The Agreement
25 Hoosier Hysteria
AT DINNER, I finally found out all the details that were on Dad’s big sheet of paper. He asked me to put them in a spreadsheet on my computer and print it out for him so everything was legible. We had a big bus with a bathroom chartered that would take us to the Market Square Arena, where the Pacers play, in time for the first game. After the final game Saturday night, the bus would pick us up and take us to the church, about four miles north of the arena. Then Sunday morning, before people started arriving for church, the bus would pick us all up and take us home. Our route took us right through Kokomo and there was a stop to pick up our last two girlfriends and Jennifer’s mom, Anna.
“Dad, you even thought to invite Jennifer and Courtney. You guys are so cool!”
“Wouldn’t have missed that opportunity,” Dad chuckled. Mom swatted his arm.
“Honeybunch, as long as you keep us current with whose names are on the agreement, we’ll try to include them all. If there were many more, though, we might have had to work something new out. Is the group going to grow some more?”
“I don’t think so, Mom. We’ve been talking about it and none of us really want anyone else in the group at the moment. We do have the right to date outside the group if we want to, so I don’t think anyone else is going to be invited. Besides, we’re almost halfway through the spring semester. There isn’t really time to invite anyone else.”
“Well, I’m glad you are thinking it through.”
“Oh, speaking of thinking,” I said, “we had a meeting at lunch and I want you to know that for the sake of our parents and the younger kids who are going we all agreed to keep our ‘cavorting’ to PG13. There’s going to be some hand-holding and a few kisses, but there won’t be any making out on the trip. At least, not where anyone can see it. We hope the adults will… agree to the same thing.”
Of course, an absolute ban on making out when our entire dating group is on a bus for three-and-a-half hours was a bit too much to expect. The front half of the bus was parents. There were nearly thirty of them! That meant we were outnumbered like we were at New Year’s but we were confined in the same space. Yuck!
We put the junior high kids in the middle as a buffer. In spite of the fact that I gave Judy and Lexi big hugs when I saw them, they realized they weren’t going to hang with the older kids. Ross made a big hit by bringing along a magnetic game of Chinese Checkers and they played that almost all the way to Indy. Doreen and Bill just blended in with the rest of us and I saw that Bill sat with Sarah and chatted with her through most of the trip. In Kokomo we pulled into a Steak ’n Shake and two screaming WildKats came rushing down the aisle and launched a kiss fest with every member of the group, even if it was just a kiss on the cheek. Anna got on behind them and plopped down on top of Mom and Dad to give them a hug. Wow! They sure seemed friendly!
Happy as I was to see the two girls, I had a bit of a mission of my own that I was on.
It wasn’t really possible to date everyone in the group. While Cassie and I had a good time at Sectionals, neither of us would call it a date and she wasn’t even allowed on an individual date until she was sixteen. Her dad had made an exception for group events like the games, but he wasn’t budging on the sixteen issue for actually going someplace with a boy. Candace and I got together a few times, but it was mostly just to talk and laugh. She was wild and truly didn’t want a serious relationship. I’d scarcely seen Renee since New Year’s.
But at the same time, there were a few people that I really wanted to do more with. One of those was the redhead I’d pulled into the seat next to me as soon as we boarded the bus.
“I’ve hardly seen you since the day after New Year’s,” I said.
“Yeah. That was wild. How you been?” Liz wasn’t usually so reserved.
“You know. Basketball ate my soul. Lionel stuffed it.” We laughed. “Spring break’s coming up. I was wondering if you’d like to get together and do something.”
“Something? What, you horny?” Shit. Why don’t you just slap my face? I knew I’d screwed something up.
“Liz, by ‘something’ I meant like a movie or going skating. I wasn’t implying that I expected a repeat of our last date.”
“Date? We’ve never had a date. I’ve just… had you over for sex,” she said. Her chin dropped to her chest and she looked really ashamed.
“Do you not like me enough to actually go out with me?” I asked. Liz swung her head around to stare at me. “I mean, I guess I understand. I’m the safe guy. I just feel kind of used and hoped that it meant more than that.”
“Brian?” she squeaked. Her eyes were liquid brown but they weren’t dripping yet. “You really like me?”
“God yes, Liz. I like you. I worry about you. I keep thinking maybe I did something wrong and you don’t actually want to see me at all. You always sit at the other end of the table and hardly ever speak to me.”
“You’d really take me to a movie and let people know we were on a date?”
“Of course! Did you think I was ashamed of you or something?”
“But there are so many beautiful girls in our group who all love you. And they’re all… more moral than me.” I could tell that hurt her. She looked at me with pleading eyes. “I never do anything like that with anyone else. Please believe me, Brian.”
“Two things, girlfriend. First, what we do with one person doesn’t imply what we do with anyone else. I was so honored to think that you trusted me like that and, face it, I enjoyed it. Like a lot! But second, I wouldn’t think badly of you even if you had done it with others. Liz, you’ve been my friend for five years. I’ve liked you all that time. I didn’t start liking you because you wanted to… relieve yourself safely.”
“I’ve been trying to… not think about it. I didn’t want you to think that all I ever did was masturbate and all I ever thought about is sex. And then I thought that all I ever asked you to do was come and play with me… even for a quickie at Halloween. And at New Year’s I couldn’t wait to get naked with you even though you were hurting from that thing with Jessica. And I got ashamed and I didn’t want to call you, no matter how I wanted to call you. And I just want you to hold me and say you like me. Please?”
“I like you, Liz. I’m at least halfway in love with you. Maybe not enough to get married and have twelve babies right now, but geez, we’re only fifteen.” That at least got a chuckle out of her and she cuddled in my arms.
“Sometimes I think that if I’d done things differently and wasn’t thinking with my pussy that you and I would have gone on romantic dates and fallen in love and got married and had a dozen kids like my mom did and then I’d embarrass you by holding my tits up in front of the preacher and you’d take me home and fuck my brains out like… um… got a little ahead of myself there.”
“That’s a pretty good fantasy,” I chuckled. “I can see most of it except the dozen kids. You know I’m not Catholic.”
“As soon as I can get to one of those free clinics, I’m going on the pill,” she whispered. “That won’t be until I’m sixteen and probably not until I can drive myself, but Catholic or not, I don’t want to be scared of sex because I don’t want to be pregnant.” I mimed dialing a telephone.
“Hello, Triple-A? I’m sort of stuck and need a truck to tow me out.” We cracked up and Liz grabbed my pretend phone.
“Triple-A? He doesn’t need a tow truck. He needs jumper cables because I can’t get him started again.” We were laughing so hard that several of our friends turned around and stared at us.
“What’s so funny?” Candace asked.
“No. If we told you we’d see it on Saturday Night Live next year,” I said. “Is this the party to whom I’m speaking?” I said in my best nasal Lily Tomlin imitation. It wasn’t that good, but I snorted and Candace picked it up with a challenge in her voice.
“This is the Municipal Water Company. Which drip would you like to speak to?”
“Oh, you’ll do just fine, Miss Water Company. We seem to have a leak here at the CIA.”
“You’re calling from the Central Intelligence Agency?”
“No. This is the Central Indiana Asylum. We seem to be losing our inmates. They keep falling through the cracks.”
“I think you have the wrong department. Please hold while I transfer you.” Candace had turned so she was facing away from me. I knew she had something wicked planned and I was frantic.
“One ringy-dingy, Two ringy-dingies…” Everybody had switched their attention to us and were hanging over the seats to see what we’d do next. I just knew I was going to crack up. Candace turned back to me with a lock of her hair pulled across her upper lip and her eyebrows going up and down a mile a minute.
“Dewey, Screwem, and Howe. You got a loose crack, we can fill it.” I about choked and got a few seconds to collect myself with everyone laughing. I put a hand under my chest as if I was holding up my boobs and switched from Lily Tomlin to that gal who does the Latin American girls. I did my best with a Mexican accent.
“What you mean, you want to feel my crack? Come here you beetch and let me show you how you can feel my crack. You try to take my man? You want my man? Come here and I scratch your eyes out.” I pushed an arm toward Liz. “Here, hol’ my baby.” Candace cracked up and wiggled her eyebrows a couple more times to get me laughing. Everyone turned to her and waited her response. She started, then choked and started again.
“I thought this was the CIA.”
“Si, senorita. This is Carlotta Inez Asperillo.” I let my voice squeak on the last two syllables. “Ondelay, ondelay!” That was it. We were all laughing too hard to keep it up.
“You two should go on TV,” Carl laughed.
“Hey! That’s how we met!” Candace and I both said at the same time.
“Jinx! You owe me a soda,” I said holding out my pinky. Candace hooked it with hers.
“I’ll pay,” she said.
We were all still giggling and settled back in our seats. Liz snuggled against me.
“Did you mean it, Brian? Will you take me on a date?” Liz asked.
“I meant it, Liz. Tell me what you’d like to do. Movie? Riding? Skating? Dinner? A dance? What would you like to do?”
“Besides fuck you stupid? I pick riding. I hear you are really good on horseback.” Hmm. I wondered exactly what she’d heard. Good old Rika and Silk.
“How about Saturday?” I asked. Liz kissed me.
“Oops. Sorry. I should have asked permission. Forgive me?”
“Permission granted retroactively,” I laughed and then kissed her again.
We got our asses handed to us on a platter at the first game. East Chicago Roosevelt was a team that played like they were professionals. I swear this one guy thought he was Meadowlark Lemon. He actually bounced the ball off Troy’s head once and then dribbled up and stuffed the shot. And he was a guard! Their center had arms that were so long he could scratch his knees without bending over.
Our guys played well and made some good shots, but when the final buzzer sounded, it was a mercy. Those guys were awesome. I actually saw Lamar go up to dunk the ball and get blocked! Whenever there was a jump ball, our guy would wait for the ball to leave the ref’s hand and then run off to guard an opponent while their player tipped the ball wherever he pleased. It was brutal. We lost by almost twenty points.
We were all a little stunned as we grabbed a bite to eat in the stadium. None of us had ever seen basketball played like that. At least not in high school.
Of course, Indianapolis Attucks took the second game from Terre Haute where Indiana State University is.
We were back in our seats for the tip-off of the consolation game at six o’clock. This was a lot better game and we should have won it. Terre Haute was tired because they’d played the second game in the afternoon and only had an hour-and-a-half to get ready for the next game. Officials can truly choose who wins. I don’t mean they were crooked or anything. Terre Haute just got all the breaks and we got called for everything. Even with that, we were only behind by two points at the buzzer. We were fourth in the entire state. That was still a victory.
Indianapolis Attucks had almost as much trouble containing East Chicago Roosevelt as we did, but they had more power on their team. It was deep and they could substitute players anytime a player got in trouble. Still, Roosevelt just couldn’t do anything wrong. I don’t think their coach made a substitution all night. I kind of felt sorry for the guys who got all the way to the State Finals and rode the bench through the whole game. At the final buzzer, the Roosevelt five walked to the middle of the floor, turned to their bench and did a black power salute. It was returned by every member of the team—none of whom got to play.
There were ceremonies after the game and even fourth place got a trophy. We all filed out and waited while Mrs. Trane and Mrs. Carver signed their kids out from the team bus and brought them to join us. We all applauded Lamar and Lionel and Renee as they came down the aisle.
It was like circling the wagons when we got to the church. We didn’t have mattresses, but the big room in the basement was at least carpeted. We laid our sleeping bags out in a wagon wheel and included the three older non-members in the circle so there were twenty-four of us. We all reached into the center to hold hands. It was kind of a stretch for some of us. The younger kids copied our circle and the adults just spread their bags haphazardly around the outside edge. None of them tried to integrate into the circle.
I noted that Renee cuddled up to Lamar in her sleeping bag and Candace was practically in Lionel’s sleeping bag with him. Doreen lay by her brother, but he also had Rhiannon wrapped in his arms. I was surprised to find myself bracketed by sisters. I decided not to question it and just lay on my back as they put their heads on my shoulders to sleep. It was really nice.
“Brian?” Bill stopped me just before I stepped on the bus in the morning.
“Hey, Bill. I’m sure glad you were able to come down here with us.”
“Thanks. Look, this is really none of my business and you can tell me to fuck off if you want to because I don’t know beans about your dating group.”
“You know us pretty well, Bill. What is it?”
“You need to ask Sarah to the prom.”
“I’m a freshman. I can’t go to prom.”
“A junior can take anyone she wants to. The thing is, she won’t do the asking and she won’t accept a date from anyone who isn’t in your group. Either you ask her to the prom or she’ll sit at home that night. That’s really not fair, man.”
“You could ask her.”
“I did. She just said she was exclusive to the dating group.”
Shit. Ask my girlfriend’s sister to the prom? Well, Sarah was my girlfriend, too. Shit.
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