Chapter 14

Mary Ann

Well, looks like I misjudged Francine. She took the news about Sally's and my relationship with Larry a lot different than I thought she would. Or maybe we should have been a little more specific about it when we talked about it before.

Sally and I didn't tell her everything, especially how it started, but the only thing that mattered was she didn't like the idea of sharing a boyfriend with us. I guess I really should have considered that, especially since I may make a career of thinking about stuff like that.

Let's face it, the real damage done was to Larry and he didn't even have a say in it. Now I had to explain to him, somehow, that I might have screwed over his possible relationship with a girl he really liked.

Obviously there was still a chance that Francine would think it over and see the advantages of our little group, but that didn't matter right now, we had to explain what had happened to Larry before he talked to Francine and got blindsided with it.

Larry

When I got home from running errands for dad, mom told me I'd had a call from Sally and she thought it might be important.

I called her house immediately.

"Sally? What's up?"

"Oh, Larry. Finally! We need to talk, can you meet us at Mary Ann's?"

"I need to eat supper first, Mom has it on the table." I knew better than to brush off Mom's meals. If she didn't complain about me not being there, I'd get at least the silent treatment for a couple of days.

"Half an hour, then?"

"That's about right."

I was not a good table partner for supper, wondering what the big deal could be to get Sally so concerned. She pretty much takes everything in stride.

Thirty five minutes later we were all gathered in Mary Ann's room.

Sally gulped as Mary Ann nodded her head toward her.

"Larry, I think we ... I ... might have got you in trouble with Francine. She knows about us."

That set me back. I'd been working out a scenario to use to let her in on the secret a little at a time. Tell the truth, I'd actually considered the options of not telling her at all, just breaking it off with the girls, and also telling her and breaking it off. And, last, just telling her we could date but not as boyfriend/girlfriend. I still had a thing for Mary Ann, after all.

"How did that happen?"

"Well ... errr ... she said some things that tell me she really likes you and wants to get serious."

"So... ?"

"Well, she kept asking Mary Ann and me what our relationship with you is ... and sorta asked if she could date you, if you asked her out."

"So you TOLD her about our little sex club?"

"Not everything, not how it started. We just sorta implied it happened gradually."

I was pretty steamed. The girls didn't have the right to do that. We'd all agreed that we would talk about it before any one of us told anyone else. I'd always assumed that I would talk to them about telling Francine or anyone else. I certainly wouldn't have told some guy either one of them liked. Not without talking to them. I wouldn't tell some guy, at all. And I told the girls as much.

Mary Ann now spoke for the first time.

"We know you wouldn't, Larry. We screwed up. We like Francine and we were only trying to help, but it was the wrong thing to do."

I knew that, of course, the girls were only trying to help. I went home and tried to call Francine. Her mom told me to wait and she would get her. A few minutes later she told me Francine wasn't there.

I called again that evening. Francine still 'wasn't home'.

I called at nine. Francine was 'in the shower'.

Next day, I also called several times with no better result. Now I was to the point of trying to find her outside her house and force her to talk to me. Problem being; I really didn't know what I was going to say. Except I really liked her and I wanted to explain.

It occurred to me several times over those few days that I could hypnotize her if only I could get her attention. I wasn't sure I wanted to do that. I'd not used the talent much except to play tricks on the girls; especially while we were having sex.

For instance one time I was screwing Sally, I'd dropped the key word, said a few words, and suddenly Sally opened her eyes to think she saw Wilbur Magnusson on top of her, naked, grinning and grunting. She screamed. Wilbur ... how do I put this ... is not exactly the most attractive guy in our school. In fact, he's fat, has buck teeth and BO and his face is covered with zits. Sally told Mary Ann, who thought that was hilarious. So funny that the next time I was in bed with her, I suddenly found myself plowing Wilbur's sister Harriet. Who might as well have been his twin.

We did that a couple more times before it got old and we called a truce. Mary Ann and I did, anyway. Sally was pissed off she couldn't play the game without Mary Ann doing the trick for her.

At any rate, I didn't have any intention of ever hypnotizing anyone else to get my way. My minor depression showed at home, though, and my mom asked me several times what was bothering me. I shrugged it off but she kept at me. I finally told her that there was a problem. I liked Francine but she misunderstood why I was friends with Sally and Mary Ann. I didn't say anything else. I always wondered if Mom knew the truth and, years later, I found out she did.

A few days after I'd given up trying to call, and decided against catching her away from the house, my mom asked me to take her to the mall. Her car was in the shop, and dad was on a trip in his. As we were leaving the mall, I saw Francine walking into the food court. She was with Janelle, Janelle's boyfriend 'Bradd the quarterback' and another guy on the football team.

I could pretty much figure out what was going on and I was a little shook up. As far as I knew, the girls had never discussed Janelle with Francine. After all, the new 'no gossip' rule happened at the first chance they would have had to say something.

Thus I was sure she had no idea just how shallow her new friend was. Or how hanging around with Janelle would put her back into the same rut she'd complained about in her previous school. In other words, she would probably end up screwing to get dates, just as Janelle did.

Of course, that was my somewhat biased point of view. In reality there were plenty of couples who had sex with no major repercussions, but I was pretty sure that didn't just happen in Culverville, her previous schools didn't seem much different from what she'd said. So I felt justified in questioning her judgment. And, besides that, I was daydreaming about having sex with Francine even more than I did before. I suppose I was lusting after the no longer attainable.