I tilted my head skeptically.
"I'm now your buddy."
"Hey, guys have to stick together in this world."
"Why is it I have these doubts buzzing around me like bees?" I asked.
He started to laugh and stopped. "I gotta get home." I said.
"Wait a minute," he said, reaching out and grabbing my arm. This is really a good opportunity for both of us. I can get them over to my house this weekend. We can party."
"No." I said trying not to sound panicky. "I'm not interested."
"Why not? You said you weren't gay," he countered angrily. "I didn't say anything bad about you. I made you look good," he whined, "I've set it all up for us."
"I didn't ask you to do that."
"Well. I did it."
"So?"
He stared and then looked away and turned back to me.
"Okay. okay. I'm not telling the whole truth," he suddenly confessed.
"What?"
"Harmony is not really my girlfriend, and I didn't sleep with her in her room. At least not yet. but Im determined. She's the prettiest girl in the school, believe me. and Roberta is really good-looking, too. The truth is, they're inseparable. They practically only go out on double dates. I got them interested in me by talking about you."
"That's not my problem. It's yours." I said and started to turn away again. Again, he grabbed my arm.
"Cut it out!" I told him.
"Wait a minute. Maybe we can make some sort of deal."
"Deal?"
"Just agree to meet with them at my house, that's all. You can talk about fishing or something or carve twigs for all I care, as long as you're there and you occupy Roberta while I occupy Harmony."
I started to shake my head.
"You need some encouragement, that's all. I know you're shy and you haven't seen or done much."
"No thanks."
"Tell you what," he said, sounding more desperate, his voice full of pleading. "I'll show you something you want to see if you'll agree to meet the girls with me. You don't have to do anything if you don't want to. Just be there, is all."
"What would you show me?" I felt my curiosity lift my eyebrows. "What do you think I want to see?"
"You want to see my sister naked, don't you?"'
For a moment I couldn't respond. Then I started to shake my head. and he smiled.
"Don't try to deny it. You came around that night to peep."
"That's not true."
"So, big deal."