There were extra rehearsals. At one break Collier-Jones approached me as I sat and ate an apple, accompanied by a couple friends, one about 10 with r...d, or “ginger” hair, as the English say and another of about 11, with that particular English combination of blond hair like champagne and clear white skin with a rosy cast. Strawberries and cream. “Hullo. Is it true, you’re American?” he asked. “Yes, quite true. And what’s your name?” I asked.“Oh, Collier-Jones. And this is Willcox. “Thanks.” She smiled innocently back at him. “Chew then swallow, mister.” Then he began to get worried. It meant that everything could be about to change, that tonight things could mark the new chapter in their friendship that should’ve been undertaken years ago. He began to get excited, but his stomach was filled with dread all the same. The pizza began to form a large lump in his gut and he looked at the slice in his hand, there was no way he could keep eating. He threw it in the box and sat. One night he came over and we were watching a game when the power went off. Without power we decided to all play some poker by candle light. We sat around on the floor by the coffee table. It was fun having to try to see your cards in the dim light so we started drinking more and more. We all began to get pretty well drunk and talk turned sexual. We tried to get S to play strip poker but she’d decline each time. S. went to the bathroom and R. told me she’d be passed out soon. He made her a. She called me and I went to pick her up in my bike. On the way back, I could feel her melons pressing on my back and it was giving me a hard-on. I don’t know what her intention was, but she was sort of helping it by leaning onto me more. On reaching home, she noticed the tent on my pants and gave a smile at me. I was sort of embarrassed by this. My mom arranged the bed for her on the top floor in the room next to mine. She came for dinner wearing a crop top and shorts. She was looking stunning.