“Yes. You know, it gave me the funniest feeling, her staring at us like that.” Laura turned over in her bed, very wide awake. She said to herself, _I won’t ask her about it_, but she couldn’t help asking. “What sort of feeling?” she whispered. “Well, it was like ... if I tell you you won’t think I’m like _them_, will you?” “Oh, no! Of course not.” Laura felt the blood beating in her throat. “It was like I wanted to know what she’d do to me. If we were alone, I mean. I was sort of curious. I wondered what it would feel like. Not that I’d ever let a girl—I mean—Laura, did you ever kiss a girl?” “No,” Laura said. In the dark she could lie pretty well. Her blushing cheeks didn’t show. “I did, once.” Laura put her hands to her throat and tried to still her breathing. “Did you like it?” she whispered. “Not much. But I didn’t dislike it. I was at that age. She was a friend of mine in Junior High. Maybe she turned out queer. I mean homosexual. She probably thinks _I_ turned out queer,” and she laughed. “She was always wanting to touch tongues.” Laura shivered. “Did you?” “A couple of times. It gave me the creeps. With a man it’s so lovely.” Laura heard her turn in her bed to face her. “Didn’t you ever do that when you were little? We used to do it a lot, just because it felt so awful. But Lenore was always wanting to do it with me when we got older. We were sort of best friends for a while.” Laura was sitting up, shivering, on the edge of her bed. She thought, _Dear God, if there is a God, help me now. Don’t let me touch her. Please don’t let me._ Suddenly Marcie got up and crossed the small aisle between the beds. She felt Laura and sat beside her. “Stick out your tongue,” she commanded, giggling. “No!” “Come on. I want to feel twelve years old again. I feel silly. Stick your tongue out.” She was teasing and Laura could see the flash of gold hair in the moonlight that struck them from the window by the bed. “Marcie, don’t do this! Don’t! You’re playing with fire. Please, this is crazy.” But her voice dwindled to a whisper as Marcie took her face in her hands, and she was powerless to resist. She let herself be pulled toward Marcie, felt Marcie’s soft wet tongue searching for her own. Laura opened her mouth with a slight gasp. Her arms went out to grasp Marcie’s slender body as a groan escaped her. Suddenly the phone rang. Laura gave a little scream of shock. They were both utterly silent and motionless until it rang again. Then Marcie began to laugh. “Oh, wouldn’t you know!” she said. “Saved by the bell. Saved from a life of sin.” The phone rang again. “I’ll get it,” Marcie said. She sprang up from the bed. Laura sat frozen where she was, hugging herself, trembling and miserable. “It’s probably Burr wanting to apologize for being such a skunk,” Marcie said. She threw herself across her bed and lifted the receiver. “Hello? ... Laura, it’s for you.” She put her hand over the mouthpiece and said, “It’s Jack.”