was too busy being a
supermodel to go through his closet with him and tell him what was lame and what was acceptable。
Dan picked up a cup of Folgers instant coffee that had been cooling on the floor since that
morning and took a sip。 He grimaced at his reflection in the mirror； and for an instant he could
almost envision himself up on stage； giving the audience the same annoyed； pissed…off grimace。
Maybe； just maybe he could pull this off； without his sister's help。
Or maybe not。
V TAKES THE ROOM OUT OF ROOMATE
Fireeater： I keep a pretty sick schedule； like I sleep all day and work at night
Hairlessskat： What do you do？
Fireeater： duh； I'm a performer
Hairlessskat： you really eat fire？
Fireeater： I'm working on it。 Mostly I dance with my snakes。
Hairlessskat： snakes？
Fireeater： yea I have four snakes
Fireeater： you're okay with pets right？
Fireeater： you still there？
Fireeater： yo； hello？
〃Nice try； loser！〃 Vanessa Abrams logged off her puter and went over to her closet； She'd
taken off her hot and hideous maroon wool Constance Billard School winter uniform… the only
uniform she owned… two hours ago and hadn't bothered to change into anything else。 Even though
the girl Vanessa was supposed to interview in three minutes had sounded cool in her e…mail that
morning； she probably wouldn't be psyched if Vanessa greeted her at the door in her black cotton
Hanes underwear。 Vanessa pulled a folded pair of pants off the top shelf in her bedroom closet
without even looking。 Everything in her closet was black； and she was a strong believer in
shopping in duplicate。 If you owned six pairs of straight…legged black stretch Levis； you never
really had to think about what you were going to wear； and you only had to do laundry once a
week。 She pulled the jeans up around her pale and slightly pudgy hips； yanked her black
long…sleeved V…neck tee down over them and ran her hands over her shaved； dark head。 She might
have looked odd to all the so…called 〃normal〃 girls she went to school with； but the girl she was
about to meet sounded more interesting than they could ever hope to be… well； at least she had
online。
The downstairs buzzer rang； just as she'd anticipated。 Vanessa went over to the window and pulled
aside the curtain； which was really just a black poly…blend Martha Stewart Everyday bed sheet she
and her sister Ruby had bought at K…mart last Halloween。 On the street two floors below； a drunk
homeless guy was shouting at empty parked cars。 A little boy with green spiked hair and no shirt
on sped down the sidewalk on a mountain bike that was way too big for him。 The crumbling
cement block that served as Vanessa's front stoop was empty。 The Prospective roommate was
already on her way up。
〃Please be normal；〃 Vanessa murmured； not that she actually like normal girls。 Normal girls； ； like
the girls in her class at Constance； wore pink lip gloss and different versions of the exact same pair
of shoes and were religious about things like highlights and pedicures。 In her e…mail application
this girl Beverly had said she was an art student at Pratt； so she was older； for one thing； and was
probably kind of alternative。 Hopefully she'd be as cool as she sounded。
Vanessa opened the door to the apartment just as Beverly mounted the top of the stairs。 And to
Vanessa's plete surprise； Beverly wasn't a she； she was a he。
Vanessa had sort of forgotten to specify that she was looking for a girl roommate in her web
posting。
A deliberate mistake？
〃Bet you thought I was female； right？〃 Beverly asked； extending his hand for Vanessa to shake。
〃The name is totally old…fashioned and totally misleading。 Don't worry I'm used to it。〃
Vanessa tried not to look surprised； which wasn't hard for her。 She'd mastered the unexpressive
stare long ago while eating alone day after day in the Constance Billard School cafeteria； turning
out the senseless babble of her beautiful； bitchy classmates。 She tucked her fingers into the back
pockets of her jeans and nonchalantly led the way into the apartment 〃I was just IMing with this
weirdo chick who dances with snakes。 You don't have any snakes； do you？〃
〃Nope。〃 Beverly pressed his palms together in praying position and surveyed the starkly decorated
apartment。 The walls were white and the wood floors were bare。 The kitchen was tiny and opened
onto the living room/ second bedroom； which was furnished with a futon and a TV。 The only
decorations were framed stills from the dark； morose films that Vanessa notoriously made in her
spare time。
〃Whose work？〃 Beverly asked； gesturing at a black…and…white photograph of a pigeon pecking at
a used condom in Madison Square Park。
Vanessa discovered she was staring at Beverly's firm； round buttocks and quickly averted her eyes。
〃Mine；〃 she replied Horsley。 〃It's from a film I made earlier this year。〃
Beverly nodded his head； keeping his palms pressed together as he examined the other
photographs。 Vanessa loved that he didn't start babbling about how offbeat or depressing the were；
the way people usually did。 Just the way he said； 〃whose work？〃 made her feel like a real artist。
〃Would you like a beer？〃 she asked。 Her fridge was uncharacteristically full of beer from her
eighteenth…birthday party two weekends ago； and she'd take any opportunity to get rid of it。 〃Sorry；
I don't have much else except water。〃
〃Water would be fine；〃 Beverly replied and Vanessa found herself liking him even more。 Ask any
high…school boy if he wanted a beer and he'd down a whole six…pack in three seconds flat。 All
Beverly needed was a little water to whet his palate； and a place to live… for instance； with her。
Whoa。。。。。。 Slow down； Nellie！ What about the interview？
Vanessa went into the tiny open kitchen and got out a vintage Scooby…Doo glass and some ice and
a pitcher of filtered water from the refrigerator。 She filled the glass slowly； surreptitiously studying
Beverly as she did so。 His small； intense eyes were pale blue； and his short； tousled hair was
nearly black。 The palms of his hands and his fingernails were stained black with some sort of ink
he must have been using in his artwork； and his drab green t…shirt was flecked with what looked
like sawdust。 His black pants were just the sort of loose black cotton poplin slacks she would have
worn everyday if she were a guy； and on his feet were a pair of those thin orange rubber flip…flops
you can buy at the drugstore for ninety…nine cents。 He was so not like the people she went to
school with； Vanessa couldn't hel