"Yeah of course I do," Tim said.
"I use to get mad at them for making fun of you," Tina, "I feel bad for never saying anything to them."
"It wasn't your fight," Tim shrugged, "Honestly I just blew it off most of the time."
"But still, how do you think I felt when I heard them calling my only brother a dork, or geek, or something worse?" she asked.
"I dunno, how did you feel?" Tim smiled.
"I was mad," she said, "You know I did say something to that bitch Jodie after your graduation."
"What? Why?" Tim asked a bit annoyed.
"Because I didn't care. She was leaving town anyway,", Tina said, "I told her she was pathetic for having to get off on making fun of another person and that I hope it comes around and bites her back some day."
"Hmm," I said, "Thats nice sis, thanks."
Tim will be deployed tomorrow. He had finished his training about 2 weeks ago, and got his deployment orders right away. He can still remember his mother looked so sad when he told her he was being sent in along with the rest of the peace keeping force, for a 1 year tour. But he knows he's not the same guy he was before he went in for training. He is just shy of his twentieth birthday and so raw. When he came up with the idea, he was scared of the world in general, mostly from being picked on so often in high school. But he had left basic training a man, thinner, and bold. If only those hammer heads from high school could see him now.
Still, he was not social and never dated much. It's sort of funny in a way that he was spending his last night before he goes off to battle with his 18 year old sister, who just last week, graduated high school. It was nice of her to come along, even though Tim knows what the rest of his unit is doing now. They are probably rounding third base with girls they barely know. But all Tim wanted to do was come down to Salsbury beach, play some pinball, and sit here thinking about good times, with the small cadre of friends he had growing up. Since they didn't show, he wondered where they are now.
"You know we've been sitting here for two hours?" Tina said after a long silence.
"Oh man," Tim said looking down at his watch.
"Doesn't matter though." she said, "Mom and dad don't expect us back til really late."
"Yeah I know, just not use to them being so lenient," he said. "Their rules since we are still living in their house are strict."
"Not for long anyway, for you," Tina sighed.
"I will be ok," Tim smiled.
"More pinball? I bet that creepy one with the head and moving eyeballs is calling for you again," she smiled with her hands wide.
"Ha, I'm kinda played out," Tim said as I stood.
"Never thought I'd hear that from the pinball wizard," she smiled, "But I did like it better than the older ones you played with all the bell sounds."
"Believe it. Oh you mean the old electro-mechanical ones. Too slow for you?" Tim asked as we started the long trek back down the beach to civilization.
"Yeah I like the fast and exciting action," Tina smiled.
"So I've heard," Tim joked as Tina punched his arm.
The two walked along the sands back toward the boardwalk and talked some more about Tina's view on what to do about population growth. She had a solution that she had no trouble sharing. Tim felt it necessary to argue, simply because they always did. Tim knows that this is what he will miss most of all. They would sometimes argue for hours, often ending up in a pillow fight or arm pinches. But it always ended friendly.
Then in Tina's usual form, the conversation went directly to sex. She often brought up her experiences. Tim knew it was to try to break through his shell. He became uncomfortable as he always did with it, knowing that Tina knows much more than him. Because they had always been close, she knows his only experience has been of the solo variety. She had forced him to talk about it one time after walking in on him mid stroke. That was the way she had described it anyway and told him not to be ashamed. To make him feel better she had told him that even with all of her activity she still soloed a few times a week. As much as she liked to joke and tease, she deeply cared for her only brother. That's why she had all she could do to keep her sanity these past few weeks. As Tina thought about this she realized that she had only vaguely been paying attention to their conversation.
"It's too bad, I kinda liked her," Tina said as she got in the car.
"Yeah well, I didn't move fast enough for her," Tim said as he closed his door.
"Really?" she smiled.
"I mean, Jon told me the day after he started dating her that he...quote...nailed her already," Tim said with a gesture.
"Yeah and you believe Jon the cocktail weenie?" she laughed.
"Hey where did you hear that?" I smiled. "I didn't think that got past the senior class."
"Well you promise you'll keep this a secret," she smiled. "I saw it."
"What?" I winced.
"Well a bit more than that," she grinned.
"Ack," I winced.
"Well you asked," she said as Tim nodded reluctantly.
"Well he crashed the pool party Josie had last month," she said, "Him and his buddy Jim. Well Jim came to see his girlfriend at the party and they disappeared for about an hour. But Jon stuck around. He had like 6 shots of something, I think rum and was really getting loud. This is actually kinda funny."
"Jon is a drunk. I'm surprised he made it out of that school alive," Tim added.
"Well while he was dancing around making an ass of himself, he took his shirt off and flung it. Well someone hollered, I think it was Heidi for him not to take his shorts off or he might embarrass himself," Tina smiled.
"I'm sure that fired him up," Tim laughed.
"Yeah well he did it!" she said, "He pulled his shorts down all drunk and stuff and started thrusting it in the air at the crowd, who all basically laughed. He even went up to Heidi who opened her mouth in the first place and rubbed it on her leg. After a while, and some more alcohol all the way around someone, I don't remember who, came up with little scary game. Whoever picked the right number out of a hat, had to dance with him."
"Ha ha!" Tim smiled.
"Well I lost," she said.
"No way," Tim laughed.
"Ok so this is how I know", she said, "He came over and started this dirty dancing thing. Grossed me out when he got hard rubbing on my leg. I am totally serious here, four inches hard! No joke."
"Damn...I guess the rumors are true," Tim said.
"Yeah gotta feel bad for him a little," she said, "Size doesn't matter but there are limits."
"You could have just pushed him away," Tim said.
"I did when I got fed up with it," she sighed, "He stumbled, fell backward and passed out on his back, jizzing all over himself."
"So indirectly you did get him off," Tim grimed, "Another conquest, sort of."
"Yeah shut up," Tina smiled, "Trying to forget it actually."
"Sorry but it's funny," Tim said. "I hope he cleans up his act."
"It's all so stupid," she said, "It's just too stupid to do, I mean at a pool party. Someone could have died. Honestly, people are right. Twenty one should be the drinking age."
"I can't believe you told me that," I said as I started the car. "Why did you tell me that?"
"Does it make you think about anything?" she asked, "I guess it's this sort of bitter feeling I have about you leaving."
