"You Can't Stay a Saint in This City"

“Milan, why do you wear number 17?” Amber cringes at Mittens who’s crawling all over her lap. I heard cats are attracted to you more the less attention you give them. Kind of like girls.

It was the age I was when we had sex for the first time but I don’t think Amber would want to hear that.

“It was the age I was when everything started to come together for me: you became my girlfriend, I was having a great season with the Giants, and my chances at making the NHL were looking better than bleak. So I guess my days as a seventeen year old were definitely the most memorable.” I bet Amber would like that answer.

She wasn’t impressed during chemistry when I said I sex with 27 different women. Which wasn’t exactly true… One of the first things Amber had to tutor me in Chemistry about was atomic masses and numbers. I’ll forever remember that Aluminum has an atomic mass of 27. 27 has always been one of my favorite numbers but of course it’s always easier to remember aluminum abbreviates to AL on the periodic table. I don’t think I’ll ever forget our first meeting at the Killarney Secondary Library.
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“Milan Lucic, this is your tutor Ambrosia Li.” says our Chemistry teacher Mr. Applebaum.

“I know. You sat us next to each other in class.” I had already found my seat next to the very hot Heather Ullman before Mr. Applebaum had announced that we’d be receiving a seating plan effective for the entire year. This moved me away from Heather Ullman and next to Ambrosia Li. In all honesty I have no idea what she looks like. We share a locker and everything but it seems that we’ve never made eye contact. Possibly because I was too busy checking out Elizabeth Channing when she was introducing herself. All I know is that Ambrosia has a raspy yet melodic voice and has to be at least a head shorter than me. Her voice was pretty hot like an old Hollywood actress.

“Hi Milan,” She says taking a seat next to me at the hexagonal shaped table. She looks…different from all the other girls. Her clothes are the same as all the other artsy people but she’s not weird like the rest of them. Her head isn’t half shaved, half not like that creepy chick in my French class. Amber isn’t wearing any makeup at all yet she looks…great. Not, smoking hot but great. I think I could like this whole tutoring situation we’ve got going on.

“You can call me Looch, everyone does” I tell her as she pulls out our chemistry textbook. It looks like we’re going to be doing actual work.

“I’d prefer Milan if that’s okay with you.” I shrug, I don’t care what she calls me.

“So let’s look at this test…” Amber says opening the folder Mr. Applebaum left on the table. “You got 7/50?!” Amber looks genuinely shocked. I’m sure her parents would’ve disowned her if she brought home such a mark. I’ve heard those rumours about Asian parents.

“Yeah,”

“It was a multiple choice test, Milan. If you guessed on every answer you should at least get 25%, you’ve defied the odds of probability.” Amber rolls her eyes at me “But I’m not surprised. All you do in class is pass notes to Heather Ullman and do your math homework”

“Really Amber? I’m sorry I’m not smart like you and your 67% in Physics” I looked at Amber’s test when she went to the bathroom. I fared much better than her on that test.

“Anyway Milan, how did you get this wrong they give you the friggin periodic table” Amber as pointing to the first question on the test.

“I didn’t know what number to write down.”

“The element with an atomic mass of 27 is Aluminum not Cobalt. Cobalt has an atomic number of 27. The mass is the number at the very bottom.” She circles the numbers with her purple pen and I notice several dried paint stains on her arm.

“And the atomic symbol for Aluminum is AL” Amber points out on the table.

“Those are your initials…” I state for her

“Yeah they are… anyway Mr. Applebaum is always too lazy to create new copies for his tests so he recycles questions. Just remember Aluminum is AL with an atomic weight of 27”

Aluminum… AL… Ambrosia Li… 27… “I think we need to try something else. Why is the number 27 important to you?”

Amber pauses “I don’t know… in it’s the number of bones in my hand.” Amber tries but I don’t think we’ve dug deep enough.

“Amber if you want me to pass the test. I think I’m going to need something more memorable.”

Amber lets out a breath “You can’t laugh, promise?”

“I promise”

“I want to get married when I’m 27.”

“Why?”

“I want to think that 27 year old Amber will be responsible and have her life sorted out.”

“Will she be happy?”

Amber stares at the doorway “I don’t know um did you get all of that?”

She’s a lot more open and honest then I thought she’d be. I have a knack for remembering random facts about girls, it always impressed them. “Yup, Aluminum is abbreviated AL and has an atomic weight of 27 and Ambrosia Li wants to get married when she’s 27”

Amber blushes and picks at the dried paint up her arm

“Hi Amber,” says Scott Kalvin who just magically walked into the library and has a reputation worse than mine.

Amber laughs at Scott Kalvin’s stupid joke “Hello Scott.” I hate being the new kid. All these inside jokes just fly over my head. Plus Amber’s just so happy to see Kalvin. There is definitely something going on.

“So are you almost done here? I can give you a lift.” Scott asks and I wonder what the hell he’s doing in the library to begin with, he isn’t exactly on the honor roll.

“Actually I live closer, so I’m going to be driving her home, right Amber?” I’ve been to Kalvin’s a couple of times for parties, he lives in this huge house overlooking the Fraser River which is pretty isolated from society. There’s a pretty good chance that Amber does live closer to me.

“Sure,” Amber not looking at either of us.

“Suit yourself,” Kalvin leaves the library and I can hear the snicker of some of his lacrosse buddies from outside.

Amber packs up her things “What was that about?” She asks, she doesn’t sound mad just curious.

“He’s a slimy guy, Amber” I say as we walk outside “How does he know you” not to be mean but Amber kind of blends into the crowd and Scott Kalvin doesn’t usually talk to people outside his own personal clique.

“I almost lost my virginity to him this summer.” Amber says like it’s no big deal.

“What?”

“I guess he assumes I’ll be an easy lay. I guess in some ways I am. I’ve been trying to give away my virginity for a while now but … I don’t know things keep coming up. That night with Scott, Elizabeth Channing came home from Europe early and caught us playing a game of strip poker.” Amber looks up at me “I’m kind of relieved.”

“Yeah well you should save it for someone special” In other words not Scott Kalvin. I almost want to volunteer myself for the job, Amber isn’t exactly hard to look at.

“I guess you’re right. With Scott it felt so awkward. Ugh I don’t even want to remember it.” Amber helps me clear the passenger seat of my car. “I think I’ll save it”

“Until you get married at 27?”

“Yup,” Amber looks out at the bare trees passing by the window “I think we could be friends Milan, really great friends”