Chapter 48: Relationship Questions

Sunday, January 31, 1982

Study group was pretty quiet. Plans were coalescing for Valentine’s Dance. Our couples had been surprisingly long-lasting; Angie and Gene were still the newcomers. It was amazing to realize that Emily and the Wonder Twins, Connie and Jimmy, and Mike and Sarah as well as Mel and Cammie had made it about a year and a half. Even Andy and Cal weren’t far off their anniversary.

For a bunch of fifteen-to-sixteen-year-olds this was pretty amazing. I wasn’t sure what to make of it. Did we just have good friends or were we somehow helping them find stability? If so, how? Angie had had three relationships and was likely to blame for the end of one of them and half to blame for the other, with me the other half. I’d put 100% of the blame on Max, though. I’d had three and hadn’t caused either break-up, nor — so far, anyway — had I caused anyone else’s break-up, except, again, for Max.

Mike and Sarah and Connie and Jimmy both looked plausibly like serious, long-term relationships. I still didn’t know what to make of Emily and the Wonder Twins. Could they continue to navigate life as a threesome? And would Mel and Cammie stick it out? Andy and Cal?

At dinner Dad ‘suggested’ that we not make plans for Spring Break. The subtext was ‘family vacation’, or at least ‘family plans’, but he didn’t spell it out, just asked us to save the date. Of course we would; we’d been guessing something like that would be happening.

Tuesday, February 2, 1982

Sue came by during class. Close enough that Janet would hear. “Um ... hey. I saw Lexi, um ... at the awards.”

Janet perked up. I gave her a smile. “Okay. I should just say this. And it’s okay if you share, in Debate circles. Jasmine and I have an open relationship. There’s nothing wrong with what Lexi did. You’ll notice Jasmine was smiling about it.”

Sue bit her lip. “So ... um. Does that mean ... um, Lexi...”

I shook my head. “Can’t discuss a thing that way. For anyone — Lexi, anyone in Drama, anyone anywhere — ask them. Or Angie, if she’ll share. Or Jasmine, if she’ll share. Not something I’d talk about.”

Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Janet smiling a bit at that. Lizzie nodded and whispered something to her that made Janet’s eyes go a little wider. Anne seemed to be paying attention now, too, and was whispering something to Megan. I thought maybe even Bree was paying attention. Were all the Debate girls tracking my social life? At least Callie and Kenzie were doing their own thing. I think.

Sue smiled. “I should have known. Can I ask who ... um ... wanted the ... arrangement?”

I shook my head. “I think I need to answer that as it being a mutual decision.”

“Which answers my question, I think.” She smiled. “Um ... you’re going to have to tell me how this works, over time. Now I’m curious.”

I looked around, catching Janet’s eye, then Bree’s, then Anne’s. Megan ducked. I motioned to Janet, then Bree. “Megan?” She looked sheepish. “You might as well come over.”

They did. So did Lizzie. And Callie and Kenzie. And Zoe. And then then Emmy and May. I rolled my eyes.

“Hey, we’re curious!” Callie said. “Open relationship? You’re serious?”

I nodded.

“Totally open?” Lizzie said, surprising me a bit.

I nodded again. “Mostly. Either of us could say ‘not that person’. Or, well, if we know it’d be something they wouldn’t like. Otherwise, totally open.”

“And that’s ... okay ... with you?” Zoe said. “I mean, for her?”

I chuckled. “Of course it is. It wouldn’t be open unless it was fine for both of us.”

“No jealousy?” May asked.

“Not so far. It’s a new thing. Well...” I pondered. “Two months. Not so new.”

“So um...” Megan began, then stopped.

I jumped in. “Look, I’m just curious. Why is everyone terribly interested in our love life all of a sudden?”

Janet laughed. “Since another girl kissed you, that’s why!”

“I mean — I’m not trying to pry into your love lives. Okay, let’s see, I suppose I know about...” I looked around, counting noses. I knew Callie and Kenzie both had boyfriends, but not much about them. I didn’t think any of the others did. Or girlfriends, beyond the obvious. “Six of you, maybe seven. The rest? No idea. And no, I’m not asking. Definitely not. And for the ones I know, I only know whether it’s an open relationship for one of you.”

They looked around, then all looked at Angie. “It’s not!”

I laughed. “I didn’t say it was, just that I don’t know about anyone else. Especially those of you whose relationship status I don’t even know.”

“So, um...” said Lizzie. “Just so we’re clear, with you two going over to the dark side regularly...” She nodded to the wall between Debate and Drama. “ ... if we see you with some other Drama girl, that’s...”

“Something Jasmine is aware of and in favor of. And not a change in our relationship.”

“Well, okay, then.” She laughed. “Just checking. It’s ... unusual.”

I nodded. “I guess I should’ve thought to tell everyone, but...”

“But it’s private,” Megan said. “Makes perfect sense. Outside of you, and Angie and Gene, and ... well... “ her eyes flicked to Lizzie and Janet, “you two, I don’t know who anyone’s involved with, and it’s not my business.”

Her putting it that way surprised me, but then I remembered that I’d been told at least a few people in Debate were somehow clueless about Lizzie and Janet. Somehow. Of course, she wouldn’t say it out loud. I wouldn’t have, either, but that’s me.

Lizzie gave me a quick hug. Those still surprised me, but I liked them, and our relationship was where I could hug back, now. Which I did. “Sorry, it’s just ... well, I like you, and I wouldn’t like it if you were doing something wrong. But since Jasmine’s fine, I’m fine.”

“I’d never cheat on her, or anyone. Oh! I forgot!”

“What?” Janet asked.

“I forgot one of the ... rules, I guess. I said no one that Jasmine wouldn’t approve of, and vice versa. That includes cheating, by which I mean doing anything which would help anyone else cheat. Knowingly, but also, say, ask first. If it’s cheating for them, then no.”

“Oh!” Lizzie said. “Hey, that’s cool. I like that. You two can’t cheat but you’re still making a stand against it.”

“You’re pretty open about this,” Megan said.

I shrugged. “You’re all my friends and, of course, I don’t want you wondering if I’m being a cad and a jerk. I’m very private about who and what. I know many of you...” I looked each of them in the eye. “ ... have other information sources which boys aren’t privy to.” There was a bunch of giggling and some blushing. “But ... Lexi’s only a topic because she kissed me where you could see. Otherwise, it’s private.”

“Cool,” Bree said. “That’s ... well ... it’s really interesting. Thanks!”

Anne and Megan agreed, and the crowd dispersed. Sue giggled. “Wow. That was ... I didn’t mean to start that.”

I shrugged. “It’s good, I think. I’m glad the rumor mill is either cut off or has a new rumor.”

“New rumor. Definitely. A confirmed one,” she giggled. “This’ll bounce around a bit, I’m sure. Jasmine’s part of the rumor mill and mine are pretty disconnected.”

I stepped a few steps over; she followed. I lowered my voice. “Not that it’s any of my business, but...”

Sue shook her head. “Nothing, yet. No one I want to ... you know. Even first base.”

I hugged her. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I’m fine. And I think it’ll happen when it happens.”

As planned, we blew off study group and met Jane at her office.

“Good weekend?”

“Yeah! The team did great. And Steve got to be a jerk.”

Jane looked at me with a raised eyebrow. “Oh?”

“I was not a jerk. One of our team members, Janet Collins, uses a very ‘valley girl’ speaking style sometimes. ‘Like, totally righteous, dude!’”

She laughed. “And?”

“So, I went up for my first counterargument and did the same thing.”

“How did that go?”

I shrugged. “We hugged. Cammie and I won; Lizzie and Janet vowed revenge. Since we keep winding up debating them, it may happen.”

“Amusing. Anything else?”

“A few more kids got qualified. Also, Lexi kissed me when we were celebrating her and Jasmine’s second qual. That got every girl in Debate riled up to figure out what’s going on with my love life.”

Jane laughed harder and rolled her eyes. “The things you get into! You explained?”

“With no specifics, yes.”

“I should ask. Are there specifics?”

“Yes.”

“Of course.”

“If I go into detail, what will we talk about at our regular session?”

She laughed. “I’m sure there’ll be something new.”

“Fine. She was worried about responding to guys. She’s not worried now. We had a minor bump in the road — she froze when attempting missionary position the first time. Switching to cowgirl fixed that.”

“Interesting. I could hypothesize, but, as long as she’s fine...”

“I’m waiting it out myself.”

“Good idea.”

Angie couldn’t hold back anymore. “He’s dodging the most important thing that happened!”

Jane looked at me. “Are you really?”

Angie nodded. “Another ripple!”

“Maybe. Maybe a ripple.”

“Explain, please.”

“I’m not sure how much I’ve said about my old best friend, Dave Mayrink. We’ve known each other ... um ... four years now. I think. We played Dungeons and Dragons and other games, went to movies, all that. He was my best friend until college, first time, and important in my life for another 10 years. I was best man at his wedding, stuff like that.”

“And in my first time,” Angie added, “he was Steve’s only friend. Only friend. Everyone else was an acquaintance. I’m not sure anyone but Dave was 100% real to Steve.”

“Yeah. Anyway, when I was changing my life, after it became my life, dropping D&D was part of that. And dropping Dave came along with it, since we don’t live close or go to the same school. We didn’t make the most sense as friends and I wanted the ones I’d see every day to not compete with a guy across town.”

She nodded. “Painful decision, but a reasonable one.”

“Easier when you know it’s leading you nowhere good and that, the last time, eventually neither he nor I bothered to pick up a phone, which killed the friendship.”

“That makes sense. In the strange way any of these things make sense.”

“I hadn’t seen him since ... um ... July 1980. We ‘broke up’ over the phone.” She laughed. “Last I knew, he was going to go to the High School for the Engineering Professions. He went there first time around.”

“And my first time around.”

“So, even though this tournament is maybe two or three miles from his house, I wasn’t expecting to see him. We were there last year; nothing. And then there he was, walking past the cafeteria. He spotted me and came over.”

“That is ... interesting.” Jane smiled.

“He quit H.S.E.P. Said it wasn’t suiting him. Switched back to Bellaire. I know he hated the bus rides. Now he’s considering following his father’s footsteps as a lawyer. He hated that idea the previous time. He still does D&D and computers, but it sounds like it’s not like before. Still a nerd, though, with iffy social skills.”

“You’re a bit more advanced than most in that regard. Unfair advantage and all.”

Angie shook her head. “No, Steve’s right. He made a very clumsy pass at Jasmine. It dumbfounded him that she was Steve’s girlfriend. He’d have made a clumsy pass at me if Steve hadn’t distracted him.”

“He always thought he was a dozen times smoother than he is. I tried to give him some super-simple advice. Respect, talk to the eyes, don’t rush, just get to know someone. Total basics.”

Jane nodded. “So, do you think...?”

“I’m not sure. How could I be? I’m wondering if yanking out the support he was getting from me is a factor. He used to complain to me all the time about the ride to and from H.S.E.P., the environment there, all that. Drop that and everything that went with it ... maybe.”