Coby

"Man, what is up with Nico lately? He's on that guitar all night ever since he got back from wherever he was. He keeps me up with that shit every night." Xtina nods, "Have you seen the tabloids? He's been having an affair with Jackie Oh! from F Hole, and he's even been on the Late Night show to talk about it. But it looks like she's with some other guy now, some singer they're casting in some new Pantages musical, I saw a picture of her with him in the tabloid, he's probably bummed out about that," she answers. "Wow, that's harsh," Coby says, "But I didn't think you read that tabloid crap...." Xtina looks down at her drink, "I don't, usually, but since I found out Gavin has a new girl, I do anything to keep my mind off it..."

"Xtina, you've been bummed about this guy since I got back from Colorado," Coby says, getting up to hug her, "You've got to get over him & move on. And you're too smart to waste your time with that tabloid crap.." Xtina trembles a little as she tries to hold back her tears. "Hey, guess what I have in my pocket?" Coby says. "Don't be disgusting, Coby," she says, pulling away. Coby laughs, "No, seriously," he says & then leans in to whisper in her ear "I snagged some of my sister's stash...you want to go down to the beach with me?"

It's a dark night & there's no one around. Coby slips his pilfered goods from his pocket & shares with Xtina. "Thanks for coming out with me today, Ti," Coby says, "I would have been bored silly without you to hang with all day. And I owe you big time, anytime you need me for anything, I'm there."

"That's okay, Coby. I wasn't going to have any fun by myself today, and hanging out with you has been pretty okay."

Coby in no way planned to do anything remotely like this. Xtina isn't his type, and he knows he's not hers either. They've been hanging out with each other out of necessity alone. But something happened there, a softness in her eyes, a heaving of her breasts, that just kind of cried out to him, "Kiss me."

And they kiss for a few minutes at least before Xtina pushes him off her. "You cannot ever tell anyone about that," she says. Coby sighs sadly, "I know you don't think much of me, Ti, but I'm way past needing to go brag to my friends every time I kiss a girl....I'm not going to tell anyone." And then she starts to cry, sobbing violently, her shoulders shaking as she buries her face in her hands. Coby instinctively put his arm around her shoulder, "Hey, Ti, I'm sorry, whatever I did or said, I'm sorry.."

"How can you be so nice to me, when I'm always so mean to you?," she groans, burying her face in his lapel. "You're mean to everyone, Ti, I don't take it personally," he says & as she renews her violent sobbing, it dawns on him that was exactly the wrong answer. But he also knows that what Xtina is going through right now has nothing to do with him. So he squeezes her a little tighter, & kisses the top of her head. "Hey, Ti, we're friends, right? You can say anything to me, just, don't cry Ti, okay?" But she doesn't stop crying, her sobs just go on & on. "I hate you, Coby," she says, groaning into his lapel, over & over "I hate you."

"I know, Ti," he says, rocking her against his chest. Like many young Southern Californians born to parents with more money than time to spare for their children, Coby grew up wild & has experienced things that most young men wouldn't even imagine: he's had to hold down friends who were tripping so hard they would hurt themselves, he's spent night in hospitals while his friend's were having their stomachs pumped, he's talked many a friend out of suicide, and experienced the pain of losing friends who couldn't be talked out of their death wish. And he's held a lot of girls suffering crying jags just like this, over things a lot worse than a break up. Coby's never been in love enough to have his heart broken, but he knows loss & he knows despair, and he knows that the only way a person will come down from that ledge is if they have a safe place to land. "But I'm still your friend, okay? So just go ahead & let it out. I'll still be your friend tomorrow, okay, Ti?" He tells her again & again, he's her friend, whatever she says or does, he's her friend, until her tears let up & she stops saying she hates him. Her head rests heavily on his shoulder & her arm is clutched tightly across his waist. "He said he would love me forever...he's already got a new girl...." she sighs, her voice trembling as a new flow of tears starts up. "Ti, you're just hurting yourself by wasting all this emotion on him. If he's got another girl, you really should forget him & move on. I know you don't want to hear it, & you probably hate me twice as much for saying it..but this your life & you've only got so much time to waste."

Xtina collects herself and lifts herself off him. "You aren't as dumb as you pretend to be, Coby," she says to him. "And I'm sorry I said I hate you....I don't hate you." "I know, Ti, I know," he answers, "Let's go home."

Something passes between them as they look each other in the eyes, but neither of them speaks of it, and they spend the ride back to Hollywood in silence. But Coby does caress her leg several times during the trip, without realizing he's doing it, and Xtina doesn't push his hand away.

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