second, sipping her chai to stall while she thinks of how to say whatever sheâs about to say. I donât try to fill the silence. Lana says you learn the most from a perp not from questioning him but from letting him just speak his mind. Bethanie isnât a perp, but I have to treat her like one if I want to get some information out of her.
âBefore Marco, Iâm guessing you didnât really have a lot of boyfriends.â
Bethanie is being generous in calling Marco my boyfriend, and we both know it. She is definitely trying to tread lightly.
âI havenât had a boyfriend because Iâm not into serious,â I say. âI figured there are too many fine men out there to waste my time on one.â
âMen?â
âYou know what I mean.â How could she? I donât even know what I mean; Iâm just trying to sound like I know what the hell Iâm talking about.
âSo you must know a lot about boys.â
At first I think sheâs being sarcastic seeing how sheâs always trying to give me advice on Marco, but I realize sheâs serious. Did she actually believe my story about never having one boyfriend because Iâd rather play around? She might be a blue ribbon winner of something, but sheâd never be a great detective. Or even a mediocre one.
âI know enough,â I say, going along with it.
âI wish I did. Iâve never even been on a date until last night.â
Okay, I was blowing up my knowledge about boys a little, but at least Iâve been on a few dates, even if they were lame setups by Tasha that didnât lead to second dates. Once I get past how honest a girl has to be to admit that to someone after pretending sheâs a pro on the subject, I wonder how Bethanie could be about to turn seventeen and never have had a date. Between her looks, the car, and her money, surely she could have attracted some guy, even if for the wrong reasons. I try to act like Iâm not as surprised as I am, but she reads my mind.
âItâs because of my dad. Heâs always been super-protective of me, especially when it comes to boys.â
âAll fathers are like that,â I say, not that I would know since I never met my father. Lana was almost sixteen when she got pregnant; he was seventeen and didnât want anything to do with Lana or being a dad. Because they only got together one time, he even suggested he might not be the father. My father. Conveniently for him, just a few days after Lana confirmed she was pregnant, his military parentsâwho she suspects were never told about meâhad their posts reassigned. Lana says it was convenient for her, too, because he was no one she wanted to raise a kid with. We never talk about him; itâs like he never existed. That means I only have Tasha and Michelleâs fathers to go on, and in Michelleâs case, her fatherâs a preacher and crazy strict. That still didnât keep her having her first time with Donnell Down the Street, Aurora Ave.âs resident thug. So even without firsthand experience, I know fathers get crazy about their daughters, and somehow the daughters still manage to hook up if they really want to.
âIâm pretty sure nobodyâs father is like mine when it comes to protecting me. And now with the money, heâs just over-the-top crazy about it.â
âIâm guessing he doesnât know about last night, then.â
âHe thinks I was hanging out with you, which is true.â
âSo you only asked me to double date so I could be your alibi?â
âItâs not like I committed a crime,â Bethanie says. âEven if my dad might think I did.â
âHe has to know you want to date. I mean, youâre almost an adult.â
âYeah, almost an adult and afraid to go on my first date without you and Marco there,â she says, looking like Iâd feel after sharing something like