In the story, the narrator reveals that Matt is the only person they've ever gone out with, although she dismisses the relationship as not really counting. She mentions fabricating a story about having dated a boy named Stuart Thistleback at summer camp, describing him as having auburn hair and playing the stand-up bass. They were very in love, but the distance and age prevented anything from developing further.

"But Matt's the only guy I've ever gone out with,and he barely counts.I once told him I'd dated this guy named Stuart Thistleback at summer camp. Stuart Thistleback had auburn hair and played the stand-up bass, and we were totally in love,but he lived in Chattanooga and we didn't have our driver's licenses yet." This illustrates the narrator's tendency to embellish or exaggerate her experiences, possibly to impress or protect herself in her relationship with Matt.