Chapter Four

Tyna Kemmer sauntered down the living room steps and made her way over to her father, who was watching television while flipping through a magazine.

"Tyna!" he said briskly, without looking away, "I need to talk to you about something."

"What, Daddy?" she said in a fake sweet voice and sitting down on the couch next to him.

"You know those girls who came by yesterday?"

"Yeah, why?"

"The blonde one. What was her name?"

"Claire, I think. Why?"

"She goes to your school. Get her number."

"Um, why would I want her number?" Watts turned towards her and gave her a warning look.

"It's not why YOU would want her number, it's why I want her number! She's the best-looking girl I've seen in this little-ass town since we got here. I'm thinking – Mrs. Kemmer. So get her number, and while you're at it, make sure she's eighteen or damned close to it." Tyna scowled.

"But she's…"

"TYNA!" Watts barked, "Would you like to go back and live with your mother? I'm sure she'll let you continue coming in at three o' clock in the morning like I do. Correct?" Tyna rolled her eyes.

"I'll get you the number," she mumbled.

"That's Daddy's little girl. Now get out of here, I'm trying to watch the game."

"Did you know," Drake said, unpeeling a banana, "That you have to be eighteen to purchase an adult video, but there's no age on sex toys?" The group was sitting at the lunch table again, and the normal perverted conversation had begun as always. Claire was just hoping that Jeanne didn't bring up Watts Kemmer – she wasn't ready to figure out a way to avoid Jeanne's frequent prodding to meet with him again. And so she seized on Drake's current curiosity.

"That's weird," Claire replied, "So, I could buy a vibrator, but I couldn't buy a porno to watch it with?" Drake raised an eyebrow and looked at Claire's cross necklace.

"You're wearing a cross, you shouldn't be talking about vibrators!"

"Hey, now," Claire shot back, "Jesus never said anything about vibrators."

"They didn't HAVE them back then!"

"Yeah, well, they had DILDOS!" This last pronouncement Claire made a bit too loudly, for Tyna Kemmer was walking up behind her and raised an eyebrow of her own.

"Uh, yeah, hi," Tyna said in a disgusted voice, "Sorry to interrupt, but, erm, Claire, can I have your phone number?"

"Why?" Claire asked, confused. It's not like Tyna Kemmer had ever talked to her BEFORE. Why did she suddenly want her phone number?

"I'm having a party," she replied hesitantly, "And I want you to come."

"Oh, um, okay," Claire replied uneasily, scribbling her cell phone number on a Post-It.

"Hey!" Jeanne cut in, "What about us?"

"I can only invite three people," Tyna snapped back, "And the other two are in college." She rushed off in a huff. They all exchanged glances and shrugged.

"Well," Jeanne said, "SHE'S a bitch, but her father – OOH LA LA!"

"He's perfect!" chimed Menlie.

"Take pictures!" Lynn chimed. Suddenly, Jeanne's face lost its smile.

"Eh, Claire, can I ask you something?" she said hesitantly.

"Sure, what?"

"You're friends with Brian Steinberg… right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Is it true he didn't come home from the MS Walk?"