"I know you very well. I know you're scared of what the real world has for you."Josh was stunned and was almost frozen listening to the girl. "W-who a...e you? Do I know you?"She dived down and back up now drenching her long hair. "Come in here with me please! Don't make me beg too much. I don't like that."Josh shrugged and was about to dive in but she stopped him immediately. "Wait! Take off your clothes! You can't dive in her all clothed up."Josh swallowed hard. He'd never been naked with a. "Later, upstairs, I crawled into bed as Martha sat propped against her pillows reading a book."You really perked up tonight," she said."I did?" It makes a big difference when you're around people you actually get along with. Ronnie was very impressed. See? There really are people who like you." Well," I said grudgingly, "I did pretty good for a fifteen year old."Martha scowled. "You did well, period. Stop running yourself down, or I'll spank you."I lay on my side as Martha paged through her. They had status by virtue of the connection."It made me pathologically selfish. I saw everything and everyone in terms of what was in it for me. I barely recognized there was another side to the equation. And, to take a page from your ubiquitous math analogies, the equation was always an inequality - Ashley is greater than whomever."It denied me the ability to appreciate almost everything. I had almost everything I wanted. I could do whatever I wanted. I could get almost anything I wanted and I. "Idin how did you know?" She ask."I have been around long enough Lillian, thanks for telling me I appreciate it, besides your mother wouldn't be a competent leader if she didn't cover her ass like that." I say."I am sorry I didn't tell you sooner Idin." Lillian says."Hey no worries Lillian." I say."So how does a late night harbor cruise sound?" I ask."oh romantic." Lillian says.Elsewhere.London.The alarms blared through the building, the plan was going south quick, but it didn't matter they had.