1. Whiskey.

The young man swallowed with difficulty, watching his father’s face flush.
“Shaving,” he nasalized, removing his hands from his closed eyes. “Your mother says you’re shaving.”
“Oh. Uh-huh,” the young man answered.
“Listen…” he paused, drank it off, and filled the Dixie Cup to its brim.
The clouds moved, shading the apartment. “Got a girlfriend?” he asked.
“Uh-uh,” the young man answered.
“Try it. It’s bitter, though.”

2. Exploration

Daniel and Danny laughed suddenly and had to surface for air. The high school pool was full of Saturday morning families and their kids. Juvina was wearing a polka dot bikini, smiling at her aficionados, Mexican almonds behind oversized sunglasses. At 14, she was more of a woman than her teachers, and knowing this, insisted that her “boys” take a deep breath and “this time, do something you pendejos!”

3. Show and Tell

Eric Hawk opened his uncle’s Hustler and pointed, rubbing the page with his thumb. “See!” he started. “Told you it was gross.” It was nausea and thrill at first sight. Before I could peer into the eye of a manicured vagina—truly a clinical sight, almost alien, like a close-up of a deep-sea beast without a name—Eric had his pants around his ankles and, while masturbating, goaded me to follow suit.
“Doesn’t that hurt?” I asked.

4. Denouement

“Weh!” The Penguin began. “You’re wondering how I outsmarted Mr. Batman and purloined your capital, aren’t you?” The Penguin paused to adjust his monocle. “Let me give you a word of—” “Well, if I can make a comment about the stated question, the very fact that we’re discussing them tells us a lot about the sort of intellectual culture and moral culture in the United States,” replied Noam Chomsky.