EIGHT:
"PONY!" Mandy said in shock as she answered the door. "I wasn't expecting you this afternoon. I thought you knew I was spending the day studying?"
"I knew, but there were a few things I had to tell you." I replied.
She sighed and moved out of the way. Since the bed was covered in books and papers I went and sat at the desk, sitting backwards on the chair with my elbows resting on the top. She looked at me and then sat down on the bed herself. "Well then Pony, what's the big news you couldn't wait to tell me?" She asked resigned to the fact that her study was on hold for a bit!
"Firstly Eric pulled a few strings and I've been invited to join the frat. I went over with him to take a look at the place this afternoon. To tell you the truth it's not exactly the sort of place I could see myself living in. It's about a million times more luxurious and swanky than my place back home. It might be kind of strange living in some place like that during the year, and then going home to my place.." I said.
Mandy shook her head. "Pony, if they want you in the frat accept it. Don't go being some kind of reverse snob." She told me. "And besides, I happen to think you're good enough to be at home in any kind of housing!"
"Thanks," I said giving her a smile. "Anyway I'll have to make up my mind in the next few days. Eric bagged us a pretty good room!"
"So you'll still be sharing with him?" Mandy asked.
"Yeah, but that's cool with me." I replied. "I wouldn't want to share with anyone else now I've gotten used to him and all. He's not that bad."
"No, he doesn't seem too bad." Mandy agreed. "Now was there any other piece of earth shattering news you had to share with me right this second?" I knew she was teasing me, and didn't really mind my company.
"Well Darry's getting married." I offered casually.
Mandy looked shocked. "You're kidding? I'd never have thought, I mean I was surprised enough to hear he had a girlfriend, but marriage. Wow!"
"I think Soda's feeling a bit strange over it, after his disaster with Sandy and all, but he'll be right. He's stronger than we sometimes think." I said.
Mandy nodded. "You're right there. I get the impression he's one of the strongest of the gang."
"And Randy's in the same frat as me." I said watching her face and wondering how to go about telling her what I knew?
"Is he?" Mandy replied. "Well that's good, he's really not a bad guy Pony."
"I know." I said. "Today we actually had a pretty in depth chat...Look Mandy, I don't know how to say this, so I'm just going to come out and say it. I know why you've been so strange since we got here- it was because of what happened to you at summer camp wasn't it?"
I then had the experience of seeing my girlfriend like I'd never seen her before. She seemed to crumple on the bed, and tears flowed down her cheeks. "He shouldn't have told you Pony." She said.
I hurried over to sit next to her and put my arm around her, pulling her face onto my shoulder. "And if he hadn't would you? More likely you'd have simply kept it to yourself, all this emotion bottling up inside you." I told her gently. "I'm glad he told me Mandy!"
"I guess," she sat up and rubbed at her eyes. "I am too. I did want to tell you Pony, so you'd understand the way I was behaving and not think it was all you or something terrible like that, but it's kind of hard to say something like that."
"Even to me?" I asked. "Even to your boyfriend of a few years?"
"To anyone Pony." Mandy admitted. "When I told my parents would you believe they thought I was making it up to get home from camp early? Simply because that year I hadn't wanted to go. They actually said making such serious allegations against someone purely for vengeance was very wrong, and they grounded me for the rest of the summer. Mom said to me "Now you'll wish you hadn't made up this lie to get home early when you can't even go anywhere won't you?" Having my own parents think I was lying after going through something so traumatic almost killed me Pony. In fact that summer, lying in my room grounded, I contemplated suicide on a few occasions. We moved to our town about eight months later, and I was actually shocked to see Randy there. It brought back memories I didn't want since I'd managed to mostly put them behind me in those eight months. And then I thought I'd done that again, but seeing him, seeing Daniel, made me sick Pony. I wondered how many other people he's hurt like me?"
"Daniel?" I repeated. "Where do I know that name?"
Mandy looked as though she was going to say something, but then she shook her head. "I don't know Pony." She said. "Anyway, I'm not going to let him ruin my life completely. And I'm sure as hell not going to let him ruin my relationship..that is, if I haven't already ruined it myself?" Now she looked at me through her wet eyes, pleading.
"Mandy." I said, pulling her back to me and hugging her tightly. "You haven't. I love you more than anyone I've ever known, and I'm not going to let you go just because of this!"
"You know Pony," She said, her voice muffled against my chest. "You've been so good for me. You taught me to be myself again, be outgoing, be happy. And you taught me that love can exist, and not all men are complete bastards! I should be thanking you."
I laughed. "Well you can't thank me, since I should be thanking you as well." I told her. "After all, who else would put up with this greaser?"
"Well it's their loss if they don't!" Mandy assured me. "And of course, my gain. And might I add they better keep their hands off you whoever they are, if they want to live."
I smiled and then asked, "So, are you definitely trying out for the cheerleading squad tomorrow? I'm assuming that seeing Daniel made you hesitant about it?"
"You're right- as usual." Mandy said. "I couldn't stand the thought of him seeing me, or even bragging to his friends about me.." She shuddered. "But then I thought about it and decided that would be letting him win, letting him get the better of me, and that's just not going to happen! Besides, I love cheerleading, and being on the college squad would be a dream come true. Have you seen some of the moves they do? They're complicated and take a lot of skill, but I think I can do them. And it would be very rewarding if I could!"
"I've told you- you're a shoo in." I promised her. "Now I know you want to study and all but I think in all honesty the thing you need most in the world at the moment is a nice ice-cream sundae. My treat."
Mandy grinned. "How could I say no to that?" She asked. "Just let me fix my hair and face."
A few minutes later we left the dorm hand in hand, with me being so glad that I'd found out the problems plaguing my poor girlfriend, and been able to talk to her about them. No doubt she was relieved about it too! Maybe now we could start getting into college life and having fun?
"PONY!" Mandy said in shock as she answered the door. "I wasn't expecting you this afternoon. I thought you knew I was spending the day studying?"
"I knew, but there were a few things I had to tell you." I replied.
She sighed and moved out of the way. Since the bed was covered in books and papers I went and sat at the desk, sitting backwards on the chair with my elbows resting on the top. She looked at me and then sat down on the bed herself. "Well then Pony, what's the big news you couldn't wait to tell me?" She asked resigned to the fact that her study was on hold for a bit!
"Firstly Eric pulled a few strings and I've been invited to join the frat. I went over with him to take a look at the place this afternoon. To tell you the truth it's not exactly the sort of place I could see myself living in. It's about a million times more luxurious and swanky than my place back home. It might be kind of strange living in some place like that during the year, and then going home to my place.." I said.
Mandy shook her head. "Pony, if they want you in the frat accept it. Don't go being some kind of reverse snob." She told me. "And besides, I happen to think you're good enough to be at home in any kind of housing!"
"Thanks," I said giving her a smile. "Anyway I'll have to make up my mind in the next few days. Eric bagged us a pretty good room!"
"So you'll still be sharing with him?" Mandy asked.
"Yeah, but that's cool with me." I replied. "I wouldn't want to share with anyone else now I've gotten used to him and all. He's not that bad."
"No, he doesn't seem too bad." Mandy agreed. "Now was there any other piece of earth shattering news you had to share with me right this second?" I knew she was teasing me, and didn't really mind my company.
"Well Darry's getting married." I offered casually.
Mandy looked shocked. "You're kidding? I'd never have thought, I mean I was surprised enough to hear he had a girlfriend, but marriage. Wow!"
"I think Soda's feeling a bit strange over it, after his disaster with Sandy and all, but he'll be right. He's stronger than we sometimes think." I said.
Mandy nodded. "You're right there. I get the impression he's one of the strongest of the gang."
"And Randy's in the same frat as me." I said watching her face and wondering how to go about telling her what I knew?
"Is he?" Mandy replied. "Well that's good, he's really not a bad guy Pony."
"I know." I said. "Today we actually had a pretty in depth chat...Look Mandy, I don't know how to say this, so I'm just going to come out and say it. I know why you've been so strange since we got here- it was because of what happened to you at summer camp wasn't it?"
I then had the experience of seeing my girlfriend like I'd never seen her before. She seemed to crumple on the bed, and tears flowed down her cheeks. "He shouldn't have told you Pony." She said.
I hurried over to sit next to her and put my arm around her, pulling her face onto my shoulder. "And if he hadn't would you? More likely you'd have simply kept it to yourself, all this emotion bottling up inside you." I told her gently. "I'm glad he told me Mandy!"
"I guess," she sat up and rubbed at her eyes. "I am too. I did want to tell you Pony, so you'd understand the way I was behaving and not think it was all you or something terrible like that, but it's kind of hard to say something like that."
"Even to me?" I asked. "Even to your boyfriend of a few years?"
"To anyone Pony." Mandy admitted. "When I told my parents would you believe they thought I was making it up to get home from camp early? Simply because that year I hadn't wanted to go. They actually said making such serious allegations against someone purely for vengeance was very wrong, and they grounded me for the rest of the summer. Mom said to me "Now you'll wish you hadn't made up this lie to get home early when you can't even go anywhere won't you?" Having my own parents think I was lying after going through something so traumatic almost killed me Pony. In fact that summer, lying in my room grounded, I contemplated suicide on a few occasions. We moved to our town about eight months later, and I was actually shocked to see Randy there. It brought back memories I didn't want since I'd managed to mostly put them behind me in those eight months. And then I thought I'd done that again, but seeing him, seeing Daniel, made me sick Pony. I wondered how many other people he's hurt like me?"
"Daniel?" I repeated. "Where do I know that name?"
Mandy looked as though she was going to say something, but then she shook her head. "I don't know Pony." She said. "Anyway, I'm not going to let him ruin my life completely. And I'm sure as hell not going to let him ruin my relationship..that is, if I haven't already ruined it myself?" Now she looked at me through her wet eyes, pleading.
"Mandy." I said, pulling her back to me and hugging her tightly. "You haven't. I love you more than anyone I've ever known, and I'm not going to let you go just because of this!"
"You know Pony," She said, her voice muffled against my chest. "You've been so good for me. You taught me to be myself again, be outgoing, be happy. And you taught me that love can exist, and not all men are complete bastards! I should be thanking you."
I laughed. "Well you can't thank me, since I should be thanking you as well." I told her. "After all, who else would put up with this greaser?"
"Well it's their loss if they don't!" Mandy assured me. "And of course, my gain. And might I add they better keep their hands off you whoever they are, if they want to live."
I smiled and then asked, "So, are you definitely trying out for the cheerleading squad tomorrow? I'm assuming that seeing Daniel made you hesitant about it?"
"You're right- as usual." Mandy said. "I couldn't stand the thought of him seeing me, or even bragging to his friends about me.." She shuddered. "But then I thought about it and decided that would be letting him win, letting him get the better of me, and that's just not going to happen! Besides, I love cheerleading, and being on the college squad would be a dream come true. Have you seen some of the moves they do? They're complicated and take a lot of skill, but I think I can do them. And it would be very rewarding if I could!"
"I've told you- you're a shoo in." I promised her. "Now I know you want to study and all but I think in all honesty the thing you need most in the world at the moment is a nice ice-cream sundae. My treat."
Mandy grinned. "How could I say no to that?" She asked. "Just let me fix my hair and face."
A few minutes later we left the dorm hand in hand, with me being so glad that I'd found out the problems plaguing my poor girlfriend, and been able to talk to her about them. No doubt she was relieved about it too! Maybe now we could start getting into college life and having fun?