God. You know, if that's the case, I guess I can't even blame him that much, 'cause it definitely crossed my mind too. That it'd be so much easier to play up the image more and keep hanging around those kinds of people.

But I couldn't do it. Not to myself, and not to you guys. I didn't want to hang around the frat jocks who'd've made your lives hell in high school, and who still pulled that kinda stuff in college. And I... I didn't wanna turn into that kind of person. Even if it would just be an act. Sure, it'd be easier, but that didn't make it the better choice.

So I started hanging around you two more and more openly, and yeah, there were some comments, but nothing I couldn't handle. And I could always point to my track record with women as evidence if I needed.

[And then...

Venkman lets go of his fork again and reaches out with his free hand to take Ray's. He meets Ray's eyes, and his tone is more solemn than it's been the rest of this brunch- even when talking about his own childhood, Venkman's tried to sound flippant. But this is serious.]

Ray, I know that any version of you turned out a hell of a lot better than anyone else in that town.