Sister Problems and Table Tennis

"She's drunk and streaking through the parking lot," one of the male officers responded defensively.

"What were we supposed to do?" the other added. "Should we just let her run off naked and get in more trouble?" The female officer threw a felt blanket over Marie's body and helped the brunette to her feet. The policewoman then held the blanket around the nineteen-year-old's shoulders as they walked to the empty police car. The woman opened the back door and helped Marie into the cruiser. "I'll just be a minute, dear," the officer said to Marie before walking back over to debrief the other officers.

Marie sat in the patrol car waiting to presumably go to the police station. She realized that no matter what she did, she would never live this night down. Marie thought about how trivial her previous year's forfeit seemed at this point. Serving a few beers wearing a thong and pasties was nothing compared to this. Marie also realized she only had herself to blame. Marie hung her head and closed her eyes; she tried thinking about something else, anything else. She just wanted the police to get her out of there. Even though she had her blanket, she felt exposed and vulnerable to anyone and everyone passing by. The noises around her blurred together into an insufferable roar, and her head began to spin once again.

Just when she was about to pass out, a knock on Marie's window startled the brunette.

"Marie," Kristen yelled through the glass at her sister.

"Kristen," Marie said. "Thank goodness. Can you help me?"

"I'll call Mom and Dad when I get home," Kristen promised.

"No," Marie begged. "Don't call them."

"Okay," Kristen promised as she pulled out her phone and began scrolling through text messages.

"What are you doing?" Marie asked.

"I wanted you to see something," Kristen yelled into the locked police cruiser. Kristen held her phone up to the window so Marie could read text messages dating back almost a year. The messages were from Tom.

"What the fuck?" Marie said as she read through the messages. "Tom told you?"

"Of course, he did," Marie said. "I've known since last year you were planning a rematch. Why do you think I was so ready for you? I've been practicing my table tennis too."

"Move it along, young lady," the policewoman said to Kristen. "Do you want me to arrest you too?"

"Sorry, officer," Kristen said smiling at Marie.

Marie watched her sister and Tom as the police car drove out of the parking lot. She couldn't believe Tom told Kristen about her plan. It didn't make sense at all. Tom had been so supportive. Was he just playing her all along?

"Was that your sister?" the officer asked Marie through the bulletproof glass.

"I'm afraid so," Marie said.

"What a bitch," the officer responded. "What a fucking bitch."

Marie didn't answer. She just rested her head against the window and closed out the world. The brunette nineteen-year-old either passed out or fell asleep. Marie didn't wake back up until she heard the squad car's siren blaring. Marie was still trying to regain her bearings when she saw the policewoman jump out of the driver's door and approach the vehicle pulled over in front of them. Marie couldn't figure it out. Would the officer actually pull someone else over while she was in the back seat? Marie was only wearing a felt blanket and handcuffs. Why didn't the officer just take her to the police station?

Marie could see a white car through the windshield. It was tough to make out what was happening as the blue strobe lights distorted everything. As strange as it seemed, Marie thought it might be Kristen's car along the side of the road. After a second look, Marie realized that it was Kristen's car. Marie was sure of it because of the big NYU sticker on the back window. What was going on?

After a few minutes, Marie saw the officer leading Kristen back to the squad car. It even looked as though Marie's older sister was handcuffed.

The officer opened the back door and put Kristen in the seat next to Marie.

"Kristen?" Marie asked. "What are you...What are you doing here?"

"This is bullshit," Kristen snapped back. "I'm being set up."

"You're not being set up, young lady," the officer said as she slid into the driver's seat. "You're drinking and driving."

"I have hardly had anything to drink," Kristen argued.

"Well, your blood alcohol is point-zero-nine," the officer replied.

"Bullshit," Kristen said.

The officer made no additional attempt to argue with Kristen, and the sisters didn't have anything else to say to each other. Instead, the three women sat quietly as the officer filled out a stack of paperwork. Finally, the officer turned around to address the two girls. "Kristen, I could arrest you right now for driving under the influence."

"But officer..."

"Hold on," the policewoman interrupted. "I'm going to give you a chance."

"Really," Kristen responded in relief. "Thank you so much."

"Don't thank me yet, Kristen. I won't arrest you if your sister asks me to show you mercy."

"What?" Kristen replied incredulously. "What does she have to do with it?"

"What does she have to do with this?" the officer returned. "I trust Marie's judgment. If Marie promises me you won't drink and drive again, I'll believe her."

"Tell her I won't do it again," Kristen demanded of her younger sister. "Come on, Marie. This is serious."

"Don't pressure her," the officer responded. "She doesn't have to decide now."

"What do you mean?" Kristen asked. "Why not now? What does that mean?"

"I'm going to call her on Monday morning," the officer said. "That gives her all day tomorrow to make up her mind."

"But what'll we do till then?" Kristen asked.

"That's up to you," the officer insisted. "My suggestion is that you be nice to your sister."

Kristen was visibly nervous. "But what if she..."

"That's enough," the officer interrupted as she set held up her business card. "My name is Officer Collins. Marie, I'm going to call you on Monday. Whether or not I arrest your sister will be up to you."

Marie rested her head against the window once again. She was exhausted and couldn't process what was happening or why the officer would do this for her.

The policewoman looked at Kristen and delivered a cold ultimatum. "I'm going to come arrest you Monday unless your sister tells me otherwise. I had an older sister who treated me like shit too. Young lady, I'll give you a chance to make this right, or you'll have to deal with me. The choice is yours."

Officer Collins took Marie and Kristen home while Kristen called Tom to pick up her abandoned vehicle. Within a few minutes, Kristen's car was in the driveway, and the sisters were sneaking into the house. Kristen wanted to discuss Marie's newfound power and the officer's ultimatum, but Marie only wanted to go to bed.

Kristen knew Marie would take full advantage of the situation. Kristen would have to wait until the next morning, however, to find out exactly how mad her younger sister really was.

Chapter Four

Tom was still trying to wake up when he heard the doorbell ring. It was just after ten o'clock on Sunday morning, and he had no idea who might be visiting so early. Begrudgingly, Tom forced himself out of bed and made his way through his cluttered house toward the doorway. Tom would have to spend most of the day cleaning up the mess left from his party the night before. It would be worth it, however, as he had gotten to see his ex-girlfriend, Marie, strip naked and serve drinks to his party guests. After that, Marie had to streak through the crowded River Festival parking area. She had been picked up by police but wasn't actually arrested. For that, he was grateful.

Looking through the peephole, Tom was surprised to see Kristen standing on his front porch. Why would she possibly be here so early especially after everything that happened the night before? While Kristen had also dated Tom briefly during their senior year, the blonde cheerleader quickly moved on. Other than an annual reunion at Tom's back-to-school parties, Kristen really wasn't a part of Tom's life anymore. It was Marie who Tom had expected to hear from that morning. While Tom invested a lot of his personal time coaching Marie for her failed table tennis bet with Kristen, it was also Tom who told Kristen what her little sister was planning. Thanks to Tom's tip, Kristen was able to defeat and subsequently humiliate her younger sister. Tom had never intended to betray Marie. Like most guys, however, he was powerless when attempting to turn down a request from Kristen.

Since Marie's scheme had morphed into a nightmare, Tom expected to experience the nineteen-year-old's unfettered wrath. Tom could argue all he wanted about how Marie shouldn't have spotted her sister so many points early in their contest. He could remind Marie that streaking through downtown was, in fact, her idea. Either way, Marie wasn't going to empathize with his position. Even through the distorted glass peephole, Kristen looked perfect. The blonde twenty-one-year-old was several inches taller than Tom with a model's body. Kristen was wearing low-rise blue jeans along with a form-fitting white tank top. Kristen's black silk bra jutted over the shirt's plunging neckline, a sluttier look than one would expect from the conservative pre-law student.

"Hey there," Tom said nervously as he opened the door. "What're you doing here so early?"

"Hi, Tom," Kristen responded. She avoided making any eye contact as she slid through the door past Tom. "We need to talk."

"About last night?" Tom queried.

"Yeah," Kristen answered, her back turned to Tom. "Go get a shower and get ready. We have a big day ahead of us."

"A big day?" Tom responded; he knew this wouldn't be good. "What're you talking about?"

Kristen didn't answer. She walked defiantly to the stairs on her way to Tom's basement. "Just get ready. I'll meet you down here."

Tom wanted to protest but was curious about what Kristen might be up to. Something was clearly off. After winning her bet with Marie the night before, Kristen should have been downright jubilant. Wasn't it Marie, after all, who had exposed herself to dozens, if not hundreds, of people at the River Festival? Kristen, on the other hand, notched yet another in a long series of victories over her younger sibling. Yet Kristen was somehow upset. Was she pissed at Tom?

Tom knew his best option was to play along with Kristen. The former valedictorian was used to getting her way, and this would be no exception. Tom showered as quickly as possible. Strangely enough, he was quite concerned about impressing Marie's older sister. Even after all this time, he cared what Kristen thought about him or, rather, that she thought about him at all.

Tom threw on a relatively clean pair of black jeans and a red t-shirt. He slicked back his hair and sprayed himself with a quick shot of cologne. Tom took a deep breath, adjusted the undeniable bulge in his pants and headed for the basement. It was time to find out what disquieted Kristen.

"That was fast," Kristen said nervously as Tom stepped into the basement. She was leaning against the Ping-Pong table, arms crossed, head down.

"What can I say?" he responded. Tom could tell Kristen wasn't about to parlay good news, but he had to know why she stopped by. "You got me curious. What's goin' on?"

Kristen walked around the Ping-Pong table so it separated her from her curious host. She leaned forward into the green playing surface as a swimmer surveying a waiting pool.

"What is it, Kristen?" Tom asked with increased intensity. "I'm starting to worry.

"Tom, I...I need you...I need you to do something for me."

"Do something?" Tom responded. "What is it?"

Kristen continued to pace. "I was pulled over last night."

"I know," Tom responded. "You called me to get your car. Is everything OK?"

"No," Kristen snapped. "Everything's not OK. I'm going to get a DUI unless Marie tells the policewoman not to arrest me."

"What? How is that?"

"I don't know," Kristen said still staring down at the table. "That's just what the officer said. Marie gets to decide whether I go to jail or not."

"That doesn't even make sense," Tom scoffed; he started pacing back and forth staring at his feet rushing through the shag carpet. "What does Marie even have to do with your DUI?"

"I think the officer was mad about what we did to Marie," Kristen returned. "It was like she blamed us somehow."

"Blamed us?" Tom snapped. "What do you mean us? It sure as hell wasn't my idea."

"It's not like that," Kristen assured him even though she wasn't pleased to see Tom distancing himself from their previous evening's activities. "The officer blamed me mostly. It's Marie who blames you."

"What? Marie...She blames me? Why would Marie blame me?"

"The text messages," Kristen said. "I showed her the text messages. Marie knows you tipped me off about her plan."

"Tipped you off?" Tom argued. "I told you she was practicing for a rematch, and that was like a year ago anyway."

"I know," Kristen said. "Marie's just a little emotional about everything."

"A little emotional," Tom exclaimed. "You made her streak through the fucking River Festival. I'm sure she's a hell of a lot more than 'a little emotional!'" Tom stumbled over to the couch and fell face first into the cushions. "I can't fucking believe this!"

Kristen held her ground at the table but turned toward Tom. He wasn't looking back and didn't notice Kristen's first honest attempt at eye contact. "Tom, please. We need to talk about this." Tom sat up on the couch resting his head in his hands. His fingers crackled through the crusty layers of wet dirty-blonde hair and styling gel. Tom always prided himself on being rational, analytical even. He certainly didn't like Kristen blaming him for her issues with Marie. Still, this whole ordeal had brought Kristen back to his door. Not entirely sure that was a good thing, Tom did, however, like having his fate somehow tied to that of Kristen.

Kristen gave Tom a few seconds before drawing him any further into her dilemma. She waited patiently beside the Ping-Pong table while Tom paced around the room talking to himself, pulling at his hair, and swinging his arms wildly. Eventually, he fell back on the couch staring blankly at his beautiful guest.

"We need to throw another party," Kristen said hoping to refocus Tom on their situation. "Marie wants us to throw a party today. She'll be here any minute."

"Today?" Tom said. "I guess we could do that. My parents won't be home until Tuesday. We'd have to clean up first. That's not so bad. Is it?"

"OK," Kristen responded, "but that's not all."

"Of course not," Tom declared sarcastically. "What else?"

"I need you to do me a huge favor."

"Oh, shit," Tom responded. He jumped up off the couch and resumed pacing the floor. "I don't like the sound of this at all."

"I know, but I promise I'll make it up to you."

"What is it you want me to do?"

"Well," Kristen answered with as much decorum as possible. "You need to be the entertainment."

"The entertainment?" Tom asked. "What the fuck does that mean."

"I don't know exactly," Kristen answered. "That's just what Marie told me. I'm sure it'll be similar to last night. She'll make you do stuff?"

"Make me do stuff," Tom scoffed. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Sex stuff," Kristen said. "Stripping. I don't know exactly what."

"Fuck this," Tom responded. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Please, Tom," Kristen begged as she chased him down and grabbed his elbow. "I promise I'll make it up to you," she added. Kristen looked Tom square in the eyes and pulled his arm into her chest.

"Make it up to me?" Tom asked. "How so?"

"Anything," Kristen said. "I'll do anything you want."

Tom pulled his arm free of Kristen and started out of the basement. He needed time to think.

"Tom," Kristen begged. "Please..."

"Just give me a minute," Tom demanded continuing up the staircase. "Give me a fucking minute."

Tom stepped into his kitchen and sat at the table. Marie's orange top and jeans were still lying on the table, folded neatly where she left them the night before. He picked up the turtleneck and inspected it carefully as he considered the irony of Kristen's request. When Marie suggested the possibility of a table tennis rematch a year earlier, Tom was ecstatic. The bet would all but guarantee that either Marie or Kristen would spend a good part of his back-to-school party naked. This was a dream come true for Tom as it would be for just about any guy. How had the situation devolved so dramatically? Tom thought about what Marie might ask him to do. Would she make him serve drinks in the nude the same way she had to do the night before? Would Marie ask him to do anything more embarrassing? What if he had to streak through downtown? How could he commit to Kristen's request without knowing the details?

As Tom played the situation out in his head, however, he considered what he might ask Kristen in exchange for his cooperation. She was asking for a lot, after all. Shouldn't he be able to ask for even more in return? Kristen did say she would do anything he asked. Maybe he should see exactly how committed she really was. The thought of what Kristen might be willing to do for Tom ultimately become more compelling than the fear of anything Marie might have planned for the party. Finally ready to discuss terms, Tom made his way back down to the basement and returned to the familiar confines of his couch. Kristen was now the one pacing around the Ping-Pong table.

"Why don't you join me over here?" Tom asked his guest trying to sound as confident as possible.

Quietly and without hesitation, Kristen sat nervously in the recliner opposite the couch. The blonde's immediate reaction was a dead giveaway for exactly how much she needed Tom's help. If Tom didn't go along with the plan, after all, Marie would have the officer lady charge Kristen with a DUI. Tom knew Kristen couldn't let that happen.

"So we're gonna throw a party?" Tom asked.

"That's right," Kristen responded.

"And I have to do whatever Marie tells me to do at this party?"

"Uhm...I...I guess so," Kristen said. "That's up to Marie I think."

"And if I don't do it," Tom continued. "You'll get arrested for DUI tomorrow?"

"Yes, but Tom..."

"You do realize you're asking a lot of me," Tom reasoned.

"I know," Kristen answered, "and I would be very grateful to you."

"And what are you gonna do for me?" Tom asked.

"Whatever you want," Kristen said in relief. "I'll do anything you want me to." Kristen moved quietly and deliberately from the recliner to the couch and sat by Tom. She rested a hand on his upper thigh. "You go through with tonight, and I'll do whatever you want. All you have to do is tell me what you expect in return."

"What I expect of you," Tom repeated thoughtfully. "I'm honestly not sure what to say. You ARE asking a lot."

"Anything you want," Kristen said. She leaned closer into Tom pressing her chest against his side. "Just say the word, and it's yours. Surely you've thought about us together. I know I have."

"I know," Tom declared without reacting to Kristen's bullshit advance. "If I go along with the plan tonight, you have to spend Thanksgiving break with me. You would belong to me for the four days and would agree to do whatever I ask."

"Four days?" Kristen objected. "You help me out for one night, and I have to do whatever YOU say for four full days? You're out of your mind."

"I understand," Tom responded confidently. "That's what I want. I totally get it if that's too much for you."

"Come on, Tom," Kristen said. "That's too much to ask. You have to admit that."

"And you're not asking a lot from me?"

"Tell you what," Kristen reasoned. "I'll come over here the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and we can do whatever you want. I'll make it the best day of your life. I promise. You just have to agree that it'll just be the two of us. Nobody else can be here. Nothing public either."