by Remember Me
Laura had tired of Heather’s constant remarks about Todd. The sneaking around behind
Heather’s back had riddled her conscience with guilt. She wished she could stand up to her
friend and defend him. She knew that her relationship with Todd might cost her a friendship she
dearly cherished.
The two girls sat back down and tried to wrap the blanket back around them. Even the
long johns which they wore under their outfits had gotten wet and couldn’t insulate there
shivering bodies. Heather could hear her friend’s teeth chattering rapidly together.
Heather’s face looked like an actress from a Greek tragedy. Her make-up had run during
the evening rain shower, leaving large black patches beneath her eyes and her hair rested flimsily
down the sides of her face. The rain had soaked both of the girls, and their outfits weighed
several pounds more than before the game.
A Novel by Brett Barney Remember Me?
© 1995 Brett Barney Literary Page 73
“So what are you doing after the game?” asked Heather, wiping some of the eye shadow
from her face with a handkerchief.
“I’m not sure yet,” Laura answered. “I feel like just heading home and going straight to
bed. I think I might be coming down with something. I’ve been getting really weak the past few
days.” It was the truth, but in the back of her mind, she wished for something else.
Laura couldn’t even explain how tired she felt. Her muscles cramped up and she had
noticed that regions of her skin were extremely tender. Her energy level had dropped drastically
and she didn’t feel like doing much of anything, except maybe to see Todd. It was the thoughts
of Todd, and the need to see him that had brought her here. If not for him, she would probably lie
in bed right now, fighting off the sudden ailment. Watching him play had brought her here.
“Well, they have a dance after the game,” explained Heather. “I thought I might go there
and see if anyone’s feeling lucky tonight. My sex life has sort of hit a slump of its own. I thought
I could at least help one of our football players make a score tonight. You ought to come with
me. Maybe we’ll both get lucky.”
“I don’t think so,” Laura declined. “The sound of some warm tea and a long night’s sleep
sound much more inviting right now.”
“If you don’t come, you’ll never know if this was your night to meet Mr. Right.”
“I can live with myself,” Laura assured her.
The girls continued to watch as the opposing team ran out the clock and the buzzer
sounding the end of the game went off. The stands were already half empty once the crowd
realized an upset was inevitable. Laura and Heather had little trouble making it through the
remainder of the hometown fans.
The somber mood of the crowd matched their cold, wet appearances as people headed
home. A musty odor filled the air around them. The evening had turned out miserable for all
involved and Laura couldn’t understand why Heather thought something might happen tonight.
Laura walked with Heather to the doors of the school building, using the umbrella to keep
Heather from absorbing any more rain into her clothes. Heather turned around as she walked in
the door to make one more attempt at coaxing her friend to the dance.
Laura explained that her body ruled her mind and her body told her to go home and climb
in bed. She turned around and walked quickly down the long line of cars in the parking lot. The
crowd of people had quickly vanished as they hurried to get out of the rain, and only a few
stragglers drifted by, running to their cars.
Laura reached her car at its stall, but walked on to a far corner of the lot. The familiar old
pickup truck sat with its engine running, as if the driver expected someone. She looked around to
see if anyone noticed her as she pulled open the passenger side door and jumped inside.
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© 1995 Brett Barney Literary Page 74
“Hi,” smiled the familiar face as she leaned up against her boyfriend. He still wore his
muddy uniform.
“Hi, Todd, I’m sorry you guys lost again.”
“Somebody has to lose the game,” Todd answered. “Do you want to go do something. I’d
like to get my mind off football for awhile.”
“I’m really tired tonight,” Laura explained, “but I’m up for some quiet conversation if
you want to go somewhere and talk for a bit.”
“That sounds nice,” he agreed as he started the truck out the parking lot. Laura closed her
eyes and listened to the sounds of rain softly hitting the roof of the old truck. The warmth from
the truck’s heater mixed with the sedating sound of the rain helped her relax as the two drove to
a quiet spot.
Heather stared into the mirror in the girls’ bathroom, trying to fix her make-up. The
morning school bell had rung, and Laura still sat hunched over the toilet in one of the stalls.
Heather could hear the sounds of Laura’s convoluting stomach as she emptied it in the porcelain
bowl. A few moments later, Laura emerged from the stall with several tissues to wipe her mouth,
trying to get rid of the taste.
She walked over and stood next to Heather, looking into the dirty mirror. The gray tiles
throughout the restroom gave it a depressing feel against the dim lighting, and the smell of air
fresheners, mixed with mildew from the under ventilated facility, made Laura’s stomach even
more queasy.
“What’s the matter, Laura, a little morning sickness?” joked Heather.
“My breakfast must not have agreed with me,” answered Laura back. She wore jeans and
a sweat shirt. Heather could tell by looking at her that Laura felt really sick. Laura rarely wore
tons of make-up, or took the effort preparing her outfits for school like Heather did, but Heather
knew she usually did more than this.
“This is the third time you’re breakfast hasn’t agreed with you this week,” Heather
continued.
“I think I might have caught some sort of stomach flu,” Laura defended.
“It’s rather funny if you think about it,” laughed Heather. “That should be me hunched
over that toilet, not you.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Well Laura, you see, I’m the one who’s over two months late on her period. I’m the one
who should have morning sickness right now. Maybe you just caught the morning sickness I
should be having,” Heather teased. “It must be awful to have to deal with that when you’re still a
virgin.”
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© 1995 Brett Barney Literary Page 75
“You’re pregnant?” asked Laura with surprise, ignoring Heather’s other remarks. “Have
you been tested yet? What are you gonna do?”
“Don’t act so alarmed. It’s not like it’s a big deal or anything. I’ll take care of it.”
“Have you talked to Todd about it yet?” questioned Laura as a feeling of helplessness
came over her.
“Why should I talk to Todd about it. I don’t want anything to do with him. It isn’t his
child anyway.”
“Then whose child is it?” asked Laura, extremely relieved, but interested in Heather’s
answer.
“Well, according to my Biology textbook,” explained Heather. “The act had to take place<
br />
during the period of time following the homecoming game. That is, if my body acts like
clockwork, which it does. There was only one person I had any kind of act with during that time.
In fact, we did it several times in one night. That night just so happened to be the most fertile
time during my cycle, so I’m pretty sure who the father of my child is.”
“Number 87.”
“Bingo,” answered Heather. “Anyway, I have an appointment with my doctor next week.
I don’t see any reason to worry about it until then.”
“How can you be so relaxed knowing you might be pregnant?” Laura asked. She felt
bitter at her friend for acting so relaxed and looking like her usual self, even though she claimed
she was pregnant.
“It isn’t the end of the world. Actually, if I am pregnant, then the worst thing that could
happen already has happened. So I can enjoy sex even more than before.”
Heather looked over at her friend who stood in awe. She could tell that Laura felt nervous
about the news, and wanted to calm her down. She smiled softly at her good friend.
“Don’t worry, Laura. I can take care of the baby.”
The remark seemed to relax Laura, as she smiled back and returned to fixing her
appearance. Heather wondered if she shouldn’t have brought up the topic.
Heather placed her make-up back inside her bag as Laura finished washing out her
mouth. The two girls almost reached the doors of the bathroom before Laura found herself
running back to the stall. As she sat choking over her empty stomach, tears began to fill her eyes.
She couldn’t be pregnant, she told herself. Todd knew enough not to get her in that predicament.
Surely he had held back. She felt ashamed for her naiveness. Sex had always embarrassed her,
and she didn’t know as much as Heather did about it. That was one of the problems with a
conservative raising. It was just the flu. They had only made love twice, and what were the odds?
Laura knew she had to confront Todd about her condition. He had a right to know. He
would tell her that everything was all right, and that he knew enough not to get her pregnant, but
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© 1995 Brett Barney Literary Page 76
she feared the rejection which might occur. She didn’t want to seem so inexperienced to him.
The last few weeks had felt so good to her. She couldn’t remember a point in her life where she
felt as good, but as the days passed without any indication of her cycle ending, she had grown
scared. She feared for her condition, but had a glitter of hope in her heart that it was just a false
alarm.
Now she found that Heather was probably pregnant too. How could she keep her cool
when she knew she was pregnant. Laura felt as if the whole world had come to a halt, waiting for
her period to come. Laura looked down into the clear blue water in the bowl of the toilet. Three
heaves of her stomach and nothing to show for it. She knew she would need to see a doctor soon,
she couldn’t keep anything down.
Saturday morning came before Laura realized, and she couldn’t bare sitting home by
herself in pity. She reached Heather’s house and was told by Heather’s father to go ahead up to
Heather’s room. Laura had little energy as she walked up the long flight of stairs.
Laura walked into Heather’s bedroom. Her friend sat listening to records on the floor and
didn’t hear Laura come in. The cluttered room looked as if a tornado had gone through it and her
clothes laid scattered across the floor. The bed still remained unmade and it smelled of stale air.
Laura felt tempted to open a window.
Heather’s room reflected her personality. Bright pinks and colorful floral patterns
decorated the walls and bedding. The loud colors looked extremely girlish, and several elegant
prints hung on the walls. The bright sun flooding in through the window glimmered over the
shiny objects across the floor.
“Hello Heather,” Laura spoke so as not to startle her friend.
Heather turned around from what she had in front of her to see who disturbed her
solitude. A gentle smile filled her face as she recognized her good friend. Heather had not yet put
on her make-up and her complexion had many imperfections. Only through her precision
hairdressing and cosmetic application had she maintained her young beauty and reputation for
details. Laura obtained a more natural beauty, able to step out of bed in the morning and look
presentable.
“Hi Laura,” replied Heather. “Sorry my room’s such a mess. I wasn’t expecting any
visitors this early in the morning.”
“What are you doing?” Laura asked, looking around at the pictures lying across the floor.
“Oh, I’m just throwing out some old photographs I don’t need to keep around anymore. I
just hold on to a few for memories, but toss out the ones I don’t need anymore.”
Laura noticed several pictures of Todd lying on the floor. The sight of him made her
angry and happy at the same time. She had not seen Todd for several days and wanted
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© 1995 Brett Barney Literary Page 77
desperately to talk to him, but at the same time, she felt overcome by rage at the position he had
placed her in. The turmoil brewing inside her grew rapidly, and she knew she could not even
vent her anger to the one person she told everything. For the first time in her life, Laura had to
keep her emotions locked inside her, knowing Heather and she could never discuss it.
“Why throw away all the pictures?” asked Laura, wishing she could take a few with her.
“No reason to dwell on the past,” replied Heather. “If I’m going to get on with my life, I
need to put him behind me. What would I do if a guy came over to see me and I still had Todd’s
picture on my night stand?”
“Wouldn’t you keep most of them for sentimental reasons?” Laura persisted.
“He’s a guy, Laura. If I held onto every picture of every guy I’ve gone out with, I
wouldn’t have any space at all in here. It isn’t like there’s something really special about him.”
“But the two of you shared his first time together,” stressed Laura. “That’s something that
nobody can ever get back after it’s been done. That’s something that only you can cherish. I
thought he might have had more meaning than that.”
“Where did you get a crazy idea like that from?” asked Heather with a look of confusion.
Laura realized that her friend found the prodding odd. She had to keep her cool, and didn’t want
to give her secret romance away.
“I guess you’re right, I’m just a hopeless romantic. I shouldn’t have brought it up, I
guess. I just thought something like that might mean something to you.”
“I didn’t mean the romantic side of our relationship was a crazy idea,” Heather corrected.
“I just wondered where you got the idea that Todd was a virgin before I met him.”
“I thought you said he was inexperienced?”
“Maybe in the state of Iowa,” Heather continued. “But one thing Todd was not when I
met him, was a virgin. He claimed he was at first, but after we had gone out for a while, I got the
truth out of him.”
“What do you mean, the truth?” asked Laura, trying to hide her anger.
“It’s all part of the game.”
/> “What game?” Laura persisted.
“The game guys and girls play with one another to see how far they can get,” Heather
clarified.
“Why would he do that?”
“Two reasons, I guess,” spoke Heather, trying to educate her friend. “First, innocence is
an incredible turn on. Guys seem more tempting to a girl if they come across as not knowing
much about sex. It makes it look more like they want to experience something special with you,
something they don’t really understand. But it’s usually just a cover so they can get down your
pants easier.”
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© 1995 Brett Barney Literary Page 78
“And secondly?” asked Laura, extremely upset.
“Well,” Heather continued. “Secondly, nobody wants people spreading rumors about
their sex lives. They want to know that their partner can keep a secret. If you both claim total
innocence and always keep it to yourself, then you can always trust that nobody will ever know.
It’s the mutual fear of having your reputation ruined that allows you to trust one another.”
“So you’re supposed to keep everything a complete secret?”
“It’s almost like a special code of honor. You don’t tell people what goes on between
you, even if you’ve broken up and are mortal enemies. It just gets to be too messy if you start
throwing mud. When things are over between you, they’re completely over. You hold onto the
memories, but you don’t share them with everybody.”
“So then Todd had been with another girl before you?” Laura pressured for an answer.
“Todd’s been with many girls,” Heather exclaimed. “He’s from California, that should
tell you everything right there. Nobody from California is a virgin.”
“So did he tell you he was a virgin your first time together?” Laura continued to pry.
“No,” answered Heather. “He had this story about how he had only been with one other
girl. He’s played the game before. He’s actually quite good at it. He even had me believing his
story for the first few times, but the longer we went out, the more I realized he had a lot of
experience.”
“How did you know that?”
“Some of the ideas he came up with,” she answered. “One day after we had done it, I