Gennie was so excited about spending time with Foster she was unable to sleep that night. She finally got up from the small cot set up across from Page’s bed at six o’ clock in the morning. She put on her newest pair of jeans and a blue striped boy’s t-shirt. She knew they would only end up getting dirty but she didn’t care. This was the best day of her life.
“How do I look?” Gennie asked Page in her bedroom when she woke up an hour later.
“What does it matter?” Page said sullenly. Obviously, she was still mad at Gennie for coming back so late the night before. “You’re dressed in boys’ clothes and you’re going to be working on cars.”
Oh brother, Gennie thought, she’s jealous. She’d have to make it up to her next weekend. Maybe they could go mini-golfing or something. She thought about taking Foster along, but decided to wait until she knew him better. She was afraid he would find Page to be an oddball and not want to go out with her anymore.
“Hey, this is my first date,” Gennie replied. “I’ve got to look good.”
“Did Charlene brainwash you last night? You’ve always told me you didn’t care if you looked good or not.”
“No, Charlene didn’t do anything to me. We barely talked. I was mostly talking to Foster.”
“I don’t believe you, but to answer your question, yeah, you look good…for a boy.”
“Thanks,” Gennie said, chuckling.
“So, how was Charlene and the rest of the gang? Are they as stuck-up as they appear to be in school?”
“Actually, Charlene isn’t bad. She treated me okay. I almost think she does have the hots for Ben because they were snuggling up to each other when I first saw them.”
“I figured he would be there. Was Johnny there too?”
“He was late. When he came in, Charlene and Ben pulled apart right away. Johnny was being a total jerk throughout dinner. I could barely stand him. Charlene doesn’t seem to like him that much. She just kissed his cheek when he sat down. She wasn’t affectionate to him like she was with Ben.”
“That sounds like an arranged marriage to me. So how was Bouffant Barbara?”
“A bitch, just like she is in school.”
“Did she like Ben?”
“In a word, no.”
“Well, that’s going to work out really well,” Page said sarcastically.
“Yeah, I know.”
“Anything else go on?”
“No, not really, though Johnny called Ben a sissy under his breath. I don’t think Ben heard it though. I’m surprised they didn’t get into a fight.”
“I can’t wait for the day your brother is in a whole body cast, which will be pretty soon.”
“Yeah, I can’t believe how stupid he’s been acting lately. It’ll probably do him some good.”
“So, how did Ben treat you?”
“Not good. I offered to walk home with him, but he said no.”
Page rolled her eyes. “He didn’t walk hand in hand with Bouffant Barbara?”
“Barbara rode home with Charlene.”
“So much for love at first sight. So how was Foster?”
“Great. He’s not snotty at all. He was dressed a little preppy, but he doesn’t act that way. We’ve got a lot in common.”
“Is he cute?”
“Very.”
“Well, aren’t you lucky?”
“You’re not jealous or anything, right?”
“No, I’m not that interested in dating anyway. It takes up too much time and besides, I haven’t found any boys that are particularly fascinating.”
“I’ll have to ask Foster if there is someone he knows that needs a girlfriend.”
Page’s eyes darkened. Gennie could tell she was really mad.
“Don’t bother,” she said sternly. “I don’t need any help.”
Much to Gennie’s relief, the doorbell rang.
“I’ll answer that,” Gennie said quickly. She didn’t know who it was, but it gave her a chance to get out the door right away.
It was Danny. He just came back home from his Boy Scout camping trip and the door was locked. Gennie pushed past him and grabbed her bike. She was going to ride over to Pond Street to check out the neighborhood where Foster lived. She hoped he would be outside or have the door to the garage open so she could say hi to him. Hopefully, when she came back, Page would have forgotten about what she said.
Chapter 23: May 4
What They Left Behind Page 22