“Rose . . . wait . . .” He jerked up and reached for the condom.

“No, don’t . . .”

“What do you want?” There was frustration in his voice. This was new.

“I want you to come inside me.”

“That’s really fucking insane . . .”

“I won’t mind . . . if we had an accident.”

“What exactly do you mean?”

“I mean . . . I’m not going to object if I had your baby.”

When she looked up again, Arik was standing at the foot of the bed, cramming on his boxers. His penis dangled like a wet sock.

“What’s wrong?” She was nauseated.

He shook his head in bewilderment, as if he was about to say something, then held it back. He slipped his T-shirt over his head roughly.

“Come back.” Her words wavered. She reached out nonetheless.

“Don’t touch me!” He slapped her hand away. “Are you fucking kidding me?” He stared at her with such contempt.

“I just meant, if it happened . . . You wouldn’t even have to take care of it . . .”

“God! That is such a lie! You’re trying to trap me!”

He circled the bed like a wounded lion. All his boyish reserve was gone. His face was wracked in teary spasms and the rage that came from his inability to control them. Rosemary felt naked all of a sudden—and reached for her clothes.

“My dad was right.” The tears streamed down Arik’s cheeks. “Some girls will try to hook you in and destroy your life. My mom trapped him by getting pregnant and she completely wrecked his life.” He yanked the tear-stained Green Day shirt off his chest and flung it across the room. “Fuck you! You’ve forever cursed this shirt for me!”

He picked up a stool and hurled it hard at the bed, missing Rosemary by inches. Then he grabbed books, CDs, anything he could snatch off his desk and began pelting her. She took cover behind his pillows, holding back her screams in case his brother or mother heard. Item after item flew at her. A Nick Cave CD case, Jude the Obscure. When he ran out of things, he crumbled into a shuddering heap on the floor, his joints all gone soft. He tucked his feet under his buttocks and curled into a fetal ball, rocking himself back and forth with his eyes pressed shut. His lips had turned purple and he was shivering. The explosion of rage had sucked all the heat from his body.

Rosemary went to the door and undid the bolt. She let herself out quietly, watching as he swayed to some intimate, primal beat. He never turned to see her go.

“Hello . . . ?” she said. “Is this . . . Bryce?”

After a pause, a petulant reply. “It is.”

“I’m Rose.”

“I can see that. I have caller ID.”

“Why did you cancel Workshop?”

“It was obvious to me that your hearts weren’t in it.”