Chapter 19: Putting the Band Back Together

August 26, 1983, McKinley, Ohio

"Told you!" Clarissa laughed as she and I relaxed in my room after breakfast.

"They sat with us at breakfast," I said, then grinned, "So what?"

"Even YOU aren't that clueless, Petrovich!"

"Just because Rebekah said she thought I fingered the frets expertly when I played the guitar?"

"And she batted her eyelashes and flipped her hair. Short of asking you to fuck her, she couldn't BE any clearer about what she wanted."

"Well, she'll need to find a different instrument to play," I replied with a smirk."

Clarissa laughed, "Cute!"

"You know darn well that's not my type," I continued.

"Too much like Milena?"

"Not by the time we actually got together," I replied. "By the time of the threesome, Milena had already changed. And what's with you encouraging me to be with other girls? Are you trying to push me away?"

"No! I was teasing about Rebekah. I do think you should get to know Kimiko."

"I still have to decide what to do about Kristin," I replied.

"Because of me?"

"Partly, but also because of me."

"Petrovich, you know I'll do it if you ask me to."

"And you know I can never ask."

"I know," Clarissa said. "Maybe we should take the more difficult case first."

"Angie? I don't think that's too difficult at this point. I'll give her rides to church, and we'll go to karate with Robby and Lee. If she wants to run with me, that's fine, but except for when the gang is together, I don't plan to hang out with her. It would send the wrong message and give her false hope."

"I think you're right. You're going to see Tasha tomorrow, right?"

"Yes. It's her eighteenth birthday."

"And she's going to ask for YOU as her present?" Clarissa smirked.

I chuckled, "She already did! But I think her dad might have something to say on that matter! And you know she and I agreed we'd have our talk once she graduated."

"And I guess Maggie is, well, on hold?"

"I guess. I have no clue what to do about that. When I'm home for Labor Day weekend, I can talk with my sister and her friends and see, but I'm guessing nothing is possible there. And speaking of going home for Labor Day, you're coming with me. You aren't staying here!"

"And how are you going to explain your lesbian friend sleeping in your bed?"

"I'm not because I'll be sleeping on the couch in the basement. The last thing I want to do is send the wrong message to my parents. But that doesn't mean no cuddling."

"Good," Clarissa replied with a soft smile. "So, back to McKinley, then. You and Kristin were compatible, and neither of you is thinking it's anything other than keeping each other warm at night. Oh, and orgasms. Lots of them!"

I laughed, "And how would YOU know?"

"I'm assuming that if that wasn't the case, she'd have dumped you long ago!"

"You're real sweetheart, Svetlana Yakovovna!"

"What can I say?" she smirked, sticking her tongue out at me.

"Is that an offer?" I smirked.

"Do you want it to be an offer?"

"Do you want me to want it to be an offer?"

"You're such a «дурня» (durnya)!"

"I may be a goofball, but you didn't answer the question!"

"And what offer was I making?"

"What offer did you think I thought you were making?"

Clarissa laughed, "Are you going to turn every question around like that?"

"The ones I can!"

"Ask me for what you want, Mike."

"I want you to be my best friend."

"You don't follow directions very well, do you?"

"You know why I can't ask, Lissa."

"I know, and that's why I love you."

"I love you, too."

There was a knock at the door and I called out for whomever it was to enter.

"Mike? Do you remember me? José?"

"Sure. What can I do for you?"

"I play guitar, and I wondered if you might want to jam sometime."

"That would be cool!" Clarissa declared.

"There you have it," I grinned. "My best friend just agreed on my behalf. What do you play?"

"A lot of the same stuff you do, but I also play a lot of Latin American and Spanish love songs. I'll teach you some if you want."

"Sure. What can I teach you in return?"

"How to sing better! You have perfect pitch!"

"I'm not sure I'm qualified to give voice lessons, but we could talk to my friend Milena, and maybe she can give me some pointers on how to help you."

"She's the girl from the concert?"

"Yes. She's working on her PhD and is a music lecturer here. Her mom is a professor."

"I think I came to the right place!"

"What's your major?"

"The ever-popular 'undeclared'. I'm not sure which science I want, so I'm taking the core courses and then I'll decide between biology, chemistry, and physics. Eventually, I'll get a Master's and PhD. I want to do research and teach."

"We're both biochem majors," Clarissa said. "Pre-med."

"Psychos, then," José grinned.

"Exactly!" I laughed. "Why don't we meet tonight after dinner. Bring your guitar here. I'll talk to Milena and have her drop by."

"Excellent! Thanks! Later!"

"Later!"

He left, closing the door behind him.

"Looks like you found a new friend," Clarissa said. "That's good!"

"Speaking of friends, when will Glenda be back?"

"About noon tomorrow. When are you leaving for West Monroe?"

"I suppose it depends on if you want me with you?"

"In your DREAMS!" Clarissa laughed.

"I meant so you aren't alone until she arrives, you «говнюк» (govnyuk)!"

"Wow! You usually reserve 'shithead' for people like Dean Parker or that nut job psychiatrist in Columbus!"

"I'm worried about you because of what happened with your parents."

"Mike," she said, taking my hand. "I promise I'll be OK for a few hours if you leave before Glenda arrives."

"I don't have to be at Tasha's until dinner. I was going to stop home and see my parents for an hour or so, then go to Vespers. Dinner is after Vespers. The short version is that I can stay until at least 3:00pm. Once you and Glenda disappear to get reacquainted, I'll head to my parents' house. I figured you wouldn't spend the night with me tomorrow night. And that is not me complaining, Clarissa, just so we're clear."

She smirked, "For a fairly clueless guy, you do a decent job of taking care of me."

"Gee, thanks," I deadpanned.

"Come on, let's go buy our books."

We left my room and walked to the campus bookstore where, as we had four previous times, we paid outrageous prices for books on which the campus bookstore had a monopoly. I wouldn't have felt quite as much outrage over the prices if I thought the authors received a significant share of the purchase price, but I knew that concept was laughable.

"We aren't done yet, either," Clarissa groused. "We have to pay for lab coats and goggles, too."

"It's funny, but we get to wear long lab coats working in the lab, but we'll have short ones when we're in medical school."

"Different traditions. Come on, let's drop our books at the dorm, then go see the secretary in the biology department."

We walked back to the dorm and left our books in my room, then walked over to the science building and went to the biology office. May, the secretary, who I guessed was about my mom's age, handed us each a lab coat wrapped in plastic and a pair of goggles in a box. We each wrote a check for the cost, thanked her, and then headed back to the dorm.

"Wanna play doctor?" I smirked when we walked into my room.

"So you can use your probe on me, Doctor Pig?" she smirked.

"Why yes," I said with a leer, "a very deep and thorough probing!"

"Of multiple orifices?"

"But of course! And I'd need to repeat those probes regularly to make sure you weren't developing any new symptoms!"

"And just what are you probing for, Doctor Pig?"

"Temperature, for one thing."

"Oral, vaginal, and anal?" she smirked.

"A doctor does have to be thorough!"

"You? Right!"

"That sounds suspiciously like a dare," I said, smirking and leering.

"And if it is?"

"You'll have to make it explicit, you hussy!"

"Oh, right, because asking if you were going to put your probe in my butt wasn't explicit enough?"

"The DARE, you «глупец» (glupys)!" I laughed. ("blockhead")

"Hey!" Clarissa protested. "You can't use my word for you!"

"Sure I can!"

"And if I were to dare you?" she asked with an arched eyebrow.

"Hey, that's MY tactic!"

"You just called ME a blockhead, so turnabout is fair play!"

"Lissa," I said carefully, "if we're not careful, we might tease each other into something we might regret."

"Oh sure, spoil the fun mood and get all serious on me."

"You were about to dare me, weren't you?"

She nodded, "A double-dog dare."

"And then?"

"I thought that was obvious!"

"I meant afterwards?"

She sagged back on the couch, "I don't know."

"Which could leave a total mess. Be with your girlfriend tomorrow, and maybe that will take the edge off."

"You think I'm horny?"

"Perhaps," I grinned. "But I think you're pushing a bit too hard."

"Are you pushing back because of you or because of me?"

"Because of US," I said, taking her hand. "I love you, Lissa, and the last thing I want to do is mess things up."

"I think you're right. Cuddle me?"

I held out my arms, and Clarissa moved to my lap. I put my arms around her and held her close. She sighed deeply, put her head on my shoulder, and snuggled close. We cuddled for about thirty minutes, then headed to Milena's house to hang out with her. I asked her about coming to the dorm to work with José and me, and she agreed.

That evening, after dinner, José, Milena, and I decided to sit in the common area to 'jam', as José had suggested.

"José," Milena asked, "have you played with anyone before?"

"No," he replied. "Well, other than with my instructor and with a friend at family parties, you know, for fun. Nothing like giving a concert like you did!"

"I assume you have something in your folder that has both lead and rhythm parts?"

"Yes."

"OK. Pick something you know very well, please."

"It has to be Estudio en Mi de Rubira, but you might know it as Romance de amour," he said.

He took some sheet music from his folder, and Milena asked him to play through it while I followed along, simply reading the rhythm part. When he finished, I asked him to play once more. As he went through it, I fingered the chords, and then, the third time, I played along with him.

"Wow," he said when we finished, "you just picked that up!"

"I've been taking lessons from Milena's mom, and I play with Milena quite a bit."

Milena and Clarissa looked at each other, smirked, then broke up laughing.

"Ignore the peanut gallery," I chuckled. "Let's try that again."

We played through it again, and as we finished, several Freshmen came into the common area or lounge as they had begun calling it.

"What else do you have?" I asked.

"Let's try Piel Canela," José replied. "I'll sing, and perhaps you can give me some pointers."

"You'll have to forgive my non-existent Spanish," I replied.

"It means 'Cinnamon Skin'. It's a love song. The chorus, in English, is something like...

but I don't see anyone here with cinnamon skin to sing to."

"Sing to me!" Rebekah said from behind us.

Milena, Clarissa, and I all laughed softly.

"Then come sit by me, «bella»!" ("beautiful")

Rebekah came around and sat on José's left, and he played through the piece, singing to her while I followed along on the sheet music. He ran through it a second time, and I fingered the chords.

"I'm not sure I can sing that in Spanish," I said.

"Mostly, it sounds just as it's written. A double 'l' is pronounced as 'y', and there are no words with an 'ñ'. And besides, if Nat King Cole could sing in Spanish, so can you!"

"Mike, try just humming in tune," Milena said. "That way, José has something to key on."

We did as she asked and it sounded awesome, with my humming being very close to an 'ison' used in Byzantine chant. I had to suppress my urge to laugh as Rebekah used the exact same gestures and motions she'd used with me. I also noticed, out of the corner of my eye, Kimiko watching me intently, as she had every time she'd been close.

"Wow!" Clarissa said when we finished. "That was amazing! José sounded SO much better singing with Mike humming."

"I think that's how you two could work on José's singing," Milena said. "It worked very well. It's like having a permanent pitch pipe to correct his tone."

"Would you guys play a few songs for us?" Elaine, a dark-haired girl with thick glasses, asked.

I looked over to José, who nodded.

"Sure," I replied. "I'll play a couple of songs I didn't play the other night, and José can alternate with whatever he likes."

"Some tangos, I think," he replied.

"I'll get you guys some Jazz tapes to listen to," Milena said. "Then you can really jam!"

José and I alternated songs, playing three each, before we stopped to get something to drink. Most people got soft drinks from the new machine, which had been installed in the lounge, while Milena, Clarissa, and I got some from my fridge. We stayed in my room to talk.

"I think Rebekah has a thing for guitar players," Clarissa said with a quiet laugh.

"I think Rebekah just wants to get laid!" Milena laughed.

"I'll leave that duty to José if he's interested," I grinned. "Let's go hang out."

We went back out to sit with the group.

"Mike," Rebekah asked. "Do you think the floor will vote for no curfew?"

"It's a lock," I replied. "In fact, if any of you object to that, you should ask to change now because all our friends requested this floor specifically to make that choice. And, honestly, I think every co-ed floor is going to vote to do away with it."

"Cool! And how tough are they really on the rules?"

"They're really strict on drugs, even pot. Violating that rule will get you expelled, and they'll call the police. They're not quite so strict on alcohol, but if somehow the police get wind of it, then you'll be in serious trouble with the school and likely get a citation from the cops. Basically, Dean Parker is a royal pain in the butt, and if she gets ANY proof of those violations, she'll come down on you like a ton of bricks. The other one they're strict about is having anyone under eighteen in the dorms. Otherwise? Just don't be stupid about it."

"We don't do bed checks if that's what you're asking!" Teri, who had come into the lounge a minute earlier, laughed. "But we are totally serious about the noise rules. Monday through Thursday, nothing which can be heard outside your room. People study in this area, too. You'll need to work out with your roommates what's OK during the evening study hours."

"What are those?"

"Usually 7:00pm to 11:00pm," I replied. "There are two groups which meet. Ours, which focuses on biology and chemistry and one which focuses on math and stats, which also includes economics majors. And there are small groups which meet in rooms, too. Our group, at least, will take Freshmen who are biology, chemistry, or biochem majors. And any of us will help out with calculus for anyone who needs it."

"The other thing we do," Clarissa said. "is provide escorts for any girls who need one. All you need to do is call the main floor phone, and two students will come to escort you back to the dorm from pretty much anywhere within walking distance."

"We've heard rumors of rapes," Elaine said.

"They caught the guy, and he's locked up at least until he's old and grey," I replied. "But we decided to keep doing it for safety's sake."

"I heard it was a student," José said.

"It was, unfortunately."

"How are the parties here?" Rebekah asked.

"Most of the good ones are off campus," Teri said. "And they're all invitation only. Just make friends, and you'll be invited."

"I think I'm going to head home," Milena said.

"See you on Sunday afternoon?"

"Sure. Are you and Clarissa bringing anyone?"

"I'm bringing Glenda," Clarissa said.

"I'm not sure," I replied. "I'll let you know tomorrow."

Milena and Clarissa exchanged a quick hug, and then she hugged me and gave me a peck on the cheek. As she walked away, Rebekah put her hand on José's arm, and I wasn't surprised when José put his guitar in its case, grabbed his sheet music, and they went down the hall. I started to put my guitar away but stopped when Kimiko spoke.

"Mike?" she asked quietly. "Would you play a song for me?"

"Sure. Pick something from the folder."

She came over to the couch and took the folder from the low table in front of it. She flipped through the sheet music, extracted something, and handed it to me. Unsurprisingly, it was an Air Supply Song.

"Have a seat," I said.

She sat down on the couch, and I saw Clarissa smirk and roll her eyes. I ignored her and began singing to Kimiko. The refrain was pretty suggestive, especially given I'd just met her, but I sang it the way it was meant to be sung.

"Wonderful," she said when I finished. "Thanks."

"You're welcome!"

"Will you play again for me sometime?"

"Sure."

She smiled, got up from the couch, and headed down the hall. I put my guitar into its case, gathered my sheet music, and Clarissa and I went into my room.