Chapter 15

New Year's Day, we got up pretty early, and baked cookies. Lisa told me we didn't have to bring anything, but we decided to make a batch of cookies and bring them over. I dressed in one of my new outfits.

"Very sharp," Mom said. "Good eye, Sheila." She just grinned.

Then we headed over to Lisa's house. "Here we go, into the lion's den," I said.

"Are you OK with this?"

"As long as you're here, yes."

"Good. I'm usually a very nice person, you know. I haven't fucked with anyone's mind in a long time," she giggled.

We got there, and Lisa answered the door. She didn't let us in, but motioned to step outside for a minute. "Brendan, I have to warn you," she said. "Look, I always thought you were a nice guy, and didn't like a lot of the stuff that was done to you in school. It was my Dad's suggestion that I invite you here today, but I thought it was a good idea." She looked at us, pained. "But some other people here are glad you're coming for their own devious purposes. I'm sorry."

"They think we're not going out and they'll get proof if we're around all day-and then torment me with it."

"Yes. How did you know that?" Lisa said.

"I'm the class brain, remember?" I laughed. "No, actually, Sheila figured it out. Actually, I thought you were in on it. I'm glad you're not."

"I'm not," Lisa said.

"So, what do you think?" Sheila said with a grin. "Do I have to fuck him right in the middle of the living room, or will a lot of heavy making out suffice?"

Lisa's eyes got as wide as saucers, and then she burst out laughing. "Oh, isn't this going to be an interesting afternoon!"

"Got that right," I grinned.

"Brendan, you've changed. It's good to see," Lisa said. Then she led us into the house, right at the vultures.

"Hey, where do you want these cookies, anyhow?" Lisa took them.

Craig yelled, "Oh, mommy made cookies for Brendan to bring."

"No, actually, we made them," Sheila said. "He's very handy with a spatula." Half the room looked confused, but the other half cracked up. They'd probably seen "Stripes"!

Lisa took our coats, and then looked at us. "Look at this. We bring them over so Stanford would have a rooting section, and neither of them are wearing any Stanford stuff!" She was wearing an Illinois sweatshirt. We grabbed a seat on a loveseat at the side of the room.

"Well, Sheila just got me this outfit for Christmas. Besides which, all my Stanford stuff is warm-weather."

"I'm wearing something that says Stanford on it," Sheila said with a twinkle.

"I don't see anything," Lisa's friend Chrissie said.

"I'd have to take my jeans off for you to see," Sheila grinned. "My panties, which are red, say "STANFORD" in white letters right across my ass."

"The legendary Stanford Panties," I laughed. "We have a very good bookstore out there."

Just then, Mr. Waslewski came in. "Sheila! Good to see you! Hello, Brendan."

"Hi, Mr. Waslewski," Sheila said. "Thank you very much for the help with finding me a place to swim."

"You're welcome. Scuttlebutt is that you're putting down some smoking times."

"Let's hope it holds until Nationals," she laughed.

"It will. Lisa, your mom told me to tell you that the food was ready, and out."

They had put on quite a buffet spread, in the dining room. We all went and got food and took it back into the living room. As I was eating, my cel phone rang. I fished it out of my pocket, and said, "Hello?"

An off-key voice blared into my ear, "Are you ready for some FOOTBALL?"

I cracked up laughing. "What the hell are you doing calling me?"

"Ah, we're still at the hotel, waiting for the bus to pick us up to take us to the stadium." It was Jake, of course. "I had a few minutes to kill, so I figured I'd wish you a happy New Year."

"Right back atcha."

"Sheila there?"

"Yup." I turned to Sheila. "It's Jake."

"Jake?" she said. "Calling you three hours before he has to play in the Rose Bowl? He's insane," she smiled.

"Yes, I am," Jake, who obviously heard her, said into my ear. "Are you at your house?"

"Actually, no. An old classmate of mine invited us over for a Rose Bowl slash New Year's party. But this place is lousy with Illini fans, so you'd better kick some ass, Rooms."

"Plan on it. The bus is pulling up, I gotta go. See you back at school in a few weeks."

"See you then. Break a leg, Rooms. Not your own, one of those guys'."

"Got it," he laughed, and then hung up.

"He's nuts," Sheila laughed after I hung up. "His roommate," she told the rest of the room. "Who will be playing in this game we're going to watch."

"Your roommate plays football?" Craig asked me in derision.

"My roommate won the Pac-10 Defensive Freshman of the Year award. His name's Jake Atkinson, he's a linebacker, he wears number 58, and get used to seeing him in the Illinois backfield all day long," I laughed.

After we ate, Sheila asked where the bathroom was. Lisa told her. When she came back, instead of sitting next to me, she sat right in my lap!

"So, how long have you guys been going out?" Chrissie asked her.

"Beginning of October," Sheila smiled. "We first met right after classes started, we have calculus class together. I noticed that he was good at calculus. I noticed that I was not. So I asked him if he minded helping me. We studied together for a few weeks, and I got to know him. Because of his help, I got a 91 on the first exam. So, I batted my baby blues at him and said, 'kind sir, whatsoever can I do to repay you?' He picked up on this blatant hint, asked me out to dinner, and the rest is history."

"More or less," I laughed.

"Did I forget anything?" she asked.

"Well, yeah, the part where you wouldn't leave," I laughed.

"Oh, yes. After that date-which was on a Friday night-I showed up on his doorstep at 9 the next morning. We were together until midnight. Then I showed up at 9 Sunday morning. I wore down his resistance," she giggled.