. . . Uhhhhh. Huh. I got nothin'.

Sad thing is, my wife remembers more about my relationship with Molly than I do. There really wasn't much there.

We had spent a lot of time making out, I was really bad at it, and I spent a lot of time lying to my mom about where I was going and who was going to be there so that I could spend time with Molly. I think I have put a lot of it all out of my mind because I was ignored a lot. It was quite a bit more painful than I ever really let on. Cartoons and video games were still a great diversion for pains of the heart. I can tell you how to get the real ending with the Upside-Down Castle in "Castlevania: Symphony of the Night" I can tell you that if you hide in a box where dogs are and let them pee on you in "Metal Gear Solid" that the dogs think you are one of them due to the scent and leave you alone after that. I can even tell you where the skip level flutes are in "Super Mario 3," however I cannot tell you if Molly broke up with me in a note, on the phone, or in person.

Molly was enamored with her other best friend Sean.

As such I spent a lot of time going, "What's that?" when they would have secret conversations. I hated it. Sean and I had actually been friends at the time. He had a long pony-tail and was really into Japanese cartoons and video-games.

So Molly had broken up with me and I really did not care. I was sad yes, but I was free. I also really did not want to go to Jia's birthday party. I knew Molly and her other gothic type friends would be there and I didn't want to deal with them. Josh was really the only person I really knew there that I would be cool with hanging out with. At the same time I secretly knew I was going to have fun.

Then Jia called with Molly waiting in the wings to ask if I wanted to still come. "Yes," Molly would be there. "No," she didn't care. "No," she would not make a big deal about it if I came. "Molly would be fine," if I came. I said "No," I hated coming to this. "No," I didn't want to see Molly happy, ever. Jia begged. Begged. She wanted me to come so badly. It was exactly what I wanted to hear.

"Yes," I conceded. I went and arrived late.

Jia had let me know that we would be running in a sprinkler out in her back yard so I brought my contacts case and contact solution, since I had just recently gotten them through my fathers insurance, and would be murdered and be made to look as if I had an accident in the pool if I came home without them. We never touched the sprinkler, just played games like truth or dare and spin the bottle. I had my first kiss with 4 different girls that night. Only one girl other than Jia was a good kisser, and it was really awkward kissing an ex-girlfriend due to miss spins.

Most guys don't get to make out with people before a date. Especially getting to make out with a girl and all her female friends the same night. It was the best birthday party I had ever been to.

My mom showed up a half an hour early. She came to the door. I told her I would be out in a minute. Jia had thrown an over shirt I had worn in a back room. I asked her for it, and followed her down a dark hallway a room in a that over the years I have spent a lot of time in. She gave me my shirt. We were alone in the hallway.

I never hesitated.

She said goodbye.

I pinned her against a wall.

"If you weren't with my best friend I would move on you so fast." I left as the studliest stud who ever studded a stud in all of stud-ville.