Cemetery Street

My face throbbed worse than when my mother socked me. "I won't think of being interested in anyone else."

"You haven't met anyone else," she said.

"That's not true."

"Name one," she challenged.

"I thought that… well, never-mind," I stammered.

"Thought what Just James?" Shannie grinned.

"That, ugh… forget it," I mumbled.

Shannie leaned into me. Taking my hand into hers, she said: "A girlfriend would never do what I would do for you." She led me into her bedroom. We sat across from each other on the hardwood floor. The white walls were awash with sunlight. "Boxers or briefs?' Shannie teased.

"You'll find out soon enough," I answered.

"What if you're commando?" she quipped.

"Commando?" I questioned.

"You know, bare-ass," she said.

"I'm regular forces."

"Excellent Eggs. Okay, what are the rules? Like, what are we going to start with," she inquired.

I shrugged my shoulders. Rules, where there's women there's rules.

"Geezus Pete, are you always this anal?"

"For once and for all - I'm not anal!"

"Are too," Shannie insisted.

"No I'm not," I protested.

"I guess we'll see," Shannie winked.

"I guess we will," I mumbled.

"Anywho, I think we should start with sneakers, socks, shirt, pants, underwear. Except in my case, it should be sneakers, socks, pants, shirt, underwear."

"Why should we have a different order?"

Shannie flashed me a toothy smile. "Do I have to explain everything?"

"No. I just don't think…."

"I've already seen your charming chest and unless you've been peaking in my window you haven't seen mine."

I tried not to blush. "Whatever," I said.

She gave me the look. The one that still haunts me. She lowered her chin and met my gaze with raised eyes, hair framing her face. "Lets do this," she smiled.

"What do we do when one of us loses?"

"The other one wins." It wasn't till afterwards I fully comprehended what she meant. "I'll spin first," Shannie said.

"Say's who?" I protested.

"Geezus Pete!" Shannie sighed. "Okay you spin first."

"No. I don't mean that," I stalled. "I think we should flip a coin or something."

Shannie jumped to her feet and fetched a quarter from her dresser. "Call it in the air."