Page 194 of The Locker Room

the drugs, but he was sort of hoping it was the roommates, because at

this point, he didn"t have the heart to kick any of them out.

The Locker Room 167

All-Star

GOD, Chris looked good.

There was a charity banquet this year, and they were both in their

tuxes, and Xander was on one side of the room with Penny, who had

become very adept at pulling little black sequined dresses out of her ear

and going with him to shit since he"d first gotten drafted. With her

blonde curly hair tumbling down her back (tamed somehow. Girl-

grooming left Xander boggled) and her big, dark eyes, she was a match

for anybody at the banquet, and Xander was proud of her.

Chris was on the other side of the room with Mandy. They"d asked

pretty-please-nicey-nice, and Mandy had said, “The All-Stars? Are you

kidding? Fuck, yes!” and had flown out to Dallas to be Chris"s date.

They looked really good together. Mandy was mid-sized, but Chris

was only “averagely tall,” and her dark hair and skin contrasted nicely

with his blond hair (growing out nicely) and pale tan. He"d told Xander

that he"d gone skiing on his last day off, and he looked like it.

Mandy seemed to be enjoying his company too. Her head tilted

back as she laughed, and she put a delicate, manicured hand (blood red

nails) on his arm and he patted it.

Xander sucked in his breath as something totally alien slugged him

in the pit of his stomach.

“Stop staring at them!” Penny hissed. “Dammit, Xander, you look

like you"re going to kill something or fuck it until it"s dead. What"s

wrong with you?”

Xander looked at her a little greenly. “I… it"s just been so long

since….” Chris looked across the room at him, and his eyes were hot and

furious, and Xander realized that he was staring at Xander"s hand on the