Friday Night Tripartite

"Oh, 'put out'! You're talking about sex!"

"Yep. Congrats, big bro, you cracked my code."

"But...why don't you?"

"You sure you want to talk about your little sister's sex life, Brandon? Or lackthereof, I guess."

Still holding onto her hand, Brandon looked off into space, deep in thought.

"I want to make you feel better, Brynn, whatever it takes."

Brynn's heart started to race. Had the moment finally arrived? Years and years and years she had put this conversation off, hoping her feelings would fade away. She had never even come close to telling Brandon the thing that she was thinking about telling him now. Her palms were beginning to sweat profusely, and she was all too aware of her brother's palm on her own.

"You okay, Brynn? You feel clammy. Do you need to throwup again?"

She swallowed nervously.

"No. I have something to tell you, Brandon."

*

"I can't believe I'm sitting in Mr. Garfield's car! Well, SUV, whatever. But still!"

"You know, it's kind of weird when someone refers to you in the third person and you're sitting right beside them," Mr. Garfield replied.

Mr. Garfield had offered for Annie to join him in his vehicle while she waited for her dad to get there. At first she was a little hesitant, but thought it would be rude to say no. Now that she was in there, though, it was kind of fun. At least, it was fun in a pass a couple of hours kind of way.

"Are you sure you don't want me to just start driving you towards your dad?" Mr. Garfield asked. "He might appreciate it if I could meet him halfway."

"No, that's really not necessary. He's got a tow truck that's meeting him here, and he likes to supervise. Besides, I know he'd never admit it, but he loves the idea of me still needing him. He retired last year, and things like this make him feel super useful."

"Okay, just thought I'd offer one more time."

Annie stole a glance at her former teacher. It was pretty dark in the car, but he still looked like he was in pretty good shape. All the girls, including herself, used to have a crush on Mr. Garfield. He was a pretty new teacher when he taught her, maybe just 25 years old or so, she thought. The past eight years or so since she had seen him had been kind to him.

"So what brings you out on a night like this, Mr. Garfield?"

"A night like this? You mean a Friday night? Probably the same thing that brought you out, Annie. I've got a party that I was on my way to."

"Ah, man, I'm so sorry," Annie said. "I can just go back to my car and wait by myself. Really, I'll be fine. Go to your party."

"Nah, that's okay. I'm 35 years old, I've been to tons of parties, and there will be many more parties in the future. But how many chances in life am I going to have to catch up with one of my favorite students of all time?"

Annie was thankful for the darkness, so that her red face couldn't be seen.

"Oh, stop! You're just saying that to be nice, Mr. Garfield!"

"No way, Annie, I mean it! I really enjoyed you in class. I could always rely on you to participate when everyone else was too zoned out to focus, and you always had such insightful input."

"Well, I just really enjoyed your class. You were, um, kind of my favorite teacher."

"You don't sound too sure of yourself on that one, Miss Atkinson."

"Okay, fine. You definitely were!"

"Well thank you very much, even if you are just saying that to be nice!"

"Sincerely, you were."

Annie was having a very good time talking to her former teacher. It wasn't weird at all, which is how most people would probably feel catching up with a former teacher. She wasn't sure, but it felt a little like they were flirting. She found herself hoping that their playful banter would continue.

"You know," Mr. Garfield continued, "it wasn't just how you were during my classes that made you one of my favorites."

"No?"

"You always seemed so grown-up for your age. You may not remember, or may have never realized it in the first place, but there were a lot of your female classmates who flirted with me incessantly."

"Yep, I definitely remember that."

"I hated it so much. Not as many do it anymore now that I'm a little older, but it still happens from time to time. These super immature girls think they can impress me or something by acting like silly little children in front of me. Some of them would even try and stay after class and pretend like they had questions, but it would always just turn into them trying to hit on me. I've had to kick many students out over the years just to protect myself from seeming like a creeper who likes to be alone with his female students."

Annie felt her stomach knot up a little bit.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I was one of those girls, wasn't I?!"

"No you weren't!"

"Yes I was, Mr. Garfield. I used to stay after all the time and talk to you!"

"Yeah, but don't you see the difference, Annie? You would stay after and TALK to me, not flirt with me. I enjoyed our conversations, they were nice."

Annie hesitated sharing more with him, but decided to just go ahead and tell him everything since she would probably never see him again after this night.

"I have to confess, Mr. Garfield. A lot of those times...no, almost all of those times, I wasn't trying to get help in English. I just wanted to talk to you. I guess that was my way of flirting. I feel so silly thinking back on it."

"Oh. Well, don't! Like I said, you were one of my favorite students for a reason. I would have gladly had you stay after and talk to me every day. These girls don't realize how much they repel me with the way they act. But someone like you, though, makes me...well, never mind."

Annie's heart started to beat a little faster at the idea that her former crush had feelings for her all along, too.

"Someone like me what, Mr. Garfield?"

He hesitated for a while. Then, right before he started to say something, his phone rang.

"Sorry Annie, it's my friend who's hosting the party. Probably wondering where I am. I'm going to step out of the car real quick and take this."

He answered the phone as he exited the car and shut his door, leaving Annie to sit alone and think about their conversation. Were they going somewhere with their weird flirting? Was she even interested? If she was honest with herself, the fact that he used to be her teacher was really doing something for her, but she wasn't sure why. Maybe there was just something a little taboo about hitting on a former teacher. He was older, too, but not so much that it seemed inappropriate. She decided in that moment to keep going and just see where this all led.

Mr. Garfield continued his conversation outside, and Annie started to look around. Her eyes caught sight of a large container at her feet. Out of curiosity, she picked it up and examined it. The slight lighting coming from the dashboard revealed that it was full of what had to be over a hundred tiny little brownies.

Seeing those delicious little morsels in that container made Annie realize just how hungry she was. She hadn't had too much to drink at Savannah's apartment, but she also hadn't had anything to eat there either. It was going to be another four hours or so before she was able to get food, too, and that was going to be tough. She decided then and there that she had to have a couple of those brownies. For some reason it felt more awkward for her to wait and ask him for some than it felt to just sneak a couple of them while he was outside. There were so many that there was no way he would ever notice. She quickly popped the top off, grabbed a couple of the bite-sized goodies, and tossed them both in her mouth. They were divine.

Just then, Mr. Garfield's voice took the distinct inflection of someone who was about to get off the phone. She chewed as quickly as she could, and swallowed a little earlier than she would have liked, but just in time so that he didn't notice her chewing when he got back into the vehicle.

*

"We haven't heard much out of you tonight, Felicity," Davey said as the girls put back their mixed drinks. "How do you know my cousin, anyway?"

"We were roommates in the dorms freshmen year in college," Felicity replied. "We started out as just a couple of girls who just went out to clubs together because we didn't know anyone else, but eventually she became one of my best friends."

"Yeah, Felicity sort of became my unofficial partner in crime, the poor girl," Savannah chimed in.

"More like the person who was always there to tell you when enough was enough!" Felicity responded. "Savannah has a certain affinity for finding trouble. don't know if you know that about your cousin, Davey."

Davey gave a small chuckle.

"Haha, yeah I've heard stories," Davey replied.

"What kinds of stories, cuz?" Savannah asked.

Davey looked away for a moment, apparently embarrassed that he said anything in the first place.

"Um, well, I don't want to make you feel bad, Savannah. It's just that there are some rumors that have floated around about you being a bit of a...an experienced lover."

"A slut you mean?" Savannah asked.

Davey put his head in his hand and shook his head.

"Look, I'm sorry I said anything. I'm sure it's just small-town gossip. And I always tell anyone who brings you up in that vein to stop talking crap about my cousin, just so you know."

Savannah shrugged and took a large gulp of her drink.

"Eh, don't bother. I am a bit of a whire. All the rumors are true."

All the guys stared at Savannah as she continued to drink nonchalantly.

"Well, what about you, Felicity?" one of them asked.

"What about me, what?" Felicity replied.

"I mean, if you guys are partners in crime and best friends, do you get around as much as Savannah?"

"Lamont!" Davey interrupted. "Come on, man, be cordial to our guests!"

"No, it's a fair question," Felicity replied as she started to feel a slight buzz from the alcohol. "I used to be a bit of a ho-bag myself, yes. That is, until I met my fiancee."

"She met him in college," Savannah said. "Stupid fucker took away my wingman!"

"His name is Parker, and he's a great guy!" Felicity said.

"She hasn't had sex in over six years!" Savannah announced to the group of guys. "Can you believe that? Six years she's been waiting for this guy! I have trouble going more than six days myself."

"You guys will appreciate this, I'm sure," Felicity said. "He's a good guy who goes to church every Sunday. Once I met him he kind of set my life on the right path. Yes, we are waiting until marriage because...well, that's the wholesome thing to do. I mean, this is a religious fraternity, right? You guys understand."

The guys all looked around at each other before the one named George spoke up.

"Hey, that's great Felicity, truly. And yeah, we are a religious fraternity, so we know exactly what you're talking about. That being said, I will admit that we aren't exactly strict when it comes to the religious aspect of our frat. I mean, we have alcohol and everything. And, correct me if I'm wrong guys, but no one here's a virgin, right?"

All the guys shook their heads and replied various forms of no.

"But still," George continued, "I think it's great you guys are waiting. And, well, can I be honest with you, Felicity?"

"Sure," she replied.

"Look, I'm not gonna lie to you, the moment I saw you I started checking you out. I mean, look at you! So you were immediately very hot to me. But now? After I know what kind of person you are, and that you've been saving yourself for so many years? Damn girl, your hotness just reached an all-time high level for me."

Felicity blushed and tried to suppress a huge smile that started to take over her face.

"Wow. Uh, thanks George."

"Now wait a second," Savannah cut in. "If she gets hotter because she's a prude, do I get uglier for sleeping around?"

"No, quite the contrary," George responded. "You are hotter for the exact opposite reasons that make her hotter. You are so open and sexual, and knowing that about you is very much a turn on. As a matter of fact...well, I shouldn't say."

"Oh please," Savannah said, "if you didn't want to say whatever it is you want to say then you wouldn't have started saying it. So just say it!"

"Fine," George said. "You know how you used to babysit us, right? Well, when I got to college and started hearing about some hot girl named Savannah who liked to go out and hook up with random guys, I always fantasized that it was you that they were talking about. The idea that my former babysitter is a slut is really hot to me. I have...gotten off thinking about you several times, Savannah, and if I had to guess, I'm sure I'm not the only one in this room who has done that. In fact, everyone in the room who has gotten off thinking about Savannah, raise your hand."

One by one, very slowly, one hand after another rose into the air. It wasn't until her own cousin's hand raised that Savannah felt genuinely shocked.

"Davey? Are you serious?"

Davey had a look of a small child who just got caught sneaking a piece of candy.

"I'm sorry, Savannah, but yeah."

"You're my baby cousin though! That's a little depraved, even for me."

"I'm really sorry, Savannah. I've pretty much had a crush on you my whole life, though. I mean when you've got a blonde bombshell in your life, it's hard not to look at her sexually, even if she is your cousin."

Felicity looked at Savannah's face, watching her friend try and cope with an awkward situation for the first time since she had known her. Perhaps it was the liquor that was getting to her head, but Felicity felt that this was a great time to drop yet another bomb on Savannah's world. She took another sip of her drink and put her free hand high in the air.

"Why are you raising your hand, Felicity?" Savannah said, still in a bit of a stupor. "This isn't school. Just say whatever it is you want to say."

Felicity kept her hand high in the air and stared meaningfully into the eyes of her best friend.

Dawning comprehension flooded Savannah's face as her jaw dropped almost to the floor.

*

Brandon sat at his kitchen table, hand on top of his sister's, watching her closely. Brynn sat staring at a picture that was hanging above Brandon's stove. It was a picture of a hand mixer with the words "Just Beat It" written in cursive across the bottom. She had gotten that for him as a sort of housewarming gift when he moved in a few years ago. She could tell immediately when he opened it that he hated it, which made it all the more special that it currently adorned his wall.

"Brynn?"

"Hm?"

"Uh, it's been like ten minutes since you said you had something to tell me."

"Yeah."

"Am I right in assuming that the length of the pause is directly proportional to the severity of the confession?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. Just wanted to know. Good thing I'm sitting down then, right?"

"You're the reason I'm a virgin, Brandon," she finally came out and said.

Brandon took his hand off of hers and crossed his arms. Then, he shifted and placed them flat on the table. He changed positions one more time and interlocked his hands behind his head.

"Virgin?" he finally said. "So when you said that you don't put out, you meant...never?"

"Yes."

Brandon took a little time to let this soak in.

"And, this is my fault."

"Indeed."

"Okay."

They sat in silence for a bit longer, neither knowing how to proceed.

"So, is that all you wanted to tell me?" Brandon finally asked.

"Not even close."

"Right. Look Brynn, I don't really understand what you want-"

"You're so goddamn perfect, Brandon."

Brandon started to express his confusion even further, but decided to give his sister the space that she clearly needed to work to her point. Eventually she continued.

"All my life, as far back as I can remember, I've looked up to you. You've always been the model of perfection in my eyes. Hell, in everyone's eyes, I think. My friends all had crushes on you. Our parents have clearly always favored you. And why shouldn't they? You're brilliant, handsome, kind, caring, athletic, successful. Hell, I could look up a list of positive adjectives that can be used to describe a person, and I guarantee you every single one of them would describe you."

Brandon blushed slightly, but was very confused.

"Brynn, I'm flattered, but I still don't follow."

"Please, just don't talk until I've said all I need to say. This isn't going to be easy for me."

Brandon returned to silence and gestured for his sister to continue.

"You'd think a sibling would be jealous. But I have never felt that about you. Awe, fascination, and admiration are all I've ever felt, among other things. I've always known that I'll never be as great as you, never really wanted to be. But I have always hoped that I could find someone as great as you. Or at least close to as great as you. So that's why it's your fault that I'm a 27 year old virgin. Do you see?"

Brandon waited to see if she would continue, but she just looked at him expectantly.

"Brynn, I still don't-"

"Brandon, please! Don't talk until I'm done."

Brandon lowered his head and put his hands in the air as a way to express a silent apology.

"Every guy I've ever been out with since I was in high school has, unbeknownst to him, fallen short of the expectations that you have set for me all my life. I keep looking for someone as perfect as you, but guess what, Brandon? I can't find anyone. Nobody is a match for my big brother. That's why I won't allow myself to settle for anyone that falls short of you. That's why I've never even done anything more than just kiss a guy. And that's why they eventually all leave me, because they figure out that I'm not going to settle for them and give them the most sacred part of my soul."

She watched her brother closely, fearing that she had freaked him out, hoping she wasn't pushing him away.

"Do you not have anything to say, Brandon?" she asked. "I kinda of just shared my deepest, darkest secret with you."

Brandon shook his head from side to side as if being snapped out of a daydream and brought back into reality.

"So, are you angry with me then?" he asked.

"Angry with you?" she replied with a confused look on her face.

"It seems like you are mad at me. You blame me for ruining your love life."

Brynn shook her head and reached across the table, this time taking her brother's hand in her own.

"No, Brandon. It's not anger that I feel for you. I've never been angry with you for a second of my life."

"Then what is it that you feel towards me, Brynn?"

Brynn raised her eyebrows and bit her lower lip, hoping to convey her feelings without having to actually speak the words.

As she hoped, Brandon seemed to immediately understand her silent meaning.

"Wow," he said in response.

She gave him some time to say more, but started to worry when he remained silent for too long.

"You're kind of freaking me out here, Brandon. Tell me what you're thinking, please. Even if it's that you want me to leave, I just need to know."

"Brynn, this isn't the kind of thing that you just take a minute or two to process. I mean, are you saying that you have feelings for me? That you...love me?"

"I don't know, Brandon. I definitely do have feelings for you, feelings that I've been trying to sort out for more than a decade now. I've never truly let myself succumb to the idea of being with you because, well, you're my brother. So I really don't know exactly what my feelings are. Maybe it's love? I mean, I've always loved you, just like anyone would love their brother. But there's something more there that I've just never been able to figure out. Or maybe I've just been too scared to try and figure it out."

Again Brandon fell into a bout of silence. She kept telling herself to give him time, that nobody could hear something like he just heard and immediately know how to handle it. Eventually, though, being the impatient person that she was, she just had to hurry him along.