“‘I know that Bill Rogers and his group of friends ruined my reputation. It didn’t help that people started spreading rumors that I gave blowjobs for money. I imagined if I became David’s girlfriend, all that would go away. I hate high school and all the petty cliques and hateful things people say. In retrospect, I guess it was too much to expect from him.
“‘I’d waited until David was finally single. I’d missed my chance before, but wasn’t missing it this time. Looking back, throwing myself at him was probably a mistake. It played right into what everyone thinks of me: that I’m a slut. For David, I was willing to be his slut. I mean, seriously. We’ve all seen him with his shirt off.
“‘Getting him into bed was no easy feat. Apparently, all his friends warned him off. Then he got it into his head we were related.’”
“I wonder if I can get a restraining order or something and have that taken down,” I said out loud, which was a mistake.
“Oh, please. You’d deprive us of having fun at your expense? Let me read you the rest,” she begged.
“Might as well get this over with,” I said.
“‘I still can’t believe we did it and I’m crying about it. I can’t go into detail right now. Maybe I’ll be able to write about it later, but my plan fell apart. I’m not David’s girlfriend. Now everyone will know I really am a slut, that is, if you consider willingly having actual sex with one guy a slut.
“‘David was nice but firm that he wasn’t ready to have a relationship. I guess I’m happy he didn’t play any games with me.
“‘Oh, I almost forgot. He named his penis. He talked to it like it was his best friend Mr. Happy,’” Tami said.
“Laugh it up,” I grumped.
“Oh, settle down. In another blog entry, Lisa tells about the sex being far better than she ever could have imagined.”
“Yeah, like anyone’ll remember that one,” I complained.
“Lighten up, Francis,” Tami said.
Her mom had said that to me one day and had laughed when I had no idea what it meant. She made Tami, Jeff, Alan, and I watch the movie
“I can’t go to school today. All anyone’s going to remember is that I thought we were related, she cried after we had sex, and I call my manhood ‘Mr. Happy,’” I protested.
“Yes, they’ll tease you. How often does Mr. Perfect show a chink in his armor? You’re man enough to handle it. And remember, we all know she was just venting,” Tami assured me.
“So, this isn’t a big deal?” I asked.
You would think I was a comedian! I hung up on her peals of laughter and took Duke for a run.
◊◊◊
When I got home, I had a message from Tami that literally called me a big baby. I took a shower and ran downstairs to eat breakfast. Dad was making pancakes, so today wasn’t a complete loss. He turned when I came in.
“Seriously … Mr. Happy?” he asked.
“Frick!” I said, and Mom and Peggy burst out laughing.
I couldn’t wait to get out of town.
◊◊◊
When I was dropped off at school, Pam, Tracy, and Lisa were waiting for me. Lisa looked like she was about to cry, so I manned up and gave her a hug.
“Told you he wouldn’t be mad,” Tracy said.
I looked over Lisa’s shoulder, and Pam and Tracy were begging me to be cool about it. I would guess that Lisa was worried. It was a good thing that they caught me early because if I’d had to play nice at the end of the day, it wouldn’t have happened.
My day proceeded about like you’d expect. To top it off, there were quizzes in all my classes.
I called Frank, and he worked his magic. The blog had been posted on the Lincoln High chat board that only students of Lincoln High had access to. I really didn’t care how Frank did it, but he got in and took it down. Could be it was when I gave him
◊◊◊
When I got home, the car was already packed. The plan was to pick up Cassidy, then Brook and her parents. We would fly to Miami and then to San Juan, Puerto Rico and spend the night in a hotel. Tomorrow we would begin our adventure and sail the southern Caribbean.
◊◊◊
Chapter 28 – Cheeseburger in Paradise Saturday March 26
We all welcomed the change in weather. We left fifty degrees to arrive at a high of eighty-five today. I stopped at the hotel gift store, bought sunscreen, and then met everyone for breakfast. A couple of preteens wanting autographs stopped me on the way to our table. The
“I just got a text. All our gear has arrived at the boat,” Brook said.
Brook had arranged for most of our stuff to be shipped ahead of time. Neither of us wanted to lug our dive gear and a week’s worth of clothes. Her forethought had allowed us to pack just enough to get us to the boat today.
“Isn’t it nice when our kids are finally old enough to organize our vacations?” Ava asked Mom.
