a lot like love

OK, Nick didn't have anyone, but he really wasn't exactly looking. He was all to himself still at the library, working.

"How do you do it?" Kyle looked at him point blank there in the shelves.

"Do what?"

"You know, you don't date." Kyle shrugged, thinking Nick could hook up with any girl in spite of last year's ordeal with his little incident with someone they never spoke of.

"I don't have too." Nick shrugged.

"Good, because I need a ride from you, over to this Derrick kid's house, he's wanting us to-"

"What are you doing?" Nick looked at him as if he was Kyle's long lost brother.

"Its just he thinks we can start a band."

"You're back to that again?" Nick didn't sound as if he really believed him.

"I'm not hanging out with Cory and Dylan." Kyle told him as if he needed to give him a little credit. "Besides, Derrick has a sister, and well, you're probably her type." Kyle hated to say it, but he might as well get burned now instead of later when they met.

"My type?" Nick was pushing books in order then.

"I'm obviously not." Kyle could deal. He needed to be honest about this. Maybe he could look back and consider himself the guy who could be the best man at their wedding, and they'd make a toast that they would have never met if it hadn't been for Kyle. "She hates me. I sort of got her brother involved in this drunk girl at the show. I mean, I was between a rock and a hard place. If I'd kissed Rory or, you know, whatever, she would have been disgusted, just as well."

"Rory?"

"She used to hang out with Kelsy." Couldn't Nick connect the two.

"Kelsy is really doing great stuff in debate, or so I hear. I don't think she's seeing anyone, Kyle." Nick passed on this info as if maybe he could set things right with her.

"Great for her," Kyle shrugged.

"I thought you still, you know-" Nick started.

"No, I don't."

"OK." Nick nodded and went back to his books while Kyle watched.

"So you could give me a ride, then?" Kyle was ready for the worst. He dreaded it, but couldn't help but want to see Amanda, again.