Let's countt:

-Putterman
-Ariel
-Gregory
-Bennett
-Reynolds
-Jen
-Beej

Those are just the ones I know of.
Are people going to stop talking, ever?

He's not even fucking HERE anymore. He's fucking graduated. He's fucking two hours away now.

But people are still asking me, still talking.

"Can't a man and a woman be friends without having a 'Thing'?"

Goddammit.

"are you two...seeing...each other?"

no. no. no. no. we are not.
How does everybody know?
We're not seeing each other, obviously. but there's a "thing." or there was. Maybe there stilll is, I don't fucking know. and somehow, people know. or at least people suspect. Don't know how. we're certainly no different in the newsroom. and I guess at banquet we were a little on each other. But other than that, nothing nothing. But everyone's talking. and I fucking hate it. Seniors. Juniors. People I've never met. People who don't know anything about me. people who are definitely judging me as a person. I'm NOT a slut. I just fucked up a couple of times. And now I can't say as much as "he's giving me his old econ textbook" without someone asking if we have a thing.

change scenes. I am not drunk. The boy and I did not just hook up. He is my age. He will be here next year. He never tried to take advantage of me. We sit on the steps of a building on Polk Place. Tomorrow, we both move out, and he goes to New Bern.

"I really like you, and I am tremendously attracted to you, and this all happened too late in the semester, but I want to focus on a friendship with you for now and see where this goes."

That's what I need.
Nice guys exist.

Cobra isn't entirely wrong though.