Chapter 32: A New Friend

November 9, 1980

We got to Mike’s about 1:30. Debbie was waiting outside. “Nancy should be here soon.”

“Sounds good. I’ll wait here with you.”

“Cool. Mark and Morty and Emily and Sarah are already here.”

“No Mel?”

“Nope. M&M said she had some other thing.”

Rita pulled up. Candice, hopped out, ran over, and hugged me. “Hi!” “Hi!” I hugged her and gave her ass a squeeze. “Ooh!” She giggled and kissed me.

Rita smiled as she passed. Jimmy grinned, and Connie winked.

“How’re you, girlfriend?”

“Better now that I’m here, boyfriend!” She had been back to school Wednesday, a bit hoarse, but fine. By Thursday the cold had cleared out. Fortunately I hadn’t caught it.

“I’m going to wait up here with Debbie until Nancy gets here.”

She nodded. “OK. I’m going downstairs, get started on some Biology.” She caught my grin. “Not that kind!”

“Yes, dear.” She gave me a light smack on the arm. “Love you, Candice!”

“You, too!”

I watched her ass wiggle its way into the house.

Debbie smiled. “You two make a cute couple.”

I shrugged. “So do you and Marcus. Heck, most of us do. Well, or triple, for Emily and the Wonder Twins.”

She giggled. “Nah. You two are just ... more ... cute. It’s like ... I don’t know. Like both of you’ve found something you never knew you could have, and it’s just tickling you to death.”

I pondered. “Maybe? I guess I can see that.” I could, too. I knew why I’d never thought I could have it, but, Candice? Hmm.

Nancy’s arrival interrupted my thoughts. She hopped off her bike, came over, and hugged Debbie.

Debbie introduced me. “Steve’s the de facto leader of our merry little band.”

I blushed a little. “No one else wants the job.”

Debbie grinned. “Because you get things done, mister.”

I rolled my eyes. “Are you sure you want into this craziness?”

Nancy nodded, smirking. I wondered what she knew. “I’m pretty sure.”

“OK, then. ‘Come into my parlor, said the spider to the fly.’” I said with a grin. “We’ll go off to the billiards room and talk about the group. I’m sure Debbie told you there are rules.”

“Yeah. She was all mysterious about it and said you’d explain things today.”

I offered my arm. “Shall we?”

“Ooh, a gentleman! But won’t your girlfriend be jealous?”

I chuckled. “It’d have to be more than an arm, I think.”

“Woo-hoo!”

We went downstairs. A bunch of people greeted Nancy as we went through. We headed to the back corner of the billiard room and sat down on a couple of stools.

“OK, so. Tell me why you want to join us.”

“You’re all doing great. Hell, you’re all acing Geometry. You look like you have fun, like, when I see you at lunch. I wanted to go over, but you’re already short on table space. Or at least I think that’s why so many girls are breaking the rules about laps.” She giggled. “I dunno. I’ve known Debbie a long time, and she’s upbeat about classes, not sweating the homework or the tests like she was last year. It just looked like a good group.”

I nodded. “So, um...”

“She told me a lot of you are dating. I mean, that’s obvious. And I’m not. So that’s maybe awkward?”

“Yeah. Mel’s not seeing anyone right now, either, so that’s two singles. Both girls.”

“Bummer. I’m not dating Mel to even things out!”

I laughed. “Didn’t figure you would. OK. So. The next part is a secret. Even if you don’t join, you need to promise that you won’t tell. It’s ... we have a basic policy. Whatever happens in study group stays in study group.” OK, I stole that. From a slogan that won’t be written for a while yet. Sue me. “No friends, no relatives, definitely no parents get told anything. If someone gets busted on something they clam up tight.”

“I promise! And, that’s, you know ... mysterious! Wait. You’re not, like, smoking pot or having orgies or something like that, right?”

“Nah. Neither. Unless you count going to the movies and people getting adventurous as an orgy?”

She snorted. “If that counted half the school would be orgy veterans!”

“Maybe it’s similar, I don’t know. The thing is, we really are a study group first. We’re serious about school. We used to go to the movies together, and I think we’ll start again, but in order to avoid parents getting bent out of shape about how many nights we’re gone, we’ve toned that down until football season is over.”

“Makes sense. But nothing top-secret there.”

“Getting to it. It’s better that you know how we got to where we are. The thing is, I wasn’t kidding about the ... adventurousness ... at the movies. And like you said, that’s nothing unusual. We just had a mix of people that fell into dating relationships right along with the studying. So when we hit the movies ... dating happened.”

“OK, I see that.”

“And we’re all fourteen. No cars. No privacy at home. You know the drill.”

“Totally! My last boyfriend kind of broke up with me over that. I think it was just too much to have a girlfriend and, well, you know how it is. Even if I’d said ‘yes’, it was going to be ‘no’ because, where? His loss.” She smirked. “I can’t see losing all the other things I like about someone just because you can’t do everything you want.”

“Yeah. Me, too.” I smiled right back. “And, back to the story. We had the movies, where you can only go so far. The library, where you can’t do much of anything. The park; a bit of making out. Football games; a bit of making out, too. Otherwise? Not much. And several couples were ... frustrated.”

“Understandable.” She giggled. “Not saying I’ve ever been ... frustrated ... of course.” She giggled more.

“It turned out that Mike has a giant house with no siblings and a step-mom who is good at giving us an appropriate level of parental supervision while also giving us ... space.”

Nancy grinned. “So, she doesn’t pay close attention. Got it!”

I smiled. “There are thirteen of us. Fourteen, if you join. You can’t see part of the pool, or where we’re sitting, from the stairs or the balcony. She’d either have to be down here often, looking around, or make us all sit in the same room. She checks in a few times, makes sure we look like we’re behaving, and figures that’s good. And since we’re responsible, pretty much it is.”

“I’m hearing a giant ‘but’ in that. So, like, advanced make-out in the corners?”

“Nah.” I grinned. “Mike’s got a big pool.”

“I saw it out the window. That’s a great pool! Debbie told me to bring my suit.”

“With the pool comes a pool house. A couple of changing rooms, a couple of showers. Kitchen. Mini-bar, which we absolutely, under no circumstances, never touch. And that’s not a wink-wink thing, we don’t. I don’t care if someone drinks, but not on study time and not by stealing Mike’s dad’s booze.”

She nodded. “I don’t drink. Well, except, my parents give me wine sometimes.”

“The same for Angie and me.”

“So, you’ve got a bit more privacy. That’s cool.”

I shook my head. “Nah, still one more little ‘but’. When they put in the pool house, well, they were building anyway. And what suits a separate building with privacy? A nice guest room, of course.”

Her eyes flashed. “No ... damn ... way! You have a bedroom? That no one is paying attention to? Holy ... fuck! No wonder Debbie was hush-hush on that. That bad girl!”

I smiled. “Two or three people decide they’re tired of studying and want a brief rest. We’re lucky enough to have a place for a nice peaceful nap. We’re all much too polite to bother anyone who’s napping. And that’s all it is. Napping.”

She was smirking. “Rightttttttttt. Napping.”

“That’s part of study group policy. We take naps.” I shrugged. “People seem to prefer napping with someone they’re dating. Makes sense; they’re comfortable together. And since they’re popular, we draw straws so we share fairly. But no one ever, ever, ever mentions anything about guest rooms or napping or anything else to anyone outside of the group, while they’re in the group or if they leave. Because a lot of parents might get the wrong impression of our very innocent study group.”

“I see why they put you in charge of introducing things.” She laughed. “Somehow you just told me ... what you told me ... and I don’t feel like guys are going to start just suggesting ... naps.”

I shook my head. “That’s a concern the other way. Are you going to be fine with the constant reminders of ... napping ... when you’re not dating anyone in the group?”

She nodded. “Yeah, I think so. I mean ... well. Like you said. Sometimes it’s ... frustrating.” She giggled and blushed. “I can’t believe I said that to a boy. You’re easy to talk to. Anyway. If I um ... met someone ... could I invite them?”

“It’s a group decision. And, I mean, we don’t have formal rules. Yet. Some of us are writing a set, which they’ll have soon, that we’re all going to sign. But it’s not a vote. If anyone’s concerned that someone wouldn’t fit or can’t handle it or would talk or whatever, they’re out. We all have a lot to lose if parents were to get the wrong impression.”

She nodded. “So, you already decided I passed?”

“Yup. Otherwise you wouldn’t be here.”

“I’m flattered. Anyway, so, I’d have to date someone that would fit in. Or was already in, if someone broke up, I guess. Otherwise, no nap.”

“I suppose you could take one. The tradition is that girls draw straws.”

She blushed. “I wouldn’t want to take the time away from someone else. I mean, if I wanted a real nap, there’s a lot more couch out there than butts to put on it.” She bit her lip. “That’s cool, that it’s the girls. I like that.”

“It’s always the girl’s choice. Always. Each and every time. That’d make it dumb if the guys drew.”

“So ... what? Do you need to talk to the group?”

“Nah. They all agreed. If you’re good with the rules and promise to never discuss ... naps...” I grinned, “ ... even if you’re under intense parental pressure, you’re in.”

“I promise!”

“Then welcome to our little merry band.”

She bounced a little, then hugged me. Then blushed. “Um ... was that OK? I don’t want to upset Candice.”

“Nah. We’re turning into a huggy bunch. It’s fine.”

“Goodie!”

I got up and walked with her over to the door. Angie and Dan were missing. Oh, well, they’d find out later.

“Hey y’all! Say hi to the newest member of the study group.”

Debbie bounced. “Yay!”

Everyone else offered congratulations and hugs. We got out the books and dug into some new material.