“Yes. I felt a commitment to Tracy.”
“Good, so far you’re not a bad guy. Now let me ask you the second part of the question: what were the expectations for the relationship?”
“You lost me on that one.”
“Did you agree to a monogamous, open, or some kind of blended relationship?”
It was as if a light came on. I had no idea what kind of relationship Greg and Angie have. Angie and Greg may have given each other permission to sleep with others. If that were the case, then Greg being with Cindy would be okay. I might not agree with their decision, but it was theirs to make. The problem was Tracy pretty much told me that we had an open relationship. What else does ‘not together’ mean?
“We never talked about it in those terms. I guess the ‘not together’ comments she made would lead me to believe that we had an open relationship. It was the whole ‘not together’ thing that was driving me nuts.”
“Here’s what I think: you’re too young to be in a committed relationship. Greg and Angie are too, but they have something that overrides being young and not ready: Kyle. Almost never does a high school relationship pass the test of time. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be in them. I strongly encourage you to date but don’t think that just because you love someone now, that it’ll last. People change. It’s called ‘growing up.’
“The other factor you have to get through your thick head is you’re not currently built for a monogamous, one-girl type of relationship. I also know that you couldn’t tolerate a girl that was with other guys and with you,” Tami informed me.
I thought about that for a moment. Was the real reason I was able to forgive Suzanne and not Cindy because I suspected that Cindy slept with her ex? Deep down, it wasn’t so much the trust, but that I couldn’t stand the idea of sharing her.
“How can I be so self-centered as to have one standard for me and another standard for the women I date?”
“David, it’s not self-centered, it’s being honest. As a young male, to ask you to be in a committed monogamous relationship is ludicrous.”
“Could you use any more $10 words? Wesleyan is starting to make you too smart. The average person is not going to be able to understand you in another year,” I snorted.
“Listen, ‘stupid boy,’ if you don’t understand a word, go look it up.”
“I need to talk to Greg and Angie before I pass judgment.”
“That’s a good start. You also need to decide what’s right for you. I expect you’ll find that, as you grow older and you gain experience, you’ll have different views on relationships. Now let’s talk about Kara.”
I groaned. Tami loved to get the dirt on all my girls. I also knew it was easier just to tell her.
“What do you want to know?”
“Is she as beautiful as everyone says?”
“Holy crap yes! Tracy’s close, but there’s something about her that turns me on.”
“Here’s the deaclass="underline" you can’t date her.”
“What?”
“I repeat: here’s the deal. Be friends with her, have sexy fun, but under no circumstances are you to date her.”
“Okay, you lost me.”
“Do you trust me?”
“Yes.”
“Have I ever done anything that wasn’t in your best interest?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, shut up, giving you a wedgie in third grade was just fun. Get over it.”
“Okay, then no.”
“Do I know you better than you know yourself?”
“Yes.”
“Then why are you fighting me?”
“Just explain it to me.”
“You, my friend, are not ready for Kara, just like you weren’t ready for Tracy. I know you’re not ready for me. Kara is a potential long-term relationship. You need to be her friend, not her one-and-only.”
“Why are you worried about her and not Jennie?”
“Because Jennie’s just rebelling. She isn’t a potential girlfriend.”
“So you’re saying I can’t have a girlfriend?”
“No, I actually want you to have a girlfriend. My objection is you getting into a serious relationship.”
“Is that why you’re having me date the Wesleyan girls?”
“Yes and no. Yes, because of the distance factor, and no, because of selfish reasons. Because of your antics and the glowing report Jennie gave them, they’ll not leave me alone. It’s either set them up on dates or they’ll lynch me.”
“Hmmm, I like a good lynching. So why are they so interested in me?”
“Are we really going there? Okay, I’ll play along and stroke your ego. You have a fantastic body with a rather large package, which gets bigger with each retelling of naked dance party. They’ve all decided that you’re some kind of sports god. In addition, a girl who will remain nameless—Jennie—has reported that you could talk anyone out of their panties, and you’re a great guy. Oh, and I almost forgot, you’re a good kisser. What boarding-school girl wouldn’t be interested in that? You forget our only contact with guys is prep-school boys. They want a real man, even a young one, and they’ve decided that you’re it.”
“Would I be safe to come visit you some weekend?”
“Probably not.”
“Sounds like what I need.”
“If you come for a weekend, it isn’t so you can chase every girl in my dorm; you’re coming to see me.”
“Sure, that’s what I meant.”
Why does everyone roll their eyes at me?
“Before I get off here, I need you to help me with one more thing,” I said.
“What’s that?”
“After the football season, I need a job.”
“I’ll start working on that. I assume you’re looking for something that doesn’t eat up all your free time and pays well.”
“I’m not going to be a male stripper.”
“Damn it, my best idea already rejected. I can get you to do it for free anyways.”
“Probably, I have no shame. Speaking of which, did you hear about my Halloween costume?”
“I ordered the poster.”
From the look on her face, she wasn’t lying.
“I’m going to regret asking this, but what’re you talking about?”
“It’s on your website. Nice idea to give all the profits for a scholarship for a teen mom. I would bet that means that Angie’s getting some funds to continue her education.”
“I really wish people would clue me into things.”
“Would you have said no?” Tami asked.
“No, but they could ask.”
“I’ll tell them, but we both know you’d just mess it up.”
“Whatever. I’d better get off. I have a math test tomorrow, and need to study.”
“David, sometimes I don’t tell you, but thank you for being my friend.”
She dropped her end of the conversation before I could respond. I suspected that going to Wesleyan was harder than she let on. I just hoped that her involvement in my life and our chats helped. It would be tough being the lone scholarship kid at an exclusive school. She had a lot to prove, but I knew she was up to the task. Becoming a doctor had always been her dream, and I didn’t know anyone smarter or more determined than her. I was lucky to call Tami Glade my friend.
Chapter 3 – Math Troubles
Monday November 4
IT WAS A GLORIOUS MONDAY morning. Since Coach Harrington had left, there was no morning practice. Instead, I could just go running. It was a crisp fall day, and I could see my breath as I started. I had on sweats and a hooded sweatshirt. I was in my zone and working through life’s problems when I came upon a group of girls running. As I came closer to them, they sped up to stay ahead of me. Their pace now matched my normal stride. I decided to run with them.
The weather was perfect and I was loose. It felt like I could run forever. I didn’t pay attention to where we were going; I trusted they had a route worked out. They seemed to wind through subdivisions and finally started to head back to the school. When we started to get close, I could tell they were laboring hard. We got near the school, and I could see there were three police cars with their lights flashing. My street was right before the school, so I turned and headed home.