Page 48 of The Roommate Game

“And what am I supposed to do with my wrist?”

“Pretend you’re flinging a Frisbee. Thumb on top, forefinger on the edges, and a quick flick action. Like this.” Gus grabbed a handful of small stones, sifted through them and held one up. “Watch the master at work.”

He crouched slightly, angling his body before tossing the stone. It skidded onto the calm surface—one, two, three, four, five, six. Gus whooped, raising his arms in victory.

I shook my head in mock censure. “This is…ridiculous.”

“Absolutely fucking ridiculous,” he agreed. “Your turn. Remember, don’t throw it. Skip it.”

One, two, three.

“I did it!”

Gus held a hand up for a high five. “Well done. Let’s see if either of us can beat my record.”

“What’s your record?”

“Fifteen. That’s chump change to some people, but I’ve never been able to match it,” he lamented, offering me a handful of stones. “Here. These are for you.”

I narrowed my eyes, studying my…friend. Yes, Gus was my friend. My very peculiar friend. Just when I thought I had him figured out, he threw a curveball at me.

But this was a relatively harmless curveball, so I tried again. And again.

In a twist, I was surprisingly good at skipping stones.

“Nine! Not bad, right? I wish I’d paid more attention in physics, but I think the key is to get a good first bounce. Oh, and to use a flatter stone.” I motioned Gus over to a pile of shale near the shore, having long ago abandoned my earlier skeptical outlook.

I felt my shoulders drop into place as we strolled the lakeside, pausing to gather and skip stones. We egged each other on with silly taunts.

“My ninety-year-old grandma could throw farther than that with one hand tied behind her back,” Gus teased.

“And yet that was still farther than your last throw.”

“No, it wasn’t.”

“It was. Watch this.” We counted together, hooting at the twelfth skip.

Gus picked me up, spun me in a circle, and blew a raspberry on my cheek as he set me down. Of course, he laughed at my irritated glower and the muffled, “Gross.”

“You’re funny, Rafey. Loosen up that arm. I promise you, all your problems will fade away.”

“Hmm.” I sifted the cool stones through my fingers and tore my gaze away with a sigh. “Good. ’Cause I have another problem—Eli.”

“What’s going on with pinky man?”

“He wants more finger action,” I deadpanned, then spilled the beans.

To his credit, Gus was a great listener. He nodded, pausing every once in awhile to throw a stone.

“Weird. Do you really think a faux-bromance or romance would help?”

“I don’t know. It’s association, I guess. It’s probably the only reason he was interested in me in the first place. The worst part is that I could actually use some good publicity to make up for being out of commission for a year. I don’t have an agent anymore.”

“Then do it,” Gus said matter-of-factly.

My jaw dropped. “Really? You think I should pretend-date Eli?”

“I don’t like it…but I wouldn’t want to hold you back. Look, I can talk to Walker about doing an interview forWhat’s New, Smithton?with you. I mean, if you’re going to get any publicity he’s your best bet.”