"I sorry you guys," Suz said when the left Richard and Maria and got back to the keg, "I thought if I had a couple of beers I could deal with her, but I’m just not in the mood to talk to someone that hates me right now. Sorry," she said looking at Brian, "I know she’s your friend."

"Who, Maria?" said Brian. "Well, don’t worry about it, she hates me too."

"Yeah right she hates you," Suz said sarcastically, looking over at Anne.

"I think that’s part of our problem," Anne said to her.

Suz held out her arms with an innocent look. "Hey, no one is stopping her from doing anything, you know what I mean? It is not my problem just because I happen to be friends with you guys."

"I know." Anne nodded. "That’s what I keep trying to tell her. But she denies the whole thing anyway."

"Whatever, " said Suz.

"Whatever is right," said Brian, "what the hell are we talking about?"

"They are so cute when they’re clueless," said Anne.

Suz smiled and patted Brian on the arm. "Do you want a beer?"

"It might take awhile," Anne said, "we’re not too good at this yet." She picked up the tube that extended from the top of the round silvery barrel that housed the beer. She held out the nozzle over an empty cup.

"Okay, now press that top lever," said Suz. A thin stream of beer, mostly foam, limped into Brian’s cup, then stopped.

"We might be better off with Dixie cups," said Brian.

"Half the time we get this big stream and the other half we get this. I don’t get it," Suz said.

"What’s this?" Brian pointed to a knob at the top of the keg.

"Oh yeah! You’re supposed to pump it!" Anne said, nudging Suz. "Remember Ben said we have to pump it."

"Of course I remember, it was practically the only thing he’s said to me all night," Suz said. Anne gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Pump it, Brian," Anne instructed.

"How?"

"Like this." Anne grasped the knob and yanked it upwards. As she jerked the knob up and down, the beer stream grew a little stronger. "Go ahead, Brian."

Brian took hold of the knob and begin to push it himself. Soon the beer flowed in a steady stream into his cup.

"Tilt it, then you wont get all that head," said Suz, referring to the layer of foam forming on the top of the beer.

"What’s the matter, you don’t want me to brag in the locker room that I got head out here on Danny’s porch?"

"Ha-ha," said Anne, "you’ve been hanging around Richard too long."

Suz wagged a finger at him. "Now, now," she said, "what would Maria think of that joke?"

"Are you kidding me? Puhlease, I’d get a ten minute lecture," said Brian.

"At least she pays attention to you," grumbled Suz.

"Well, he talked to you earlier," Anne answered.

"Yeah, but he’s talked twice as much to Danny and the boys," said Suz.

"Okay," Brian said, "we’re in another conversation I don’t understand anymore."

"Ben Kranich," Anne said.

"Oh, you like Kranich?" Brian said to Suz. He was surprised to hear a little disappointment in his voice. Not that he liked Suz himself, exactly. But she was nice to have around. Too nice to hang around Danny and the other jerks.

"I’m probably just wasting my time," Suz said.

"I agree if he can’t see how great you are," Brian said.

Anne shot him the look. "He sees," she said, "he’s just..."

"Up Danny’s butt?" Brian finished.

"Brian, be nice." Anne said.

"I’m sorry, I’m just kidding. All I’m saying is that anyone who’d rather hang around Danny and Mike than with Suz has a mental problem," Brian said as he pumped the keg for another beer.

"God, you drank that fast," said Suz.

Brian laughed. "I’ve gotta catch up with you girls."

Anne waved him off. "We’re not that drunk, you’ve just been listening to Maria."

"Well, how can you not listen to Maria," said Brian, "when she’s always preaching at you?"

"You know you love it," said Anne.

"I do not love that she finds fault in everything I do. Yet Richard can act like a total jerk and she just laughs it off. What the hell is that?" said Brian.

"She’s trying to make you jealous," said Anne.

"With Richard? She doesn’t even like him, you know, not like that."

"She likes you like that," said Suz.

"No she doesn’t," Brian said, looking over at Anne.

"I don’t know, she never tells me anything anymore. But she’s been acting pretty weird about you since this year started," Anne said.

"Well, she’s been acting weird to me since the third grade so I don’t see why all the sudden everything’s different." Even while he was saying this, Brian didn’t even believe it himself. Everything between him and Maria was different. But while he wanted to be around her all the time, she just seemed mad at him.

"It is," said Anne, "take my word for it."

"Do you like her Brian?" Suz asked.

"Maria?" he said as a way to avoid the question.

Suz rolled her eyes. "No, the Queen of England. Stop stalling."

"Damn! You don’t let up." said Brian, laughing. He took another sip of beer.

"I told you about Ben."

"All right, all right. I like her, okay? Fat lot of good it’s doing me."

"Well, welcome to the club," said Suz, "the society of unrequited lovers." She held her cup.

"You know what I think this whole thing is?" Suz said as they toasted each other.

"What?" said Brian.

"Promise me you wont take this the wrong way," she said.

Brian hated when white people said that. "What? Tell me," he said.

"I think it’s a white girl thing, honestly."

"A white girl thing?" Brian repeated. "What white girl thing?"

"She might think we’re trying to be more than friends and has a problem with me," Suz said.

"How could she have a problem with that? Anne is her best friend."

"Yeah, but say like you and Anne started dating. I bet she would have a big problem with it. I had a friend like that once. Seriously, no offense, but I think that’s what’s going on."

Brian rubbed his temples. "Susan, for one thing we’re not even...I mean, you like Ben! It’s not like..."

"I know that, and you know that, but when you like a person you think all sorts of stuff, you know? She likes you Brian, I don’t care what you say, girls know these things," Suz said.

"Well, I think you’re wrong. About both things. If anything she might be jealous of you and Anne or something."

Anne snorted. "You’re definitely wrong about that," she said.

"What? You’re her best friend for three years, now all of a sudden there’s Suz, nothing against you," Brian said to Suz, who nodded.

Anne snorted. "That’s definitely not it."

"Well, I don’t know what else it could be. Maria does not have a problem with white people."

"She didn’t mean all white people, Brian, you’re not listening. And no, she’s not jealous of Suz because I’m not her best friend anyway."

"Oh okay!" Brian held up his hands in defeat. "Now I’m really lost. You wanna run that one by me again? You and Maria aren’t friends now? Because of one stupid party?"

Anne looked down into her cup. Suz stepped a little away from them as Brian looked over at Anne trying to get her to look at him. "It’s not about tonight, Brian," she said. "It’s always been like that. She likes me and everything, but I’ve always felt like..."

"What?" asked Brian.

"Forget it, you wouldn’t understand."

"No, what? You brought it up."

"Brian, nevermind, it’s dumb."

"Anne, you’re standing here telling me Maria hates you."

"I did not say Maria hates me! God! You exaggerate so much Brian! Are you even listening to me?"

"Okay, okay," said Brian. "But you’re telling me that two of my best friends aren’t best friends, and that something I’ve thought since the seventh grade is suddenly not true, naturally I want to know what the deal is."

"Brian," Anne said slowly, "we’ll talk about this later."

"Fine," he said. They were quiet.

"You guys are bringing me down!" Suz said suddenly. "C’mon, this is a party!"

She sounded like such a cheerleader Brian had to smile. He mentally filled away Anne’s remarks and held out the keg nozzle. "Who needs a pump?" he said.

Anne and Suz burst into laughter.

"Get your minds out of the gutter," Brian said, smiling. "And they always say guys are perverted."

They talked for awhile about school in general, classes, teachers, cafeteria food, everything but the subject of best friends. When the topic switched to basketball, Ben Kranich’s name came up again.

"I probably should forget it," sighed Suz. "Brian’s probably right; he’s a prick."

Anne looked at Brian.

"No, come on," he said reluctantly, "Danny’s the prick. Probably by himself Ben’s fine. Or you know what?" A idea came to him. "It’s probably what you think about Maria in reverse. Danny has probably convinced Ben that we’re trying to go out and it’s a whole black guy thing." He stepped back, proud of his theory.

"What? Ben is not a racist Brian." Suz said.

Brian was taken aback. "Who said that? I just think maybe it’s what you thought about Maria."

"Just because Danny has a problem with you and Ben’s his friend doesn’t mean that Ben thinks the same thing. Ben can think for himself."

"You can’t just go around assuming that about people," Anne said.

Brian looked at her. "Oh, but it’s okay to assume that about Maria, who has never said a word against white people, especially you, Anne."

"That’s different," said Anne.

"No it’s not!"

"No," Anne said calmly. "I wasn’t accusing Maria of being a racist."

"I wasn’t accusing Ben either. But I know Danny is and maybe he’s influencing Ben, that’s all I said."

"You don’t know Ben, Brian!" Anne said.

Brian paused to consider this. "Okay fine. But you know Maria. Have you ever talked to her about this?"

Anne was silent.

"No, I didn’t think so. So you don’t really know what she thinks about it, you’re assuming she doesn’t feel like she can be best friends with you because you’re white, that sounds racist to me."

"What are you getting pissed at me for?" Anne said.

"Because you yell at me for saying something about Ben, but it’s okay if people say the same thing about Maria. You know how these guys treat me and know why."

"Ben does not act like that!" cried Suz.

That happened to be true, but Brian was on a roll. "How do you know what he does? Neither of you are in the locker room or at practice. You said yourself you guys don’t really talk."

He regretted that last statement, because suddenly Suz’s eyes looked shiny and she turned away. "Susan," He sighed, walking over to her and touching her shoulder. She pushed him away and turned around to face him.

"He told me once that he didn’t agree with Danny sometimes, for your information," she said.

"Okay," said Brian.

"And maybe everyone on your team isn’t after you like you think Brian because everything isn’t about you, you know?"

"Oh I see!! You’ve heard all about Brian "big ego" too! I give up," said Brian.

"Suz, I’ve got to get to my dad’s, we need to go," said Anne.

Brian turned and looked at her. "Right now?"

"I have to get out of here," she said.

"Fine, but we’re not done with this," Brian said.

At the worst possible moment for them to appear, Danny and Ben came out onto the porch with two pitchers.

"I see where the real party is." Ben’s voice was edgy.

This is the last thing I need, thought Brian.

"Pissed your girl off, huh C? Guess it’s time to move on to someone else’s," said Danny, casually pumping the keg. He placed the pitcher on top of the keg and aimed the nozzle at it.

"I don’t remember being the girl of anyone here," said Anne, "do you?" she said to Suz.

"No," she answered quietly.

"Come on, Suz." Danny reached out and rubbed Susan’s shoulder with his free hand. "You know you’re just having a little fight."

"Oh, gimme a break," said Suz, stepping away from him. "He hasn’t talked to me all night."

Danny seemed to be concentrating on filling the pitcher. "You’ve been talking to Brian," he said.

Brian decided it was stupid for Danny to be in the middle of the whole thing. "We’re just friends, Ben," he said pointedly.

"My ass," said Ben.

"Oh, he can talk for himself at least," Brian said.

"Why don’t you bite me?" answered Ben.

"Why don’t you leave him alone," snapped Susan.

"Oh, excuse me, I don’t want to be mean to your little honey," said Ben.

This guy was off the deep end. Brian realized he must really like Suz. "Kranich man, lighten up," he said.

"Stay the fuck out of it Coppenhagen!" said Ben.

"Here’s an idea, why don’t we all stay out of it and let them talk!" Anne said.

Suz suddenly left the porch. "I can’t take this," she said. Ben followed her.

Danny watched them leave. "Forget it, C," he said, "you didn’t know about them," he said in his fake amiable voice. "But hey, I can hook you up with girls who are into that if you want."

"Into what?"

"You know, the whole black/white thing," Danny said. He paused a little, glancing over at the door. Brian turned and saw his sister. Danny ignored her and continued. "I mean, Suz Coughlin isn’t, but some girls are."

Brian folded his arms. "Oh, like you are. That’s why you’re talking to my sister?"

Danny straightened up and faced him, pitchers in hand. "You’ve got it all wrong, man. There’s nothing going on. Right Pat?"

"That’s definitely true for me," answered Pat. She touched Brian’s arm. "Let’s go."

"Then I want to know why you’ve been talking to her," Brian said.

"Okay look," Danny sat down the pitchers on the deck railing. "I am really sick of trying to be nice to you people and getting attitude."

"Nice to me! Calling me a slave to my face is being nice to me!?" Brian yelled.

"That is such a lie and you know it!" said Danny. "Look, don’t take it out on me and Ben because your girlfriend would rather hang around Cudaghy than you, okay? Personally I don’t blame her, you’re a pain in the ass, boy!"

"What did you call me Prick?" Brian’s lunge towards Danny was barely halted by Anne and Pat who jumped desperately between him and the white boy.

"Brian stop!" "Brian don’t!" they said simultaneously.

"Do you see what I’m talking about?" Brian thundered down at Anne, who was still trying to push him away from Danny.

"Yes, just stop okay? Please?" she said to him.

Danny’s face was calm, but his voice was loud. "Let him hit me, Anne! I’ll have him thrown off the team faster than you can say ‘Drunk asshole!’" He said to Brian, "You know you want to! Hit me, and you wont even ride the bench for the rest of the season!"

Brian was ready to tear away from Anne and do just that. He didn’t care anymore about being on the team. Even since he joined it his life had been crap. He felt someone grab his wrist and he heard his sister’s voice clearly over Danny’s, like his ear was picking out the sound. She somehow maneuvered to stand right next to him.

"Brian, don’t. This is exactly what he wants, he’s been trying to get you kicked off the team, don’t let him do it," she said.

Brian bent over, hands on his knees. He could hear Danny and Anne yelling, but couldn’t tell what they were saying. All he could hear was Pat. She bent over to keep talking to him. "Don’t give him the satisfaction, Brian. Screw him, he’ll be graduating this year, don’t let him ruin it for you."

Brian stood up. "Let’s go," he said.

"You think about what I said, rookie," was Danny’s parting shot.

Brian reached out and knocked the two full pitchers off of the railing. They clattered to floor of the deck, spinning beer mostly on Danny and Anne, who tried to jump away from them. One of the pitchers splattered on him and Pat, but he didn’t even feel it.

"Sorry Anne," he said, and left. Pat followed.

They found Diana sitting on the card table next to Maria and Richard, who were talking to group from the Drill Team. "Diana, let’s go," said Brian. He saw Richard and Maria turn, taking in his and Pat’s beer splattered clothes.

"What happened to you?" said Diana.

From the other side of the room, Danny could be heard yelling, "I want them all out of my house! Now!"

Clint and Mike dashed in from the kitchen as Danny walked over to Brian and his friends. Brian kept his back to him.

"Wo, what is going on?" Richard said, stepping forward.

"What is going on is that I don’t need the cops in here because some fucker wants to start a race riot by trashing my house."

Brian whirled around. "You are such a liar!"

Richard put a hand on his arm. "Hold up," he said, "Willis, nobody’s trashing your house."

"No one except for this jerk," Danny reached out and pushed Brian’s shoulder, "throwing beer on my deck."

Brian pushed him back and Richard got in front of him. Clint and Mike came closer. "Relax man, it was probably an accident. You guys have been drinking, okay?"

"That’s got nothing to do with it!" Brian said.

"No shit it doesn’t! I knew something like this would happen if I invited you people to my house!"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" asked Richard.

The stereo snapped off and Pat was suddenly acutely aware of the fact that she and her small group were the only non-whites in the room.

"Look, you guys, just go," Mike said.

"That’s what I was doing," Brian said.

"Who’s stopping you, Bitch?" said Danny.

Brian lunged for Danny and this time got in a good shove before what seemed like twenty guys were on them, pulling him and Danny away from each other. Ben and Clint had Danny by the arms and Mike was pushing Richard and Brian towards the door. "You guys, leave, now!" he said.

Brian wrenched away from them both and snatched the jacket Pat held out for him. He was amazed that she hadn’t been hurt. "Let’s go," he said to the girls.

Maria pulled Diana off of the table and marched past him. "Stay away from us, jerk!" she said through clenched teeth.

Brian was sure his mouth dropped to the floor. She was totally dogging him in front of everyone at the party. Brian walked out of the door. He didn’t react to any of Danny and his friends’ last comments as he walked through the threshold.

When they reached the end of the walk, Maria immediately turned on him. "I can’t believe you! I have never been embarrassed to know someone in my life! Brian you..."

Brian cut her off. Enough was enough. "Maria I don’t want to hear it from you! As usual you don’t know what going on and are just blaming me for everything!! For once in your life just shutup, go home and polish the pole up your butt!!"

Tears sprung up in Maria’s eyes. "I hate you," she said in a choked voice.

"Tell me something I don’t know," he answered evenly.

Maria turned and ran towards her friend Sherri’s car. Brian looked at Diana. "Are you coming or not?"

"I’m not going anywhere with you, you drunk assholes!" Diana suddenly yelled.

"I’m not drunk!" said Pat.

"Save it," Diana said, and went off after Maria. Pat saw the two of them huddled by Maria’s car. A flurry of drill team girls appeared from the house and flew over to where Maria, Richard and Diana were standing.

"Do you believe she’s blaming me?" said Brian to Richard.

"Man, look, just leave her alone."

"Yeah, you’d like that wouldn’t you?" snapped Brian.

"Okay, forget this," Richard turned away and walked towards Diana and Maria.

"Let’s go, Pat." Brian turned and started walking towards their car.

"Brian, wait," he heard her say.

He turned. "Oh now what? You want to blame for something too?"

Pat held out her hands. "I want the keys."

"What?" said Brian. The driver located, Sherri’s car pulled out of the space and wizzed past them. "Jerk!" someone yelled as they went past.

Brian turned. "Very mature!" he yelled, even though he knew they couldn’t hear him.

In that split second Pat grabbed the keys right out of his hand. He spun around and reached out for her arm, surprised at how clumsy he movements were. "What the hell are you doing?"

"You can’t drive home Brian, you drank too much."

"Pat give me the goddamned keys, now!"

"No!" she yelled, dodging him again. "Brian, you can’t drive, you drank and you’re mad, you can’t concentrate like that!" she put the keys in her purse and Brian grabbed the strap and yanked as hard as he could. Pat was dragged to the ground, but she hung on resolutely to the rest of her purse. "Brian, stop it! You can’t have them!"

Brian suddenly let go and Pat fell the rest of the way to the ground. "Well, you better think of something then genius, you don’t even have a permit!" He yelled down at her.

Pat stood up, opened her purse, got out the keys and threw them with all her might at the car, they slammed against the window and fell to the ground. "Take them! Take them and drive! I hope you crash into something and kill yourself! Go drive all over town Brian. Die, if that’s what you want to do!" She faced him blazing eyes, looking as though she meant every word.

Brian suddenly felt so scared. And lonely. He was standing in front of a house full of people that didn’t want him, abandoned by everyone.

"Look, I wont drive, okay? Calm down," he said.

"You calm down! Look around Brian, I’m the only one that hasn’t left you behind the whole time, and this is the thanks that I get!" She pointed to the grass stains on her skirt. Brian stood on the sidewalk, mute with remorse. Pat snatched up her purse. "I’m walking home," Pat said.

Brian picked up the keys and started after her. "Me too."

"Do what you want," Pat said, starting off. She futely tried to brush the grass stains from her skirt.

"Fine, I want to show you the right way to get home." He gently took her arm and tried to lead her in the opposite direction from the way she was walking.

"Don’t touch me." Pat wrenched her arm from his.

Brian held out his hands. "Okay, okay." He said, backing away, "But it’s this way." He gingerly pointed. "Look, I wont say another word, I promise."

Pat started off in the direction he pointed towards and they walked home in silence.