Gwen’s relationship with Steve remained complicated. She still danced with him. In fact, they spent more time together than ever as they worked on a couple new dances for casino night. Diane suggested that a tango would dazzle the audience and a dance with a couple lifts would be a real crowd pleaser. Although many purists felt that lifts had no place in ballroom dancing, spectators loved to see them.
“Paula, that boy is amazing! We both know that I’m not as light as I used to be, but he’s able to lift me like I was a child. He can toss Gwen around with no effort. He’s graceful, a fast learner, and very polite. I had him lift me a couple times and slowly lower me. I had a low top on and he kept looking away, which didn’t do much for my self esteem,” admitted Diane. “I finally told him in that dance, he was the leader, the alpha, and he had to not only look at his partner’s assets, but do it obviously and sensuously. The next time he lowered me he looked right into my cleavage and blew into my top! My nipples were hard for the next hour.
“I don’t know where Gwen gets her self-discipline. She wears those sweaters and sweatshirts to practice and hardly interacts with the guy, even when she’s in his arms. I know she’s pissed about him supposedly having a woman on the side, but if I were her, I’d be doing my level best to make him forget the other woman. And Gwen has the equipment to make him forget!”
When the arrangements were made for Casino night, no one had considered the football team playing that same day for the district title. Luckily, Sparta played early in the day and everyone had time to return to Sparta and participate, as promised, in Casino night at the fire hall. The fact that Sparta had won 42- 21 made for a festive occasion. The members of the Fire Company, firefighters and ambulance crew, had a large sign proclaiming Sparta district champions on the wall.
“Wow, Charlotte! You look great. I guess if college doesn’t work out for you, there’s always the option of being a cocktail waitress,” teased Steve as he admired how well Charlotte looked in a little black dress.
“Thanks, Steve. It’s always good to be appreciated! I’m hoping that a certain waiter here tonight will like what he sees and stop being so darn hard to attract. I blame you for that, too. You made him walk me to class and apologize. He did such a good job of it, I can’t stop thinking about it, but he acts like he hardly notices me.”
“If we’re talking about a guy that’s dropped about thirty pounds of lard and added about twenty pounds of muscle since the start of football season, he’s noticed you, believe me. He doesn’t talk about anything else! “What if she still thinks I’m too fat? What if she doesn’t like me?” are two of the whines I hear five or six times a day,” complained Steve. “In case you haven’t figured it out, he’s talking about you, Charlotte.”
“Who’s talking about me, Steve? How do I know who’s lost weight? I need to know that we’re talking about the same guy!” giggled Charlotte. “Point him out!”
“Okay. He’s the guy standing by the men’s room pretending to be reading the sign that says “men’s room.” Now he’s looking at his shoes. Now he’s checking to be sure his fly is all the way up,” revealed Steve. “Does that help give you an idea of which poor schmuck has it bad for one of the smartest, prettiest girls in the senior class?”
“Now who are you talking about? I was hoping he was interested in me!” lamented Charlotte with a sad, pouty little smile.
Steve managed to pull Gwen aside a short while later. “Gwen, I know you’re upset with me for that stunt I pulled that night I picked you up walking on that dark road. I’ve tried to apologize to you, but you won’t listen. I was wrong to think that I could demand that you tell me something, or make you do something just because I wanted you to do it. I know now that it involved that Governs jerk, and that he did something to upset you pretty badly. I behaved like an ass and your dad was right to paste me one.
“I’m new to all of this, Gwen. I’ve never had a girlfriend. My mom died a few years ago and I’m kind of weak in my relationship skills with females. I just don’t know what you want me to do, Gwen. How can I get you to forgive me?” asked Steve sincerely. “I’ve learned a lot from that incident. I’ll work to be more understanding and less demanding.”
“Steve, I went out with that jackass! We had dinner. I thought we would be discussing ways he could help in our fund raising, but deep down, I knew what he was after and I went with him anyway. That’s not a very good girlfriend, is it? I thought I’d just keep it from you and it wouldn’t hurt anything,” admitted Gwen sadly. “The truth is all relationships have to be built on honesty and I wasn’t being honest with you.
“I appreciate that you helped me out, but I was too ashamed to admit what I had done. That’s why I wouldn’t tell you anything. That and the fact I was afraid that you’d do something to that ass that would get you into big trouble. To answer your question, you need to absolutely tell me the truth all the time. It has to be the whole truth and not half truths to keep my feelings from being hurt. The only thing that stands between us is that I don’t think you’ve been completely honest with me.”
“Okay, I see where that can be a problem. I guess I need to explain myself better. I’ll work on that from now on. I’ve become accustomed to keeping things to myself the past year or so and it’s become a habit, a bad habit at that,” conceded Steve. “I just worry that if you know too much about me, you’ll feel pity or something, and I don’t want that. I just want to be a normal, average senior in a normal school that just happens to have a super beautiful girlfriend. Is that too much to ask?”
“It is if you want to keep me around, Steve. You’ll have to drop that beautiful girlfriend,” replied Gwen more seriously than Steve realized. “My sister Lisa was drop dead gorgeous since birth. I’ve grown up being compared to her and it wasn’t always kind. My self esteem wasn’t the greatest, so I threw myself into my schoolwork. I’m determined to become a doctor, a very good doctor. This past summer I started working out on my dad’s weight machine and walking a few miles a day. I felt like I was improving and then you arrived on the scene and seemed interested in me when no else ever has been. The really crazy thing is that you’re a walking wet dream for every girl in school, so I wonder why you spend time with me.
“I don’t know what you’ve heard about me, Steve, but I’m not going to have sex with you, if that’s what you’re after. I guess all males are, and you’re certainly all male. Now for the weird part. I won’t have sex with you, but I won’t be with you if you’re having sex, or any type of intimate relationship, with some other girl, or woman. I know that sounds crazy, or selfish, but that’s how I feel. I’d rather not have a boyfriend than feel pressured to do something that I’m not ready for, or don’t want. I have long range plans and I’m not going to do something stupid and screw them up. Now that you know all of that about me, maybe you’ll want to find somebody else. I’ll understand.”
Steve had listened to Gwen with great interest. This was the first time they had actually shared real feelings and hopes. He felt like he had just learned more about her in a two minute conversation than in the previous two months.