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Authors: Christina Dudley
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won’t.”
“Every other guy is,” Caroline said frankly. “But I get it. You ’ll be at Cal, too, and you expect him to behave with you around.”
“Not just that. Even though we’ll be together, we—I—we don’t—” It was Rachel’s turn to glow bright-red.
Comprehension broke over Caroline. “O-o-o-o-oh! You two haven’t…?”
“Can we not talk about this in front of everyone?”
“Seriously,” put in Tom. “ Because if I thought you were deflowering my little sister, Perkins, I’d have to rip off more than your trunks.”
“Shut up, everybody!” ordered Rachel, covering her face with her hands. “I’ve had enough. Let’s get out of here, Greg. You coming, Julie?”
While Greg was only too glad to obey, Julie had to be won over. It was a Beresford rule that boyfriends could come over, but the girls were only allowed to go out or to their boyfriend’s place if family or approved friends were along. Rachel clearly didn’t want to reference this rule in front of the Grants and further embarrass herself, so a series of muttered negotiations took place, enhanced by telepathic messages, resulting in Julie’s agreement to go to the movies if she got to pick and Rachel paid.
“Hey,” Eric held out a conciliatory hand to Greg after Greg had toweled off. “Are we cool now? You can take a joke, right?”
Greg’s face was stony. He turned away.
Eric gave an I-did-my-best shrug. He poked Rachel. “You mad, too?”
She stared at the ground, biting her lip. “I—I just wish you hadn’t done that. Hurry up, Julie. Let’s go.”
It was silent after they left. Paola came to clear the sandwich tray and put fresh sodas in the cooler. She wadded up the used towels. “How’s the headache, Francisca?”
“Better, Paola. Thank you.”
“You stay in the shade. Have another soda.”
“Thank you, Paola.”
The screen door slid shut behind her.
Without speaking, Tom and Jonathan started taking down the volleyball net. Eric crawled onto one of the pool mattresses, tucking his arms behind his head and shutting his eyes.
“You beast,” his sister chided. “You ruined everyone’s afternoon, and you don’t even care.”
“Can I help it if the Perkins boy is sensitive?” He trailed one heel in the water.
“He’s only seventeen or eighteen, Eric. He just graduated high school.”
“He’s a prig.” Eric gave an elaborate yawn. “Besides. It wasn’t me who embarrassed Rachel.”
Caroline laughed. “How was I to know she was so innocent? Tom—you never said your family was so…virginal! Virgin eyes, virgin ears, virgin everything…yourself excepted, of course.”
The tips of Jonathan’s ears were pink. He looked hard at Tom. Tom said nothing, only taking the rolled-up net from him and going to stow it back in the shed.
“It’s not the way we were raised,” said Jonathan at last, since Tom would not respond.
She cocked her head. “You mean the infamous ‘Beresford’ way? Tom’s had a lot to say about how strict your dad is.”
Slowly, Jonathan came to sit at the end of the lounge chair next to hers. He was rubbing his hands together, thinking. “Yeah, Dad is strict. Not in a bad way. Or, he doesn’t mean it in a bad way.”
“Whether he means it or not is immaterial. He’s strict.”
“Whether he’s strict or not is immaterial,” spoke up Eric, flicking water at them. “He’s in China. And while the cat’s away…”
Jonathan ignored him. “It’s not just my dad, see. We were raised to believe that sex is for marriage.”
“Oh, isn’t that sweet?” said Caroline, as if he had said we were raised to believe in fairies.
“ Yo , Tom,” hooted Eric, “told you you were adopted.”
“Shut up,” said Tom lazily.
“I don’t know about sweet,” Jonathan said. The color crept up his neck. I felt a fierce pride in him. He was going to tell that Caroline Grant how it was. He was going to put her in her place! “But it’s how God wants us to
“Every other guy is,” Caroline said frankly. “But I get it. You ’ll be at Cal, too, and you expect him to behave with you around.”
“Not just that. Even though we’ll be together, we—I—we don’t—” It was Rachel’s turn to glow bright-red.
Comprehension broke over Caroline. “O-o-o-o-oh! You two haven’t…?”
“Can we not talk about this in front of everyone?”
“Seriously,” put in Tom. “ Because if I thought you were deflowering my little sister, Perkins, I’d have to rip off more than your trunks.”
“Shut up, everybody!” ordered Rachel, covering her face with her hands. “I’ve had enough. Let’s get out of here, Greg. You coming, Julie?”
While Greg was only too glad to obey, Julie had to be won over. It was a Beresford rule that boyfriends could come over, but the girls were only allowed to go out or to their boyfriend’s place if family or approved friends were along. Rachel clearly didn’t want to reference this rule in front of the Grants and further embarrass herself, so a series of muttered negotiations took place, enhanced by telepathic messages, resulting in Julie’s agreement to go to the movies if she got to pick and Rachel paid.
“Hey,” Eric held out a conciliatory hand to Greg after Greg had toweled off. “Are we cool now? You can take a joke, right?”
Greg’s face was stony. He turned away.
Eric gave an I-did-my-best shrug. He poked Rachel. “You mad, too?”
She stared at the ground, biting her lip. “I—I just wish you hadn’t done that. Hurry up, Julie. Let’s go.”
It was silent after they left. Paola came to clear the sandwich tray and put fresh sodas in the cooler. She wadded up the used towels. “How’s the headache, Francisca?”
“Better, Paola. Thank you.”
“You stay in the shade. Have another soda.”
“Thank you, Paola.”
The screen door slid shut behind her.
Without speaking, Tom and Jonathan started taking down the volleyball net. Eric crawled onto one of the pool mattresses, tucking his arms behind his head and shutting his eyes.
“You beast,” his sister chided. “You ruined everyone’s afternoon, and you don’t even care.”
“Can I help it if the Perkins boy is sensitive?” He trailed one heel in the water.
“He’s only seventeen or eighteen, Eric. He just graduated high school.”
“He’s a prig.” Eric gave an elaborate yawn. “Besides. It wasn’t me who embarrassed Rachel.”
Caroline laughed. “How was I to know she was so innocent? Tom—you never said your family was so…virginal! Virgin eyes, virgin ears, virgin everything…yourself excepted, of course.”
The tips of Jonathan’s ears were pink. He looked hard at Tom. Tom said nothing, only taking the rolled-up net from him and going to stow it back in the shed.
“It’s not the way we were raised,” said Jonathan at last, since Tom would not respond.
She cocked her head. “You mean the infamous ‘Beresford’ way? Tom’s had a lot to say about how strict your dad is.”
Slowly, Jonathan came to sit at the end of the lounge chair next to hers. He was rubbing his hands together, thinking. “Yeah, Dad is strict. Not in a bad way. Or, he doesn’t mean it in a bad way.”
“Whether he means it or not is immaterial. He’s strict.”
“Whether he’s strict or not is immaterial,” spoke up Eric, flicking water at them. “He’s in China. And while the cat’s away…”
Jonathan ignored him. “It’s not just my dad, see. We were raised to believe that sex is for marriage.”
“Oh, isn’t that sweet?” said Caroline, as if he had said we were raised to believe in fairies.
“ Yo , Tom,” hooted Eric, “told you you were adopted.”
“Shut up,” said Tom lazily.
“I don’t know about sweet,” Jonathan said. The color crept up his neck. I felt a fierce pride in him. He was going to tell that Caroline Grant how it was. He was going to put her in her place! “But it’s how God wants us to
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