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===================

Thats good

newyearduck #482269

Games that I like to play

<a href=http://www.gamestotal.com/>Multiplayer Online

Games</a> <a href=http://www.gamestotal.com/>Strategy

Games</a><br><a

href=http://uc.gamestotal.com/>Unification Wars</a> -

<a href=http://uc.gamestotal.com/>Massive Multiplayer

Online Games</a><br><a

href=http://gc.gamestotal.com/>Galactic Conquest</a> -

<a href=http://gc.gamestotal.com/>Strategy

Games</a><br><a

href=http://www.stephenyong.com/runescape.htm>Runescap

e</a><br><a

href=http://www.stephenyong.com/kingsofchaos.htm>Kings

of chaos</a><br>
oldmudrat wrote:
> Orange County Babylon
>
>                                  PART EIGHT
>  by
>                                Michael Dalton
>
>
>
>
>                    IMPORTANT LEGAL INFORMATION
>
>
>      If you have received this work in your e-mail box and do not know
> why, it is because your Internet service provider is forwarding posts
> from Usenet newsgroups to your account.  It has *NOT* been e-mailed to
> you by the author.  You must contact your ISP for help.
>
>
>      This story is a work of fiction.  Any resemblance to real persons
> is unintentional and strictly coincidental.  Although this story refers
> to many real places and organizations, such mention should not be taken
> to imply either a relationship or approval of any sort.  This work
> contains explicit descriptions of sexual activity, and anyone offended
> by such things should read no further.  If reception of this work is
> illegal due to your age or other repressive local regulations,
> liability for downloading it is your problem, not mine.  This work is
> intended solely for the quiet and private enjoyment of adults, and any
> other use is a violation of the copyright.
>
>
>      This work is Copyright 1998 by Michael...@aol.com and is
> protected by United States and other international copyright law.
> Reposting and archiving is permitted, except where a fee of any sort is
> required or earned for access, provided this disclaimer and note remain
> attached to the story.  All other rights, specifically rights of
> commercial use, are reserved.  Commercial use here is defined to
> include membership web sites, banner-funded web sites, and those
> protected by fee-based age validation methods (such as Adultcheck and
> Adultsights).  However, exception is specifically made for web sites
> (such as DejaNews) that provide archiving and access to all Usenet
> posts in a particular group without editing or selection for content.
> No modifications may be made to this story without express permission
> from the author.  Any questions regarding use of this work can be
> directed to the address above.  Failure to contact the author prior to
> use is presumptive evidence of bad faith and may expose you to
> significant criminal and civil liability.
>
>
>                              AUTHOR'S NOTE
>
>
>      This novel was first published in August, and has remained one of
> the most popular and most requested works I have written.  From the
> vast amount of feedback I have gotten over it, I have been able to make
> some revisions and corrections that warranted a repost.  This is still
> the same story, mind you--what I have changed were a number of factual
> and grammatical errors pointed out to me by my readers.  In particular,
> I want to thank Neverless and Lee Vine for assistance in that regard.
>
>
>      With eight or nine months of hindsight (I wrote the first draft
> of OCB in March), I have to say that I am not entirely happy with this
> thing.  Among other problems, I think it starts too quickly and the
> behavior and personality of some of the characters in Part One are
> inconsistent with what occurs later.  None of this appears to have
> dimmed the enthusiasm that has greeted the story, but it bears pointing
> out.
>
>
>      If you haven't read this before, a few words of warning.  This
> novel (and it *is* a novel--it runs to over 98,000 words) should not be
> taken too seriously.  It is best described as a silly, sappy, high
> school soap opera.  The protagonist has more good fortune and more wild
> experiences in one year than most people have in their entire lives.  I
> don't just mean the sex, either.  Although there is plenty of sex in
> this story, there are also long stretches of action where nothing
> remotely sexual occurs.  This is because the story is supposed to be a
> full depiction of the protagonist's life, not simply a catalog of his
> sexual behavior.  As in the real world, sexual activity has certain
> consequences, and that is what I have tried to accurately describe.
>
>
>      The reader will note fairly quickly that this story appears to
> fall into one of the worst stereotypes of low-grade erotica: the
> football player and the cheerleaders.  To this appearance, I freely
> confess--but there is a great deal else going on in here.
> Nevertheless, should you have a congenital allergy to football, you may
> want to skip this, as there is plenty of explicit sports to go with the
> explicit sex.
>
>
>      Those of you familiar with Orange County, California, will note
> that I have taken certain liberties in my descriptions, particularly
> with the locations and athletic programs of area high schools.  I did
> this solely out of laziness--I wasn't interested in researching the
> actual composition of the local high school football conferences.
>
>
>      This work is, in many ways, a satire.  The views expressed herein
> should not be taken as serious commentary on either the County of
> Orange, the Roman Catholic Church, or the United States Marine Corps.
> I make one exception to that disclaimer, however.  My descriptions of
> the Orange County foster care system do not in any way resemble
> reality.  The actual system is currently in very dire straits, and few,
> if any, children who go through it have experiences as easy and
> pleasant as the protagonist's.  Sexual abuse of foster children is
> unfortunately not uncommon, and in real life, the consequences are far
> different from what I have described here.
>
>
>      One last note: Please do NOT e-mail me for missing pieces.  This
> is a very large file and mailing it is a pain.  All the pieces of this
> story should be available in the ASSM archive, the address for which
> can be found in the header above.
>
>
>
>
>   ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>                                   XXXVIII.
>
> Unlike Corinne, Michelle Swanson had stumbled on her sexual orientation by
> accident. She had been raised in a strict Catholic household, and although
> she did have her secret thoughts and desires (didn't everyone?), she had
> always assumed she would grow up to be a homemaker like her mother, simply
> because no other option had ever been discussed. Her two oldest sisters
> were stay-at-home moms, and her mother had long lectured her children on
> the importance of the traditional nuclear family.
>
> Michelle had known Corinne since ninth grade (given her endowments, she was
> impossible to miss in such a small school), but they hadn't become friends
> until junior year, when they had a couple of classes together. They had
> become friendly during class, started hanging out a month or so later, and
> were confirmed best friends by Christmas.
>
> One day that spring, Corinne had confessed her continuing problems with Joe
> Dickson, and Michelle agreed that he was a disgusting pervert. The thought
> of Corinne doing anything with Joe turned her stomach. Yet, that night, the
> more she thought of it, the more she realized that it was the thought of
> any boy doing anything with Corinne that repulsed her. No boy was good
> enough for Corinne. She needed someone who would treat her with respect,
> not view her as a conquest because of her breasts. She needed someone like-
>
> Her?
>
> The thought brought her bolt upright in bed. What was she thinking? That
> was revolting. Wasn't it? Homosexuality was a mortal sin. Kissing Corinne,
> holding her, that would be . . . well . . . what would it be?
>
> When she thought of kissing Corinne, she realized she liked the idea. Then
> she dove under her covers, hiding her head under her pillow in
> mortification. It was less the idea that it might be a sin that bothered
> her. What really scared her was that Corinne might not feel the same way.
> Which meant it would never happen, and trying could ruin their friendship.
>
> Michelle soon realized that, as much as she fought it, she was in love with
> Corinne. She sat in Mass that week, wondering how it could have happened.
> How could she be a mother if she loved another woman? She and Corinne could
> never get married, though the idea of doing it thrilled her. Her family
> would reject her; God would hate her. He must hate her now for even
> thinking of it. She almost confessed to her feelings that morning, but
> couldn't bring herself to do it. She hadn't done anything, right? It wasn't
> a sin yet.
>
> To her unending relief, Corinne didn't seem to notice the change in her
> feelings. If anything, they became even closer, which actually made the
> situation worse. Michelle felt as if she were being torn in half. She
> couldn't bring herself to turn her back on her upbringing, but the longer
> it went on, the more she knew Corinne was The One.
>
> During Spring Break, Michelle went with Corinne's family up to Lake
> Arrowhead, where they had rented a small house for the week. Corinne and
> Michelle got a room to themselves, but had to share a bed. When she saw the
> one bed in the room the afternoon they arrived, Michelle almost fainted.
> How was she going to make it through an entire week sleeping in the same
> bed with her without doing anything?
>
> As it happened, she didn't.
>
> The second night, after she had spent one of the most enjoyable days of her
> life swimming, sunbathing, and generally running around with Corinne, they
> had stayed up talking long after the lights were out.
>
> She could sense Corinne's warmth next to her, she could smell her scent,
> and she wanted to cry with frustration. She wanted so badly to reach out
> and hold her.
>
> Suddenly she felt Corinne's hand in her hair, brushing it back.
>
> "What's the matter?"
>
> In the dark, she just make out Corinne's face. She looked into her eyes,
> and Corinne returned the gaze. Understanding finally passed between them.
>
> Frozen in shock, Michelle could do nothing. Corinne moved her hand down
> Michelle's shoulder, her arm, finally taking her hand, pulling it up to
> her, and squeezing it.
>
> "I love you," Michelle blurted out.
>
> Corinne smiled, eyes widening. Then she reached for Michelle, and a second
> later they were kissing.
>
> They didn't make love that night, but they did every night afterward. If
> Corinne's parents noticed anything, Michelle couldn't tell. They were
> rather liberal (their small family of just Corinne and her older brother
> indicating a probable lack of compliance with the Church's dictates on
> birth control), and she wondered if they would even care. Michelle knew her
> parents would have matching strokes about it, though, and Corinne seemed to
> understand. Whatever happened, their relationship had to be a secret for
> now.
>
> They developed little subterfuges like the "study dates" in the park as a
> means of seeing each other. Michelle still felt guilty about what they were
> doing, but gradually rationalized it by deciding that God couldn't have
> given her something so wonderful if it was really wrong. She read through
> her Gospel and discovered that Jesus seemed to have nothing to say about
> lesbians. Paul's Letters were full of condemnations, but Jesus was
> strangely silent. If it was really wrong, why hadn't he condemned it? He
> had certainly condemned a whole cavalcade of other sins.
>
> If Michelle had been shocked by her discovery that Corinne was a lesbian,
> that was nothing compared to what happened on the Cheerleader Overnight.
> She and Corinne had decided to go out for the squad that spring, as
> Michelle was somewhat friendly with Karen and Becky. To her great surprise
> and thrill, they had both made it.
>
> The Overnight had taken place at a retreat in Big Bear owned by the Diocese
> of Los Angeles, and the six girls had spent the night in their sleeping
> bags on the floor of a meeting room. The coach, and the two chaperones, had
> taken the bedrooms upstairs. The Overnight was the traditional way to help
> the cheerleaders get to know each other better and foster squad spirit and
> togetherness.
>
> It had succeeded, to say the least.
>
> Michelle sensed some odd undertones when the girls first got together, but
> it wasn't until that Friday night at the retreat that things came out in
> the open. Karen suggested a round of Truth or Dare, and the subject swiftly
> turned to sex.
>
> Michelle wasn't surprised that all the girls were virgins (they were
> discussing het sex, so she hadn't felt like she was lying), nor was she
> surprised that Summer was the most experienced, notwithstanding her
> virginal reputation. She had simply had too many boyfriends not to have
> kissed some of them.
>
> As the discussion got racier, the girls began picking dares. Karen had
> picked Corinne, and that had really started things rolling.
>
> "Okay, Corinne, show us your breasts."
>
> The other girls murmured in surprise, but Corinne just grinned and pulled
> off her T-shirt.
>
> "Wow," Becky said. "I'm jealous."
>
> "Don't be. They're a pain. Literally. I get bad backaches."
>
> Karen jumped around behind Corinne and began massaging her shoulders.
> Michelle felt a stab of jealousy but couldn't resist a giggle. Corinne
> moaned in relief, arching her back.
>
> "Oh . . . don't stop."
>
> The rest of them laughed, and Michelle crawled over, taking Karen's place.
> Karen only grinned and flopped back down. Michelle kept massaging her, and
> Corinne made no move to put her T-shirt on.
>
> "Corinne. Your turn."
>
> "Karen. Truth or dare?"
>
> "Dare."
>
> "Show us yours."
>
> Karen frowned.
>
> "Oh, bite me."
>
> All of them laughed.
>
> "You said dare," Summer said, "and you aren't that small, don't be
> embarrassed."
>
> Karen sat back, pulling off her pajama top. Though on the small side,
> Michelle thought Karen's perky breasts were quite pretty.
>
> "Believe me," Corinne said, "I'd kill to trade with you."
>
> "Sure you would. Okay, Summer."
>
> "Dare."
>
> "Off with it."
>
> Summer had glanced at the other girls in slight embarrassment, but then
> pulled off her nightgown. Michelle and the other girls had looked her over
> for a second.
>
> "I sure hope Coach Bishop doesn't come in here," Becky said, and they all
> giggled.
>
> "Is that why you're still dressed, then?" Summer asked. "Scared?"
>
> Becky's eyes widened. Grinning, she sat up and pulled off her T- shirt.
> Michelle had a guilty--and jealous--ache in her stomach looking at Becky's
> beautiful breasts. Then Kisu followed suit, and Michelle realized she was
> the only one still covered. She stopped massaging Corinne long enough to
> pull off her top.
>
> Summer giggled.
>
> "Oookay. Michelle."
>
> "Um, truth."
>
> She wasn't quite ready for a dare the way it was going.
>
> "Why are you still massaging Corinne's shoulders?"
>
> She started, feeling a flush growing across her face and chest. She let go
> of Corinne in an instant and sat back down.
>
> "Umm, I don't know."
>
> The other four laughed. Corinne didn't seem to know what to do.
>
> "That's not an answer."
>
> Then Michelle thought of a way out.
>
> "Umm, she said not to stop?"
>
> She smiled as if it were a joke, and the others laughed. She tried to
> compose herself.
>
> "Becky."
>
> "Dare."
>
> She thought for a second, and then decided to give Summer a taste of her
> own medicine.
>
> "Okay, I dare you to kiss Summer. On the lips, for five seconds."
>
> The others all went, "ooo," but Becky and Summer went white.
>
> "You have to do it, Becks," Karen said. She grinned evilly.
>
> Becky turned to Summer, and realized they were both topless, and that
> seemed to be further than she was willing to go. She reached for her top,
> but Karen grabbed it.
>
> "No way. Do it."
>
> The two girls stared at each other, and Becky leaned over. Summer took a
> deep breath but held still. Becky leaned in, pressing her lips against
> Summer's. After a few seconds, Michelle saw Becky's nipples--were they
> actually erect?--brushing against Summer's breasts, and Becky started,
> withdrawing. Both girls were blushing deeply.
>
> "Woo!" Karen said.
>
> Becky glared at her.
>
> "Okay, Karen."
>
> Karen sat up straight.
>
> "Dare."
>
> Becky glanced around the circle.
>
> "Kiss Kisu. On the lips. Ten seconds. And I want to see some tongue."
>
> Karen's demeanor wilted slightly and she looked over at Kisu. Kisu had been
> quiet most of the night, though she hadn't seemed embarrassed by any of it.
> Now she did, or at least concerned.
>
> Karen glanced around, knowing she was stuck. She and Kisu looked at each
> other nervously. Karen leaned over, putting her hands lightly on Kisu's
> arms. Their lips came together, moving slightly. Then Michelle saw Kisu's
> mouth opening a little, and Karen seemed to be frenching her.
>
> Now she was sure it. Both Karen's and Kisu's nipples were stiffening. What
> was going on here?
>
> Karen finally withdrew, flushed as Kisu was. She wiped her mouth and looked
> over at Becky.
>
> "Satisfied?"
>
> "Are you?"
>
> More laughter.
>
> "Maybe."
>
> The others laughed, though Michelle was getting increasingly nervous. Karen
> turned to Corinne.
>
> "Truth or dare?"
>
> "Truth."
>
> "Bitch. Okay. If I told you to kiss Michelle, would you?"
>
> Michelle froze.
>
> "Sure."
>
> More moans of amazement.
>
> "I saw you getting off when you were kissing Kisu," Corinne said. "Don't
> play so innocent. It's not that cold in here."
>
> Karen pursed her lips in embarrassment.
>
> "At least I wasn't playing bumper pool like Becky and Summer."
>
> That brought another round of laughter. Corinne turned to Summer.
>
> "Truth or dare?"
>
> Summer glanced around, trying not to smile. Neither seemed like a safe
> choice right now.
>
> "Dare."
>
> "Kiss Becky again. Ten seconds, tongue. And don't get all hissy if your
> boobs touch like Becky did."
>
> Summer squirmed, but if Michelle wasn't hallucinating, she seemed to be
> getting turned on. The two girls positioned themselves, and Summer put her
> hands on Becky's shoulders. They came together, kissing softly, and after a
> second or two, Summer slipped her tongue into Becky's mouth. Their breasts
> did touch, almost nipple to nipple, and they tensed up, though they didn't
> withdraw until Corinne called the time.
>
> Both of them were deeply flushed when it was over. Summer took a few
> seconds to compose herself.
>
> "Michelle."
>
> "Um." What the hell? "Dare."
>
> "Kiss Corinne, ten seconds, tongue. And I want you to fondle those tits of
> hers when you're doing it."
>
> As the eyes of the other girls widened, Michelle felt a flutter in her
> chest. This was going too far! Then Corinne's hand moved over hers under
> the sleep bag. She squeezed it, and the look on her face told her to go
> ahead. So she did.
>
> She leaned in, kissing Corinne as she always did, reaching up to cup her
> big breasts. Toward the end, she moved her thumbs over the nipples, feeling
> them erect. Then she flopped back, feeling like she had just crossed a line
> she had to cross eventually. She loved Corinne. Who cared what they
> thought?
>
> But when she finally worked up the guts to look at them, the other four
> cheerleaders seemed far from shocked. If anything, she could sense
> excitement. Could it be possible? Could she and Corinne not be the only
> lesbians here?
>
> She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself.
>
> "Um, okay. Karen."
>
> "Dare," she said instantly.
>
> "Kiss Summer. Ten seconds, tongue, tits. Just like I was doing."
>
> And it had gone on like that into the night. Eventually they had all
> realized that it was more than Truth or Dare propelling them along. The
> next day had been very awkward, but the next night quickly degenerated into
> a disorganized group-grope.
>
> Over the next few weeks, as they became more comfortable with what they had
> discovered, the squad was soon discussing more experimentation. Michelle
> had been somewhat reluctant to share Corinne with the others, but the
> opportunity to further explore her sexual inclinations with the other girls
> was enough of a trade-off. As things progressed, Karen and Becky, and to a
> lesser extent, Becky and Summer, seemed to form similar attachments. Kisu
> she couldn't quite figure out. She loved to experiment, but quickly grew
> bored with simple sex.
>
> Michelle wondered how the entire squad could be made up of lesbians. She
> soon found out that it wasn't, not quite. Karen was the first to suggest a
> "mass cherry-popping" as she put it, and the others quickly agreed.
> Michelle and Corinne discussed it in private, and eventually decided that
> once--"Just to try it, you know? Just to get it out of the way."--wouldn't
> be such a big deal. The only problem was who to do it with. What kind of
> guy would agree to something like that and not blab about it afterwards?
> And how the hell could they ever find a guy all six of them liked enough to
> sleep with? Michelle was convinced it would never happen.
>
> And then, that August, just before school started, she got an excited phone
> call from Karen.
>
> "I found him. You have to see him. He's so hot."
>
> "Who?"
>
> "The guy. The one I want to use."
>
> "You did? Who is he?"
>
> "You know how I told you we were having another foster kid come to stay
> with us?"
>
> "Yeah."
>
> "Well, I was expecting some measly loser like the last two. This guy is a
> total babe. He's huge, like six-two and muscles on muscles. And he is so
> cute I can't stand it."
>
> "Wait, he's your foster brother?"
>
> "Brother, schmother. He's just a guy who's living with us. His parents were
> killed in a car accident about a week ago."
>
> "Whoa. And you want to spring something like this on him?"
>
> "Hey, it could be therapy, right? He's obviously depressed about it."
>
> "How do you know he'd being willing do this? You don't know anything about
> him."
>
> "He's really sweet and polite. He calls my mother 'ma'am.' I just have to
> find some leverage."
>
> She had, and it had happened. Michelle wasn't sure what she had expected
> that night, but he had been just as sweet and considerate as Karen
> described him. Jack quickly became the unofficial mascot of the
> cheerleading squad, and Michelle was secretly very happy to see Becky,
> Summer and Karen falling in love with him one after the other. He was too
> nice for them to just be using him. Her respect for him doubled when she
> found out how he had handled Corinne's problem with Joe Dickson.
>
> But with that problem resolved, another had arisen. Corinne was convinced
> that they would keep having trouble until they came out of the closet. As
> much as she loved Corinne, that possibility had frightened her to the core.
> She begged Corinne not to do it, and they decided instead to tone down the
> public displays of affection as a means of dealing with the gossip. Corinne
> had clearly been unhappy about it, and they continued to fight over the
> issue through the winter.
>
> In the back of her mind, Michelle knew that something was going to happen
> eventually. She couldn't hide her true self forever.
>
>   ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>                                    XXXIX.
>
> March came, and Kelly's birthday was on the thirteenth. The family went out
> for pizza with her friends, and Becky and Summer came along as well. Kelly
> had seemed satisfied with that one night, and hadn't even teased Jack about
> it once. Instead, she seemed to get more and more stuck on Tommy Ryan, who
> came along on the birthday dinner.
>
> Karen didn't mention that night either, and Jack sensed that she probably
> felt a little guilty about it. Marcia, for her sake, didn't display any
> interest in a repeat encounter, though she was more affectionate with Jack
> than she had been before.
>
> Jack went out for the wrestling squad, and easily earned the number one
> spot at heavyweight. He went undefeated during his first few matches and
> seemed to have acquired an aura of invincibility, mostly because of his
> accomplishments on the football field.
>
> After the "reconciliation," Summer's mood improved dramatically. She seemed
> content to be Jack's "friend" and let Becky do what she wanted. Jack was
> surprised by it until she explained it to him one night.
>
> "I've had boyfriends almost non-stop since ninth grade. They just wouldn't
> stop chasing me. I'd forgotten what it was like to be on my own."
>
> "Nobody's asked you out?"
>
> "A couple of guys. But they seemed to understand when I said it was too
> soon. And now that I'm hanging out with you again, well, they don't seem to
> know what to think. So they leave me alone. It's nice, actually."
>
> "How are your folks?"
>
> "My mom still pesters me about it, but my dad is starting to tell her to
> lay off. I think he likes the idea of my not dating for a while."
>
> "It doesn't bother you the way it bothered Becky?"
>
> "Not really. I know you love me. I'm finding I don't need other people's
> opinions to validate it like she seemed to. What it's helped me do is just
> the opposite, to see that I don't need to worry so much about what other
> people think. I'm actually glad we did this, and not just for Becky's
> sake."
>
> "You are?"
>
> "Yeah. It's taught me I can be happy no matter what people think or say
> about me. It's liberating not to have to care anymore."
>
> "You should have a talk with her about that."
>
> "I might. Right now I just want to let her enjoy herself."
>
> And enjoy herself Becky did. They went out almost every Friday and
> Saturday, sometimes alone, sometimes with others. She never seemed to tire
> of walking around on his arm no matter where they were (the only exception,
> of course, being Mass--but she still hung around with him before and
> afterward).
>
> One Friday night, they were at the Irvine Spectrum waiting for a movie to
> start when Becky nudged him.
>
> "Hey, there's Corinne and Michelle."
>
> Jack looked over, and saw them sitting at a table outside the food court.
> As they walked closer, he could see something was wrong. Michelle had a
> horrified look on her face. She stood up, putting her hand over her mouth.
> Corinne reached out for her arm, but Michelle jerked it away.
>
> "Wait--"
>
> Just as they approached, Michelle turned and ran away, tears in her eyes.
> Becky let go of Jack and ran ahead.
>
> "What happened?"
>
> Corinne sagged, putting her forehead on her hands.
>
> "I told my folks."
>
> "Oh, boy."
>
> "Yeah."
>
> Becky sat down next to her, and Jack sat on the other side.
>
> "You really told them?" Becky asked.
>
> "It was an accident. Sort of. I just blurted it out. They had been teasing
> me about not dating recently, and about who I was going to the Prom with. I
> couldn't take it anymore. I just said, 'Mom, I'm a lesbian. If I'm going
> with anyone, it will be Michelle.'"
>
> "What did they say?"
>
> She snorted.
>
> "They're so liberated. They were shocked, but then they bent over backward
> to let me know everything was okay, that it didn't matter, they loved me
> anyway, all that crap. But I could tell they were just saying it. I could
> read the grief in my mother's face. They won't do anything, though. I told
> them Michelle's folks don't know. So of course they agreed to keep it a
> secret. As if they're dying to tell everyone. Anyway, I told Michelle. You
> saw how she reacted. She's scared to death about it."
>
> "You really think her folks will go nuts?" Jack asked.
>
> "Beyond nuts. There's no telling what they might do. Maybe even stick her
> in a psychiatric hospital. They can't do that in California without a court
> order, which they couldn't get just because she was gay, but what they can
> do is ship her out of state, like to Utah, where they can."
>
> "You're kidding," Becky said.
>
> "No. It happens all the time. I read about this stuff. There are these
> 'clinics' set up by right-wing nuts to 'reform' gay teenagers. They're run
> by people who still think homosexuality is a mental disorder. As long as
> she's a minor, they could keep her locked up in one of those places and no
> one could do a thing."
>
> "My God."
>
> "Tell me about it."
>
> "That's what she's scared of?" Becky asked.
>
> "Not that specifically. She just knows her folks will flip out."
>
> "Like mine would. You're lucky."
>
> "I know. I just had to fall for someone with Nazis for parents."
>
> Corinne got up.
>
> "I have to go find her."
>
> Becky got up with her, and Jack followed them. A few minutes later, they
> found her crying on one of the benches around the side of the theatre
> building. Corinne walked up and sat beside her, putting her arm on her
> shoulder. Michelle leaned against her.
>
> "Nothing is going to happen yet," Corinne said a minute later. "No one will
> tell your folks until you want."
>
> Michelle sat up, wiping her face, and sniffed.
>
> "No. No. It's time. I'm not going to lie to anyone anymore. They're going
> to find out some time. It might as well be now."
>
> "Are you sure?" Becky asked.
>
> "Yeah. I'm going home right now and telling them. If I don't do it now, I
> won't be able to later."
>
> "Oh, my God," Corinne said.
>
> "We'd better warn everyone else," Jack said.
>
> Michelle nodded.
>
> "Tell who you want. They'll probably call the school and complain about it.
> They'll find someone to blame."
>
> Michelle got up and she and Corinne walked back to her car. Jack and Becky
> remained behind.
>
> "Do you really think her folks might have her locked up?" she asked.
>
> "I don't know. But I have an idea."
>
> Jack had been checking in with his caseworker about once a month. Though
> she was clearly overworked, she was just as clearly committed to her job,
> and worked hard at maintaining a good relationship with him. More than once
> she assured him that calling her outside of working hours was perfectly all
> right if he had a problem.
>
> "Ms. Johnson? It's Jack O'Leary."
>
> "Jack, how are you doing this evening?"
>
> "I'm fine, I have a question that doesn't really have much to do with me."
>
> "What is it?"
>
> "Two of my friends are lesbians, and they're about to tell their parents."
> He didn't feel uncomfortable telling her this, because he knew from prior
> experience that she was pretty liberal.
>
> "All right."
>
> "Actually, one of them told her folks tonight, and that's not the problem.
> Her folks are okay with it. It's the other friend. Her parents are really
> conservative. My other friend is concerned that they might try to have her
> committed because of it. Can they really do that?"
>
> "Not in California. But many times, the parents will secretly send the teen
> to another state, like Nevada or Utah, where children don't have the same
> protections. Once they're out of state, they're beyond our reach. The
> Department has averted a few cases like that, though. If we become aware
> that the parents are attempting something like this, we can stop it if we
> can intervene while the child is still in California."
>
> "Really?"
>
> "Yes. It's against the law in California to hold a teenager in a mental
> institution without a court order, and you can't get a court order simply
> because the child is gay. Do you think that might happen here?"
>
> "I don't know. But her girlfriend mentioned it tonight."
>
> "What is this girl's name?"
>
> "Michelle Swanson. You aren't going to do anything yet, are you?"
>
> "No, but I can talk to someone about it. We may want to look into it, but
> I'll contact you first. Please let me know if anything like this happens.
> We have to catch them before they get her out of state. If she's outside
> California, it's too late."
>
> Jack called Corinne and filled her in on what he had learned.
>
> "Thank you. God. You're the greatest guy. If I wasn't gay, I'd want to
> marry you."
>
> He laughed.
>
> "I think you'd have to get in line."
>
> "I know. But thanks. I'll do what I can to watch what they do to her. As
> soon as I know, I'll call you."
>
> "Okay. Remember what she said, though. We have to catch them before they
> get her out of state."
>
> The worst night of Michelle Swanson's life was only getting worse. They had
> gotten through the "What are you saying to me?" discussion, the "How do you
> know for sure?" discussion, and the "How could you do this to us?"
> discussion, and were moving into something more ominous.
>
> For the last ten minutes, she had simply sat on the couch crying as her
> father stalked around the room, ranting at the top of his lungs. Finally,
> he stopped to catch his breath.
>
> "All right. All right. Whatever you may have done up to now, there may
> still be hope. You're too young to understand what's going on in your head.
> There are people who can help you get better."
>
> "Get better? I'm not sick."
>
> "The hell you aren't! Normal, healthy people don't do things like this! I
> don't care what everyone else may say, this is a disease. You are sick, and
> you need help."
>
> "Michelle, please let us help you," her mother said. "You can't turn your
> back on God and your family this way."
>
> "I'm not turning my back on anything! You're turning your back on me!"
>
> "Don't you speak to your mother in that tone of voice!"
>
> Michelle buried her face in her hands again, and tried to make all of this
> disappear. What had possessed her to tell them?
>
> "I am going to make some phone calls. I am going to find someone who can
> help us. Right now, you are confined to this house until further notice."
>
> "You can't keep me locked up here!"
>
> "Yes I can. I am your father, and I am not letting my daughter ruin her
> life and spit on everything that is decent and moral. Now get up to your
> room now."
>
> She stood and ran up the stairs, sobbing.
>
> Paul Swanson was on the phone late into the night and most of Saturday
> morning. Just before ten a.m., he found what seemed to be the solution to
> their problems. He hated having to do this to his daughter, but she had
> left him no choice. God damn the liberals in Sacramento who had made this
> necessary, he thought. God damn them to hell.
>
>   ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>                                     XL.
>
> The news of the impending crisis quickly spread through the squad. Karen
> decided to tell Marcia about it (limiting the revelation to Corinne and
> Michelle), and she reacted with some confusion, though finally coming down
> on their side.
>
> "You have to stand by your friends, I think. I've never really understood
> why . . . being gay was so evil."
>
> "But what about Michelle's folks locking her up?"
>
> "You don't know that they'll do that. I think we should just wait and see."
>
> Karen wasn't convinced.
>
> "I can't get a hold of Corinne. I think something is up."
>
> "She's not home?" Jack asked.
>
> "Her mother said she went out early this morning."
>
> "On a Saturday?"
>
> "Yeah."
>
> "I wonder what she's doing."
>
> Karen tried calling Michelle's house.
>
> "I'm sorry, Karen," her mother said. Her voice was frosty, and hoarse.
> "She's not feeling well. She can't come to the phone right now."
>
> "Um, okay. Tell her I hope she fells better."
>
> "They won't let her talk to me. Something is definitely up."
>
> Becky had come over, and they were all sitting in Karen and Kelly's room.
>
> "I wish we knew where Corinne was," Becky said.
>
> Michelle had spent a largely sleepless night in her room. Her mother had
> come in and taken away her phone right after her father had sent her
> upstairs. She thought about running away, but where could she go? Corinne's
> folks were unlikely to let her move in, and where else could she run?
>
> When she tried to come down the next morning, her mother intercepted her.
>
> "Michelle, you need to stay up here for now. I'll bring you some
> breakfast."
>
> "You can't keep me shut up here like a criminal!"
>
> Her mother glared at her like she'd never seen before.
>
> "Young lady, the Bible tells you to honor your father and mother, and
> you've been doing precious little of that lately. You are going to stay up
> here and figure out how to get right with God, do you hear me?"
>
> She sat down heavily on her bed, and her mother left, shutting the door
> behind her.
>
> She stayed in her room the rest of the morning, and her lunch was delivered
> at noon. Feeling like a prisoner, she lay on her bed and didn't acknowledge
> her mother when she came in.
>
> Around four o'clock, the doorbell rang. She heard voices downstairs. It was
> probably Father Roberts come over to counsel her. Maybe he could help her
> somehow.
>
> About ten minutes later, her door opened, and her parents came in her room
> together, shutting it behind them. The pained, concerned looks on their
> faces put her immediately on her guard.
>
> "Michelle?" her father said.
>
> "What?"
>
> "Your mother and I have come to a very difficult decision, but we believe
> this is what is best for you. We've found a place that can help you get
> better."
>
> She recoiled, pulling herself back on her bed.
>
> "What do you mean? What place?"
>
> "It's an institution in Utah. They've helped a lot of young people like you
> before."
>
> "What? I don't want to go to Utah!"
>
> "Michelle, this is to help you get better. Please try to understand."
>
> "I don't need to get better! I don't want to go!"
>
> The door opened, and two burly men entered. Her mother fell back, covering
> her face with her hands. The two men approached her bed.
>
> "Michelle, this will be much easier on everyone if you just cooperate," one
> of them said.
>
> "No! Get away from me!"
>
> She pushed herself back into the corner and tried to kick at him. He
> grabbed her ankle, and the other man darted in, grabbing her other leg and
> her arm. She tried to fight them, but they rolled her on her stomach. One
> of them pinned her down while the other pulled her arms behind her back.
> She felt something sliding onto her arms, and realized in horror they were
> putting a straitjacket on her.
>
> A moment later, they had her restrained, and pulled her to her feet. She
> tried to drop to the floor, kicking out at them, but they carried her out
> of the room. She lost control at this point, screaming and sobbing.
>
> "No! Daddy, please! Please don't!"
>
> The two men carried her downstairs, through the kitchen and into the
> garage. She saw a van backed up into the garage. The side doors was open,
> though she fought them, they quickly had her locked to a seat inside. She
> continued screaming, hoping someone would hear her.
>
> "Help! Help! Somebody help me!"
>
> As soon as she was locked in place, one of the men produced a gag, and cut
> off her screams. When they shut the door to the van, she felt as if she had
> descended straight into hell.
>
> Corinne had not been idle. She knew, perhaps better than Michelle, that her
> parents might do something rash. She woke up Saturday morning thinking
> about what Jack had told her. They couldn't do anything until Michelle's
> parents did, but waiting could leave them with only a narrow window to save
> her.
>
> She threw on some clothes and drove straight over to Michelle's house. She
> knew better than to bother ringing the doorbell--for all she knew,
> Michelle's parents might call the police--but she had to do something. She
> parked down the street and sat there. If nothing else, I can stake the
> place out, she thought.
>
> She had been about ready to leave when the van pulled up in front of
> Michelle's house. Could it be happening already? When she saw the two men
> get out and walk up to the door, her heart almost stopped. What was going
> on? Maybe they were just plumbers or something. Then they backed the van up
> to the garage as if to conceal what they were doing.
>
> She was parked four houses away, but she still heard Michelle's screams.
> Had she had a gun with her, she would have jumped out and started shooting.
> Instead, she had to wait for them to leave, and she followed after them.
>
> As they pulled away, she fumbled in her purse for something to write on.
> They pulled up to a light, and she wrote down the license plate number,
> then the make and model of the van. She had to get this information to
> Jack, but how? She didn't have a car phone, and if she stopped, she would
> lose them.
>
> She followed the van onto the freeway, trying not to be too obvious. She
> followed them to the 405, then the 91, all the while agonizing that she was
> wasting precious time. When they reached Interstate 15 an hour later, she
> knew where they were going.
>
> She pulled off the freeway into a gas station. Please, God, she thought,
> let Jack be home.
>
> Jack was lying on his bed trying to think. Becky sat at the end, knees up
> to her chest. Summer and Karen were in the other room talking.
>
> The phone rang, and a moment later, he heard Karen screeching.
>
> "Jack! Jack! Get in here!"
>
> "What?"
>
> "It's Corinne."
>
> He jumped off the bed and ran into her room. Karen shoved the phone into
> his hands.
>
> "Corinne?"
>
> "Jack! They took Michelle! You have to call your social worker!"
>
> "Okay, what do I tell her?"
>
> "They're in a blue Dodge Caravan with Utah plates. The license number is
> 3D4023. They're on I-15, I think they're going to Utah. I had to pull off
> the road to call you."
>
> "Okay, I'll call her right now. What's the number there?"
>
> "I'm not staying. I'm going to try to catch them again."
>
> "Okay. Good luck."
>
> She hung up, and Jack immediately dialed Ms. Johnson.
>
> Michelle stopped crying about half an hour after they left, but it was only
> because she ran out of tears. She had never been so miserable in all her
> life. Goddamn Corinne for making this happen! Why couldn't they have just
> kept going the way they had? Now she was heading off somewhere she might
> never come back from. Could they hold her after she turned eighteen? She
> had a sinking feeling they wouldn't have to let her out until they wanted
> to, and that wouldn't happen until she convinced them she was "cured."
>
> Goddamnit, it wasn't fair! How could they just lock her up like this? Like
> she was some kind of criminal. All she had done was fall in love with the
> wrong person. She didn't want to think about what they would do to her to
> try to change her. Drugs, or hypnosis, maybe. They might be able to change
> her no matter how hard she fought them. She imagined a day when she had
> been turned into someone else, thanking her parent for doing this and
> hating Corinne for "corrupting" her. She started crying again and struggled
> against her bonds.
>
> Slowly, her misery turned to rage. Her parents would pay for this, somehow.
> She would figure out a way to get free, to convince them she was cured.
> Then she would make them sorry they had done this to her. Whatever it took.
> If they let her out, and she was eighteen by then, she could do whatever
> she wanted.
>
> The two men had the radio playing, so she didn't hear the siren right away.
> Only when the driver looked up in the rear-view mirror and exclaimed, "What
> the hell?" did she come out of her introspection.
>
> "You speeding?" the other man said.
>
> "No. Sixty-five. The cruise control was on."
>
> "Uh-oh."
>
> "You think?"
>
> "Could be."
>
> The driver pulled the van over to the side of the road. Michelle's spirits
> soared. She had to get the officer's attention somehow. She thrashed in her
> seat, trying to make noise. The man in the passenger seat spun around.
>
> "Knock it off, damn it!"
>
> She ignored him.
>
> The officer walked up to the passenger side of the van, and the man rolled
> down the window about a third. The windows were heavily tinted, and she
> didn't think he could see her. But--and this both thrilled and frightened
> her--he had his hand on his gun as he approached.
>
> "What's the problem, officer?"
>
> The officer tried to look in the window.
>
> "Can you shut off the engine and both step out of the vehicle, please?"
>
> "What's the problem?"
>
> "Both of you step out of the vehicle now, please."
>
> Glancing at each other, two of them exited the van, trying not to open the
> doors too widely. The officer pointed to a spot about ten feet away.
>
> "Both of you stand over there."
>
> He followed them over and patted both of them down. Then, keeping his eye
> on them, he opened the passenger door and leaned in. He saw Michelle, and
> she squealed.
>
> "Mmph! Mmph!"
>
> "Are you Michelle Swanson?"
>
> She couldn't believe this was happening. She nodded violently, trying to
> jump out of her seat. He thumbed the radio handset on his shoulder.
>
> "Dispatch, this is Charlie 312."
>
> "Go ahead, 312," the radio responded.
>
> "I've stopped the blue Dodge Caravan. I have the juvenile here."
>
> "Roger, 312, backup is on its way."
>
> He looked back at Michelle.
>
> "We'll get you out of there in a second. Just sit tight."
>
> She gasped, and began to cry again.
>
>   ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>                                     XLI.
>
> Another Highway Patrol car arrived about fifteen minutes later, and the
> officers arrested the two men. They put them in the back of one of the
> cars, and the other officer, a woman, drove Michelle to the nearest CHP
> station.
>
> "Someone from Child Services is coming to get you. They'll figure out what
> to do."
>
> "You don't know how happy I was to see you guys. I was so scared."
>
> "I understand. This is a bigger problem than you realize. Most kids aren't
> as lucky as you are."
>
> "How did you find out?"
>
> "I don't know. We just got a call from Orange County Child Services about
> it. They told us the vehicle was on the 15 heading north, and asked us to
> intercept it. But it's happened before."
>
> "Really?"
>
> "Yes. Parents get desperate, and they don't want to obey the law. There are
> a lot of places like the one they were taking you to who solicit business
> in California, knowing they're going to be circumventing the law here. They
> send people to snatch the kids like they did to you. Now and then we find
> out in time to stop them."
>
> "What happens?"
>
> "They'll both be charged with kidnapping, most likely. It doesn't matter in
> California that they had your parents' permission."
>
> "I meant about me."
>
> "I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing it's unlikely you'll be returned
> to your parents right away. Child Services will want to have a talk with
> them."
>
> "Oh."
>
> "If you don't mind my asking, is this because they think you're gay?"
>
> Michelle gasped.
>
> "How did you know?"
>
> "It's the most common reason, because it's not a valid reason for civil
> commitment in California. Taking the kids out of state is the only way to
> do it."
>
> "Wow."
>
> "I think it's really sad. I hope one day you and your parents can reconcile
> somehow about this."
>
> She frowned.
>
> "Don't hold your breath."
>
> The four of them were fidgeting around Karen's room when the phone rang.
> Karen grabbed the phone first.
>
> "Hello?"
>
> Her face lit up, and she shoved the phone at Jack.
>
> "It's her, the woman."
>
> Jack took the phone, watching the tense reactions of the three girls.
>
> "Hi."
>
> "Jack, I wanted to let you know I just got a call from the Highway Patrol.
> They caught your friend just north of Barstow. We're sending someone to get
> her."
>
> "Oh, God. Thank you."
>
> Karen, Becky, and Summer all gasped at once. Becky and Summer hugged each
> other. Karen bounced on the bed next to Jack, trying to listen in.
>
> "No, thank you, Jack. This wouldn't have been possible without your help."
>
> "What's going to happen to her?"
>
> "We're going to hold onto her for now. Someone from Child Services is also
> heading over to her parent's house."
>
> "Are they going to get in trouble?"
>
> "Possibly, but unlikely. They did break the law, but at worst, we'll use
> the threat of prosecution to encourage them to cooperate."
>
> "How will we know where she is?"
>
> "I'm sure they'll let her call you when she gets a chance. Just relax.
> She'll be fine."
>
> Corinne pulled off the road in Barstow. She knew by then she wasn't going
> to catch them, and she had to call Jack to see what, if anything, had
> happened. When Karen answered and told her, she broke down and cried.
>
> Child Services arrived at the Swanson house just after dark. Out of an
> abundance of caution (which proved to be well-reasoned), the social worker
> had brought along an Orange County Sheriff's Deputy. Paul Swanson's howls
> of outrage could soon be heard several blocks away. A second Sheriff's
> Department vehicle pulled up to the house ten minutes later, lights
> flashing, and Paul Swanson was carried out of the house in handcuffs. It
> was an incident the neighbors would gossip about for months afterward.
>
> By Monday afternoon, the entire school knew what had happened. Corinne
> tried to hold herself together, but Michelle was on the verge of tears all
> day.
>
> Jack was with Becky after lunch when Summer came up to them.
>
> "Coach Bishop wants to see all of us after seventh period. No mystery why."
>
> "Damn it," Becky said.
>
> "What do you think?" Jack asked.
>
> "She's going to kick Corinne and Michelle off the squad," Becky said. "I
> bet you any amount of money."
>
> "The hell she is," Summer said.
>
> "What are you going to do?"
>
> "Explain a few things to her."
>
> In addition to being the cheerleading coach, Katherine Bishop also coached
> about half the girl's sports. She had arrived at nine that morning to find
> a message from Father Roberts on her voice mail. What he told her nearly
> made her faint. Not just one, but two of her cheerleaders were lesbians?
> And one of them Michelle Swanson, just about the nicest, sweetest girl in
> the world? What was this country coming to?
>
> She hadn't needed Father Roberts' not-so-subtle hints to know what to do.
> She found Summer Carlson and informed her she wanted to see all six of them
> at three forty-five that afternoon.
>
> The girls began assembling in her office just off the gym after last
> period. She expected to find a sympathetic reception to this idea, but she
> hadn't. The stern look on Summer's face disturbed her almost as much as
> that morning's news.
>
> She almost couldn't bring herself to look at Corinne and Michelle. Could
> they possibly be . . .? Ugh. She didn't even want to think about it.
>
> "All right," she began, "I'm assuming you all know why I've asked you here
> this afternoon. I think we can all agree that the varsity cheerleading
> squad is supposed to represent the best of this school. You young ladies
> are the ones who go out to represent Sacred Heart in front of the students,
> faculty, and parents, and I don't think you can do that unless you are
> upholding certain moral standards--"
>
> "So you're saying?" Summer interrupted.
>
> Bishop scowled at her.
>
> "I am saying that I do not believe that you two"--here she glanced at
> Corinne and Michelle--"can continue to represent this school on this squad
> under the circumstances. I am giving you the chance to resign so I do not
> have to remove you."
>
> "If you kick them off the squad, every one of us will resign," Summer said.
> "And I will see to it that no one else bothers to try out to replace us.
> Believe me, I can do it."
>
> Katherine Bishop couldn't believe what she was hearing. This was David
> Carlson's daughter? David Carlson, the Grand Knight of the local chapter of
> the Knights of Columbus? Defending a pair of lesbians?
>
> She looked at the other girls, stunned. All of them were glaring at her.
> She might have expected something like this from Karen--she was clearly the
> feistiest member of the squad--but Summer? And Becky, too? And Kisu, whose
> mother was so old fashioned and uptight she frequently called Bishop to ask
> about her daughter's behavior at school? Good God.
>
> "Excuse me?"
>
> "You heard me," Summer said. "And I mean it. If they're gone, the rest of
> us are too."
>
> Bishop took a deep breath and tried to regain some composure.
>
> "Okay. If you want to resign, Summer, go ahead. But don't drag the rest of
> the squad down with you."
>
> "She's not," Karen said. "We'll do it."
>
> "Right," Becky said.
>
> "Yep," Kisu said.
>
> Bishop almost called their bluff. Who did these little witches think they
> were? But this squad had just taken the bronze at the Regionals, the best
> showing she had ever coached, and this late in the semester, she couldn't
> possibly put together a decent group to replace them, even if Summer didn't
> carry out her threat to stage a boycott. Which Bishop knew she could
> probably do. Oh, she was sure a few girls would show up, but she was
> looking at about half of the school's ruling clique right now. She wasn't
> so far out of high school to have forgotten how these things worked.
>
> Her blood began to boil. This was ridiculous! Faced down by a pack of
> seventeen-year-old girls!
>
> "Summer, this isn't my decision. Father Roberts made some very strong
> suggestions to me this morning. He has his own opinions about how this
> school should be run. If you have a problem with it, you need to take it up
> with him."
>
> Summer smiled, but it wasn't a pretty sight.
>
> "No, I don't. You do."
>
> She reached into her workout bag and pulled out her uniform. She tossed it
> on Bishop's desk.
>
> "You explain it to him. Because I'm out of here."
>
> One by one, all six of the girls dumped their uniforms on her desk. Then
> they walked out en masse.
>
> Bishop sat on her desk staring at the pile of yellow and green polyester,
> breathing hard. She picked up the phone to call Father Roberts. She wasn't
> looking forward to this conversation.
>
> Summer knew very well that the confrontation in Coach Bishop's office was
> only the beginning. Father Roberts would soon hear of it, and he tended to
> be quite strict about disrespect toward the school's faculty. Rolled
> together with an issue like Corinne and Michelle, he would take it very
> seriously. But Summer not without a few weapons of her own.
>
> On her way home that afternoon, Summer reflected on how much she had
> changed in the last year. Her public persona had become so far divorced
> from her private one that she scarcely recognized it anymore. If there was
> anything she had learned since this whole crazy mess with the cheerleading
> squad began, it was that there were more important things than being
> popular. And Jesus Christ, she was graduating in three months. What the
> hell did she care what a bunch of high school kids thought, especially if,
> as she hoped, she would be 3000 miles away in D.C.?
>
> As soon as she got home, she called Rachel Callahan, the class president.
> She and Rachel were good, if not particularly close friends. Rachel was a
> born politician, and loved nothing more than a good fight. They discussed
> Corinne and Michelle for a few minutes (Summer filled her in on much of the
> gossip as a way of bringing her aboard), and Rachel soon agreed that the
> two cheerleaders were being unjustly persecuted, and something had to be
> done. They discussed tactics for about ten minutes before agreeing to call
> some more people.
>
> Summer couldn't help but grin when she hung up. So Father Roberts had a
> problem with her friends? BFD. He and Kathy Bishop were about to find out
> who really ran this goddamned school.
>
> Father Roberts was even more upset than Summer realized. After speaking
> with Kathy Bishop, he had to take a few minutes to compose himself, even
> sneaking a glass of sherry out of the bottle he kept in the credenza in his
> office. Like Bishop, he was stunned at Summer's behavior.
>
> Father Roberts had known the Carlson family for nearly twenty years. Summer
> had begun Sacred Heart in kindergarten, and until today, he thought he knew
> her quite well. He had baptized her, for goodness' sake. She had always
> been pretty and popular, and until this afternoon's events, he had thought
> of her as the sort of young woman his school should strive to produce.
> Bright, articulate, respectful, deeply moral and religious. It was as if
> she had been replaced by some evil twin.
>
> Yet, as he gave the matter more thought, some sense began to emerge. If
> Summer had somehow formed the view that lesbianism was an acceptable
> lifestyle, then she was simply standing up for her friends, and doing it so
> forcefully that she was willing to give up her position as head of the
> cheerleading squad to correct a perceived injustice. That, absent the
> lesbian issue, was the Summer he knew.
>
> So where had she gotten this notion that Corinne and Michelle had done
> nothing wrong? Not from her parents, that much was certain. David and
> Stacey Carlson were typical Orange County conservatives and had long been
> deeply involved in the Sacred Heart community. Not from his school either;
> Father Roberts had long stood firm against any relaxation of the Church's
> stand against homosexuality. No matter what modern customs might dictate,
> both the Old and New Testaments were clear in their condemnation of that
> lifestyle. Never mind those perennial complaints that the Gospel said
> nothing about it; Paul's Letters were as much the received Word of God as
> the Gospel was, and that was enough for Father Roberts.
>
> As much as he hated the idea, it was clear that Summer had fallen victim to
> modern permissiveness. Before he did anything rash about her disgraceful
> behavior toward Coach Bishop, it would be best to have a talk with her.
>
> He called her house but got their voice mail. He left a long message
> expressing his concern and asking her to come to his office the next
> morning.
>
>   ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>                                    XLII.
>
> Summer arrived at school the next day to find the whole campus abuzz. Six
> different people had come up to her to ask if she had really resigned as
> head cheerleader, and the morning wasn't even half over yet. In each case,
> she replied, yes, she had, and then tried to explain why. Sometimes she got
> a sympathetic reception; sometimes she didn't. But she made it very clear
> where she stood and that anyone standing against her was going straight
> onto her shit list.
>
> Now she sat outside Father Roberts' office waiting for him to get off the
> phone. The message he had left hadn't surprised her, but it had unnerved
> her slightly. For all her bravado the night before, this was happening
> faster than she expected. She had known Father Roberts all her life, and
> she wasn't quite sure she was ready to butt heads with him. She hadn't
> gotten into Georgetown yet, and a phone call from him could cause serious
> problems with her application. But she had set things in motion, and it was
> too late to turn back now.
>
> His voice brought her out of her reverie.
>
> "Summer, come in."
>
> She took a deep breath and tried to shake off her nervousness. If he sensed
> it, the meeting might as well be over. She stood and walked into his
> office, shutting the door before he said anything. She noticed his eyebrows
> go up slightly and felt a small thrill. He repositioned himself in his
> chair, sitting up straight.
>
> "Why don't you have a seat?"
>
> Summer sat down in the chair nearest his window, so he would have to deal
> with the glare coming in. She thought she had read something about that
> tactic once. She saw him squint, and thought, Summer 2, Father Roberts 0.
> Then he got up and shut the blinds.
>
> "All right," he finally said. "I'm assuming you know what this is about."
>
> "Father, I'm sorry if I was disrespectful to Coach Bishop yesterday."
> Better to throw him that bone right off, since it wasn't important. "But I
> don't want to be part of a squad that kicks my friends off when they
> haven't done anything wrong."
>
> "Well, we'll get to that in a moment. I'm sure you know that a school
> cannot operate without a certain hierarchy. If I allow that hierarchy to
> break down, the educational mission is that much more difficult. The
> faculty cannot do its job if it much constantly defend the respect that it
> deserves."
>
> "I understand, Father. I'll apologize to her if you want. But I'm not going
> back onto the squad."
>
> "Well, an apology would be a start. But she also told me that you
> threatened to stage a boycott if she tried to replace you."
>
> "Father, I don't think what she was going to do is right. Don't I have the
> right to tell my friends that? She has the right to make the rules for the
> squad, but if we don't agree with them, don't we have the right not to
> participate?"
>
> "Summer, what if I were to tell the Holy Father that I disagree with his
> instructions on some issue? Do I have the right to complain and ignore his
> teachings?"
>
> "I'm not asking her to change the rules."
>
> "But by staging a boycott, you're exhibiting great disrespect for her
> decisions."
>
> "Father, Jesus doesn't say anything about lesbians. I don't think she's
> right."
>
> "No, but Saint Paul does. As does the Old Testament."
>
> "It also says not to eat cheeseburgers, and they serve them in our
> cafeteria."
>
> Roberts grunted and shifted in his chair. He was not about to get into a
> theological argument with this girl.
>
> "Summer, the Church's position on this issue is long established and
> well-supported by Scripture. Even if I agreed with you, I'm not in a
> position to ignore it. However, if you are willing to apologize to Coach
> Bishop and agree to abide by her rules, we can forget this entire
> incident."
>
> "I'll apologize to her. But I'm not going back on the squad, and neither
> are any of the other girls. We've talked about it."
>
> "All right. Then you and the rest of the squad are assigned one afternoon's
> detention for your behavior yesterday. And I'm assuming we have dispensed
> with this boycott nonsense."
>
> "Father, I can't control what the rest of the school does. It's not my
> fault if people agree with us."
>
> "Perhaps not, but I will not have you agitating the other students on
> behalf of Corinne and Michelle."
>
> Summer couldn't resist a smile. She suspected she wouldn't have to. Not
> since she'd brought Rachel into this.
>
> "I won't do a thing, Father."
>
> She could tell he noticed her smile, but he didn't say anything about it.
> She left his office and found Rachel.
>
> "You got detention for resigning from the squad?"
>
> Rachel's eyes had grown to enormous proportions.
>
> "Me and the rest of us."
>
> "That's so unfair! He can't give you detention for that!"
>
> "He said it was because we were disrespectful to Coach Bishop."
>
> "That's so stupid! That's like . . . like throwing someone in jail for not
> taking a bribe or something. Oh! We have to tell people about this."
>
> "I told him I wouldn't do anything. But I didn't say anything about you."
>
> A broad grin spread over Rachel's face, and she bit her lip in glee.
>
> "Okay. Leave it to me. I'll take care of everything."
>
> Rachel Callahan had been waiting for this moment for years. She had been
> elected President of the class both this year and last, but the mantle of
> office soon began to chafe. She realized fairly quickly that: a) she had no
> real authority to do anything (even the Student Senate's decisions on
> school dances had to be cleared by Father Roberts) and b) she was unlikely
> to ever face a more pressing issue than the color scheme for the Prom.
>
> Then Summer had dropped this bombshell in her lap. She and Summer generally
> got along well enough, but she had long been jealous of Summer's greater
> influence around the school. Now Summer was stuck on the sidelines, and had
> asked for Rachel's help. That alone would have been enough to kick her into
> action, even had the injustice of this whole thing not put a charge into
> her.
>
> She knew and liked both Corinne and Michelle, and although she had
> certainly been surprised by the revelations (she had dismissed the rumors
> as just that), and though it did make her just the teensiest bit
> uncomfortable, she wasn't going to sit idly by and ignore her one chance to
> lead a student uprising. She had already been admitted to Yale, and she
> really doubted that liberal institution would get upset about her defending
> a pair of persecuted lesbians. Hell, they would probably pat themselves on
> the back for recognizing Rachel's potential beforehand.
>
> She went to work at lunchtime, and by the time the bell rang for fifth
> period, she had surprised even herself.
>
> Summer, Becky and Karen arrived at detention together. They found Kisu
> waiting for them.
>
> "My mother will have a stroke about this," Kisu said. "Don't expect to see
> much of me for the next month."
>
> "Me either," Becky said.
>
> Michelle and Corinne walked up a moment later.
>
> "How are you guys doing?" Summer asked.
>
> "I'll live," Corinne said. Michelle just shrugged weakly.
>
> The six of them took their places in the classroom. Everyone looked over
> and stared when they came in, including the teacher assigned to supervise.
> Only three other students had been assigned detention that day. The teacher
> gave them a wary look but said nothing.
>
> At four o'clock, she stood and shut the door to the classroom. She handed a
> form to one of the other students.
>
> "Please sign in. Remember for the next hour, there is to be no talking,
> note passing, or other communication in this room. Any violations will get
> you another afternoon in here. You may do homework or--"
>
> She stopped for a moment. Something was going on out in the
> quadrangle--someone was singing. Everyone cocked their ears to the door,
> and a moment later, Summer realized it was a group of people singing the
> school fight song. Five seconds later, the door opened and Rachel Callahan
> came in, followed by about thirty or forty other students, all of them
> singing loudly. Summer saw the teacher shooting a nasty glance at her. She
> shrugged: This wasn't my idea.
>
> The protesting students ignored the teacher's attempts to regain control.
> The cheerleaders remained at their desks, trying not to smile too hard. The
> three other students merely looked around, grinning.
>
> Father Roberts heard the singing, at first pleased to hear the school song.
> Then it repeated once, twice, and continued. An eyebrow went up. Something
> was going on, and he had an idea what it was. Father Roberts had been with
> Sacred Heart for over thirty years, and had been Headmaster for almost
> twenty. This wasn't the first or even the fifth student protest he had
> dealt with. There hadn't been anything in the last few years, but he
> supposed they were overdue. He had been afraid something like this was
> coming but had hoped to avert it.
>
> He leaned over to his window above the Quad, and saw a mass of students
> outside the detention room. No mystery what was up.
>
> He got up from his desk and walked downstairs. He met Laetitia Gonzales,
> the teacher in charge of detention this week, on his way out of the
> administration wing.
>
> "Father--"
>
> "I hear it."
>
> She fell in behind him as he walked over to detention.
>
> Although Father Roberts had something of a reputation as a disciplinarian
> around the school, he had learned a few things about student protests in
> his years as a teacher. One of them was that it was important not to create
> martyrs, and not to let his ego get in the way of resolving the dispute.
> The best way to deal with a protest was to find a way to disperse the
> students as quickly as possible. Threatening them all with suspension was
> pointless, and the students knew that. Suspending that many at once would
> have a mob of angry parents on the phone to him that night. He didn't want
> to endanger their college admissions anyway. That would be overkill.
>
> The students saw him coming, and the singing began to die down. Then it
> redoubled in volume as if someone in the classroom were spurring them on.
> He squeezed his way in and was not surprised to find Rachel Callahan
> leading the group. He looked over at Summer, who tried to put on her best
> expression of innocence. This was why she had smiled at him at the end of
> their meeting that morning. She had probably already set this thing in
> motion before they talked.
>
> Father Roberts raised his arms in the air and motioned for silence. The
> singing finally stopped.
>
> "Detention is cancelled for today. Please clear out of the classroom. I
> will address the school on this issue tomorrow. For now, I want you all to
> just go home, all right?"
>
> He ignored the cheers and applause that greeted his announcement. The
> students began to file out of the room, congratulating themselves. He took
> Summer's arm as she stood up.
>
> "Father, I didn't ask anyone to do this. I told you I wouldn't do anything
> and I didn't."
>
> "Am I to believe you had nothing to do with this?"
>
> "I mentioned to Rachel that we'd gotten detention. That was all."
>
> He sighed and let go of her.
>
> "I'm counting the minutes until my folks find out about this," Summer said.
> "It's only a matter of time."
>
> She was driving home with Jack, Becky and Karen.
>
> "I'm guessing a lot of the kids are telling their folks," Becky said. "The
> parents will be calling around."
>
> "I wonder what Father Roberts is going to do," Jack said.
>
> Father Roberts was wondering that himself.
>
>   ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>                                    XLIII.
>
> Becky was doing her homework when her mother came in her room.
>
> "Rebecca, is there something you want to tell me?"
>
> Becky leaned back, knowing what had happened. Her mother never called her
> Rebecca unless there was a problem.
>
> "I quit the squad. We all did."
>
> "So I was just told. I could not believe my ears. You were actually
> defending those friends of yours?"
>
> "Yes. I don't think it's right that the coach was going to kick them off.
> None of us did."
>
> "Good God, what has gotten into you? Didn't we raise you better? You don't
> see anything wrong with what those two have been doing?"
>
> "They're my friends. You raised me not to stab people in the back."
>
> "Are you telling me you knew about this?"
>
> "Yes."
>
> "For how long?"
>
> Becky sighed, looking down at the floor.
>
> "A while. A long time."
>
> "You knew what they were doing, and you continued associating with them?"
> she screeched. "You actually stayed friends with people like that?"
>
> Becky closed her eyes, wanting to cry. If only her mother knew the whole
> truth. Would she be reacting the same way if she knew her daughter was
> "like that" also?
>
> "Yes."
>
> "For God's sake, why?"
>
> "Because they're my friends. And because Jesus doesn't a single word about
> lesbians."
>
> Pain shot through her head as her mother jerked her hair up. She stared at
> Becky for a moment, wild-eyed, then slapped her.
>
> "How dare you! You know damned well what the Bible says about that!"
>
> Becky pulled away, trying to free herself from her mother's grasp.
>
> "Let go of me!"
>
> "How could you do this? How could you turn your back on everything we
> taught you?"
>
> She jumped up, backing away from her mother.
>
> "Because I didn't have any choice!"
>
> Her mother stood there, suddenly bewildered.
>
> "What are you talking about?"
>
> Before Becky could respond, her door opened further, and her father came in
> the room.
>
> "What on earth is going on? Why are you two screaming?"
>
> Her mother ignored him, amazement beginning to spread over her face.
>
> "Rebecca, what do you mean you didn't have any choice?"
>
> Becky stood there, face in her hands, feeling the tears running between her
> fingers. A second later, she felt her mother's hand on her shoulder and
> jumped.
>
> "Honey? What do you mean you didn't have any choice?"
>
> She took a ragged breath and stared up at the ceiling.
>
> "Because I am 'like that' also. I am bisexual. Believe me I sometimes wish
> I weren't. I wish I didn't have to think you would hate me if you knew. I
> wish I didn't have to be the kind of person everyone thinks is going to
> hell because of feelings I have no control over. I wish I didn't live in
> terror every day of this discussion and how you would react. I wish I
> didn't have to worry that my whole family would abandon me because of
> something I didn't ask for and can't do anything about."
>
> She gathered up the strength to look at her mother. She was standing there,
> jaw halfway to her chest, face white. Her father looked even more shocked,
> having missed the preliminaries to this discussion.
>
> Her mother reached out slowly, putting her hand on Becky's arm.
>
> "Honey," she said very quietly. "Are you sure?"
>
> "Yes. Yes, I am sure."
>
> Her mother's grip on her arm tightened, she pulled Becky toward her,
> embracing her. Now somewhat shocked herself, Becky let her mother hold her.
>
> "How could you think I could ever hate you?" she said a moment later.
>
> "Because of the things you and Dad say about this. What else am I supposed
> to think?"
>
> "Honey, that's just . . ." She couldn't finish the sentence.
>
> Her mother pulled back to look at her, brushing Becky's hair back from her
> face. Then she hugged her again.
>
> "Nothing in this world could make me hate you. Sad or angry or surprised,
> but I could never hate you. I love you more than anything."
>
> "But, what about . . ."
>
> "Honey, I'm still in shock. I don't know how I feel about this yet, but you
> don't have to worry that any of us will hate you. We're not going to
> abandon you."
>
> "Mom, I didn't choose to be this way. I know that as much as I know
> anything."
>
> "Honey, we'll . . . we'll talk about it. I promise. But you don't have to
> worry about us."
>
> "Okay."
>
> She hugged Becky for a few more moments, then released her. She took a deep
> breath and exhaled.
>
> "Does Jack know?"
>
> "Yes. He knows everything. And he's never cared. He loves me for who I am."
>
> Her father finally stepped forward.
>
> "But you couldn't tell us?"
>
> "Dad, what was I supposed to think the way you and Mom talk?"
>
> "You were afraid to tell us?"
>
> "Yes. I was scared to death. I still am."
>
> Her words seemed to stagger him. Then her father took her in his arms.
>
> "Becky, you don't have to worry that we will reject you. However we work
> this out, we still love you, no matter what."
>
> Becky's control finally wavered, and she began to cry on her father's
> shoulder, sobbing half in stress and half in relief. Maybe it wouldn't be
> so bad after all.
>
> Similar discussions were talking place around the neighborhood. Corinne's
> parents, true to form, tried to express their support but were only
> partially successful. Kisu had a screaming fit with her mother, but
> refrained from spilling the secret. Summer's mother was upset enough at her
> quitting cheerleading that Summer didn't feel the need to confess anything
> else. Karen and Marcia had a long talk about what had happened, and Karen,
> in a fit of candor, spilled the beans about her relationship with Becky.
> Marcia was at first shocked, then cried, then began to laugh, wondering out
> loud how she hadn't noticed it. The night ended with a group hug and
> expressions of unconditional love.
>
> Father Roberts had intended to call an assembly for the Upper School to
> explain his position, but the more he thought about it, the more he felt it
> would only prolong the crisis. Was he going to expel Corinne and Michelle
> simply for being lesbians? No. He hadn't expelled Amanda Press and Marcy
> Rennet two years before, despite calls from some parents asking him to.
> That being the case, he wasn't sure if he was ready to get up in front of
> the whole school and condemn them. It wouldn't really be fair. Anyway, they
> were graduating in less than three months. Had they been juniors, he might
> well have told their families not to return them to school the next year.
> As it was, the problem would resolve itself soon. And he was just not ready
> for yet another lecture about teen sex. He had been doing this for twenty
> years, and frankly, he was getting sick of it. He had never really believed
> that it was the proper role of a priest to lecture people on their sex
> lives.
>
> So in the end, he settled on a brief, vague, announcement over the P.A.
> about paying attention to one's own morals and not expending so much energy
> judging others. "Take out the beam in your own eye before tending to the
> mote in your brother's," he said.
>
> He had given that lecture more than once before, too. This might be the
> year he starting thinking seriously about retirement. This job was just too
> damned stressful. He took a swig of sherry, leaned back in his chair, and
> thought about playing golf in Palm Springs.
>
>   ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>                                    XLIV.
>
> Becky went into therapy with her parents, who had turned into people she
> didn't recognize. They agreed to keep the issue to themselves until they
> decided how to handle it, but she was amazed at the realization that they
> might just be able to deal with her being bisexual.
>
> Kisu's mother grounded her again. She couldn't quite put a reason on why,
> but it seemed like the thing to do. Kisu resigned herself to it and went
> back to studying, dreaming of the day she could go off to college and be
> free of this harridan of a mother. She had gotten wait-listed at Stanford,
> so there was some reason to be happy anyway.
>
> Summer's mother stopped speaking to her for a week, which Summer was just
> fine with. When Summer finally convinced her that she was through with
> cheerleading, things went slowly back to normal. Summer was only somewhat
> surprised that her mother seemed to care more about the cheerleading than
> about Corinne and Michelle.
>
> The Swanson family's legal issues were addressed in a consolidated hearing
> in mid-March. Paul Swanson was fined $1000 and sentenced to 200 hours of
> community service, having assaulted the social worker and Sheriff's Deputy
> who arrived at their house the night Michelle had been rescued. Through
> Child Services, Michelle had filed a request for a writ of emancipation,
> but rather than oppose her request, Paul Swanson sued Orange County Child
> Services for taking her. The judge threw the suit out on sovereign immunity
> grounds, and issued the writ of emancipation. The judge's order was
> conditioned on Michelle going to live with Corinne's parents, who then got
> into a violent argument with Paul Swanson. It took four Sheriff's Deputies
> to pry them all apart. The Deputies had to drag Corinne's mother out of the
> courtroom, and she complained to anyone who would listen that there was
> nothing wrong with lesbianism. Corinne finally prevailed upon her to shut
> up, and the judge then fined Paul Swanson another $300 for contempt of
> court.
>
> Kathy Bishop held tryouts for the replacement cheerleaders. Three people
> showed up, none of whom were really qualified. She settled for promoting
> the J.V. squad to varsity a couple of months early.
>
> Shortly after arriving home from school one Friday afternoon in late March,
> Jack was lying on his bed reading when he heard Karen begin screeching and
> squealing.
>
> "Ah! Ah! Ah! Jack! Look!"
>
> He came down the stairs to see her holding a big envelope in her hands and
> a huge grin on her face.
>
> "It's from Georgetown! I think I got into Georgetown!"
>
> She jumped up and down as he came down to hug her.
>
> "Open it up."
>
> She tore open the envelope and pulled out the contents. She scanned the top
> before screaming again and hugging him tightly.
>
> "I did! I did!"
>
> He hugged her for about ten seconds before she let him go.
>
> "Oh, God. I have to call someone. Who do I call?"
>
> "Your mom first."
>
> "Okay."
>
> She ran into the kitchen and grabbed the phone. She dialed her mother's
> number and stood grinning, wiping her eyes.
>
> "Mom! I got into Georgetown!" She paused a second, listening. "Yes! It just
> came! Already!"
>
> Jack listened to her gushing into the phone for a few minutes. Then she
> called Becky and Summer and repeated the routine with them. Only after
> about half an hour did she begin to calm down.
>
> "Now you have to get into Annapolis. I can't have you stuck anywhere else
> in ROTC or something."
>
> "We'll see. It won't be for a while, though."
>
> "I know. I can't believe it came this soon."
>
> "You must have impressed them."
>
> "Oh, God. What about Becky and Summer? I could tell they were happy for me,
> but I knew they were thinking about them, too."
>
> "It will happen somehow. I know it."
>
> "I hope so. I want so bad for it to happen. It would be so awful if only
> one or two of us got in."
>
> "We've been through this. It's out of our hands now."
>
> "I know. I can't help it though."
>
> They waited another week, into the beginning of April, before anything else
> happened. The phone rang Thursday afternoon, and Jack picked it up to find
> Summer screaming in his ear.
>
> "I got in! I got in!"
>
> "Great! I knew it."
>
> "This is going to be so much fun. All that's left is for Becky to get in
> too."
>
> Somehow, Jack knew it was going to come down to this.
>
> As the days went on with no word from Georgetown, Becky grew more and more
> depressed. Jack spent more time with her, trying to comfort her, with only
> partial success. She began talking about moving to D.C. with them anyway,
> even if she didn't get in. Jack walked home with her every afternoon,
> hoping to be there when the word came, whatever it was.
>
> It happened in late April. As they had begun doing, Jack opened the mailbox
> for her. He saw only envelopes.
>
> "Nothing."
>
> She stared at the ground and took the envelopes out. She flipped through
> them, and her face suddenly twisted into shock.
>
> "Oh, God!"
>
> She crumpled one of the envelopes in her fist, and her eyes slammed shut on
> burgeoning tears. Jack's stomach dropped, and his breath caught in his
> throat. He took her in his arms, feeling her shake with sobs, knowing it
> would do no good. She hammered her fists on his chest, sobbing out loud.
>
> "No! No! Oh, God, no!"
>
> He pulled the envelope out of her hand. As he knew, it was from Georgetown.
> He opened up it to make sure. The contents knocked him out of his daze.
>
> "Wait. Wait. You didn't get rejected. You just got wait- listed."
>
> She stopped crying, and took a ragged breath.
>
> "I did?"
>
> "Yes. You can still get in. I bet you will. I know it."
>
> "But I didn't get in."
>
> "You will. Have some faith."
>
> She gasped for breath.
>
> "Are you sure?"
>
> "You have to. Just pray."
>
> "Okay."
>
> "And I haven't gotten into the Academy yet anyway."
>
> "Oh, like that's suspense."
>
> "Nothing is guaranteed."
>
> "You meant what you said before? You'd never let go of me whatever
> happened?"
>
> "Yes. Don't ever stop believing that."
>
> Three days later, Jack was in his room after school when the phone rang.
>
> "Jack!" Karen yelled. "It's for you. It's some man."
>
> He picked up the receiver.
>
> "Hello?"
>
> "Jack? This is Major Steve Harris. We met at your Academy interview in
> December."
>
> Jack's heart jumped into his throat.
>
> "Yes, sir. How are you doing, sir?"
>
> "Just fine, Jack. I'm calling to let you know your application to Annapolis
> has been accepted. You're going to be lining up with the other plebes in
> June."
>
> He was unable to form a coherent response.
>
> "I'm sorry for the delay, but they like to let everyone know at once. I
> don't think there was ever much doubt about your appointment. I hope you
> can stand hanging out with those Navy pukes for the next four years,
> because we're really eager to get you into the Corps."
>
> "Yes, sir. Thank you so much, sir."
>
> He saw Karen peering past his door with an excited look on her face.
>
> "You'll be getting the packet in the mail any day now. I just wanted to let
> you know as soon as I could."
>
> "Thank you, sir. You don't know what this means to me."
>
> Karen stifled a squeal and began jumping up and down in his doorway,
> holding her hands to her mouth.
>
> "Yes, I do, Jack. I understand completely. Just enjoy it. You've got a lot
> of work ahead of you, but I know you'll do wonderfully."
>
> "Thank you, sir."
>
> "Thank you, Jack. And good luck."
>
> "Good bye, sir."
>
> As soon as he hung up, Karen squealed.
>
> "Was that it?"
>
> "Yes."
>
> She screamed, and threw herself at him. He held her, and started laughing,
> crying at the same time. He didn't deserve this, he though in the back of
> his mind, but it was happening anyway.
>
> Everyone was thrilled to tears, except for Becky, which hardly surprised
> him. She hugged him when he told her, then started crying. Summer and Karen
> had agreed without discussion to let Jack take Becky to the Prom, but it
> hadn't made any difference. Becky got into UCLA and UC Irvine, but didn't
> seem to care.
>
> He spent more and more time with her, doing little but comfort her. Somehow
> she got through finals week, and they prepared for the Prom. Karen went
> with the same boy she'd gone to the Winter Formal with, and Summer went
> with a friend of her family's from Church.
>
> As Jack got ready that night, he thought he deserved this predicament. Of
> the three girls, Becky was the one who least deserved this, not that any of
> them did, but she was the least able to deal with it. He had racked his
> brain for a solution, but knew it was futile. Her parents would not let her
> give up a chance at UCLA to follow her boyfriend to D.C. and wait on
> tables. Jack wasn't sure he would agree to it either, for her sake. But of
> course, he couldn't possibly ask her not to. It would kill her.
>
> They had rented a limo that night, and it pulled up to the house around
> six. Jack came down to check in with the driver--he had paid for most of
> it, after asking his trustee for the money, and then waited for Karen's
> date to show up. When he did, they picked up Summer and her date. Her
> parents were friendly, but somewhat distant with him, which didn't surprise
> him.
>
> Then they went to pick up Becky.
>
> Jack walked up to the door, knowing this might be the last serious night he
> had with her. He was leaving for Annapolis in a few weeks, and it would
> likely be a long time before he saw her again after that. He was going to
> do his absolute best to make this night perfect for her.
>
> Becky's mother answered the door.
>
> "Hi, Jack, come on in."
>
> He followed her into the living room. She had been noticeably less uptight
> since Becky's revelation, and he wondered how well Becky really knew them.
> Sometimes people surprised you.
>
> "You look so handsome. Wait until Becky gets a look at you."
>
> "Is she ready?"
>
> "I think so."
>
> She leaned into the stairway.
>
> "Jack is here, honey."
>
> Becky appeared a moment later. She wore an elegant white gown, floor length
> but swooping up with a curving slit on one side up to her knee. It had a
> low back and the front was gathered up at her neck. Her hair was up in an
> elaborate arrangement on the back of her head. But what he noticed most was
> the look on her face. She was smiling, genuinely smiling for the first time
> in weeks. Her hands were behind her back as she descended the stairs.
>
> "Hi."
>
> "Hi. You're beautiful."
>
> "Thanks. I have a little surprise for you."
>
> "What?"
>
> She brought her hands around and held out a piece of letter-sized paper.
> With a shock, he saw the Georgetown letterhead at the top of it. He knew
> what it said before he read the first line.
>
> She squealed and threw her arms around him, and he hugged her for all he
> was worth.
>
>   ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>                                   EPILOGUE
>
> Second Lieutenant Jack O'Leary stood at the front of the Annapolis Chapel
> and awaited his bride. He had received his commission only a week before,
> and he had a week left for their honeymoon before he had to report to
> Pensacola for flight training. She had graduated shortly before him, and
> they had agreed that she would put graduate school on hold for two years
> while he got his wings. Then, once he was stationed somewhere, she would
> return to school.
>
> He saw Marcia sitting in the front row, wiping her eyes. They had remained
> close, and though no one could ever replace his mother, she had come about
> as close as anyone could. To his left were the groomsmen. His best man was
> his roommate and teammate on the football team. Jack hadn't started until
> his junior year, but he had shown the same talent for Navy that he had for
> Sacred Heart. The team went 11-2 his last year, beating Nebraska in the
> Cotton Bowl, and finishing the regular season by beating Notre Dame for the
> first time in about forty years. A few pro scouts had shown some interest
> in him, but that evaporated when his intention to be a career officer
> became clear.
>
> Randy Nelson stood next in line, the tallest of the groomsmen. He and Jack
> had remained friends as Randy went off to play for U.S.C. He had been
> drafted in the second round by Miami, and was preparing for summer camp in
> a month or two. Beside him was another of his Annapolis classmates, and
> beside him was his bride's brother.
>
> He watched the bridesmaids walking up the aisle, Kelly coming first,
> smiling at him. She had just completed her freshman year at Cal Tech,
> having discovered a serious aptitude for mathematics once Jack had helped
> her over her initial problems.
>
> The next two were college classmates of the bride's, women Jack was
> friendly with, but didn't know all that well. Then he watched the last two
> women come up the aisle, people he would love forever no matter what
> happened. But in the end, as they all knew, he had to make a choice.
>
> It had happened more easily than they expected. As the happy little
> foursome began its first year of college, they had reveled in their
> newfound freedom. But once the sneaking around was over, and they had to
> stand on their own, a few things had become apparent. For two of them,
> though they loved Jack as much as anyone, their relationship with him had
> served to heal something inside them, a steppingstone to greater growth and
> maturity. When that had happened, they knew things wouldn't be quite the
> same.
>
> Only one of them had really loved him for who he was without asking for
> anything in return. She was the one he was about to marry.
>
> He watched them taking their places opposite him, two maids of honor though
> it was something of an irregularity. Jack wondered how many men had gotten
> married having slept with three of the bridesmaids. They smiled at him, and
> wiped tears from their eyes as Marcia was doing.
>
> He thought then of the other girls. Kisu had gotten into Stanford, and they
> had since lost touch with her. Corinne and Michelle had gone to U.S.C.
> together, broken up, then gotten back together a couple of years later, and
> now shared a little house in West Hollywood as open lesbians. Michelle's
> parents had essentially disowned her, but she did still keep in contact
> with some of her siblings. He saw the two of them sitting together just
> behind Marcia and winked at them.
>
> The organist began the processional music, and his bride appeared. As
> beautiful as she was, he had never seen her prettier than she was now. He
> watched her mother crying as she came up the aisle with her father. They
> stopped a step below Jack, and her father took his hand as the priest began
> the ceremony.
>
> "Who gives this woman in marriage to this man?" he said a minute later.
>
> "Her mother and I do."
>
> He lifted her veil to kiss her on the cheek, and then put her hand in
> Jack's. They walked up a step as the maids of honor arranged her train.
>
> Jack wondered what was going through the priest's head. When they had
> gotten engaged the summer before, Jack had made a decision to come clean
> with God. He didn't want to go into marriage without knowing that God would
> truly bless their union. And so, though she was somewhat hesitant about it,
> they had confessed everything. Every bit of what had gone on.
>
> The priest, to put it very mildly, had been shocked, and had initially told
> them he would not perform the ceremony. But she and Jack had convinced him
> of their sincerity and desire to get right with God, and he had,
> reluctantly, agreed, provided that they strictly followed his instructions.
>
> For almost a year, they had been celibate, doing nothing more than kiss and
> pray endless rosaries together asking for God's forgiveness. Jack was
> concerned about the wedding night. He doubted they were going to get much
> sleep. He just hoped they didn't hurt each other.
>
> The priest at last began the vows, turning to Jack.
>
> "Repeat after me. I, Jack."
>
> "I, Jack."
>
> "Take you, Summer."
>
> "Take you, Summer."
>
> "To be my wife."
>
> "To be my wife."
>
> "To have and to hold, from this day forward."
>
> "To have and to hold, from this day forward."
>
> "For richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health."
>
> "For richer for poorer, in sickness and in health."
>
> "For as long as we both shall live."
>
> "For as long as we both shall live."
>
> He watched the tears running down her face as she repeated her vows. Then
> the priest blessed the rings, and he slid the ring onto Summer's finger.
>
> "And you thought you wouldn't be the one," he whispered to her.
>
> "No," she replied. "I knew I would. Somehow. I knew."
>
>   ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>                                   THE END
>   ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>                        Love doesn't come in a minute.
>                      Sometimes it doesn't come at all.
>                       I only know that when I'm in it,
>                       It isn't silly, it isn't silly,
>                           Love isn't silly at all.
>
>                  --Silly Love Songs, Paul McCartney/Wings
>   ------------------------------------------------------------------------

    

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