shook her head. "I certainly can't see any earthly reason for her visiting Tamra. And besides" - she looked up quickly at Matt - "you're holding out on us somehow. What else happened?"
"Somethingmore happened? Did Caroline flash her lingerie?" Bonnie was laughing until she saw Matt's red face. "Hey - c'mon, Matt. This isus . You can tell us anything."
Matt drew in a deep breath and shut his eyes.
"Okay, well - as she was going out, I think - I think Caroline...propositioned me."
"She didwhat ?"
"She wouldnever - "
"How, Matt?" Elena asked.
"Well - Jim thought she'd left, and he went to the garage to get his basketball, and I turned around and suddenly Caroline was back again, and she said - well, it doesn't matter what she said. But it was about her liking football better than basketball and did I want to be a sport."
"And what did you say?" Bonnie breathed, fascinated.
"I didn't say anything. I just stared at her."
"And then Jim came back?" Meredith suggested.
"No! And then Caroline left - she gave me this look, you know, that made things pretty clear as to what she meant - and thenTami came in." Matt's honest face was flaming by now. "And then - I don't know how to say it. Maybe Caroline said something about me to make her do it to me, because she - she..."
"Matt." Stefan had scarcely spoken until this point; now he leaned forward and spoke quietly. "We're not asking just because we want to gossip. We're trying to find out if there's something seriously wrong happening in Fell's Church. So - please - just tell us what happened."
Chapter 15
Matt nodded, but he was blushing to the fair roots of his hair. "Tami...pressed herself against me."
There was a long pause.
Meredith said levelly, "Matt, do you mean she hugged you? Like a biiiiiig hug? Or that she..." She stopped, because Matt was already shaking his head vehemently.
"It was no innocent biiiiiig hug. We were alone, in the doorway there, and she just...well, I couldn't believe it. She's only fifteen, but she acted like an adult woman. I mean...not that I've ever had an adult woman dothat to me."
Looking embarrassed but relieved at having got this off his chest, Matt's gaze went from face to face. "So what do you think? Was it just a coincidence that Caroline was there? Or did she...say something to Tamra?"
"No coincidence," Elena said simply. "It'd be toomuch of a coincidence: Caroline coming on to you and then Tamra acting like that. I know - I used to know Tami Bryce. She's a nice little girl - or she used to be."
"She still is," Meredith said. "I told you, I went out with Jim a few times. She's a very nice girl, and not at all mature for her age. I don't think she would normally do anything inappropriate, unless..." She stopped, looking into the middle distance, and then shrugged without finishing her sentence.
Bonnie looked serious now. "But we have to stop this," she said. "What if she does that to some guy who's not nice and shy like Matt? She's going to get herself assaulted!"
"That's the whole problem," Matt said, turning red again. "I mean, it's pretty difficult.... If she had been some other girl, that I was going on a date with - not that I go out with other girls on dates..." he added hastily, glancing at Elena.
"But youshould be going out on dates," Elena said firmly. "Matt, I don't want eternal fidelity from you - there's nothing I'd like better than to see you dating a nice girl." As if by accident, her gaze wandered over to Bonnie, who was now trying to crunch celery very quietly and neatly.
"Stefan, you're the only one who can tell us what to do," Elena said, turning to him.
Stefan was frowning. "I don't know. With only two girls, it's pretty hard to draw any conclusions."
"So we're going to wait and see what Caroline - or Tami - does next?" Meredith asked.
"Not just wait," Stefan said. "We've got to find out more about it. You guys can keep an eye on Caroline and Tamra Bryce, and I can do some research on it."
"Damn!" Elena said, hitting the ground with one fist. "I can almost - " She stopped suddenly and looked at her friends. Bonnie had dropped her celery, gasping, and Matt had choked on his Coke, going into a coughing fit. Even Meredith and Stefan were staring at her. "What?" she said