Retreating to the living room, Ned turns the
lights down low and stretches out on the couch, remote in hand.
There’s still nothing good on the TV—it’s as if all the stations
programmed a night’s worth of cheesy Christmas films and sent their
employees home to spend the holiday with their families. Briefly
Ned thinks of his mother, leaving in two days to visit her sister
in New York. She asked Ned to join her, but he heard the relief in
her voice when he said no. Their relationship is strained at best,
thanks to Jake. She never liked that boy, she told Ned often
enough, thought he was a bad influence because he swore and smoked.
Once she learned they were having s*x, she refused to let him in
her house. Ned hasn’t yet told her they broke up just because he
doesn’t want to hear h
