Last Stop This Town by David Steinberg

make them any more familiar with the streets than an average tourist.
    “I’m hungry!” Pike repeated for the millionth time.
    “Just ask for directions,” Walker harped once again.
    Dylan was losing his cool. “I don’t need directions. We’re almost there.”
    They stopped at a red light. Walker took the initiative by rolling down his window and yelling over to a cute young woman, “Hey, do you know where Front Street is?”
    She came over and leaned in through the window. On closer inspection, the guys saw that she was obviously a street walker. If you couldn’t tell by the cheap blonde wig, then maybe the fishnet stockings and pink halter-top might have given it away.
    She looked around the car and eyed the four guys. “Sure, I know where it is,” she replied, then smiled at Walker. “Do you need a date?”
    “Sure!” Walker blurted out without thinking.
    And with that, she opened the door and got in.
    Noah turned back to Walker. “Are you kidding me?”
    But Walker just looked clueless as usual. “What?”
    “Dude, she’s a hooker,” Pike explained.
    “No, she’s not,” Walker shrugged off.
    “Pretty sure…” Pike shot back.
    The prostitute just looked at them, confused. She could obviously hear this whole conversation.
    The light changed and Dylan had no choice but to continue up Avenue A. He just shook his head, wondering how Walker ever got into college.
    And the hooker now started to wonder what the hell was going on. She turned to Walker and asked, “So do you want me to suck you off or what?”
    Without turning around, Dylan shouted to the back seat, “Yes, that would be fantastic. But first, my friend Walker there would like to know how much money it would cost to engage in the aforementioned sex act.”
    “Dylan!” Walker yelled, still clinging to the belief that this woman was just a nice girl. Perhaps a bit fashion-challenged, and obviously promiscuous, but not a prostitute! He felt embarrassed that Dylan was insulting her.
    But the hooker merely sensed an opportunity and replied, “For three hundred I’ll blow all four of you.”
    And that’s when Walker finally realized his error and turned bright red.
    “No, thanks,” Pike answered matter-of-factly. “I think I got AIDS from a homeless guy’s poop.”
    Walker was thoroughly humiliated and tried to explain, “I’m sorry. I really thought you wanted to go on a date with me.”
    “You think this is funny? I got rent to pay.” She started to get agitated.
    Walker tried to calm her down. “No, honestly, we’re going to a party and I thought you wanted to go with me.”
    “Fine. I’ll go with you for a hundred dollars. And I’ll throw in a hand job.”
    Dylan finally ended the suffering with: “Walker, just give her twenty bucks for being a moron.”
    Walker sucked it up, pulled out his wallet, and handed her a twenty.
    Dylan pulled over to the curb. “Sorry for wasting your time.”
    She rolled her eyes, opened the door, and got out… right in front of a police officer.
    The officer wasn’t even paying attention, but Walker panicked and blurted out, “She’s not a prostitute.”
    That succeeded in getting the cop’s attention. The police officer leaned his head into the car. “Excuse me?”
    The other guys shrank in embarrassment.
    “She’s my date,” Walker nervously lied. “We’re going to a graduation party.”
    “I see,” said the cop.
    Dylan smiled at the cop, pointed with his thumb at Walker in the back seat, and whispered proudly, “He’s going to Brandeis next year.”
    The officer looked the guys over, then closed Walker’s door for him, patted the roof of the car, and sent them on their way. “Drive safe, boys.” Then he turned to the prostitute and said, “And you be safe, too, Coco.”
    Dylan pulled out into traffic and turned left onto Houston Street.
    Walker, still embarrassed, mumbled, “It was an honest mistake.”
    Dylan shouted into the back seat, “Will you two fuckheads stay