"....there are so many rules and I understand so few of them. I think I'd rather not do things that'll annoy my parents if they're easy to avoid but I'll see you on Monday?" 

"Okay. Um," he says nervously. "You're allowed to see people in groups between dates and I tried to do that with you but I'm kind of-- bad-- at that-- so I thought maybe I could study in the library and if you wanted to talk you could also do your homework in the library and then that's not like a date-date, it's just. Happening to be in the same place. And I don't have to try to talk when there are other people around."

"...okay. I think I still don't really get it but I'm okay with not getting it. And I can try to frame it as 'we did homework and then went on a date' to my parents?" 

"Yeah, I don't think you'll get in trouble with that if, you know, you actually did your homework. Parents like it when you do your homework. So you should probably do that now."

"...uh, I didn't actually bring my homework, because it's a sewing project and also because I've been doing the written stuff in lit class instead of paying attention, but I can say I studied for history." 

"...you're going to tell your parents something that isn't true?"

"...uh, yeah? I've been doing that literally since I got here by, y'know, claiming to be their daughter and not an interloper from an alternate dimension. Also telling adults the truth about my life has universally had terrible results and I never do it if I can possibly avoid it." 

"...I guess, but..." Lee is able to work with lying about novel things like interlopers from alternate dimensions but is VERY CONFUSED about lying as it applies to things he's used to like homework.

"If it helps, my reasoning about not actually studying for history is that I have way more important uses of my ability to memorize things than genealogy and I don't want to forget poems because I was using space in my head for my classmates' family trees, I have an actual reason." 

"But if you don't study for history you'll make a bad grade."

"No, I won't, and even if I would get a bad grade I actually just care more about keeping August by Mary Oliver than I care about history class." 

"Because you're... really good at history?" he tries.

"....yes," because like hell is she going to tell someone who makes that face at the idea of lying to adults about her cheating plans. 

...This is very confusing but Raine's face looks kind of unhappy so he is not going to ask any more questions. Instead, he considers the possibilities for looseness created by the previously unthinkable "lie to adults" plan. 

"Um," he says. "My parents are going out on a date night tonight, and my sister is going over to the sitter's, and they'll probably be gone soon. So if you wanted we could just... go to my room... and hang out... and not tell our parents?"

Meanwhile, Anthony has had some thoughts about blowjobs. 

Immediately after the blowjob it seemed like Raine was the best and smartest and nicest and most beautiful person in the world and he loved her. But he woke up in the morning and he was quite fond of her but... did not particularly want to go steady with her yet, since they'd only ever been on one date. Also immediately after the blowjob it seemed like a great idea to go out on dates with Raine all the time and have her give him blowjobs, but upon sober reflection this does not seem like such a great idea. Blowjobs are nice but so are dances and football games and cuddling with other girls, and if he spent all his time trying to get blowjobs he would not be able to do the other things. 

So it seems like blowjobs are very fun, but also change around your priorities a lot immediately afterward. He should remember to not make any important decisions immediately after getting a blowjob. 

Honestly, it was really nice that he had the experience, but now that he's had it he'd be pretty fine if he'd never had one again. You know, he's experienced the endless vistas of ecstasy once, and he's really glad he got to do that, and he's definitely planning to go out with Raine next weekend and experience it again, but if things don't work out he's pretty content with that. Discovering your baby on your front door is-- he's informed-- one of life's happiest moments, but you wouldn't want to discover a new baby every weekend. 

Blowjobs do seem pretty convenient though. Maybe when he gets married he will tell his wife about them. Anthony is pretty sure that having a 'I love you, you are so good and important and everything about you is amazing' button you can press whenever would be really good for marital harmony. 

Maybe she'll tell the other girls about it? That would be neat. If all the girls knew how to give blowjobs he'd definitely have them on his date activities roster less often than dancing or burgers but way more often than, say, roller skating or football. 

"That sounds great," she tells Lee, and does not hug him again even though now that she's been reminded that snuggles exist and she can have them it's kind of difficult. 

Maybe he will be VERY bold and touch Raine's feet under the table while he reads the rest of the poetry and songs she's written down.

Cuuuuuute. Cute cute cute. 

(She has Annabelle Lee by Edgar Allen Poe, and The Old Astronomer by Sarah Williams, and Autoclave by the Mountain Goats, and The Boy In The Bubble by Paul Simon, and Commissioning a Symphony in C by Cake, and Gather by Rose McLarney, and Inland by Edna St Vincent Millay.) 

Lee continues to not understand the concept that poetry can be About something other than what it is apparently about. He is confused and upset by Autoclave and doesn't understand The Boy In The Bubble at all, but likes the other ones. He concludes that Mountain Goats and Cake are people's names.

And then once he's done reading it's late enough that his parents have left for their date night, and they can GO TO LEE'S ROOM and say things to his parents that are FALSE.

(While they're walking home, everyone stares at Lee, but no one says anything, possibly because Lee is the same size and shape and shade so he really ought to look the same and they can't at all explain why he doesn't.)

Raine waves at the people who stare and resolves to sing him Hallelujah when she gets a chance and is by this point good at lying and sits down on his bed. 

The whole point of this was getting to do ungentlemanly things with Raine, alll of which involve sitting next to her on the bed, but the moment of truth has arrived and Lee can't actually do anything except stand uncomfortably several feet away.

"....hug me?" 

Okay yes he is going to do that. 

(He can hug Raine as much as he wants tonight and this is very exciting.)

It's very good. Lee is soft and warm and good and Raine might someday get tired of cuddling people but being able to be cuddled is new enough that that day will not come soon. 

"...why does it matter that Anthony has abs?"