“Cindy and Isabel. One of my rules is to not spend time with anyone who has a significant other. I also promised my mom,” I said, suddenly feeling a little sick.
“And do I need to bring up Chloe Larkin? Was she sober when she decided to spend time with you?” Tami asked.
Frick!
“No,” I admitted.
“So what? We had a few drinks,” Brook said.
“Part of my personal code is not to have sex with anyone under the influence. Hell, I made a big deal about that with the football team two summers ago.”
“But we’ve had sex after a few drinks,” Brook pointed out.
“You two are in a relationship and have given consent in the past. David gave Kent and Chuck the ‘take a drunk girl home’ talk only last week. You know better,” Tami pointed out, giving me no wiggle room.
I hated it when she was right. Why couldn’t she let me make mistakes and ignore them like everyone else did? My uncle was probably chuckling right now and had a smart comment that my feelings were valid. But I was still a teenager who needed to grow up before I figured things out.
“She has a point,” Brook said to pile on.
Up to that point, she’d been defending me. When your girlfriend backs down, you needed to take a hard look at what’s being said.
“I agree.”
Tami kept a straight face, but I knew she was dancing inside. To get one of us to admit we were wrong was always a big deal.
“How do I fix this?” I asked.
“You don’t have to be like everyone else. Even though Zak, Trip, and Ben are all man-whores, that doesn’t mean you have to be. If I remember right, you once said ‘just because you can, doesn’t mean you should,’” she reminded me.
“Just so I’m clear. If Hannah Minacci walked through the door and told me she was divorcing that baseball jerk and wanted to have sex, I should say ‘no’?”
“If that happens, I say you go for it. There has to be an exception to every rule,” Tami assured me.
Brook rolled her eyes. She knew that if Hannah Minacci showed up, I would dump her in a heartbeat. Just like I suspected that if Ryan Gosling were ever around, I would have to allow her to have her fun. Or maybe he was Halle’s fantasy man—I couldn’t remember.
“Why do you have to point stuff out to me? I was happy having a little fun. I even included Brook,” I complained.
“Because if you thought about it, you would’ve figured it out. You just needed me to point it out for you,” Tami said.
“Everyone complained that ‘fun’ David was gone,” Brook reminded us.
“The problem is, David has started to grow up,” Tami said to Brook. “While I expect him to still have fun, he has to do it within his moral boundaries. Otherwise, he won’t be able to look himself in the mirror when he wakes up in the morning.” Then she looked at me. “I don’t expect you to be perfect. None of us are. But you’re a leader, and people look to you for guidance. You have to walk the walk if you expect them to follow you.”
“You’ve beaten me into submission. I get it,” I said with a forced smile.
“You know I love you. It was hard for me to tell you this,” Tami said.
“That’s something we need to fix. You’ve never been shy about telling me what to do before.”
“That was before. Since then, you’ve proven that you don’t need me bossing you around. If I remember correctly, that was something we’ve worked on changing. I have every confidence in you. You have people around you who give you good advice. Today, it was my turn to provide it,” Tami assured me.
“I’m glad you said something. I’m afraid we have some damage control to do after last night. Not only with our friends, but with Ben. He didn’t seem happy when he left,” Brook said.
“You talk to Ben, and I’ll handle our friends,” I suggested.
“Nope. I’m not the one Ben was upset with.”
“You had sex with his girlfriend, too,” I pointed out.
“TMI!” Tami said, getting up.
I stood up and pulled Tami into a hug. We didn’t have to say the words. We had enough history together that Tami and I both knew how much we meant to each other.
◊◊◊
Manaia had the small bus to take everyone to LAX for their flight home. I didn’t want to ride through traffic to and from for that trip, so I said my goodbyes in the driveway. Tracy was first.
“When I get back, I want you to introduce me around to your new college friends.”
“I received an email from my new roommate, and she asked me if I knew you. I told her that you were the Big Man on Campus and were too good for the likes of me. Your showing up will surprise her,” Tracy said.
Pam came bounding up and hugged me.
“Where’s everything you bought?” I asked.
“Lexi boxed it up and is mailing it back for me. We all agreed to take only carry-ons so we don’t have to mess around with baggage claim.”
“When you get back, give all the little ones some love from me. I miss them,” I said.
She gave me another hug.
“Love you best,” I whispered in her ear.
Tim and Wolf gave me one-armed bro hugs while Sarah and Tami teased them for liking me better than them.
Cassidy was in security mode with her blue slacks, white button-up blouse, and sunglasses.
“Keep Brook safe for me.”
