Chapter 7

Friday morning, my alarm went off at six thirty. I extracted my arm from my covers and turned it off.

“What time is it?” Gina mumbled.

“Six thirty.”

“Did they call after I fell asleep?” she asked sleepily.

I sighed. “No.”

“I thought you said they usually call on Thursday night.”

“That’s what I heard,” I said. “But maybe they didn’t want to wake anyone up.” It was a thin excuse, but I couldn’t think of any other reason why they hadn’t called me. Well, I could think of one other reason, but I didn’t want to dwell on it.

“Are we having breakfast with Kendall?” Gina asked.

“Yeah.”

She yawned daintily and then blinked her eyes to clear them.

“Do you want to shower first?” I asked.

She shook her head. Then she rolled over, her warm breasts pressing against my chest. “I’ll just shower after breakfast,” she said, “back in my room.”

I nodded half-heartedly. I didn’t really care about taking a shower, but I knew I needed to. In reality, I was disappointed that I hadn’t heard from the Sigma Chis. Why hadn’t they called? I ran through scenarios in my mind, but I kept returning to one. Finally, I shook my head in growing disappointment and then started to get out of bed.

“Paul,” Gina said, stopping me with a gesture, “I’m sure they’ll call.”

“Yeah,” I said.

“Seriously,” she said. “They probably just wanted to wait till morning.”

“I guess,” I said.

“Do you want me to take your mind off it before you shower?” she asked. “It’s okay if you don’t want me to. I mean, I just thought...”

“I dunno,” I answered with a shrug.

“It’ll help you relax,” she said. As she put her hands on my chest, she looked at me earnestly, her eyes soft and full of love. “They’ll call,” she said with conviction.

“But everyone told me that if I got a bid, they’d call on Thursday night,” I said.

“I know,” she whispered. “They probably had trouble with the phones or something. They’ll call. But right now, there’s nothing you can do about it.”

“But what if I don’t get a bid?”

“You will,” she said with unshakable certainty. Then she smiled and caressed my chest. “Just relax,” she said softly.

As she disappeared under the sheet, I laced my fingers behind my head and stared at the ceiling. I was still brooding over not getting a call as she started to suck me.

At first, my mind wasn’t really in it. Gina could tell, but she didn’t let that discourage her. Finally, I decided to stop worrying and simply enjoy the blowjob she was giving me. When I did, she quickened her pace, her head bobbing up and down as I ran my fingers through her hair.

After several long, pressure-building minutes, I clutched at the sheets and erupted. Gina moaned when the first spurt hit the back of her throat, but she didn’t take her lips off me. As my orgasm subsided, she continued nursing my deflating cock. Then she let it slip from her lips and crawled up my body.

“Better?” she asked, her eyes full of concern.

“Better,” I agreed. Then I cupped her face and smiled. “I love you,” I said.

“I love you too. And I don’t like it when you’re worried.”

I nodded.

“They’ll call,” she said. “Don’t worry.”

“I won’t.” Much, I thought sourly.

“Do you want me to shower with you?”

“I thought you were going to shower after breakfast,” I said.

“I was. But I thought you might want the company. You know, someone to wash your back.”

“That’d be nice,” I said softly. “Thanks.”

“Are you getting football tickets?” Kendall asked me during breakfast. “It’s the first home game.”

I nodded. “Trip and I were gonna go to the UC after Design class.”

“Okay,” she said. “Do you mind if I give you our cards so you can get all the tickets together?”

“No problem,” I said.

“Vivian gave me hers too,” she added as she reached for her purse, “so you can get one for Drew.”

“Isn’t Vivian going to the game?” I asked.

“She’s in the marching band,” Kendall said.

“You’re such a goof,” Gina said to me. Then she grinned at Kendall. “But he’s our goof.”

“How many tickets are we getting?” I asked.

“Well, you, me, and Gina,” Kendall said, beginning to count on her fingers.

“I can’t go with you all,” Gina interrupted. “Sorry. I want to, but ... tomorrow is when I officially pledge Chi O—”

Somehow, Kendall managed to keep her expression neutral.

“—and then we’re supposed to help with the sorority’s pre-game party,” Gina finished.

“Are you sure?” Kendall asked.

“Yeah, sorry,” Gina said. “I really wanna go with you all, but ... I just can’t.”

“We’ll miss you.”

“You’ll have fun, I’m sure,” Gina said.

“So I guess it’s just you, me, Drew, and Abby,” Kendall said.

“Trip and the guys from across the hall wanted to go with us,” I added. If Trip’s not doing something with the Sigma Chis, I thought petulantly.

“Okay,” Kendall said. Then she turned to Gina. “Are you sure you can’t go?”

I don’t know why, but I suddenly got the impression that Kendall wasn’t exactly upset that Gina couldn’t go to the game with us.

“No, I can’t,” Gina said. “Sorry.”

“Okay,” Kendall said lightly. “We’ll miss you.”

With that, she handed over three Activity Cards and I pocketed them.

After breakfast, Gina went back to her dorm, while Kendall and I headed toward the Hill and our classes.

“I can’t believe Gina’s actually going to pledge a sorority,” Kendall said as we climbed the steps.

“She’s looking forward to it. And she’s already made one friend,” I said, thinking of the Nordic-looking blonde, Regan.

“Who’s probably another sterling example of everything that’s wrong with sororities.”

“I dunno. She seemed pretty nice to me.”

“I’m just glad you didn’t join a fraternity,” she said.

I felt a knot in my stomach at my growing certainty that I wasn’t going to get a call from Sigma Chi. Surprisingly, Kendall didn’t pick up on my dejection.

“I’m sure some of those guys are okay,” she continued, “but the majority are ... are... assholes.”

I looked at her in frank amazement.

“Yes,” she said heatedly, “you heard me. They’re assholes.”

I thought the Sigma Chis were pretty cool, I thought morosely. Why hadn’t they called? Was it something I did? Or said? Had they just pretended to like me? Was Kendall right? Deep in my heart, I knew she wasn’t, but the question still nagged at me.

“You’re not like them,” she said.

“What about Gina?” I asked pointedly, my melancholy turning to irritation. “Is she like them?”

“I didn’t say she was,” Kendall said hastily.

“But you thought it.”

She paused for a moment, defiant. Then she nodded guiltily.

“She’s not like that,” I said softly. “Gina’s a good person. She’s just lonely here. And you said it yourself, she’s out of her comfort zone. She’s finding a new one. So what if it’s with a sorority?”

“But Paul, you don’t understand what they’re like.”

“I understand what Bridget and Toni are like,” I said. “And they’re really nice girls. Are they the only two exceptions among hundreds of sorority girls?”

“No.”

“Then if they’re not, aren’t there probably others like them?” When she reluctantly nodded, I continued. “And if there are, then it’s possible for Gina to be a good person and be in a sorority?” I asked. Before Kendall could answer, I pulled her close. “This is one of your blind spots,” I said softly. “When you get emotional, you don’t always see things as clearly as you normally do. You know that.”

She sniffled and wiped her cheek as she nodded.

“Gina’s still the same person; she still loves us both.”

“I know,” Kendall said softly.

With my thumbs, I wiped away her tears and tilted her face up. Then, inexplicably, I chuckled.

“What?” she asked, sounding wounded.

“Sorry,” I quickly explained, “I was just thinking how beautiful you are, even when you’re crying.”

She gifted me with a wan smile.

Once again, I wiped away her tears and looked at her seriously. “Listen,” I said, “I don’t know what Big Mistake Guy did—and I don’t think I wanna know, since I’d probably find him and beat the shit out of him—but all frat guys aren’t like that.”

She nodded.

“And all sorority girls aren’t shallow bitches.”

“I know.”

“This is important to Gina, so it should be important to us. After all, we’re probably her best friends in the world right now. Okay?”

“Okay,” she said. Then she sniffled and smiled, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

“Now,” I said softly, “are you ready for class? Or do you wanna skip it?”

“I can’t,” she said. “I want to, but I’ve got to go. If my grades slip, I’ll lose my scholarship.”

“One class isn’t going to kill you,” I said.

“I know, but you’ve got Calculus, and I really should go to O. Chem. I’ve got to learn this stuff for medical school.”

I nodded.

“Thanks for not getting angry with me.”

“I wouldn’t get angry with you,” I said with a soft chuckle. “Not over something like this.” Then I looked at her and smiled. “Life’s too short to worry about the little things,” I said. “And I’ll tell you a secret,” I added as seriously as I could. When she looked up, I continued. “They’re all little things.” I don’t know if I believed that or not, but it sounded good when I said it. Good advice, Trip, I thought with a mental nod of thanks.

“I guess,” she said.

“Trust me.”

“I love you so much,” she said quietly.

“And I love you too. But we’d better get to class. We’re already late.”

She wiped her eyes and nodded.

Then I pulled her tight and kissed her tenderly.

“I love you,” I whispered.

“I love you too. Bye.”

“Bye.”

“How’d it go last night?” Trip asked before Professor Joska arrived in class.

“Huh?”

“With Gina. You had to meet her, right?”

“Yeah,” I said. “We just hung out.”

“Cool. A bunch of the guys at the party asked about you, though.”

At that, I perked up. Maybe the Sigma Chis had asked Trip to offer me a bid. I knew it was a long shot, but I still had my hopes.

“Uh-huh,” he said. “They wanted to know why you left so early. So I told ‘em you had to meet your girlfriend.”

I nodded absently, my hopes of getting a bid dashed again. Then I looked up in shock. Had he said “girlfriend”? Did he suspect that Kendall and Gina were both my girlfriends? Did he know? What if he did? Would he tell anyone? Would he...?

“Yeah, sorry,” he said. “I didn’t think Kendall would mind. I didn’t mention any names, though, so if anyone asks, you can just tell ‘em you were meeting her. Cool?”

A wave of relief washed over me as I nodded.

“So,” he asked, “did they offer you a bid?”

“Um...”

“Me neither,” he said, reading me perfectly. “I think they could tell that I wasn’t really interested.”

But I was, I thought morosely.

“They’re cool guys, though.”

Before Trip could say anything else, however, Professor Joska entered the room and we immediately grew quiet.

“Mr. Hughes,” Joska said with deceptive calm.

I straightened in my desk and my eyes narrowed.

“Give me two examples of iconic design paradigms.”

For a moment, I panicked. Then I squared my shoulders and lifted my chin—I knew this. “Igloos and teepees,” I said. On tenterhooks, I waited for him to find fault with my answer.

“You read your assignment, I see,” he said.

“Yes, sir.”

“Then tell me what you know about iconic design.”

“It builds upon pragmatic design,” I ventured.

“Go on.”

“And it copies successful designs to produce a building that serves the purpose just as well as a pragmatic one,” I said with growing confidence. I was mostly parroting what I’d read, but he seemed to be satisfied with my answer.

“Keep going,” he prompted.

“Successful pragmatic designs become a template for the creation of new buildings.”

“And...?”

“The design becomes the accepted form for other buildings which serve the same purpose.”

“Correct,” he said.

I felt a surge of defiant pride.

“Mr. Fekete,” Joska said, turning his attention away from me. “Give me two examples of modern iconic designs.”

“Um...,” Fekete said.

“Too slow,” Joska said after a moment. “You didn’t read your assignment. Were you not paying attention during Wednesday’s class?” he asked. “Mr. Hughes obviously was. Why weren’t you?” Not surprisingly, he reached into his briefcase and pulled out a Late Drop slip. “Since Mr. Hughes might not be needing this, perhaps you’d like me to sign one for you?”

“Um...”

“‘Um’? You’re not sure?”

“N-n-no, sir.”

“No, you’re not sure? Or no, you don’t want a late drop? Which is it, Mr. Fekete?” Joska asked with almost comical intensity.

“No, I don’t want a late drop,” Fekete said at last.

“Then you’d better start doing your reading. I don’t assign it for my health, although God help me if I ever enter a building designed by you.”

Then Joska turned to the blackboard, picked up a piece of chalk, and started sketching. As he did, he talked about modern iconic buildings.

I glanced at Trip and he gave me a thumbs-up. I don’t know why, but his approval meant more to me than Joska’s.

With that, I took out my notebook and started copying the sketches.

I was still upset about not getting a call from the Sigma Chis, but my day was already getting better.

“Okay,” I said as Trip and I walked out of class, “we’re off to get football tickets, right?”

He nodded.

“I’ve got Kendall and her roommate’s Activity Cards, and another one for Kendall’s brother. Have you got Luke and Jeff’s?”

“Luke got a bid from the Fijis,” Trip said.

“Yeah, I figured.”

“So he’s going to the game with a couple of them,” he said. Then he laughed. “And Jeff just about flipped out when the Sigma Nus called him last night.”

I stopped in my tracks and stared at Trip, flabbergasted. After a moment, I shook my head in disbelief. “Jeff got a bid?”

“Yeah,” Trip said. “Can you believe it?”

Jeff?! And not me?! I wailed silently.

“He was pretty freaked out. He was happy, though. He was dancing up and down in the foyer when he got the call.”

“There ain’t no justice!” I spat, quoting one of my favorite authors.

“Dude,” Trip said, surprising me with his intensity. “Are you a Larry Niven fan?”

“What’s that got to do with me not getting a call from Sigma Chi?”

“Nothing,” he said. “But I didn’t know you read Sci-Fi.” Then he shook his head and grinned wistfully. “Lori used to tease me about reading ‘all those nerdy books.’ Man, I didn’t know you read Sci-Fi.”

“Lori?” I asked, more confused than ever. As soon as I said the name, however, Trip grew sober.

“An old girlfriend,” he said, his eyes dim.

“Sorry, man.”

“Don’t worry about it. I just don’t wanna talk about ... her.”

“Okay.”

“Anyway,” he said, returning the conversation to its original subject, “who else do you read?”

For a moment, I wondered what happened with his ex-girlfriend, but I didn’t want to be rude and dwell on it. “Heinlein,” I said. “I guess he’s probably my favorite.”

“Yeah, he’s good.”

“Right now I’m reading Frank Herbert.”

“How about Fred Saberhagen?”

I shook my head.

“Oh, dude, you don’t know what you’re missing,” he said, affecting a brighter mood. “His Berserker books are really cool. They’re about these sentient machines, called the Berserkers, duh, and...”

While we walked toward the University Center, I let Trip do most of the talking. I guess I was curious about why his mood had changed so suddenly, and why he avoided the subject of his ex-girlfriend. As angry as I’d once been with Amy, I didn’t become melancholy when she came up in conversation. Granted, she didn’t come up in conversation very often, but I didn’t harbor any regrets about breaking up with her.

As Trip talked about Sci-Fi books—with more enthusiasm than I really thought the subject warranted—I got the distinct impression that he was using the topic to stave off thinking about Lori. Had she become pregnant? Had she cheated on him with another guy? Had she dumped him for another guy?

Eventually, Trip and I got the football tickets and headed back to the dorm. When he didn’t want to hang out, I didn’t push the issue. I guess he was thinking about Lori after all. So we said goodbye in the hallway and made plans for the next day.

Sunday afternoon, I decided to work out in my room. Billy was out, working on the sets for his play, so I had the room to myself. I locked the door, stripped off my clothes, and stood in front of the mirror, looking at myself from every angle. Even though I didn’t look any bigger, I was still worried about gaining weight.

As I stared at myself in the mirror, I flexed my muscles. Then I struck a pose, arms up and curled, my chest puffed out and my lats flared. My arms and shoulders had gotten bigger over the years, but my stomach still had some fat on it. I wanted to see the washboard abs that bodybuilders displayed.

Still nude, I struck another bodybuilder pose, clasping my hands in front of me as I flexed my arms, shoulders, and traps. Then I turned and clenched my abs, my face turning red with the effort. My legs and buttocks had always been muscular, but they still looked a little chunky. I’d need to work on them as well, to get rid of the excess body fat.

For a warm-up, I started off doing sit-ups. After a hundred, I switched to push-ups and did a hundred of those as well. Then I switched back to sit-ups, determined to get rid of the thin layer of fat on my stomach. Since I didn’t have a proper bench for doing presses, I finished with another hundred push-ups.

Then I sprang up, a sheen of sweat coating my naked body. From under my bed, I retrieved my curling bar. As I watched myself in the mirror, I started thinking about Kendall. She said she liked my personality more than my body, but I wanted to look good for her—and good didn’t include pudgy.

As I thought about her, I started getting an erection. I guess maybe I’m crazy, but I liked the way I looked as I pumped the weights while my dick stood ramrod straight. Then I thought about Kendall sucking my cock, on her knees, worshiping my shaft and trying to swallow me whole.

All the while, I continued lifting. I did palm-up curls, palm-down curls, lifts, presses, and more. I was in a kind of trance, simply pumping the heavy bar and thinking about sex with Kendall. My body tingled all over as I closed my eyes and imagined her bent over in front of me. I imagined the line of her waist as it flared to her hips. Then I pictured my cock as I buried it in her ass.

Before I knew it, my arms were shaking from the effort and I felt like I was ready to come. I dropped the bar with a clang and reached for my dick. Two or three quick strokes and I spurted over the sink, splattering the mirror with droplets of pearly semen. Then I groaned softly as a tremendous rush of ecstasy washed over me, drowning out all other sensations.

When my orgasm finally subsided, I looked down and blinked incoherently. Slowly, ever so slowly, my eyes focused. My body tingled all over, and I didn’t care that I had semen all over my hand. I didn’t care that one of my spurts had missed my toothbrush by mere inches. I didn’t care that the mirror, sink, and carpet were flecked with droplets of come. I didn’t even care that someone was knocking on my door.

Wait! Someone’s knocking on my door?!

In a panic, I reached for something to clean myself with.

“Who is it?” I asked, trying to put off opening the door.

“It’s Trip and Luke,” Trip said. “Is it a bad time?”

“Um ... no! I was just working out ... wait a sec ... lemme finish this set ... um ... hold on...”

Frantically, I reached for my underwear and hastily wiped the cooling sperm from my hand. Then I tossed the sticky garment in the corner, hoping that the guys wouldn’t notice it. Finally, I looked down at my nude body and then cast about for something to wear. My workout shorts were nowhere to be found, so I snatched my khaki shorts from the floor. When I put them on, I realized that I hadn’t cleaned my sperm-covered cock.

Forget about it! I thought. Then I stuffed my slick penis into my shorts and zipped them.

When I finally answered the door, Trip and Luke must have thought I was a madman. Fortunately, I think they attributed my heaving chest and sweaty skin to my workout (although that was partly the cause). I don’t know what they made of the wild look in my eyes.

“What’s up?” Trip asked.

“Nothing much,” I said as calmly as I could.

“Can we come in for a sec?” he asked.

After a moment’s hesitation—and panic—I couldn’t think of a good excuse to keep them in the foyer. “C’mon in,” I said at last. Then I leaned against the vanity, hoping to hide the pearly signs of my orgasm.

“D’you always work out in your room?” Trip asked. “Why not go down to the Bubble? Or HPER?”

“I’ve got my weights here,” I said with affected nonchalance. Besides, I can work out in the nude and then jerk off afterward, I thought sardonically.

“I need to start working out,” Luke said. “To keep the ladies happy.” Then he glanced at me. “How much do you bench?”

“About three twenty.”

“Dit mon la verite!” he blurted.

“Huh?” Trip and I said at the same time.

“Three twenty?” Luke asked, ignoring the question.

“Give or take,” I said. “It’s been a while since I maxed out. Why?”

Luke turned to Trip. “How much can you bench?”

“Two twenty,” Trip said. “Maybe two thirty.”

“I max out at two forty,” Luke said. “Two forty. And that’s a lot of weight.”

“Well, look at him,” Trip said. “If you had a chest like that, you could probably lift three hundred and twenty pounds too.”

“No kidding,” Luke said with a whistle. Then he looked at me and laughed.

“What?” I asked defensively.

“I was just asking ‘cause I wanted to know if you’d be able to spot for me,” he explained. “Ha! I hope I’ll be able to spot for you.”

“So I guess this means you wanna start working out together?” I asked.

“Well, yeah. What’d you think I wanted to do, watch you get all hot and sweaty for fun? Although...,” he said with a goofy grin.

“You’re so bad, Luke,” Trip said.

“Mais,” Luke said. “I’ve got a reputation to uphold.” Then he turned serious. “You wanna work out with us?” he asked Trip.

“Sure. Why not? When’s a good time?”

For a few minutes, we discussed our schedules. Since none of us had classes on Tuesday or Thursday afternoons, we decided to work out on those days. We also added Saturday afternoons, so we’d have a balanced three-day regimen (chest and arms; shoulders and back; abs, sides, and legs).

“Anyway,” Trip said to me after we settled the workout schedule, “we wanted to see if you wanted to go get some pizza. You up for it?”

“Sure,” I said. “D’you mind if I invite Kendall?”

“Does she have a friend?” Luke asked. “Maybe a twin sister?”

“Her roommate’s cute,” I said.

“Abby?” Trip asked.

I nodded.

“She is cute,” he said to Luke.

“Does she have a boyfriend?” Luke asked.

I shook my head. “I don’t think so.”

“Cool,” Luke said. “Invite her too.”

“Hold on,” I said to him, “I thought you were after the waitress at the pizza place.”

“Yeah,” he said nonchalantly, “she’s got the hots for me too.”

“Man, you’re unbelievable,” Trip said, shaking his head.

“You know,” Luke said with a cocky grin, “that’s what she said.”

Trip and I merely looked at each other and laughed.

“C’mon over when you get cleaned up,” Trip said, still chuckling.

As I ushered them out the door, Luke froze. In a moment of panic, I wondered if he’d noticed the semen spots on the mirror. Or if he’d seen something else to tip him off to what I’d been doing before they arrived. He turned slowly, and my stomach knotted.

“What?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. In my mind, I made up excuses for the splatters on the counter and mirror. Unfortunately, “I was just cleaning it, and it went off,” was the best I could come up with.

“You’ve got a TV,” Luke accused.

What?! “No, I don’t,” I said, reflexively defending myself.

“Then what’s that?” he asked, pointing to my computer.

“What do you mean? That’s my computer.”

“Then what’s the TV-looking thing sitting on your desk?” he asked.

“That’s a TV,” Trip said to him, grinning wryly. “Don’t you know anything?”

“Yeah,” I said, “I guess it is a TV. But I never thought of it that way. I mean, it just came with the computer. What’s the big deal?”

“Dallas,” Luke said.

Trip and I looked at each other in confusion.

“Huh?” Trip finally asked.

“Dallas,” Luke repeated. “You know, Dallas. Who shot J.R.? Southfork? Dallas?”

“Yeah,” Trip said, “I know the show. But what about it?”

“You mean you don’t watch Dallas?”

Trip shook his head. When Luke looked at me for support, I shrugged and shook my head as well.

“You don’t watch Dallas?” Luke asked in disbelief. “Friday nights? CBS? Ten o’clock, nine central? What’ve you been doing on Friday nights?”

“Having a life?” I ventured.

“Going on dates,” Trip added, grinning at me sidelong.

“Dude,” Luke said, “girls are cool and all, but it’s Dallas.”

“I guess,” I said.

“Trust me,” he said, “you’ll love it. You’ll be here, right? Friday night?”

“You wanna watch it over here?” I asked, trying not to sound sarcastic.

“Mais, yes. I don’t care what you all are gonna do, but I’m gonna be right here on Friday nights. Just leave me the keys if you wanna go out.”

“I guess I don’t have much choice,” I said. Then Trip and I grinned at each other.

“Nope,” Luke said. “Otherwise, I’d have to go to South Carrick”—the TV lounge for both Carrick dorms was in the South Carrick lobby—”and watch it with a bunch of girls.”

“I thought you liked girls,” Trip teased.

“Oh, I do,” Luke replied. “But not while I’m watching Dallas. They talk too much, and they want you to actually pay attention to them instead of the TV.”

Once again, Trip and I laughed at Luke’s enthusiasm.

“Okay,” Trip said, still chuckling. “It’s settled. Unless Paul has some major objection...?”

I shook my head.

“Then we’ll be here on Friday nights,” Trip concluded.

“At ten o’clock,” Luke said seriously, “nine central.”

“At ten o’clock, nine central,” Trip echoed just as solemnly.

“I don’t think you’re taking this seriously,” Luke accused.

“I’m taking this as seriously as I should,” Trip said with a laugh. “Now let’s get out of here and let Paul take a shower.”

As they left, I heaved a sigh of relief. Apparently, neither of them had noticed the drops of come on the counter and mirror. I took a washcloth, wet it, and cleaned up my mess.

When I went to take off my shorts, I discovered that the semen on the head of my dick had dried and glued my sensitive skin to the fabric. I grimaced in pain as I pried myself free. Still wincing, I wrapped a towel around my waist, grabbed my shower basket, and headed for the foyer.

At least I won’t need to jerk off in the shower, I thought with a wry grin.

Later that evening, I got back to my room just as the phone started ringing.

“Hello?”

“May I please speak to Paul?” asked the voice on the other end of the line.

“This is he.”

“Oh, I didn’t recognize your voice. How are you?”

“I’m fine, thanks. Um ... who is this?” I asked. It wasn’t Kendall, and it certainly wasn’t Gina.

“Oh, sorry. It’s Susan.”

“Hi!” I gushed. Then I looked at my suitemates’ flag-draped door and decided to take the conversation into my room. “Hold on a second,” I said. “I just got in, lemme unlock my door.”

“Sure,” she said.

I fished out my keys and reached for the doorknob. Unfortunately, it was already open, which meant...

“Hey, Billy,” I said. Super.

“Hey, Paul,” he said as he looked up from his books.

“Hold on a sec,” I said to Susan. Then I looked back at Billy. “I’ll talk in the foyer.”

Back in the suite’s entryway, I looked around for someplace to talk with some privacy. The only place was the bathroom. It seemed weird, but I dragged the phone cord along and then shut the door behind me.