Chapter 12

The rest of the weekend and then the next week continued as before. Linda and I took Mandy rollerskating, and the three of us have a blast. Then we hit an arcade and hung out together until almost 9. Mandy is actually pretty good at Frogger. Finally I dropped them off and get a lovely kiss from Linda.

That Thursday I picked everybody up and JD told us that since this is a new phase of the campaign, we can change out our characters if we wanted. Keith decided that he wants to pull out his old ranger Markoff and play him for a while. So now instead of a human bard, he was an elf ranger. Holly was happy with Mara, and Tiny asked if he can bring back his thief Buster. Actually he was named Ambrose, but the first adventure he busted three lock picks in a row. Chatting with Linda I helped her pick out her own bard and everybody agreed that Adnil would be a great fit.

Me, I just continued to use Fairbough.

Mandy was sitting next to JD, and he was whispering to her what they would be doing together. The game was rather routine, other than starting in a town and having some random encounters there first, JD really loved that book. We headed out and along the coast where a tribe of gnolls had taken over an abandoned fort.

The first encounter had Mandy laughing and yelling “Take that!” as she threw the dice, and then hamming it up every time a monster died. She was really getting into it, and we all had a lot of fun. When we wrapped up for the night she had done considerable damage to quite a few of us. I saw her doodling on a piece of paper, and when we were putting everything away she handed it to Linda. All I could say was wow, I had no idea she had that kind of talent!

It was a drawing, of Adnil. Mandy had drawn her as a pretty female half-elf, sitting on a stool when we were back in the town when Adnil was singing in a tavern. She was perched on a stool, with one knee bent out and a view of her leg from mid-calf down. And it reminded me a bit of her gypsy costume from Halloween. Her hair was long and slightly wavy, falling to where the ends were right about where here nipples would be on a small busted frame. She was strumming a lute, and her mouth was slightly open as if she was singing. And the face, it was amazing. It was as if somebody had taken Linda’s face and stretched it a little bit, making her look more like an elf. Not the severe-looking ones that is normally associated with elves, but with only a little of the roundness that she actually had.

Everybody was incredibly impressed as we passed it around for everybody to admire. Linda gave her sister a big hug, and said it was lovely. When she tried to hand it back Mandy refused. “No, that’s yours sis. Now you and everybody will know what Adnil looks like.”

After that, everybody wanted a drawing of their characters. And that became the pattern for following weeks. Mandy would roll for the monsters and participate in ways JD directed, and Mandy would sketch a different character. We already had a full group, but now we had an official portrait artist.

When I dropped the girls off I was walking back to my car when I heard a noise. I looked behind me and it was Rosie waving me to come to the window. “Pete, I need to tell you about Saturday. And it has been hard to get you alone with the leech almost implanted on your arm. I know that I told you guys that she was going to spend her birthday with just family, but that’s not true.”

She pushed the screen out a bit and handed me a business card. “That is where we are having an early dinner, I already have reservations for four. We will get there at 5, so I think your pulling up at 5:15 should be about right. That way we can all have a meal together, and you are welcome to come home with us afterwards. I do want Linda at home at least that one night, but you are more than welcome to join us.”

I smiled and took the card, seeing the name and recognizing it as a slightly upscale Mexican place. I told her I would be there and said goodnight.

Friday night was basically a repeat of the week before. I met the Three Musketeers plus Mandy at Linda’s and we all piled in to go skating. But at my insistence, we were going to Reseda. I’d had more than enough punk rock for the year. And as before after I spent the first couples skates with Linda, following sets were each with one of the other girls. But this time Kimmie is the first one to take me by the hand, and Julie took Linda’s.

I asked Kimmie if she was unhappy we did not go back to Skate!, and she said she was not. “But I thought you were having fun with that boy last weekend?”

“Baron? Oh, he was nice. But he kept trying to cop a feel of my butt and boobs. It was flattering, but I don’t want to be mauled on a first meeting, let alone a first date. Why is it that all boys seem to be hormone-driven maniacs?”

I looked at her and grinned, and watched her skin get darker as she blushed. “Oh Pete, I don’t mean you. You’re not a guy, shit, I mean, you’re not an available guy. You are...”

I cut her off with a chuckle. “It’s OK Kimmie, I understand what you mean. I’m with Linda, so I’m safe. We can hold hands and you can tell me private things, and you know I’m not going to try to jump you. And I can understand most of what they feel. You are as cute as a button, you have a nice body, and you are exotic.”

“Exotic? I’m just another boat person, only in the last year or so have I finally lost most of my accent. Now Julie, she’s exotic. She’s already got boobs and real blond hair. She is the girl most guys lust over.”

“OK, let me tell you a bit about guys. There are generally three things we lust over. And they are the familiar, the exotic, and the forbidden. And we do lust after and are attracted to all three, but in different ways.

“First is the familiar. That is the girl we want to take home to meet our parents. In my case in many ways that is Linda. I had no problem introducing her to my dad. Yes, I know she is a bit young. But when I told him about her, my dad told me that he and my mom started dating at about the same ages.

“The familiar is what you take to school dances, and who you walk down the street holding hands with. Not to show her off but because you want to be with her and do not care what others think.

“Then comes the exotic, and that is different for everybody. Yes, for most guys it’s big boobs.” I grinned at her and she giggled a little at that. “But I think for most guys, firm is more important than size. We tend to prefer a bit smaller and firmer rather than larger and hanging down to the belly. But everybody has their own ideas. For some it is long blond hair. For another it may be black shoulder-length hair,” which described Kimmie’s perfectly. “It may even be brown hair in what used to be a pixie cut.”

Kim giggled and said “Ya noticed. Yeah, Linda mentioned you tend to look at a girl with longer hair a lot. Not the girls, the hair. So she decided to grow it out again. And dyed it back to her natural brown a few weeks ago.”

“Again?”

“Oh yeah, you didn’t know her last year. Back then her hair was halfway down her back. But for some reason she had it cut shorter at the start of summer and dyed it jet black. Her mom threw a fit over that I tell ya! So she may be growing it back out for her mom, or it may be for you. Now tell me more about exotic.” She squeezed my hand and I squeezed back.

“Well, exotic can also be a different race. A black guy with a white girl, a Hispanic girl with a white guy. Or even a white guy with an Asian girl. We see somebody like you, and it’s different than what we see in the mirror, other than just the difference in sex. Most of the time growing up we look at our parents, and imagine us with another image of our mom when we grow up and get married. But then as we get a bit older we see somebody different, and then imagine what it might be spending our time with somebody different.

“It can also be something like size. A really tall guy with a short girl, or the reverse. Try to imagine a 5’2” guy in bed with a 6’ tall girl, and imagine how they would manage to get everything lined up. Or the reverse. That to them may be exotic for each other.” Kimmie gave a naughty giggle as I say that.

“Then there is the forbidden. That is something that you are not supposed to want, but can’t help yourself for wanting. Now that may be race. Say if your parents only wanted to see you with a Vietnamese boy, but instead you started to date a white boy. Is it because you really like him, or because it’s forbidden?

“I’ve learned some Jewish slang, and they call it ‘Shiksa’. Something forbidden. An old rich Jewish guy who is a widower and has grown kids stereotypically marries a tall, big breasted young Gentile girl. In his culture that is shiksa, something forbidden. It may also be age, an old guy with a young girl, an old woman with a young guy.

“It may also be a combination of two or more things, like I said with race. You dating a white guy may be because it is exotic and forbidden.” I grinned at her again. “And yes, for Linda and me there is a bit of all three involved. She is cute as hell, and she is awesome to be with so there is the familiar. Her now light brown hair is similar to mine, and she could almost look like a younger sist, err, cousin.” Now I was blushing, having almost said “sister”.

“Now for the exotic. She is more than just a bit smaller than I am. Now here is another secret of guys, we actually lust after all boobs. Big, small, round, flat, perky, pillowy. We like all of them. But smaller ones are often associated with younger girls, and most guys like the idea of being with a girl that is innocent.” Kimmie snorted at that, and I noticed the third song was coming to an end.

I spotted Linda on the other side of the rink and caught her eye. I waved at her to stay back for a bit, and smiled. She nodded and pointed to the bathroom. Perfect.

“With Linda, I will also admit there is just a bit of the forbidden. She is almost two years younger than I am, and we’re at an age where some may consider my interest in a 14 year old girl as being a bit of a pedophile. But in my own defense, I had no idea she was only 14 when we first went out. I honestly thought you guys were Sophomores. And even though there is no difference between a Sophomore and a Senior dating in age when compared to a Freshman and a Junior, I think the fact you are still in ‘Junior High School’ makes a mental barrier. Junior High girls are supposed to go on a date with parents dropping them off at the movie and sharing a kiss when dropped off. Not spending an hour or so alone in his car.”

“Oh, the word you are looking for Pete is ‘ephebophile’, not ‘pedophile’. An ephebophile lusts after post-adolescents. Of course, you might be a hebephile. That is somebody who lusts after those going through adolescence. Somebody who is a pedophile wants children before they enter puberty.”

I looked at her and saw her grinning at me. “And how do you know that, may I ask?”

“Oh, just something I read once. I realized that for some reason they always try to pin anything sexual under 18 as ‘pedophilia’, which is actually attraction to those before they hit puberty. But yeah, Lind does look young for her age, and I can see what you mean about forbidden.”

“And that is what I mean when I say you would leave me behind. You just told me two words I had never heard of before, and it shows how smart you are. No, this is what I would be afraid dating you would be like, Kimmie. You are so smart that no matter how hot I think you are you would eventually realize I am just some dumb hick. And take up with some brain surgeon who liked high-class wines, while I tend to stick to beer.”

The couples skate ended, and when Kimmie looked at me (surely expecting a kiss on the cheek), I pointed to Linda leaving the rink and said we still had a few more minutes to finish the conversation.

“So let me ask ya Pete, what if it had been me that bumped into you that night?”

I took a deep breath, smiled and said “Then I might be having this conversation with Linda, and be looking forward to spending some time alone with you when I dropped you off an hour or so later.” She really did have a very pretty blush.

“Yeah, I think all three of you are desirable, in different ways. But to be honest, I don’t think with you or Julie it could have been much more than just some fun casual dates and a little necking.”

“Why not?” she asked, cocking her head to the side.

“You Kimmie are just too driven for me. You’re way smarter than me, and are already planning on being a doctor. You only seem to go out one night a week, and from what Linda tells me you are normally studying at all other times. As much as I could imagine myself with somebody like you, you would eventually just leave me behind.” I smiled and squeezed her hand again.

“Julie, that is a bit different. I like her a lot. And while she is not stupid, she is a bit of an airhead. I would worry that I would have to explain half of my jokes to her, or I would talk about Chaucer and she would think it was some new band. Or we would be watching the Winter Olympics and she would think that curling was a sport about hairdressing.” Kimmie nodded at that and grinned.

“And of course there is the other thing we tend to get when we date a really hot girl, jealous. I would worry every time I saw her talking with another guy that he was hitting on her. Or if she went to spend time with Chris, was it a girl Chris, or a guy Chris she was cheating with on the side? With really hot girlfriends we tend to get insecure like that.”

“Do you worry about that with Linda?”

“Honestly, not at all and all the time. I trust her, and I think if she wanted to break up with me she is forward enough to just tell me so. Unless things got bad between us I don’t think she will go looking for somebody else. But that does not mean I don’t worry that she might meet somebody else that she is more attracted to then shes with me.”

“Trust me dude, ain’t gonna happen. I’ve known her since fourth grade, and that’s not how she is. Even when she was jumping from guy to guy, she made sure they all knew it was like, casual between them. She did date this guy for about a month in seventh grade, that was her first and longest boyfriend until you. After that, she just seemed to like going from guy to guy, like a bee to flowers. But she did not lead them on, they knew a date or two and she would be moving on.

“But honestly, you would have asked me out?”

I smiled, and pulled her closer and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. “Kimmie, if it had been you I know I would have flirted with you, hit on you, and tried to make out with you. As much as I love Linda, I admit I also always had a thing for Asian girls.”

Perfect timing as Linda at that time came and took my other hand and we were soon skating off together leaving a thoughtful looking Kimmie behind.

Next I was skating with Mandy, and all she wanted to talk about was D&D. But at the start of the second song I noticed a boy sitting in the eating area and he seemed to be staring at us. He looked pissed off.

And I noticed that each time we passed, he was still staring at us. OK, so it’s us in particular, not just the people skating. As the third song started I pointed him out and asked Mandy about him.

“Oh, that’s Adrian. I think he likes me. But like, he never says anything to me. We danced a bit at a school dance last month, but that’s all. He would not even slow dance with me! All he seems to do is stare whenever I pass by.”