“I hate it when you do that,” I mimicked.
“Dick.”
“Hey, just tell me already. Trying to get me to fight with you won’t work.”
Beth thought for a moment and sighed.
“You know how our moms are about wanting to join the families. Greg and I had been brought up knowing that one day, we would fulfill their dream and give them lots of grandbabies to fuss over. It had been so ingrained in us that we never even questioned it.
“He wasn’t quite the nerd you were in middle school, so we went to the school dances together. Everyone knew that we were a couple. I didn’t even consider dating anyone else. I don’t think Greg did, either.
“What you have to understand is that we didn’t do anything other than be friends. He never suggested we play doctor or make out. Looking back on it, it was sweet. I never had the same issues many girls had, where they were worried if a boy liked them or not. I just knew that when the time came, Greg would be the one.
“Everything was fine until high school. Like you, your brother had his growth spurt over the summer. I’d developed earlier, so when his hormones kicked in … it became interesting. Well, that, and your uncle put ideas into his head,” Beth revealed.
“What?” I asked in shock.
“Remember when you and Tami would go to summer camp together?” she asked.
I thought back; we’d gone to camp a few times. She had to be talking about the last trip. Tami’s mom would send her, and I would go too. The first time Tami went to camp, she did it on her own. We’d thrown such a fit about being separated that I’d joined her each year after that. When I would go to camp, Greg would go to either my grandparents’ or uncle’s place while we were gone.
“So, what happened?” I asked.
“Your Uncle John taught him how to date,” Beth said with a blush.
I sat back in my chair; I’d been leaning forward until she said that. That cleared up a mystery. I’d always wondered where Greg obtained his knowledge. It pissed me off that Uncle John shared that with Greg but refused to teach me. I guess after seeing Greg go a little nuts dating so many different girls, I could see why my uncle might not want to set me loose with that knowledge. As it was, I’d dated more than my share of girls while in high school. Greg had me by sheer numbers, without a doubt, though, because of his serial dating style.
“Did Greg pressure you into anything?” I asked.
“You know better than that,” Beth chided me.
“Sorry, but I had to ask.”
“When he came back, we talked. Think about how it was with you and Tami. We had a similar relationship.”
I just nodded.
“I told him I wasn’t ready for anything more than what we had right then. Your brother was fine with that, and we’d probably be still dating if it hadn’t been for our first high school party. I’d been invited along with all the other freshman cheerleaders. Of course, I asked Greg to go with me.
“It was our first experience drinking. I think the varsity cheerleaders thought it was funny to watch us get drunk out of our minds on the Everclear punch. Thankfully, Greg stuck to beer, or things could have really gotten bad,” she said, and then gazed off into space.
“What happened?” I asked.
“Greg found a senior making out with me.”
“I take it he wasn’t happy?”
“It was stupid. Greg knew how I felt about him. He made sure I got home. Not all the freshman cheerleaders made it home with their virginity intact. I’m not sure I would’ve if it hadn’t been for Greg. That’s why what happened next was so hard. Your brother really is a good guy,” Beth said, and then faltered.
I could see the pain on her face. I let her relive the moment and didn’t push her to finish. A tear formed in the corner of her eye that she quickly brushed away.
“The party must have been on a Friday night because I remember sleeping most of the next day, experiencing my first hangover. I didn’t see Greg until Sunday afternoon when he came over. It was clear he was hurting. I’d put the brakes on anything physical, and honestly, I wasn’t ready.
“I told Greg how sorry I was, that it was the alcohol, and everything had gotten out of hand. He held me as I cried about nearly losing my innocence in such a cliché way. I told him that when it happened, I wanted it to be him and only him. I kissed him to thank him.
“In retrospect, neither of us was communicating effectively. For myself, I don’t understand how I misread the situation so badly. Apparently, Greg thought I’d given him the go-ahead to advance our relationship. I found myself pinned to the couch as he touched me. God, we were so stupid. We both said things that we shouldn’t have.
“I don’t know what hurt your brother the worst, him seeing me make out with another boy, or him feeling like he’d tried to rape me,” Beth said. When she saw my look, she quickly added, “Not that he did.”
She gave me a moment to take that in.
“Your brother wouldn’t talk to me for weeks after that. Next thing I heard, he was dating someone else, and it hit home that we’d never get together.”
