Chapter 18

Friday, I spent my lunch period sitting with Karen. She knew that Denise and I were going to the movies that night, and she was trying hard not to bring the subject up with me. She started talking to me about how much she was looking forward to having me try out her chili. She asked me if I preferred my chili over rice or over French fries. I told her it didn't matter that much to me, but I had never had it over French fries before. Right before the lunch period got over, she asked me if I would walk her home again that afternoon, after school let out. I didn't see anything wrong with that, so I told her I would.

An hour after I told Karen that I'd walk home with her, Denise came up to me asking me why I was walking Karen home, when it was supposed to be her day with me? I looked at her with a puzzled expression on my face.

"You are going out with me tonight, right?"

"That's right. I'll be at your house at six thirty."

"But, you're still planning on walking Karen home?"

"Yes. What does that have to do with you and me going out tonight?"

"Can't you see what she's trying to do? She wants to keep you thinking about her, when it is your night to be out with me."

"Denise, if you'd asked me to walk home with you today, I'd have been happy to. You didn't ask me, and she did."

"So, if I asked you to come over to my house tomorrow morning and take me out for a walk, before you went to Karen's house, that would be fair to you?"

"Sure, why not? What difference would that make?"

"Would you?"

"Come over tomorrow morning and go for a walk with you?"

"Yes."

"Sure. How about we go out riding our bikes somewhere? We could go for a nice ride out to Cheltham Corners and back. I could come over early. We'd need to be back at your house by eleven though. Should I meet you at your house at seven thirty?"

"I can't tomorrow. We're leaving too early, and I need to get my hair done in the morning. I just was trying to show you how it isn't fair for Karen to get you to walk her home on my day."

"You know, Denise, I really thought you and Karen had worked all of this out before. I think I told you that it makes me uncomfortable to see you two acting this way."

"She started it. We had it all worked out before, except now she has lunch with you almost everyday, plus, she asks you to walk her home when it's my day."

"I can see what you're saying now, Denise. I didn't see it the right way before. I'll walk her home today, just because I already told her I would. Tonight though, after the movie, I'm going to give you all of the kisses and the touches I would have given her on Saturday, in addition to the ones I was planning on giving you anyway. How late do you normally get to stay out on a date?"

"I think I can stay out to twelve o'clock, maybe later if I had a good reason to."

"Tell your parents that we might all go out to Frank's for something to eat after the movies. See if they will let you stay out until one." Frank's was the local kids hang out. They served hamburgers, fries, hot dogs, sandwiches, fountain drinks and ice creams.

"Suppose they won't let me stay out that late?"

"Then I guess I'll have to give Karen whatever is left over that we didn't finish. If you want, we can do all the best stuff first, and then what's left won't be that important. Just some kissing and hand holding, things like that."

"Are you going to tell Karen that I got her kisses and stuff?"

"You know I don't talk about what I did on a date. It will be our secret. Unless you decide to tell her about it. It would make me real mad if you did."

"Wouldn't she get suspicious if I took all of it?"

"I can't help that Denise, fair is fair. She had no business horning in on your day like this."

"That's exactly how I see it too, Larry. This will teach her a lesson. I'll ask my mom if I can stay out until one."