"Pretty good," Brian answered.

"What did you do?" his father asked, a casual tone in his voice, which Brian took as accusatory.

But the telephone interrupted them both. Brian gladly answered it, and almost sighed with relief hearing the voice of his friend, Gary.

"Sure!" he was saying to his buddy. "I can be ready in about an hour." And then he hung up the receiver.

"Okay if I go to a party tonight?" he asked his father. "That was Gary. He wants me to go with him."

"Fine by me," his father answered. "Just don't stay out too late."

"Thanks, Dad!" Brian yelled out, running up the stairs to his room.

When he got out of the shower, Beth was making his bed, plumping up the pillows. She looked at the wet figure of her big brother, her eyes dancing over his hard, muscular body, little drops of water clinging to the hairs on his chest.

"Ummmmm, you look good!" she said. "I can't wait to finish what we started!"

"Shut up!" Brian whispered. "You want Dad to hear you?" Then he looked at his sister and added, "besides we're not going to finish anything. I just lost my head!"

Beth looked at him wickedly and smiled. "You just wait! We'll see what happens." And then she left the room.

Brian tried to shake the memory of what he had almost done to his sister, and finished getting dressed. It was a relief to get out of the house as he bounded down the stairs, hearing the honk of Gary's car.

The two of them drove down the highway, chatting in the casual way only best friends can do, exchanging jokes and at times rather technical conversation about particular football plays. Gary was also going to Texas, but not on a scholarship, the victim of not letting there be plenty of time for girls later. He had had plenty, Brian knew, and he often envied his friend's free time to mess around, but it hadn't hurt their friendship.