“I see there’s another Chaplin at the party,” I informed Camille.
Camille shrugged. “I’m the only girl doing him, though.”
Later on in the party, I met Camille alone in the kitchen. There were many other cheerleaders milling about, and there wasn’t any place for the two of us to be alone; Kristen had seen to it that the party at her house wasn’t going to become an excuse for a high school orgy. Unfortunately, that meant that I wouldn’t be able to find out what Camille and the cheerleaders had in mind for Sherry and Jackie the next day.
Despite this, Camille looked at me and said, quietly, “Don’t be worried, Jim. Tomorrow’s initiation may not be as tame as this party, but we won’t get out of hand.”
I smiled at Camille. “Thank you,” I said, still wishing I could know more about that initiation.
I managed to find Jack and Doreen, and got to spend some time with them. The two of them had gone on a single date, and mostly just met at the park, which was getting chillier as winter was approaching.
Doreen left for the bathroom, and Jack finally said, “What did you do to my sister?”
“What do you mean?”
Jack wasn’t buying it. “She used to call me a dork—you, too! Now she’s changed, and you had something to do with it.”
“I just spoke to her,” I said, trying to avoid a conflict.
“Listen,” Jack said. “I’m not pissed off or anything, but she’s really changed. Even my mother noticed it. Kristen’s changed, too. I saw her a couple of times at my house, and she’d have nothing to do with me. Now she’s dating you.”
“Kristen fell in love with me before I fell in love with her,” I pointed out to Jack.
Jack shrugged. “And they call you Oogie?”
I cringed. That name was really starting to get around. “From something I did for Kristen the first day of school.”
Jack nodded. “I heard about the band and the chorus. I thought you were nuts when I heard about it. But since I’ve been with Doreen…”
I smiled at Jack knowingly. “See, people change. I did, your sister did, and Kristen did. Even you changed.”
“I guess,” Jack said, not entirely convinced. “This place is really neat. Does Kristen live here?”
“She lives in the main house,” I answered. “This is just like an apartment that she calls her playroom.”
“Wow. I’d love to see it, sometime.”
“Just let me know,” Kristen answered, having arrived and overhearing Jack. “Any friend of Jim’s is welcome here.”
“Cool.”
“But it’s not always set up for parties,” I pointed out to Jack. “This is usually just a real apartment. This room, for example, usually has a bed in it.”
“Wow! A playroom with a bedroom?” Jack said.
“You’ve got to see it,” Kristen said. “This will be back to normal on Sunday. Do you think you and your sister can make it over?”
“Shit, yes!” Jack said. He then realized his mistake and said, “Sorry, I mean, of course.”
Kristen laughed. “No offense was taken, Jack.”
Doreen came back and I introduced her to Kristen.
“Jim tells me you have a cousin named Marla,” Kristen said.
“Yes,” Doreen said. “She visited from California a couple of months ago. We met Jim and Jack back then.”
Kristen nodded. “Jim told me about her.”
Doreen looked at me. “Marla thought that she had a thing for Jim. I mean—no offense—she thought he was cute.”
“I think he’s cute, too,” Kristen said, no trace of jealousy in her voice.
There was a bit of an awkward moment, which I relieved by saying, “We’ve invited Jack and his sister over on Sunday. Do you think your mother would allow you to come as well?”
Doreen looked at Jack, and then at Kristen. “I’d have to ask her. I’ll let Jack know tomorrow. He can call you.”
“No need for an appointment, Doreen,” Kristen said. “If you can make it, just have Patrice pick you up on her way.”
Patrice wandered over. “Me pick who up?”
I said, “Kristen invited you and Jack over on Sunday. She also invited Doreen, if her mother lets her come.”
“Oh, I can pick her up,” Patrice said with a grin. “I know where she lives and it’s not out of the way.”
Doreen looked at Patrice. “If it’s no trouble…”
“No trouble whatever,” Patrice said.
Jack gave me a “this is what I meant” look, referring to Patrice’s newly found hospitality. I just smiled in return.
Patty, Sherry, and Merry left just before eleven o’clock, followed soon afterward by Patrice, Jack, and Doreen. The party started to wind down a half hour later. Most of the people had already left, leaving Camille, her boyfriend Joe, Kristen and myself.
“Do you need help cleaning up?” asked Camille.
“No. I’ll do it in the morning.”
Joe excused himself to use the bathroom.
“I guess you want more information on the initiation,” Camille said.
“Not really,” Kristen said. “I trust you.”
“I was talking to Jim. I assured him that we don’t do any kind of hazing or torturing. Mostly, we embarrass the girls; their boyfriends, too.”
“Embarrass?” I asked.
“There’s nudity, but no sex. It’ll be good clean fun, like Kristen’s pool parties.”
“I just don’t want Sherry to get hurt,” I said.
“Neither do I,” said Camille. “My cousin will be there, also.”
I nodded, and then I thought of something. “If you consider nudity to be tame, what are you doing to the senior rookies?”
Camille grinned. “I can’t tell you that. However, I can tell you that it’s a bit more risqué!”
I turned to Kristen. “You have no problem with me doing this?”
“None whatsoever,” Kristen said, turning to our friend. “I think we owe Camille big time, and if she assures me that it’s just harmless fun, then I’m willing to trust her.”
I couldn’t argue with Kristen’s words.
Joe came out of the bathroom.
“Well, it looks like it’s time for me to leave,” Camille said. “Thanks for having us.”
“Yeah,” added Joe. “You have one sharp place here.”
Camille grinned. “I heard that Donny had a keg of Budweiser in the trunk of his car. Alice told me that he turned white as a ghost when he saw policemen showing him where to park.”
“Donny? Alice?” I asked, not being good with names.
Camille frowned. “Alice is the ditsy blonde—she gives cheerleaders a bad name. I’m still not sure how she got through the tryouts. Donny is the linebacker she was with.”
I nodded, remembering the burly guy and the girl that was with him. I saw him whispering around to others around eleven o’clock.
Joe added, “Yeah, Donny was inviting everybody for a kegger at Lake Shore Point after they left here.”
Camille shrugged. “Good. At least we kept this party legal.”
Kristen said, “That was the one thing my parents insisted on. I suggested hiring the off-duty policemen and they thought it was a wonderful idea.”
Camille smiled. “Well, we have to go. I guess Lake Shore Point is not the place for us, Joe.”
Kristen smiled. “How about Kneely Park?”
Camille brightened considerably. “Yeah. That’s an idea. Thanks, Kris!”
The two of them started to leave. I could hear Joe ask, “Kneely Park? Isn’t that closed this time of year?”
We shut off the television in the bedroom and the stereo in the living room. There were a few cans of sodas and some paper plates with chips and candy on them around as well, which we pitched into the garbage bins.