The Riveting Lives of Russell and Sal

Deleted Scene - Dating History

A/N: This takes place the morning after Russell disowns his parents. I probably should have kept this scene in, but I didn't know where to go with it.

Sal woke up to the sound of his door opening and closing. Opening his eyes, he jumped as he saw Russell glaring down at him, arms folded, wearing just a pair of sweatpants.

"Couldn't you have knocked?" Sal sat up, holding his comforter up to cover his bare chest, despite the fact that Russell had seen him shirtless before. "What if I was jerking-"

"Who was your first kiss?" Russell asked, his voice harsh.

Sal winced at his tone. "You," he answered with an air of confidence.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Then why did you say you had kissed a girl before."

It was far too early for this. Leaning forward, Sal furrowed his brow, trying to remember when he'd mentioned his actual first kiss, and if he really had admitted it to Russell. Was this a trick question? He adjusted his comforter. "When did I say-"

"After our first kiss, you said you kissed 'some dumb girl.' And that referring to her as 'some dumb girl' was an inside joke."

The memory came rushing back. He had just wanted to impress Russell with his experience at the time. Sal moved his knees up to his body. "I can't remember-"

"Who was she?"

Sal tucked a lock of hair behind his ear. "Some dumb girl."

"Funny, how at graduation, you called Savannah 'some dumb girl' and you two were laughing like it was an inside joke.'"

Sal's face grew warm, and he focused on his bedposts.

"You said there was nothing between you!"

"And you said there was nothing between you and Terry," Sal snapped.

"The difference is, I admitted it."

Sal raised his chin. "The difference is, you dated for a year. We barely lasted a week."

Russell slumped down on the bed, Sal scooting over to make room for him, comforter still in arms. "So you did date her," Russell said.

Sal looked at Russell, who had pulled his knees against his body, burying his face in them. "You're overreacting."

"I'm not overreacting."

Russell's reaction to the ordeal reminded Sal of someone, but couldn't think of who. He sighed. "If you knew the story, you'd understand."

"Then tell me."

"Fine." Sal leaned against the headboard. "Savannah and I were close. Acting the same way as we do today." He looked over at Russell, who still had his legs against his chest, chin resting on knees. "And people, of course, thought there was more to it. When there wasn't!"

"But-"

"But people like you, thought that there was something between us, and kept pressuring us to date. Because a boy and a girl can't be just friends! But neither of us were interested in each other past friendship."

Russell picked up Sal's stuffed kangaroo, which had somehow ended up at the foot of his bed, and inspected the torn seam in its leg. "So how'd you end up dating?"

"We were tired of all the pressure, and thought, if we gave it a go, maybe we'd like it, and people would get off our backs."

"That's a terrible reason to date someone."

"We were 13. What do you expect?"

"And you kissed?" Russell glanced up at him from the kangaroo.

Sal's face warmed again. "Maybe."

"How'd it end?" Russell asked.

Sal rubbed the back of his neck. "Mutual agreement. Things went back to normal between us."

"How far did you get?"

"Why are you asking so many questions? This was five years ago. It's over."

Russell chewed his thumbnail. "You guys are just..."

"Asexuals," Sal spat. "Two asexuals trying to have a platonic relationship but can't without you non-aces thinking we should bone, if we weren't already!"

"I'm sorry."

"You should be."

Russell gave Sal a half smile. "So did you bone?" he asked, nudging Sal playfully.

Sal fell silent. They hadn't, but...

"Sorry, poor taste."

Jeremy Grimmer made him think he had to, with all that locker room talk. Him, and his group of friends always bragging about the girls they may or may not have been with.

"Are you okay?" Russell asked.

And they kept asking about him and Savannah, teasing him when they found out that he hadn't even gone past goodbye kisses. So when he and Savannah were alone at her house...

"Speak."

Sal whipped his head towards Russell. "Jeremy pressured me into doing it but I didn't want to but then we were alone at her house and started making out and I thought it was the perfect time to do it so that I could say I did it so I tried moving things along because we were only kissing so I touched her breast and it freaked me out so bad I ran home without my shirt." Sal said this all very fast.

Russell's eyes widened as he dropped the kangaroo. "What!"

"And we both swore never to speak of it, but now you're in here asking me personal questions about my sexual history!" Sal snapped.

"The boning question was a joke!"

"Well, now you know more of the crap asexuals have to go through."

Russell shifted. "How'd she react?"

Sal shrugged. "I ran home before she could react. Next day at school, It old her how Jeremy had pressured me, and I didn't actually want to... you know. She said she understood, that people had been pressuring her too. We agreed to forget it ever happened, and go back to regular friends."

"Wow." Russell bit his thumbnail. "Did you at least get your shirt back?"

Sal shook his head. "No."

"I'm sorry," Russell said. "At least you were able to remain friends."

"Yeah. For a month. Then, my dad moved us away, and I never saw her again after that." Sal smiled. "Until now. I know you don't like her, but I wish the three of us could hang out again sometime."

Russell frowned. "I never said I didn't like her. I just think your relationship with her is weird."

"Think of it as twins with different DNA," Sal said. "You're still my riveting Russell."