All week at school, Bill ignored Karen. Karen stayed close to Sarah Hammer, and, time after time, explained to everyone that she was not pregnant, that is was all a joke.
"A sick joke!" Martha Moses had said.
Bill, mainly to make Karen jealous, flirted continuously with other girls. He was also in the early stages of what all the girls thought to be a "foxy" black beard, which he meticulously groomed. He was so good looking, even some of the boys admired him, though they didn't say it out loud.
Even though Karen wouldn't have told her parents about Bill's slapping her anyway, she was thankful there were no bruises on her face.
Thursday night, Karen telephone Bill.
"Why the hell did you call here?" Bill angrily asked, ready to end the conversation.
"Please don't hang up on me, Bill!" Karen said. "I want to talk to you--get some things settled!"
"There's nothing to settle with you!"
"You don't know what I mean, Bill!"
Bill gritted his teeth.
"Bill," Karen continued, "please listen to me! Now--I suppose you know about the party at the Sampson Motel Saturday night."
"Of course," Bill said, disgusted. "I'm going to it--with someone else!"
"Good," Karen said, "because I'm going , too. With Kit Carpenter. When he asked me, he was reluctant--he said, because he didn't know about us."
"What do you mean, 'us'?
"You and me!"
"Well, you can tell Carpenter not to worry about a damn thing! As for us, we're through!"
"Oh, Bill," Karen cried. "Isn't there something that can be worked out. I mean--what if I had not told you I was pregnant?"
"Baby," Bill smoothly said, "you told me a damn lie. You made me almost kill myself with worry--all over a little pick up like you!"
"How dare you call me a pick up!"
"Well, that's what you are You never meant anything more to me than a little lovemaking! I loved your body, Karen, not you!"
"Oh, Bill," Karen cried, louder, "how can you treat me this way! After all we've been through together!"
"What did you call me for, anyway?"
"I just wanted you to know I'd be there--at that party Saturday night. Just in case you're interested--your wish is my command!"
"You've got to be sick, Karen. Any girl that talk like that--you're sick!"
Karen slammed her receiver down. Bill, in anger, did likewise.
At eleven thirty that night, Bill was again tossing and turning. Thus, he arose, and, as he'd done before, tiptoed to his brother's room. Danny was sitting up in bed, studying.
"What now?" Danny asked.
"It's Karen Ingram again," Bill said, as he sat on the bed. "She won't leave me alone!"
"I told you a hundred times, Bill, you shouldn't have hit her Monday night!"
"Yeah," Bill said, "that didn't seem to bother her that much, though."
"Maybe she liked it!" Danny laughed.
"Weird!" Bill replied. "But that little bitch got me upset. Anyway, wouldn't you be upset if--what's the name of that broad you're dating?"
"Geraldine Miller."
"Yeah--wouldn't you be upset--beat the living hell out of Geraldine if she told you a lie like that?"
"She'd never do it. We're too much in love, and I always wear a rubber when we're fucking. Anyhow--and I hate to tell you this--Geraldine comes from a more respectable family than Karen Ingram."
"You don't have to tell me that," Bill assured. "I know what kind of family Karen comes from. And should it really matter?"
"Why did you ever ask her out, in the first place?"
"Aw--you know," Bill laughed, "just for kicks! I wanted a good piece, and I got it, more than once! I tell you--that's all she's good for! I never expected we'd go steady. But somehow, she just talked me into it! Damn, she has a good body!"
"It's just her ways, right?" Danny, squinting his dark eyes, replied.
"Right," Bill sighed, "And I'm through with the slut! You know who she has a date with Staurday night?"
"Who"
"Kit Carpenter, that dope addict from out of town who hangs around Cole. I don't know where he's from!"
"I guess Karen would go out with anybody now, huh!" Danny said.
"Yeah," a suddenly concerned Bill answered.
"By the way," Danny said, "who do you have a date with for that party? We've been talking so much about Karen Ingram, I never got around to asking you that!"
"Ka--uh--Sharon Holmes," Bill answered, Karen on his mind.
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