Li'l Red at the Slumber Party

By the time I was old enough to go to a girls’ slumber party (or sleepover) the practice was becoming less accepted. A rite-of-passage for teen girls from the 1950s to the 1970s, the parties fell out of favor as new parents decided they didn’t want their daughters doing what they had done themselves at the all-night shindigs. But I lived in Hollywood and my high school was steeped in the traditions of the Pink Lady’s of Grease and the kickin’ it bitches of Beverly Hills 90210. We had slumber parties, oh yes, and we were "waaayyy" psyched and wicked. Anyway, we thought so.

About five years after Ellen came out of the closet and seven before Katy Perry sang “I Kissed A Girl,” I was known as “Li’l Red” at my high school because I was only 5’4’ tall, ginger, and wonderfully promiscuous. I wasn’t the slut who blew or screwed anyone. I was selective but I selected often and didn’t care who knew. The guys seemed to like that. I mean the school mascot name was “The Sheiks,” thank you.

Fortunately, being a sexually active teen in Hollywood is not uncommon and doesn’t carry the social stigma the way it does in many parts of the country. I was invited to several bitching slumber parties. As you might imagine, slumbering didn’t start until the wee hours of the morning when everyone was exhausted.

Any girl who has been to a slumber knows the drill: What happens at a party, stays at the party (unless it’s just too juicy not to tell); you wear your favorite t-shirt and your prettiest panties (nothing else); in your bedroll, you smuggle in some alcohol or pot to share; and, you make sure only the cutest boys at school know where the party is being held. None of the girls I ran with ever left a slumber party with a boy. The fun was just teasing them and letting the host parents run them off.

Late at night, when parents were giving up on monitoring the party or off to their bedrooms, the games began. Usually, the games involved at least one version of “spin the bottle.” Instead of kissing the girl the bottle pointed to, you offered them “truth or dare.” I remember planning questions and dares all week before a party because we did have a “never be mean rule.” The group could always call “foul” if a question or dare went too far. We had seen far too many movies where this happened and we were, after all, mostly good girls.

I seldom took truth questions because, to me, they weren’t much fun. I didn’t mind telling people most anything. The strangest thing I ever had to do on a dare was peeling a banana with just my feet, then eating it.

At one party where there was a particularly good selection of alcohol, marijuana, and senior girls, one of the stars of the girls’ volleyball team – let’s call her Kara -- spun the bottle and it landed on me. She was tall, on the edge of pretty, with long hair ever in a ponytail. I knew her enough to say hi in the hallway, but no more. “Okay, Li’l Red,” she said, “truth or dare.” The other girls gasped a little at her calling me Li’l Red, but I figured she was trying to make me worry about the challenge. “Truth is boring,” I said bravely, “Dare!”

I don’t know if I am remembering this as it happened exactly, but I think the room got very quiet before she said, “Spend seven minutes in heaven with me.” A huge community “Whoa!” rang out. Every eye in the room was on me. Someone whispered, “Foul?” I shook my head.  Returning Kara’s questioning gaze, I said, “Sure, why not?”

We were escorted to our host’s closet which was remarkably large and smelled like cedar. The light was turned out, the door closed, and our seven minutes began. We whispered, at first, Kara making sure I was okay with her, with the dare. I wasn’t sure, but her strong arms holding me, her hands touching my face, and her gentle kisses that made their way from my neck to my mouth convinced me I was fine, more than fine. I kissed her back, again and again.

And then, it seemed only one or two minutes later, the door swung open, the light came on, and the party found us, me on my tiptoes, in Kara’s arms. All the girls cheered and we continued the game. Kara and I became very good friends.