Embarassing.“Why is that funny to you?” He was not amused.“I don’t know. I just don’t know why you like it so much.”The metal of his belt ...uckle clinked open, the leather hissed through the loops of his jeans and hit the floor with a smack.“It would be a bad thing if anything happened to your sweet, little ass, Nikki.” He was walking back and forth, the belt slithering along behind him.Fear and impulse got the best of me, I peeked over my shoulder.“Don’t!”The belt whooshed through the air, I. They were jocks who had fucked her and she didn’t like being around them. She didn’t want to be around men who knew her that intimately. She only wanted to be with Ace and this caused new arguments. “What is he doing here?” she’d say as she pulled him aside for a whispering argument. “Get rid of him!” But Ace would not. And there encounter continued, without privacy. Ace took her into the friend’s apartment during her lunch break and coaxed her into smoking a joint. Getting her high, he. ”And he did. Inside the café, I could see a young man – well, a year or so, maybe, younger than me – sitting at a table with a salad and a mug of coffee, helmet on the table by him.He was, obviously, the owner of the old bike outside, and I looked at him as I approached. My mind – obviously I didn’t say anything – said ‘nerd’. He was skinny and tall, as far as I could tell. He looked clean, but, again obviously, didn’t take a lot of trouble over his appearance. Glasses – far from fashionable –. ”“You gotta make that decision for yourself.”“I did. I saw Dad happy. I saw how excited Nina was ... Now...”I sighed. “I guess I understand, but Bill says even the best position has a certain amount of drudgery. He complains.”“So does Dave,” Carlita reinforced. “Part of the recipe. Fillers.”“Tell ‘em to give us a call...” I said.“Us?” Sandy questioned.“Oh, well, me ‘n’ Carlita aren’t actually on the payroll, but this 3Sigma thing’s not your standard company, either.”“Sounds like it.”“Worse’n.