Chapter 15: Peter

Valentine's Day falls on a Saturday. I actually beg - first my Dad, then my Mom. I even ask Granddad to back me up. He laughed and stayed out of it. Alex begged Uncle George and Aunt Stacy and finally, a week before, our parents give in.

"Alright! Alright! Enough!! Yes, you can get a room!"

"Yes!" Alex and I high five.

"On the condition that Beth stays with you." Dad adds.

"What?" Alex and I are dumbfounded at the same time Beth is stunned.

"Really?" she launches at Dad, "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" she actually covers him with kisses then sprints for the stairs, "I have got to call..." Her bedroom door slams shut.

"Dad..."

"Hey," Dad cuts me off, "You want a hotel room after the dance, you take your sister with you. End of deal."

I think for a minute. We won't be the only people who manage to get a room at the hotel; odds are, I can pawn Beth off on to someone else for a while and Alex, Leigh, Michelle and I can have the room to ourselves. "Ok." I say before he can change his mind.

The rest of the week is spent in anxious anticipation of the Sweetheart Dance. Happily, it's the biggest stress I've got right now.

Alex hasn't been a big deal thanks largely to the fact that Leigh likes being spanked almost as much as he does. Alex is permanently attached to the Ballroom dance team because he can actually play Spanish guitar so they get extra points during competitions for having a live musician. Leigh joined the team so now the two of them salsa a lot. They've been going steady for almost two months and it's taken most of the weirdness out of my life. Alex still obeys the rules but we don't fool around 'cause he has Leigh.

And I have Michelle.

I know I'm too young, but I think I've fallen in love with Michelle. I can't wait to see her every day. I don't even want to have sex with her - I mean I do want to, but it's not only that I want to - I want to be with her, talk to her, see her. Swim team at the rec center takes up most of my after school time - most days either at the pool or the gym but as soon as I can, I call her. We spend as much time together as possible.

Swimming is going well, so far. I'm taller now than last year and wider. But I managed to shave almost a minute off my 400-meter and my 1,500-meter time so now I hold both rec center and county records. I'm still a few tenths shy of the a State record but I still have high hopes of breaking at least one this year. The coach is pushing me to compete out-of-state a lot this year and to try a couple Open Water competitions. He thinks my times are Olympic level. I guess I have Alex to thank for that. I've always gotten up early for a 5k swim before school in the Cockerell but ever since I pulled him out, I've been pushing myself to swim further and faster. Beth joined the girls team at school this year and so far, she's doing ok - BB-level, though, so I tease her about being slow since I'm AAA. She does open water with me in the mornings now.

Life, for once, is pretty good.

The Sweetheart Dance is one of the four big annual dances our high school always has. I mean, we have a lot of dances but this one's a big deal. I rent a tux. Alex and I plan to take Leigh, Michelle and Beth to dinner at the best restaurant in town first. Beth doesn't have a date - she and geek boy broke up shortly after the last dance and she hasn't dated much since.

When she comes downstairs, ready to leave I can't begin to imagine why. She's wearing pink - a popular color tonight - but with her hair curled and the long gloves she looks like Selma Hayek in her heyday. I have to face the uncomfortable truth - my sister is hot. She's curvy not skinny but not an ounce of it is excess body fat. The dress hugs her like a second skin leaving me to wonder if she's wearing anything under it and promising good things to anyone who finds out.

"What you think?" She asks, turning slowly in front of me.

I think the boys in my school are all either stupid, blind or fags but I'm not gonna say that. "Pretty dress. You still cross-eyed."

She rolls her eyes, "Mom!" she looks in the mirror anyway, "I am not."

Mom sooths Beth and admonishes me, and I relax a bit, secure in the knowledge that teasing my sister is still more fun than checkin' out her ass. Which is perfect.

Dad stands next to me, "You'll keep an eye on her?" he says quietly.

"Every god damn minute."

He glances at me, "Actually, you lookin' pretty sharp too."

"Thanks."

"Say Hi ta Michelle for me."

"I will."

"An' you make me uh grandfather, Ima sign yo' trust fund ova' to her, hear?"

"Loud and clear, sir." That is not an idle threat; it's a clause in the family trust account. "Condoms are your friend." He nods and goes back into the den.

Mom primps Beth for a while longer then fusses with my tie and tells me how to handle the girls that will swarm all over me. There's something wonderful about having your Mom fuss over you. Eventually, however, Beth and I manage to get out the door and pick up Alex. I drop off our bags at the motel and get the room key. Then we pick up Leigh and Michelle and go to dinner.

Michelle was ready and waiting by her door when I got to her place so it's a true revelation when I take her coat at the restaurant and see her encased in black and red satin. It's a little tighter than might be best for her full figure but her cleavage is staggering so I'm not complaining.

"No comments?" she says when she gets tired of my staring at her.

"No breath to comment with." I manage, "That's stunning. Wow."

She smiles and sits. I razz Alex about wearing a suit that matches Leigh's dress but since the Ballroom Dancers are supposed to do a number tonight, he didn't have much choice. Dinner is excellent and Alex, Beth and I get to show off a bit since Davidson Fishery supplies the 'catch of the day'. When the manager finds out who we are, he and the chief come out to speak to us and comp our meal - which was great.

The school gym is packed when we get there. Alex and Leigh grab his guitar and head in one direction while I escort Michelle and Beth into the dance. We snag a table and I get three cups of punch. It's a dance and eventually dance things happen. Someone finally wakes up and sees Beth and once she's out on the dance floor, I have a hard time keeping an eye on her.

I'm not trying too hard as I'd just as soon be back in the car makin' out with Michelle. She's distracted tonight, however, and I keep seeing her looking past me for something. "Everything ok?" I ask her finally.

"Hmmm? Oh. Fine." She smiles at me then pulls me out on the dance floor. I can dance. I mean, really dance. The only way a white boy like me goes out with as many black girls as I do is 'cause I can dance and I can fuck.

Which is what I'm thinking when I see Trina walk in on Jamal's arm. Jamal, the tall undeniably handsome bro' that is the starting center for Essex's championship basketball team. 'Bet he can't make her scream.' The thought doesn't particularly console me but seeing Michelle's eyes narrow at me does. I can't help but grin. I pull her over and kiss her softly. "Have I told you, you look awesome tonight?"

"You best keep yo' eyes on the prize." She snaps.

"Why don't we go somewhere an' I'll show you how good you look."

"Why don't you just keep dancing."

Shortly thereafter, the music stops and Alex comes out on the stage. He plays for about five minutes - which leaves no room for doubt that he know what he's doing - then two dancers come out and cha-cha or tango or something Latin and sexy and I gotta admit that I'm shocked that they let high school students do that in public places.

I lean over to Michelle, "Let's take up Latin dance." She rolls her eyes. She does not smile coyly which is what I expected. I move closer to her, "Are you gonna tell me what's wrong or Ima have ta spend the night playin' twenty questions?"

"God!" she huffs, "You are such a drag! Nothin' wrong." The dancing continues and Alex and Leigh join the dancers on the stage.

People applaud around us. I applaud because they applaud, but really I'm trying to figure out what's up with Michelle. Alex and Leigh join us as at the table as does Beth and some guy I don't recognize. He's holding her hand but that stops when he sees me glaring at him. I go back to thinking about Michelle. She's been a bit distant all week but I hadn't really put much stock in it - I've been busy, she's been busy, it's not that big a deal.

Suddenly there's more applause and a spotlight on our table. I realize that everyone is looking at me. Alex tilts his head at the stage and bit confused, I stand up.

"Ladies and gentleman, our Prince of Hearts." Says Ms. Karas, the school counselor, "Come on up, Peter, don't be shy."

I half smile on my way up to the stage - shy is not one of those things I'm often accused of. When I get on stage, she reads the winner of the 'King of Hearts', Shawn Evans, quarterback extraordinaire. There are a few whistles as he joins me on stage. Ms. Karas makes a production out of presenting us with crowns, scepters and sashes. Then she announces the Princess of Hearts - my next dance partner.

Trina.

Trina of the red silk. Trina shining star of my night. I get a boner watching her walk up the stairs to get her crown. For a moment her back's to me and I see that her dress is backless to the waist. One dance. No touching, no flirting, no looking, I tell myself. Think of Michelle. I look away from Trina and find Michelle in the crowd. Alex has his head buried in Leigh's shoulder - no doubt laughing - but Michelle looks pissed. If looks could kill, there wouldn't be enough left of me ta bury. Suddenly the spotlight illuminates our table again and Beth squeals. As the whole applause thing happens again, I realize that I wasn't paying attention to the Queen of Hearts announcement. Sure enough, a crown, sash and scepter are presented to Beth.

I lean over to Evans, "Hurt my baby sister an' I'll have Alex break yo' fuckin' arm." I step back and gesture him forward to collect his dance partner. Then I move forward and offer Trina my arm. She frowns - apparently she and Michelle are on the same page - then takes it. We walk down the steps as the intro to an oldie starts. Then I realize, I know this one. Mom used to play the album constantly. Michael Jackson's "Lady in my Life." I slip my arm around Trina's waist and take her hand. Moments don't get any more perfect than this.

I find myself singing the song in her ear.

"Don't start, white boy." She mutters, "You ain't Michael."

'White boy' not 'Peter'. There is still hope. I can feel her heart beat; it's faster than this slow dance would warrant.

"Does he eat you, Chocolate?" I whisper in her ear, "Does he make you scream like I do?"

"Yes, everyday." She says too quickly. Her heart beat's pounding against my chest.

"If things hadn't happened with Alex an' Lisa, would we still be together?"

"No!"

I look at her, "Why not?"

She tsk's me, "'Cause you ask too many stupid questions like that." She rolls her eyes, "I'm through."

"Yeah, but the song's not over."

"I said I'm through."

"Chocolate ... please." I want to kiss her. I can't. God, please, the song's only three minutes, let me hold her for that long.

Someone must have heard me because she leans against me again and we go back to swaying to the music. I close my eyes and pretend that I'm not gonna have to let her go eventually.

My little fantasy is broken by a tap on my shoulder. Jamal. I want to punch him or at least argue. Instead, I let her go and let him cut in. I stand there for a moment then go back to my table. As I get closer, Michelle gets up, walks over to another guy, and nearly drags him to the dance floor. I give that about a minute before I walk over and give him the same look I give Alex when he takes too long to obey a direct order. It must be a good look because poor Scott just about falls trying ta get outta my way. The music changes tempo and Michelle and I dance through the next three songs, whatever anger or jealousy there was is lost in the movement. I can not be mad at her when she slithers against me like that. Dancing like this is specifically against the school's rules but the gym is packed and there is no way that Ms. Karas and the other chaperones are gonna catch every couple.

After enough of that I lead Michelle outside and in the first semi-secluded spot I find, I kiss her. She responds at first then pushes away.

"What?" I snap which may have been a little more brusque than the moment called for.

"I donno." She snaps back, "What?"

"Michelle," I nuzzle her neck, "What up? Come on."

"Stop." She shrugs away from me, "I'm not playin' wi'chu"

"What?" I let her go but I don't move away. She can move if she really wants to.

She does. "Maybe I'm just not inta royalty."

I don't believe she just said that, "Oh, come on! You can't tell me you upset about that stupid thing." I toss the crown aside. "There. Whatever."

"Maybe I'm not upset about the contest."

I think for a minute, then I get it. "Do not tell me you're jealous."

"I don't know. Should I be?"

"Michelle, come on! It was one dance." I try to pull her back but she yanks her arm away. "You know I'm not like that."

"I know you say you not like that. But if-n you gonna be all up in her, why you got ta do it in my face?"

"What? Michelle, it was one dance." I grab her and turn her to face me. "One dance. That's all."

"Why you think Jamal stepped up?" I hadn't actually thought about it. She rolls her eyes at me, "'Cause you two looked like dogs in heat. Shoudda turned the fire hose on you."

"Michelle," I can't think of anything to say to that. "I'm with you, now."

"Oh, so you were thinking of me while you were wrapped up tight around Trina?"

"Of course I was thinking about Trina!" I realize the slip when she slaps me. I don't stop her as she stomps off. I think she dislocated my jaw. I don't think it's a good idea to follow her right now; I'll find her after she's had a minute to cool off.

I wander around the building. The night is clear and cool but not cold. The moon's out and bright and there are stars. Poetry is written about nights like this. Girls get talked into their first times. Guys propose. You'd have to be a pretty big loser to be wandering around alone on a night like this. Yep; pretty big loser. I turn around and head back inside; if I hurry, maybe I can apologize to her before she goes home with someone else.

My plan is derailed when I see Shawn leading Beth out of the dance and around the far side of the building. I don't need to think about it; in that direction, I know where he's going. The locker room. I follow them. I open the door quietly - when I break his arm, I wanna tell Dad I caught him in the act.

I'm a bit surprised by the conversation.

"Beth, are you sure? Your brother's gonna kill me he finds out."

"Peter's a dick." They both giggle over the very old joke, "Come on. You got a condom?"

"Yeah. Hang on." I hear a locker open and the sounds of a man desperately searching. "Look, it's cool without one, right? Trust me, I'll pull out. I do it lots of times."

"No glove, no love." I smile. Beth's voice is flat; he's gonna have trouble if he thinks he can talk her out of that.

He must have come to the same conclusion. I hear the locker close and another open. This happens twice more then, victorious 'aha'. He laughs, "Guess who?"

"Who?"

"McElroy."

Beth giggles, "He a little slut."

"Thank him for me later."

"Make it worth my time."

I leave while they're still kissing. I don't want to hear any more than that.

Alex runs into me as I head back to the gym. Leigh is in tow. "Hey, Peter, Michelle just left."

"How?" I can't figure this one, "She came with us."

"Yeah. Well." He and Leigh exchange looks. I look at Alex. I must be getting good at this because he looks around nervously then swallows hard. "She, uh, left with Scott."

She left with Scott. She danced with Scott then she left with Scott. I bite back on what I want to say. "Perfect."

"Yeah." Alex replies. I see Leigh tug his arm and he tugs back. They're pretty anxious to find their own private spot but Alex is waiting for my ok. My rotten night is not his fault. I give him the car keys. He grins. I gesture toward the gym. "I'm gonna find a new dance partner."

"Right. Later. Thanks." He hurries toward the parking lot.

I call out after him, "Hey, Alex? Like the ad says, "No rules, just right."

He stops and even from that distance I can see him mouth 'I love you'. "No doubt!" He yells back and waves excitedly. He slaps Leigh on the ass as they speed away. I smile wanly - at least his evening won't be a loss. Beth's either. Just me.

I wander into the gym - picking up my crown as I pass it. Mom will probably bronze it. Inside it's still packed so I can probably find several dance partners if I really want to. I suddenly realize that I'm looking for Trina and not seeing either her or Jamal. Perfect.

I find a girl standing alone and ask her to dance. I don't know her but she looks the way I feel so maybe I'm a step up for her - I'm the Prince, right? She kinda plain over all and skinny but she has a nice smile when she looks as me and miles of long wavy brown satin hair. I smile when she pleads that she's not a good dancer. "We can stay right here." I'm charming. I'm handsome. She says yes. Eventually, I get her out on to the dance floor. I give her the sash by the end of the night and a kiss at the last dance. I walk her back to her friend's car. I wave goodbye as they pull off. Then I realize didn't ask her name.

Hopefully, that made her night. Hell, that probably made her year. I smile to myself as I walk back to the gym - my good deed for the year. Everybody had a good time. Alex. Leigh. Beth. Shawn. Jamal. Scott. Whatshername. Peter the good Samaritan.

Beth and Shawn are sitting on bench in front of the building. They switched sashes. Beth's hair is wrecked but it would be if she'd been dancing all night. I try and look like I don't know where they were.

"Thanks for waiting with me." She looks away from him shyly. How long has she been fooling Dad an' me with those looks?

"No doubt. I'll call you tomorrow, right?"

"Ok."

"Hey, Shawn, you uh senior, right?" I ask.

"Yeah."

"You know my sister's fifteen, right?" He goes just a touch pale, "My dad's uh lawyer and Granddad's Sheriff Boson. You heard uh 'statutory rape', right?"

"Dude, chill?" He takes a step back looking nervously between Beth and I, "I swear I didn't touch her."

"Yeah." I sneer at him - what a liar. "You tell my Dad that tomorrow when you call."

"Yeah. Whatever." He gives Beth a fleeting glance I can't quite read then all but flees for the parking lot.

Beth hits me hard, "You asshole!"

" ... oww!..."

"You jerk!" she hits me again. "He's a nice guy! He's quarterback! You asshole!"

"Oww!" I try to protect myself but not too hard, "He uh lie."

"How do you know?"

"Well, first of all, I heard you two in the locker room."

Her eyes go round, "You did not!"

"Alex keeps a box of condoms in his locker and you guys had to use one 'cause you told Mr. Quarterback, 'no glove, no love'." She hides her face in her hands. I let her suffer for a minute then tug on her hand. "Come on, whatd'ya think? I'm not gonna tell Dad. I just wanted ta, you know, keep him in line. Guys lie. Believe me, I know." I mimic his voice, "Trust me, I'll pull out."

"He woulda."

I laugh, "He just told me he didn't touch you. Beth, come on, seriously, he totally woulda pulled out - after. And then promised to be there if you got pregnant." She looks like she wants to argue but can't think of any defense. "Anyway, you did it right - right? He used the condom, right?"

She rolls her eyes and blushes, "Yes, Peter."

"Then, ok."

"Ok?"

"Ok. Really." I check my watch and glance around the lot. I do not see Alex or Leigh. Or my car. I call Alex. I wait five minutes and call him again. "I'll kill him." I mutter under my breath every time his line rolls to voicemail. Finally, I sigh deeply and look at Beth. "Alex has the car. We can see if someone's left who can give us a ride, call Mom an' Dad, wait for Alex or walk."

The hotel is about a mile away - maybe a half hour walk. She looks at the sky and smiles. "Let's walk."

It's eleven pm in 'Hicksville'. There's not much traffic. We start walking. After a while, Beth takes off her high heels and walks in her stocking feet since where we are it's mostly grass not asphalt.

"Pretty night." She muses.

"Yeah." Romantic night. Night she should have a boyfriend and I should be with Michelle. Alex is a dead man.

"The dance was fun."

"Yeah." I look at her and smile, "Queen. Mom'll flip."

"Yeah."

We're both silent for a while.

"Peter?"

"Yeah?" There's not much traffic but there is some and it gets heavier as we get closer to the main drag. My concentration is split between keeping her safe and deciding what to do to Alex.

"Can I ask you somethin'?"

"Course."

"How far have you an' Michelle gone?"

I wonder if tonight was her first time. "Why?"

"Just wondered." She shrugs. "I kinda thought you'd gone, you know, all the way.

"Yeah," I admit, "we have."

"Oh." She falls silent and I realize that that wasn't her real question. I wait for her to work it out. "Do you ... well, does Michelle ... Do you know if..." I can see in her face she's struggling with this one.

"Maybe you should ask Mom..."

"Mom get all weird about sex. One minute she's telling me it's great and the next she's saying that I should never ever do it."

I laugh, "Yeah, I guess so. She wants you to know about it just not do it. You know, with quarterbacks."

She blushes and hits me.

"Cross-eyed."

"Asshole."

We laugh and walk on.

"They just wanna protect you. Keep us both from, you know, startin' out like they did."

"Yeah. But we're not like them. And-" she stops short.

"And?"

"And I wanna do it. I like it. I think."

"You think?" I glance at her and see the pained confusion on her face, "Either you like it or you don't." I stop walking and grab her arm. "If someone's forcing..."

"No, not that. Just..."

I wait a minute and when she doesn't speak up right away, let her go and start walking again.

"How do you know if you doin' it right?"

"Right?" I frown. I've done a lot of research - thanks to Alex. A whole lot. "Nothin's right, Beth. But then, nothin's wrong either. If everybody's -uh - you know - 'happy' in the end, it's done right."

We walk for a bit. I wonder why God made everyone come to me with their weird sex issues.

"So... ?"

"Yeah?" I really, really, really don't want to have this conversation.

"When you an' Michelle, you know do it, are you always, you know," she pauses and exaggerates the word "'happy' when you're done?"

"Always." I say smiling. Then I remember that this is my sister, "But it's different with guys. That's why you can't trust us. I mean a strong breeze makes some guys 'happy', ok? Girls are different. Harder. You have ta actually try an' make her 'happy' most of the time or it don't happen."

"Does Michelle?"

I smile again, "Always. I make sure of it."

"Oh."

She thinks about that for a while before she asks her next question. "How do you know?"

"Well, for one thing, I ask her."

"Oh."

"But I can tell. I mean, I know how she does - is - how she acts when I get it right."

"Oh."

"I mean, when a guy makes you 'happy' you know right?"

"No."

"No?" We're near the plaza and the traffic's heavier. I look at her thinking she didn't hear my question but her face tells me she did, "Whatd'ya mean 'no'?"

"I mean, I can't tell."

"Beth, you can tell. Believe me, if you can't tell, you ain't done it yet."

"Oh." She looks away from me.

I can see broken glass and other debris so I make her put her shoes back on while I consider this information. "Was tonight your first time? Maybe..."

She shakes her head.

"No?" I don't really mean to sound shocked but she's my little sister. "No?"

She gives me an impatient look, "No, 'Dad', Shawn wasn't first. Garrison was. Last summer."

"Garrison? On the Pride? First mate Gar?"

She ducks her head shyly, pleased with the memory, "I worked the Pride last summer. He's a nice guy, Peter, calm down."

"He's like forty! You're fuckin' fifteen!"

She sighs, exasperated, "He's 25 and yes, he knew I was under age. That's why we didn't tell anyone."

"Oh, he is so fired." I pull out my phone but she stops me.

"Peter! Peter, please!" She looks at me, "I had a major crush on him. I came on to him - I asked him to be first. Better him than one of the assholes at school. He took his time, he wore a condom and I'm really glad it was him. Please don't tell. Please?"

I frown, shrug, and put the phone away. I am so telling Dad when we get home.

We continue to walk. "Shit!" I finally let out, "If he was gonna pop you the least he coulda done is give you one!"

"He probably did."

"No, he didn't."

"How did you know?"

"I know 'cause you don't know. If he did, you would know." The hotel's in sight and even from here, I can see my car in the lot. "If he's asleep, Ima kill him."

When we get to the door of our room, I can already hear moaning and groaning, growing louder. As I unlock the door, there's a sudden piercing scream and the sound of Alex cuming hard. Beth pushes past me into the room and flips the light switch.

Alex is tied to the headboard with his tie and her stockings. There are visible scratches on his chest and stomach. Leigh is straddling him and judging by the color of her ass, he must have spanked her for an hour before hand. She collapses on top of him, panting and groaning. Alex is sweating and swearing. It's another minute or two before either of them notices the light.

"No one ever done that." Beth breathes.

I frown at her, grab her by the wrist and throw her in the bathroom. "Stay put." I go back to the bed, ignore Leigh's shock and Alex's nonchalance, and untie him. "Take her home. Now." He starts to argue but I glare at him and he falls in line.

He pushes her off of himself - a little rougher than I'd like - and gets up. "Come on." He says tossing her dress to her. He hustles her out as soon as she's decent.

The shower's running in the bathroom. I sit down and call Michelle only to find that she's blocked my number. "Perfect." I bang the back of my head against the wall. I can't kill Alex yet, I can't yell at Beth yet and I can't argue with Michelle yet. It's official; I hate my life.

I must have dozed off while sitting there. I have the most vivid dream that I'm getting a blow job. Michelle. I reach down and run my fingers through her hair but it's too straight. I'd say it was Alex but the mouth feels wrong and his hair is shorter. Slowly I realize that I'm not dreaming. I wish I were. Whoever this is, is really good; I want to enjoy this for as long as I can. The back of my mind ponders - not Michelle, not Alex, Leigh left and the only other person here is...

I keep my eyes shut. "Beth?"

The lips stop, "Yes?"

I don't know enough swear words for this moment. "What the fuck are you doin'?"

"Why? Don't you like it?"

I open my eyes and stare at her - on her knees, wrapped in a towel, between my thighs, "Are you fuckin' high?"

"Yeah, a little." She admits. She bends her head down again but I stop her with one hand and do my best to stuff my junk out of sight with the other.

"What do you mean, 'yeah a little'?"

"I had a little weed, I smoked it."

"You had..." I can't speak. She had weed. She's as bad as Alex. She's worse than Alex - at least he was illegally obtaining legal substances. "Have you lost yo' damn mind?"

"Peter, relax."

"Relax? Relax?" These kids say the damnest things, "Relax? You havin' sex with crewmen! You doin' drugs! You want me to relax? How fuckin' high are? Do you have any clue what you doin'?"

"I'm givin' my big brother uh hummer." She says soberly.

"An' you don't think they's anythin' wrong with that?" I'm yelling - hell, I'm practically screaming.

"You could always ask me why."

I throw my hands up. How does Dad do this? "Ok. Ok. Why, Beth? Why do you have a little weed?"

"Oh." She looks surprised, "That. Don't you ever..."

"No, Beth, never. Not ever."

"Oh. Uh," she pauses, "Oh."

"When Dad finishes with you, you gonna be grounded til Hell freeze ova."

"Come on, Peter, it's not all that. I'll flush it." She gets up and the towel falls away. The pink dress is a promise fulfilled as her round hips and full breasts find her purse, pull out a joint and sway toward the bathroom. I hear the toilet flush. "There," she says leaning on the doorframe, "Happy?"