“Really?”
“Camille always called herself a slut, and she acted that way as well. She never got too close to anybody, except she was a bit closer to Lynette, and her best friend, Patty. I’ve seen her with you as well, but nobody could ever figure that out. After Kristen’s birthday party, however, Camille seemed more focused on Kristen… and I guess her brother.”
“Camille is always a difficult person to understand,” I agreed.
“I heard that Lynette is living with you and Kristen now. I mean, I’m glad for her if she finally got to be with Kristen.”
It was definitely time to change the subject. This was getting too personal, and I didn’t know how much of what went on between Kristen and Lynette that the girls wanted to be known by others. “Lynette said something about maybe wanting to help you guys out on Thursdays.”
“The cheerleaders?” Sherry asked.
“Yeah. Her college schedule gives her those afternoons off, at least for the first semester. I figured that I’d arrange to have jazz band around the same time and let Lynette drive me home.”
“Lynette would be a wonderful help!” Sherry agreed. “I sort of miss her.”
“Pay us a visit sometime, Sherry.”
Sherry giggled. “To the Den of Iniquity? Do you think I’m that kind of girl?”
I looked Sherry right in the eye. “I’ve already told you that June made up that stuff about me being a scoundrel. If you don’t trust me…”
Sherry hit me playfully. “Oh, Jim,” she said, sounding exasperated. “I trust you! I was just making a joke!”
“I’m glad you trust me.” I smiled at Sherry. Not for the first time, I noticed how pretty she was. She was more my age than Kristen or Lynette, and I had found out how she had carried a torch for me all through junior high school. I felt bad that I never noticed that.
With Sherry, I wouldn’t even need to use a ticket for me to have my way with her…
My breath caught as I realized what I was thinking. Sherry looked a bit startled at that and looked at me curiously.
Fortunately, there was a gentle knocking at the band door. I looked up at the clock and noticed that Sherry and I talked for close to a half hour.
I left Sherry in the practice room and opened up the door to the band room. It was June.
“What’s up, June?”
“You’ve already cost me twenty dollars, Jim.”
“Huh?”
“Lynette bet me twenty dollars that you’d be the one guy to refuse to undress any of the girls except your sister.”
“You were a sucker for taking that bet!”
“Did you and Sherry…?”
I shook my head, and nodded toward the practice room where Sherry was still sitting, completely dressed.
“I was knocking for about ten minutes,” June said. “I heard the two of you talking in there, but couldn’t hear what you were saying. I figured the two of you had a lot to talk about.”
“Yeah.”
“Jackie and Maria need you to come back to the gym.”
“All right, let me get Sherry…”
“I have something I want to discuss with Sherry, Jim. It’s… um… private.”
“All right,” I said. I went back to the practice room anyway to give Sherry a good-bye kiss.
“June says that I’m wanted in the gym.”
Sherry nodded and got up from her chair. “I’m glad we took the time to talk.”
“So am I, Sherry.”
The two of us kissed briefly, mainly because June was around.
“June said she has something to discuss with you.”
Sherry nodded.
I left the music room and walked to the gym. Jackie and Maria were in the center on the floor and the cheerleaders were milling about. Merry grinned at me. Everybody noticed as I walked in.
“How did it go?” Jackie asked.
I shrugged. There weren’t any of the boyfriends around, nor were any of the new cheerleaders around either, with one noticeable exception.
Jackie saw me looking around. “With the exception of Merry, all the new initiates have left.”
“Oh?”
There was a noise behind me, and I saw Sherry and June enter the same door that I just came in. There was something different about them that I couldn’t put my finger on. I stared, but couldn’t identify what it was that seemed slightly wrong.
There was some titters from the cheerleaders. I turned and Merry’s eyes were open wide. She was staring at the two cheerleaders behind me.
I stopped and turned around again, and the two girls were very close to me. They approached me from either side and kissed me on each cheek at the same time.
The tittering got louder.
Sherry and June smiled at me and went to join their friends.
I stood there, not knowing what was going on. I watched the two cheerleaders walk away from me.
That was when I noticed June. She always had a cute wiggle as she walked, but when she wanted to impress somebody—usually me—she exaggerated it a little. I now noticed that Sherry was doing it as well.
On one swish of June’s bottom, the hem of her skirt rose, and I finally realized what was wrong. Normally, I’d see their yellow pants under their skirts. June, apparently, wasn’t wearing hers, or anything else underneath that skirt.
I looked at Sherry and noticed now that she was also bottomless. That was what the girls noticed!
Sherry and June went over to Jackie and Maria and June said, “Jim was pretty good today!”
June turned toward me and winked. She was determined to spread false rumors about me, and it seemed as if Sherry was her willing accomplice.
There wasn’t much happening afterward. Some of the cheerleaders talked with Sherry and June, and neither one said anything that would actually be a lie. They did say that I spent a lot of “extra time” with Sherry, and although they implied that I had her undress, they never actually said anything of the kind.
When most of the girls left, June looked down and said, “Oops! I think I must have left something somewhere!”
Sherry grinned. “Me, too!”
Merry looked from June to Sherry, disbelief in her eyes.
Sherry said, “I’ll get them!” and ran out of the gym. As she did so, her skirt flew up behind her, leaving no doubt that there was bare skin beneath her skirt.
“Do you think that Kristen would mind if I brought Sherry over?” June asked me.
I shrugged. “Kris told Sherry that she’s invited anytime.”
“Good,” June said. “Kris told me to invite Merry, and Sherry makes it four.”
“I’m going over to the apartment?” Merry asked.
I nodded. “I told Mom that you were going there, remember?”
“Oh, yeah.”
Sherry came back with two pairs of bottoms and panties in her hands. She handed one pair to June. I couldn’t believe that the two girls had the audacity to put them on in front of me!
Chapter 34—Serenading
It turned out that Sherry had her mother’s car—she got her driver’s license a few weeks earlier. Merry agreed to go with Sherry before I could offer any objection. The two girls hopped into the car and took off to the Swift residence.