“I’m every girl’s perfect match,” I teased.
“Oh my, I’m going to have to talk to someone’s mom. She needs to beat some humility into your tiny little brain, ‘stupid boy.’”
I gave her a stern look.
“If someone’s mom is talked to, the talker will end up over my knee. I know this might surprise you, but I can actually do it now. So I’d be careful when talking to parental units.”
“You’d spank my bottom?” she giggled and asked in a little girl’s voice.
“Tami, you bad girl, I may have to think of something else, because it looks like you’d like that too much.”
What I loved about her was that she could give it as good as she got it. That was why she always fit in when we played Little League. The guys always accepted her as one of our own. She then suddenly had an idea. I could tell because whenever she got that look on her face, I’d get nervous. It usually meant one or both of us were about to get into trouble. She was smarter than I was, so it was usually me.
“David, you want to get even with Jennie?”
Oh, this couldn’t be good. I gave a slight nod, not wanting to fully commit before hearing her plan.
“This Sunday we’re having a mixer. Parents and alumni will be here. I overheard Jennie saying that her sister, Carol, had to come and her boyfriend, Eric, wasn’t able to escort her. Jennie’s trying to find someone to take her. What if I set you up with Carol?”
“Okay, this sounds like a disaster. The big issue is that I don’t have a driver’s license and am not planning on relying on the Wesleyans to provide transportation.”
“My mom’s coming up. She’ll give you a ride.”
“Wouldn’t this be better if I took you?”
“No, Jennie could make my life a living hell.”
“How’ll we keep your involvement secret?”
“Easy, you’ll call Carol and set up the date,” Tami smiled.
I thought about it for a minute, and suddenly realized that Carol had put her number in my phone. I got my phone out and called Carol.
“Hello.”
“Carol, it’s David. I need to ask you a favor.”
“Hey, Good-looking, what can I do for you?”
“I was just talking to my best friend Tami. I guess Wesleyan’s having some kind of dance on Sunday. I want to come up and surprise her. I can get a ride from her mom, but I was wondering if you knew of anyone I could take as my date?”
“Wouldn’t she want to be your date?”
“No, Tami and I are friends. I hear this is a mixer, and I don’t want to look like the boyfriend from home. I’m just looking for some cover so I can go and have some fun.”
She thought about it and then threw up one last objection.
“Why not take Jennie?”
“I guess you haven’t talked to your sister. She came up to my game yesterday and left early so she could go out with someone else. I don’t think she’s interested in me anymore.”
“Oh, in that case, I know who you can go with: me.”
I paused to make it look like I needed to consider it. I had the hook set. Now, I just didn’t want to spook her.
“Carol, are you sure that’s a good idea? Jennie’s your sister, and I’m not looking to cause trouble.”
She actually laughed.
“That little bitch has pulled this kind of stuff all her life. I’m going to help you get a little payback.”
“That sounds like fun, but I also like Eric. I don’t want to see him hurt.”
“Hang on a second,” she said.
I heard her talking to someone, and was surprised when I heard Eric laughing on the other end. Eric was Carol’s new boyfriend.
“Hey, David, I hear you’re taking my gal out. Actually, you’re doing me a big favor. I made the mistake of making plans without checking with the boss. You just saved me from a week of her working on me until I canceled my plans. To answer your question, you’re doing both Carol and me a favor.”
There was more muffled talking and then Carol was back on the line.
“David, do me two favors: first, please wear that suit you wore at my cousin’s engagement party. I want every girl jealous that you’re my date. And second, please don’t tell Jennie. I want to see her face when you walk in on my arm.”
“I can do both. Actually, I’m pretty sure she isn’t going to be talking to me. She knows I found her out.”
“Hey, I’m sorry. Jennie will someday make a man very happy. She just needs to grow up and realize that the world doesn’t revolve around her. I’ll make you one promise: we’ll have a good time. I also can’t wait to meet your best friend.”
“Carol, you’ll love her. Tami’s a great gal. I think you girls will hit it off.”
“I look forward to seeing you, David. Eric and I like you a lot. I’ll call you later in the week. Have a great weekend.”
“Carol, it’s better already. I’ll talk to you later.”
I hung up and smiled at Tami. I could see she was pleased. Her evil plan was coming together, and she was excited. I could tell there was more getting her worked up.
“Tami, tell me, why are you so excited?”
“Think about it, David. There are about fifty girls in my dorm alone who’ll flip out when you show up. After your video chats, and everything Jennie told them, you might not be safe. I can’t wait to see their reaction. It’s going to be so hard not to tell anyone that I know you’re coming.”
“This could be so good, especially if Jennie brings Mark,” I said. Then I shook my head. “Tami, are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, it makes my skin crawl to think of Jennie with Mark, but she could really be a problem for you. I want you to think about this.”
“Don’t worry about me. I can handle Jennie. She made this personal when she pushed her way into dating you. Then she treated you like shit every time she turned around. I know you’re not mad at her, but you forget: I’m a woman, and she messed with my man. I will have my pound of flesh.”
I knew better than to cross Tami when she got like this. We firmed up the plans, and I hung up.
I HAD STARTED TO HURT from all the abuse my body took yesterday. I got a Dixie cup of ice out of the freezer. I had put water in the cup, let it freeze, and then peeled it down so I could rub the ice on problem spots. My left elbow and my knees had some swelling, so I worked on them. I got out the massage cream that the trainers gave me, and went into the house.
I hoped Mom was around, but she was still in bed. Greg and Dad were watching the pregame show for football.
“I suppose you must really be hurting if you’re looking for us to help you out,” Greg smiled.
“I know, you’d think I could find a female, but I think I’m losing my touch.”
“Get your skinny butt over here and I’ll do it. This comes with a price, you know?”
Greg was still worried about Angie saying she wanted me as all of her free passes. I was sure he knew we were just giving him a hard time, but he wasn’t about to take any chances.
I gave him a fake sigh.
“I’ll give up one of my free passes if I have to, but you have to tell Angie.”
He quickly agreed. I gave it a 50–50 shot he had the guts to tell her. He had me lay on the floor so he could watch the game on TV. I stripped down to my shorts.
“Wow, I know you get hit hard, but are you sure it’s worth it?”
I just shrugged and he got started. If he were a girl, I’d marry him. Greg had magic hands. I moaned as if I were one of his girls. Dad chuckled at my antics, but I wasn’t faking. Greg was great at this. Angie came downstairs and had to poke her head into the TV room. I think she thought I was having sex with someone. She disappeared and a minute later, she and Mom came strolling back in. I didn’t care. I just kept moaning every time he worked a knot out of my back.
When he was done, I couldn’t move. I just lay on the floor, enjoying the effects of his massage. Angie soon joined me on the floor, and he gave her the same treatment. Her eyes locked with mine, and she began to moan. I just smirked because I knew exactly what she felt.