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Kissing Games | Aug 23 2000

To continue last night’s story: Oddly, I can’t remember what it was that Lori Sitner told me in confidence about David Hess which I then ran and told David. Was it something involving Penny Sue Gold? I think it was. Later, David started seeing Penny Sue – this I do remember – so I suspect that Lori may have told me that Penny Sue liked him. I, however, liked Penny Sue (yes, I also liked Lori, but I REALLY liked Penny Sue), so for me this was bad news, crushingly bad news. Why then did I pass it along to David? Alas, I have no answer. Could it be that I am confusing the order of events? Yes, it could be. In any event, not long after, another girl I knew, a red-haired girl whose name escapes me, told someone who told me that she and I had kissed at a party. This was a lie – I had never kissed anyone at any party, least of all her.

I can’t recall who informed me of this lie, but I do remember my reaction. My reaction was pity. Or rather, indignation followed by pity. Who hasn’t lied or wanted to lie about such things so as to keep up appearances? The red-haired girl, who though perfectly nice was not on my “desirable girl” radar, wanted her friends to think that she had kissed someone, and for some reason she chose me as her fictional accomplice. Frankly, I was an strange choice for someone trying to impress her friends, but then perhaps she was shooting for BELIEVABLITY most of all. Certainly if she had claimed to have kissed Mark Goodman, she would have been hooted at.

As you might imagine, I felt awful for her and wished I hadn’t found out. I even considered asking my friend not to tell anyone else about her lie, but then quickly changed my mind for fear that my friend might suspect me of lying when I said I hadn’t kissed her. I regret this now. It was cowardly, and the red-headed girl suffered for it, for word of her lie quickly spread. I myself said nothing to her and tried rather to smile in a such a way as to indicate that although I wasn’t interested in kissing her, I felt bad about the turn of events and also flattered that she had chosen me as the object of her lie. Was I successful in this? I doubt it. Most likely, the poor girl thought I was mocking her and thus dreaded seeing me and my cruel smile.