Bryan gets in the first word

“Mary Beth seems to think I have evil designs on you. Just like Amy, apparently," Bryan shifted his gaze from Ellen to Mary Beth, and her deep brown eyes narrow to slits for just an instant, before reverting back to the bright, twinkling orbs they had been previously. She’s not happy, but quickly tries to recover.

“I just think that you’re a good, Christian girl, Ellen. I don’t want to see you fall into the path of homosexuality or bisexuality or sex before your married like so many misguided girls here at Widley. And while Bryan here may seem nice, he is probably hoping to ply you with **** like I’ve seen happen to other girls, and then defile you.”

“Defile?” Bryan snorted.

‘Look, Mary Beth. You’re a nice girl and all, but I don’t need you looking out for me. I’m okay, and if I have any problems with God, I’m sure I can sort them out. I think you’re lonely, and you feel you have to bring down other girls, some of them that you might like, not as a girlfriend or anything, but because you want to be more popular or outgoing like them. Keep your opinions to yourself about other people’s romantic lives, and maybe you’d make more friends, okay?” Ellen replied in a serious tone of voice, rather then the bright, cheery tone you’d been used to up to that point.

Mary Beth’s face reddened, and her posture stiffened perceptibly. “Well, if that’s the way you feel about it, alright. I would like to be friends if we can, but I cannot be friends with your roommate, after all besides being a pagan, she’s a lesbian, I’m sure, and I’m sure you know that she is too” Ellen looked over at Bryan and gave him a slight, but quick grin, as if to say, “I bet you didn’t think this is what we’d be doing when I came back.”

Ellen put her hands on ethier side of Mary Beth’s shoulders, and looked her straight in the eyes. “If you truly are a Christian, you can treat me and any of my friends, whoever they are like you’d like to be treated, okay. So, would you like to go with Bryan and me downtown? We’re meeting Lynn and some others there, and you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, alright?

As Mary Beth looked down at the floor and her feet, Ellen shrugged at Bryan, hoping he wasn’t too ticked off at her for asking the strident Christian girl along with them. Drawing a deep breath, Mary Beth looked back at Ellen, and Bryan notice that the Hispanic girl behind the desk was watching the drama unfold with evident interest.

“Well Ellen, I guess…..”