Free Story of My Life by Jay McInerney

getting restless already, chopping more lines. Francesca says, Didi, truth or dare, and then when Didi looks up Cesca says, and don’t say dare, because I have no desire to see your body.
    Okay, Didi goes, truth.
    And Francesca asks her if she was the one who started this rumor about Francesca, which is too complicated and boring to explain, but Didi says no, it wasn’t her, and Francesca saysshe’s glad, and then Didi looks at me and I’m like, uh-oh, I can see trouble coming here, and she goes, Alison, on a scale of one to ten, how would you rate Skip Pendleton in bed?
    Didi is such a bitch sometimes. She really knows how to cause trouble, which is probably the whole point of this game, to hit where it hurts, but I know Dean is pretty sensitive about the whole Skip Pendleton thing. But what can I do? I’d give him an eight, I go. Eight, eight and a half.
    Dean’s wincing but hey, once you start lying it’s hard to stop and I just plain refuse. If I thought Skip was a ten I would’ve said so, but that way if I told Dean he was a ten someday, or that I loved him, he’d know I was telling the truth.
    So it’s my turn and I go to Dean, truth or dare, and he takes truth so I go, did that bother you just now, about Skip Pendleton?
    He thinks about it for a little while, so of course I already know what his answer is and finally he goes, yeah, a little.
    So I go over and give him a big hug and say, poor baby.
    And he says, not really.
    And Didi screams, stop it, no mushy stuff, not playing the game.
    So then it’s Dean’s turn and I see him looking around and suddenly it’s like clear as fucking Evian water that he’s checking out Didi’s body and wondering if she really would strip down. And I’m like, well, I suppose I can’t really blame him, and I figure I’ve hurt his feelings so what the hell, you know, and so I say, go ahead, Dean, ask Didi.
    And Dean goes, Didi, truth or dare and Didi looks around with this real world-weary look, like a movie star being asked to sign one more autograph, because usually we play this game with a whole bunch of guys and they’re constantly daring Didi to take off her clothes. And she’s like, okay, dare.
    Dean looks over at me and I shrug and tell him to go ahead. And he scrunches up his forehead and squints at me, like—really? And I think, the thing that’s really going to piss me off is if he wants to see Didi naked but he’s too much of a wimp to ask. If there’s one thing I hate it’s dishonesty. Drives me crazy. I hate liars and hypocrites. And I’m not too big on wimps, either.
    Take off your clothes, Dean says.
    Not this again, Francesca says. I think I’m going to puke.
    Is that all? Didi says. You could at least be a little more imaginative.
    And Dean says, that’s all, which makes the whole thing all right for me, the fact that he doesn’t let her push him around. I mean, I’m a little bugged, sure, but I’m glad he’s not a wimp.
    So Didi does one more line and then stands up and says where? and Dean shrugs and goes, right there is fine. So Didi pulls off her shirt and of course she’s not wearing a bra, and I hate to say it but she has these perfectly shaped breasts and then she takes off her jeans, which don’t have any panties underneath, and I’m looking at Dean who is definitely impressed,which isn’t surprising. He looks a little embarrassed, but he’s not looking away either.
    Didi goes, ta-da, like she’s real bored, but she wouldn’t do it if she weren’t getting off.
    Give me a break, for Christ’s sake, says Francesca.
    Didi shakes her hips, pirouettes like a runway model and then goes, okay?
    Dean nods, very serious, like someone’s asked him if he’s ready to leave the art museum.
    So Didi puts her clothes back on and at least that’s over with for the night.
    Francesca goes, it’s been fun, boys and girls, but I’ve got to work in the morning.
    Me too, says Jeannie. I’d almost forgotten she’s still here.
    And I look at