CHAPTER TWO
\pard\b0
Second thoughts? Oh, yeah, I had them almost immediately. I mean, right away. After we finalized the bet, Mitch and Vinnie left our room. I turned to Callie and moaned, \ldblquote Oh, God, what have I done?\rdblquote
\ldblquote Hey, it could be worse,\rdblquote Callie grinned. \ldblquote Mine last year was I had to sleep with Mitch.\rdblquote
\ldblquote Like you don\rquote t anyway,\rdblquote I smirked.
\ldblquote We hadn\rquote t at that point. We were just friends.\rdblquote
\ldblquote Oh. What was Mitch\rquote s?\rdblquote
\ldblquote He had to give our gay friend Tim a blowjob.\rdblquote
I broke up laughing. \ldblquote Now that\rquote s cruel and unusual punishment. The Yankees won last year, so did he?\rdblquote
\ldblquote No. I conceded after game five. I decided that I liked his prize better than my prize. We\rquote ve been together ever since.\rdblquote
\ldblquote Cool,\rdblquote I said. \ldblquote However, I\rquote m not so sanguine about this. I don\rquote t even \b like\b0 Vinnie? And he might be the first person to ever see me naked? What have I done?\rdblquote
\ldblquote You don\rquote t like Vinnie? I think he\rquote s cool.\rdblquote
\ldblquote I think he\rquote s a big dumb goon.\rdblquote
\ldblquote I think you\rquote ve misjudged him,\rdblquote Callie maintained. Then she stopped. \ldblquote Wait a minute. Did you just say that nobody\rquote s ever seen you naked?\rdblquote
\ldblquote Unless you count, like, my mother, no.\rdblquote
\ldblquote Freddie, are you a virgin?\rdblquote she asked.
\ldblquote Uh, yeah. Sheltered upbringing and all that. I love my parents, but overprotective is an understatement,\rdblquote I said sheepishly. \ldblquote I wasn\rquote t really allowed to date much. Getting enough privacy to do anything was pretty impossible. Making out is as far as I\rquote ve ever gotten.\rdblquote
\ldblquote Oh. That changes things,\rdblquote she said. \ldblquote I didn\rquote t realize you were such an innocent.\rdblquote
\ldblquote That\rquote s me,\rdblquote I snorted.
\ldblquote Maybe you should get out of the bet,\rdblquote she said. \ldblquote I mean, look--I really do think you can trust Vinnie. But maybe you don\rquote t want to get naked for a guy for the first time as a bet.\rdblquote
\ldblquote And he\rquote ll never let me live it down if I do,\rdblquote I sighed. \ldblquote And I have to deal with him because he\rquote s your boyfriend\rquote s roommate. No, I think it\rquote ll be easier to go through with it.\rdblquote I gave her a wicked grin. \ldblquote Besides which, the Sox are going to win anyway.\rdblquote
\ldblquote Uh-huh,\rdblquote she laughed. \ldblquote Dream on, little Red Sox fan.\rdblquote Then she got serious. \ldblquote I still think you should get out of the bet. Look, I don\rquote t think Vinnie has any idea you\rquote re as inexperienced as you are. He\rquote s \b not\b0 an asshole, he\rquote ll understand.\rdblquote
\ldblquote Nah. Thanks, Callie, but I agreed to the bet. I have only myself to blame. And, let\rquote s face it, considering what he might have to do, I have to be a good sport, because he is.\rdblquote
\ldblquote True.\rdblquote
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That next day, Sunday, I went home. I had a little problem, you see.
One thing Vinnie had asked when we finalized the bet was about clothes should he lose. It was a good question. He certainly wasn\rquote t going to fit in any of \b my\b0 clothes. I\rquote m 5\rquote 4\rdblquote and about 125. He\rquote s a good six feet and probably about 180. He\rquote d rip one of my dresses in half, and he\rquote d never get his big dumb goon bicep into any of my bra straps. He quickly figured that out, and asked about girls clothes that would fit him.
I had that all covered, but I had to go home to do it. My best friend Eric, you see, was a drag queen. Just about nobody knew that back home, but I did. He\rquote d confessed a few years ago. I\rquote d even seen him dressed. He was pretty cute, actually--except for being a pretty big \lquote girl\rquote . He was almost the same size as Vinnie, give or take--that\rquote s why I thought of him.
He was actually a year younger than me and was still in high school, so he was at home when I went. I made some excuse to my parents about picking up more of my CDs--which was true--but went to see Eric. He was glad to loan me some of his girl clothes. He laughed his head off at the bet. Then he asked about my side of it. I told him.
\ldblquote You? Are going to get naked? I don\rquote t believe it!\rdblquote
\ldblquote Yeah. God, I hope the Red Sox sweep!\rdblquote
\ldblquote You know I\rquote m a Sox fan, but it\rquote d almost be worth it to see you naked.\rdblquote
\ldblquote What do you care? You\rquote re gay!\rdblquote
\ldblquote Not gay, really,\rdblquote he said.
\ldblquote Excuse me? You told me you were gay and a drag queen four years ago!\rdblquote
\ldblquote I\rquote ve decided I\rquote m more bi. With a leaning towards guys, mind you, but...well, remember Tara Rienke?\rdblquote
\ldblquote Yeah.\rdblquote
\ldblquote We had sex last weekend. And it was fun. We\rquote re sort of dating, actually. So I guess I\rquote m bi.\rdblquote
My mouth just dropped. \ldblquote Oh this just beats all doesn\rquote t it? My best friend, who is supposedly gay, loses his virginity before I do! I think I\rquote m going to go scream now!\rdblquote
Eric laughed. \ldblquote Hey, my parents don\rquote t have me on a leash.\rdblquote
\ldblquote True. Well, mine don\rquote t anymore.\rdblquote
\ldblquote There you go. Maybe you can get naked for this Vinnie guy and then do the nasty.\rdblquote
\ldblquote Not hardly! I\rquote d rather sleep with \b you\b0 ,\rdblquote I said, teasing.
\ldblquote Oh, you sound so enthusiastic,\rdblquote he laughed.
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As I drove back to campus, I couldn\rquote t help but think that my life had turned upside down. Me betting my clothes? Eric sleeping with a girl? Yikes.
I was completely unsettled. And it didn\rquote t get better as Tuesday, and game one, approached. At least game one looked like it was in the bag with Schilling pitching.
I went to Vinnie\rquote s room--Mitch came down to ours--right before gametime on Tuesday. Vinnie was, at least, cordial. He had sodas and munchies out, and offered me some. He and Mitch had a couch in their room--he gave that to me and sat in the chair at his desk.
\ldblquote So, you ready to start taking clothes off, Princess?\rdblquote
\ldblquote Not with Schilling on the hill. And would you stop calling me that?\rdblquote
\ldblquote What am I supposed to call you?\rdblquote
\ldblquote Duh--how about trying my name?\rdblquote
He grinned at me. \ldblquote I\rquote m sorry, I just can\rquote t call you Freddie. Just can\rquote t do it. I mean, I\rquote ve got an Uncle Freddie. He\rquote s actually my great-uncle. He\rquote s a 65 year old Sicilian man with an accent, stooped shoulders, and garlic breath. He pats me on the cheeks and calls me Vincenzo. You are \b not\b0 a Freddie. You\rquote re way too cute.\rdblquote
I was secretly pleased at the too-cute thing, but I said, \ldblquote Well, what about Frederica?\rdblquote
\ldblquote That makes me feel like I\rquote ve been plunked down in the middle of the cast of Amadeus.\rdblquote I cracked up at that. \ldblquote What \b were\b0 your parents thinking, anyhow?\rdblquote
\ldblquote That my great-aunt Frederica would put them in the will.\rdblquote
\ldblquote Ah. Figures. And you\rquote ve got a great-aunt Freddie to go with my great-uncle Freddie. So, what\rquote s your middle name?\rdblquote
Oh, God. \ldblquote None of your business.\rdblquote
\ldblquote Come on, Frederica. Fess up.\rdblquote
\ldblquote OK, Fine. Van Haaken. My mother\rquote s maiden name.\rdblquote
\ldblquote Frederica Van Haaken Montclair. Jesus. That name has its own tax bracket, I think. Princess it is, then.\rdblquote
\ldblquote I\rquote m never going to get you to stop calling me that, am I?\rdblquote
\ldblquote Let\rquote s face it, it fits,\rdblquote he grinned. \ldblquote Come on, Frederica Van Haaken Montclair, embrace your inner Princess.\rdblquote
\ldblquote You\rquote ll be embracing yours when I get you all decked out in women\rquote s clothes.\rdblquote
\ldblquote Not gonna happen,\rdblquote he said. \ldblquote Nope. I\rquote m sure I\rquote ll get a bra and panties somewhere along the way, but you are going to be the one fully disrobed by the first game of the World Series. Count on it. And, by the way, Princess, I misjudged you. I figured you were too pristine to take that bet. Didn\rquote t figure anyone had ever laid eyes on that body yet, what with you being a Princess and all.\rdblquote
I admitted it. \ldblquote Nobody has.\rdblquote
\ldblquote Scuse me?\rdblquote
I forced the words out around the knot in my throat. \ldblquote If I should lose the bet, you\rquote d be the first to see me, you know, that way. In fact, if I lose a game or two, you\rquote ll be the first to see just about anything.\rdblquote
He stared at me. \ldblquote You\rquote re a virgin, too, I take it? You\rquote re that innocent?\rdblquote I nodded.
Suddenly, he looked like he was \b mad\b0 . Mad? Why was he mad? \ldblquote Why the hell did you accept this bet? Why? Jesus, Freddie!\rdblquote
\ldblquote Huh?\rdblquote I said, clueless.
\ldblquote It\rquote s not right! You shouldn\rquote t be doing any of this for the first time for a \b bet\b0 ! It\rquote s stupid!\rdblquote He took a deep breath. \ldblquote Whatever you might think of me, I\rquote m not an asshole. I don\rquote t want to be the one to force you to do anything because of a bet. I\rquote m going to let you out of it.\rdblquote
I should\rquote ve been relieved. I should\rquote ve. This is what I wanted, right? I was scared of this bet, right? And I trusted Vinnie, somehow, not to give me a hard time about accepting his offer. I opened my mouth to accept.
However, what came out of my mouth was the truth. The buried truth, the truth I hadn\rquote t been away from home long enough to face yet. It just came out. \ldblquote Vinnie, I\rquote m not innocent because I choose to be. I\rquote m innocent because my parents are overprotective. I\rquote ve never done anything because I was watched like a hawk, not because I didn\rquote t want to do anything. I\rquote m fine with the bet.\rdblquote
Boy oh boy oh boy, did I actually \b say\b0 that? And I kept it up. Vinnie asked me, \ldblquote Are you sure?\rdblquote and I told him I was.
What the hell was wrong with me? Two opportunities to back out, and I didn\rquote t take them?
I was so confused.
Anyhow, Vinnie accepted my answer, and there was no more talk of dropping the bet. There was a while before the game started, so we were just chatting, with ESPN on in the background. \ldblquote So, what are you majoring in?\rdblquote he asked me.
\ldblquote Haven\rquote t decided yet. Probably something liberal arts.\rdblquote
\ldblquote English or something?\rdblquote
\ldblquote Yeah, something like that.\rdblquote
\ldblquote Nice rich girl\rquote s major.\rdblquote
\ldblquote Yeah, yeah, yeah,\rdblquote I snorted. \ldblquote What about you?\rdblquote
\ldblquote Math and Secondary Ed. I want to teach high school Math.\rdblquote
\ldblquote That\rquote s really cool,\rdblquote I said. We chatted about this and that for a bit.
\ldblquote An only child?\rdblquote he said to me. \ldblquote Boy, I would\rquote ve hated that. I have two brothers and two sisters. It was loud in my house but it wasn\rquote t ever boring.\rdblquote
\ldblquote I can imagine,\rdblquote I laughed. The more we talked, the more comfortable with him I became. I was beginning to think I misjudged him. He wasn\rquote t stupid, not at all. And he was funny, he had me laughing a lot.
The game came on, and he joined me on the couch. We\rquote d made some popcorn and were munching on it. \ldblquote There he is, Mister Curt Schilling,\rdblquote I said. \ldblquote I\rquote ve got your bra all ready.\rdblquote
\ldblquote Ah, well, I don\rquote t count on a sweep, I figured I\rquote d at least get into the bra. I just think you\rquote ll get out of more.\rdblquote
\ldblquote Don\rquote t count on it.\rdblquote The game started, and we settled back to watch it.
And it became very clear that all was \b not\b0 well in Red Sox Nation. The Yankees got two runs off of Schilling in the first. And it was plain right away that this wasn\rquote t the sometimes-unhittable Curt Schilling that we\rquote d seen all year, that he\rquote d been in his entire playoff career. \ldblquote Something\rquote s wrong with Schilling,\rdblquote Vinnie said astutely.
\ldblquote Oy. I think you\rquote re right, but, God, I hope it\rquote s not the ankle,\rdblquote I said. He\rquote d been battling bad tendonitis in his ankle for weeks. He got through the second, but the wheels fell off in the third.
\ldblquote It\rquote s got to be the ankle,\rdblquote Vinnie said as the Yankees piled up the hits. \ldblquote I\rquote ve seen Curt Schilling pitch a number of times. He\rquote s got no drive with that back leg today.\rdblquote
He was right. Schilling was way off his usual on the radar gun and the Yankees were teeing off. It was six to nothing before the end of the third inning. Schilling came out, and the bullpen let it get to 8-0 before the Red Sox even got a baserunner.
Then they made it interesting. They actually got seven runs between the seventh and eighth innings, to get to 8-7. But then the Yankees got a couple more, and that was that.
Oh, man, it made me sick. We needed the Schilling games. Flat-out needed them.
\ldblquote That\rquote s one. And tomorrow the Yankees get to be Pedro\rquote s Daddy again.\rdblquote
\ldblquote Oh, God, don\rquote t remind me,\rdblquote I sighed.
\ldblquote And I get to see some skin. I\rquote m looking forward to it.\rdblquote Oy. And I had the opportunity to get out of this! I must be nuts.
\ldblquote I\rquote ll bet you are. Pervert.\rdblquote
\ldblquote You know it. I\rquote ll bet all you own is those boring plain white Grannie bras, but I\rquote ll enjoy seeing what\rquote s underneath peeking out.\rdblquote
\ldblquote Huh,\rdblquote I snorted, and stormed out of his room. \ldblquote See you tomorrow,\rdblquote he called after me, entirely too cheerful about it.
Damn. This guy was going to see me without a shirt tomorrow.
And--he was right--in a plain white Grannie bra.
Shit.
Earth to Pedro Martinez. Earth to Pedro Martinez. You better pitch the game of your LIFE tomorrow!! Two articles of clothing in the first two games would be too much.
Especially considering my panties were as boring as my bras.
Shit.