“Ah, yes. The self-entitled group,” I said with a nod.
“If that wasn’t enough, these two,” she said, pointing at Wolf and Tim, “have been pains in the butt.”
They both suddenly looked too innocent.
“What did you do?” I asked the guys.
“Someone has to look out for her,” Tim blurted.
I recognized the problem: they were acting like overprotective big brothers. I snorted while trying not to laugh at the death stare Tami gave them.
“They tossed one of her dates into a dumpster,” Sarah supplied.
“I contend he jumped in,” Wolf said.
“After you two threatened to dismember him,” Tami huffed.
“He was pawing you like a dog hunting for a treat,” Wolf shot back.
“No, he was not,” Tami complained.
“He had his hand inside your shirt,” Tim said, looking annoyed.
“That was an accident. And besides, he was a total douche-nozzle. He wasn’t getting a kiss goodnight,” Tami assured them.
“They did you a favor, then,” I ventured.
“See, even David agrees he needed to hurry home,” Tim said, a little too excitedly.
Tami decided to go somewhere else before she killed us.
“‘Douche-nozzle’?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
“He really was. Tami won’t admit it, but she appreciated their help,” Sarah said.
“See, I told you she wasn’t mad,” Wolf told Tim.
“She sure seemed like it to me,” Tim said, looking upset.
Someone put some music on, and Wolf pulled Sarah to the patio so they could dance.
“Hey, uhm, David … uh … I don’t know … I’ll be back,” Tim said and bolted.
Hmm, curious.
◊◊◊
I finished my Mountain Dew and walked into the kitchen to get another one. There I found Yuri talking to Roc and my half brother, Phil.
“Where are we going on our trip?” Phil asked.
Yuri and Roc looked at him curiously.
“We’re going for a guys’ week with my dad, uncle, Greg, and David,” Phil explained.
It sounded a little weird when he said it that way, but he was right. His dad was my dad.
“It’s a surprise,” I said.
“What do you mean, it’s a surprise?” Roc asked.
“I mean, even I don’t know,” I said.
“No one will tell me, either. I thought you guys were just playing a joke on me,” Phil whined.
“Didn’t you guys go to a brothel or something on your last trip?” Roc asked, and I about choked on my drink.
“How did you hear about that?” I asked, playing along.
“Everyone knows. You’re Dawsons,” Yuri said like it was common knowledge.
“I was told we can’t do anything like that this time,” I said.
“What? Why not?” Phil asked in a panic.
I just rolled my eyes and ended up looking at my half brother meaningfully. The other two burst out laughing because it wasn’t a secret that the youngest Dawson was a virgin. Poor Phil looked like he might cry. At that moment, I really wished my parents had had another son. Phil was way too much fun to tease. I could’ve been doing this for years. At least I had him now to torment. Being a big brother was more fun than I realized.
“Did your mom buy you condoms? You can’t go without them,” I said with a straight face.
The look of horror was too much. None of us could keep it in any longer.
“You all suck!” Phil said as he stomped off.
“That was kind of mean,” Roc admitted.
“Where did you come up with the brothel story?” I asked.
Roc blushed.
“It was the only thing I could think of.”
Kylie found Roc and pulled him out onto the dance floor. I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t danced yet.
◊◊◊
I found Tami in the house, people-watching, and joined her on the couch.
“Tim’s acting weird,” I said and then told her about what had happened.
“I have no idea,” she said with a shrug.
I think my head almost snapped off when I did a double-take. Had Tami Glade just said she didn’t know what was going on? Was I in some alternate universe?
“Seriously?” I asked.
“Not a clue. Want me to find out?”
“No, no … no, no … I’ll figure it out,” I said.
“How’s Trip?” she asked, getting serious.
“It brought back a lot of memories of Jeff,” I admitted.
“I miss him, too,” she said as she put her hand on mine.
We each sat there in our own thoughts. Finally, I broke the silence.
“You know I want you to be happy. I won’t freak out if you start to date someone,” I said.
“Please. Since when could you ever handle that?” Tami asked.
I just nodded because I deserved that. I didn’t feel like fighting with her tonight; instead, I got up and walked away. Suddenly, I felt tired, so I found Cassidy and told her I was going home. She and Brook decided to stay. They assured me they could get a ride.
◊◊◊
Chapter 11 – What the Heck is NSA? Saturday June 18
I was in my apartment, packing, when there was a knock on the door. When I opened it, I found Tim standing there, looking nervous, so I invited him in.
“I need to talk to you about something personal,” he said.
I wondered if this was what made him so nervous last night.
“What did you say to Tami to make her cry?” he asked out of the blue.
“What are you talking about? When did Tami cry?” I asked.
“Last night, after you left.”
“Did she say I made her cry? Because I don’t remember doing anything that might’ve caused her to,” I said.
“Oh, I just assumed,” Tim said.
“Let’s call her and find out,” I said and started toward my bedroom to grab my phone off the charger.
“No!” Tim said in a panic.
“If she was crying, I want to find out why,” I said.
“Please. I said too much. Don’t.”
I looked at him and decided he looked stressed enough. I could always wait until he left to find out.
“Okay, calm down. Now tell me why you came here this morning,” I said.
“Couldn’t I just be here because we’re friends?” Tim asked.
“You could, but you told me you needed to talk to me.”
“Oh, that.”
“Yeah, that. What’s up?” I asked.
“You see, it’s … uhm … I … ah, shit!”
Something had him tied up in knots.
“Dude, it’s me. Just tell me,” I said.
“I don’t want you getting mad at me, and I’ve tried to tell myself it’s no big deal, that you wouldn’t care. But see, I would care if I were you, and I feel like such a shit that I would even consider it. I figured if I came to you and we talked, you’d be okay with it. But then I realized that I was being insane and you would never talk to me again. This is such a bad idea. I should go,” Tim said, and he suddenly stood up.
“Sit!” I ordered, and Tim almost fell back into his seat. “Whatever this is, it’s causing you to act crazy. I thought we were friends. Just tell me.”
“We are friends. That’s why this is so hard. I need to ask your permission.”
I suddenly felt like the Godfather from the movie.
“Tim, I’m gonna make you an offer you can’t refuse,” I said, channeling my best Don Vito Corleone persona. “Tell me, my friend, what bothers you, or I will feed you to the fishes.”
That got a smile out of him.
“It’s no big deal …” he began and then looked at my death stare. “I like Tami.”
At least he looked me in the eyes. There was a twinge from my Alpha Male, but I tamped that down. That train had left the station; no longer was there any claim there. I could handle this.
“I like her, too,” I said to tease him.
It was amusing to see him flush.
“See, that was what I was afraid of. I don’t want anything to hurt our friendship. I realize you two have a history,” Tim said.