Bret Easton Ellis

With irony and compassion, the author of Less Than Zero chronicles the sexual affairs--heterosexual, homosexual, and orgiastic--of a group of students at a self-consciously bohemian New England college. Reprint. 15,000 first printing.

The Rules of Attraction

Sarah Christine Gill

The party's still happening at McCullough, and Gerald's talking about old boyfriends, GQ models, members of some unnamed crew team, lying shamelessly. I kiss him to shut him up. Then turn my attention back to the TV screen. An especially loud New Order song comes from the open windows at McCullough, ‘Your Silent Face.' Sean liked this song, so did Mitchell in fact. Gerald says, 'Jesus, I really hate this song. I kiss him once more. It turns out to be the last song of the party. It fades out, nothing replaces it. 

Watching TV nothing makes sense. An Acutrim commercial is followed by a Snickers commercial followed by a Kinks video followed by In The News. My mom likes the new Kinks video. That depreses me even more than Gerald does. 

You bummed?' he asks. I look at him. ‘He likes him. He likes her. I think she likes someone else, probably me. That's all. No logic.’

‘Hmmmmm,’ Gerald says, checking his pockets. He brings out the napkin he had the mushroom in. There's nothing left, just mushroom crumbs. 

No one ever likes the right person, I say. 

‘That's not true,’ he says. ‘I like you.’

That's not exactly what I meant or wanted to hear, but I ask him earnestly, ‘Do you?’ There's a pause. 'Sure. Why not?’ he says. There's nothing worse than being drunk and disproven.

hessensitive

I wondered suddenly if he was Catholic. My spirits rose: Catholic boys will usually do anything.  

Most of them were girls dressed in pinks and blues, Esprit and Benetton sweatshirts, snapping sugarless gum, Walkmans on, holding cans of caffeine-free Diet Coke, clutching issues of Vogue and Glamour, looking like they stepped out of a Starburst commercial. 

Even after all these Pepsi rejects got on, there was still no one sitting next to me. I started feeling completely self-conscious and thought, god I must look pretentious, sitting in the back, Wayfarers on, black tweed coat ripped at the shoulder, chain-smoking, faded copy of The Fountainhead in my lap. I must scream 'Camden!' But I was still grateful that no one sat next to me. 

The Rules of Attraction quotes

Join the club