I was daydreaming in school, thinking about how I could convince John, to pay for a trip to Jerusalem. The city wasn't safe for a girl to travel alone, and I didn't want my parents to come with me, as I had an objective that could get them in trouble. Maybe I could use religious zeal as my reason for going? John would certainly be happy if I visited the holy city of his ancestry, since he is a devout Jew.
While I was busy daydreaming, Joshua approached me. Joshua was every teenage girl's dream: Good looks, charming, a first-team player in rugby, soccer, and cricket. However, he wasn't my cuppa tea. I wasn't particularly interested in sex or boys, and my good looks were more of a curse, than a blessing, as boys kept approaching me.
"So, I am having this party Friday night … Would you like to come?" Joshua asked.
"But Josh, I thought you were playing Rugby on Saturday morning?" I could tell that my reply made Joshua slightly uneasy, but he found himself quickly.
"Well, I guess I'm doing both." Josh replied.
"That's okay, you're still young and should be fine." I said.
"So umm, do you want to come?" Joshua asked nervously.
Did I? The answer was a definite no. Taking different substances to disbalance the chemical responses in my brain, what a dumb idea! But then I remembered something: My secret half-brother, Eric Orchard, who was the same age as me, had spoken about his feelings for this girl, Lindsey, from my class. If Lindsey was going to the party, I could help my brother out. Eric has suffered from depression, mainly from growing up without a father, and while partnering him up with Lindsey wasn't necessarily the best long-term solution, I wanted to see him happy.
"Are Lindsey McGowan and Eric Orchard coming to the party?" I asked.
Joshua looked at me with a puzzled expression, and replied, "Yeah, Lindsey said she was thrilled to come. As for Eric, why do you ask? No-one likes him."
I considered telling Joshua, that Eric had a purer soul than he had, and that there was more to life than good looks and success, but I realised that such a prissy approach wouldn't yield any favourable results. Instead, I took Joshua's hand, looked him in the eyes and spoke with a soft voice, "Please invite him for my sake, he is lonely, and he won't cause any trouble."
I could sense that Joshua was aroused when I held his hand. While this was a bit off-putting to me, it was also a relief. It pained me to reject someone who genuinely liked me, but in Joshua's case, he was merely sexually attracted to me, and he would be fine. I studied his face to get a hint of his thought-pattern, and, eventually, he spoke. "Yes, you can bring your gay friend to the party if you want." I thought of pointing out that Eric wasn't gay, but I didn't. It served everyone better, if Joshua perceived Eric to be gay, and not a competitor for my affection.