It was immediately apparent that Jeff had received the word from on high during the break, because he was now passing to Heath and including him in the plays. As a result Heath made even more points and fast became the game’s high scorer.
Heath was fouled in the last quarter, and took his place on the line for his two free throws. A hush fell over the gym as he toed the line and palmed the ball, trying to reach that state of readiness that I had often sought myself when in the same circumstances. I said a silent prayer as I watched his slim, erect form, all alone in the center of the floor. He held the ball at eye level, both hands on the side seams, and then let it fly in a calculated arc. It swished through the net cleanly.
The crowd murmured and stirred, but remained calm, anticipating his second try. Heath bounced the ball a few times, his face a mask of concentration, and then raised his eyes to the net again, releasing the ball almost as soon as he looked up. It bounced off the rim and teetered on the edge, spinning dizzily as the crowd held its breath. Then it tipped inward and the home side of the gym erupted in a shout of joy.
I watched him grin at Mike, and then at Joe Terry, who patted him in approval and said something that made Heath give that slight, breathy chuckle that I recognized even though I couldn’t hear it in the surrounding din. I felt a savage twinge of jealousy.
I had thought that sound was made only for me.
The rest of the game passed quickly, dominated by the home team, which won, 48-28. When it was over, all the onlookers were sure of one thing: there was a new star on the horizon, Heathland Winthrop Lindsay. The Fourth.
I, of course, was miserable. I had wanted him to do well, but not this well. My competition would be emerging from the woodwork after the show this afternoon. I felt like blowing a whistle and telling them to line up on the right.
Barbara and I waited for the guys to shower and dress. Barbara wanted Heath and me to go with her and Mike to The Barn, which was a soda joint where the team players usually went after the games. Needless to say, I had never been there, except on Sunday afternoons with my family or with one of my girlfriends. I had never had the nerve to just show up when I knew the place would be filled with the jocks and their groupies. Now I was going to be among that crowd. This didn’t give me the thrill it should have, since I knew Jeff and company would be there. My fondest wish at the moment was to grab Heath’s hand and head for the hills. But Barbara was so anxious for the four of us to get together that I didn’t have the heart to say no. I knew she felt bad for all the times in the past when I had been left out because I hadn’t been dating anyone, and this was her chance to include me.
Heath came out with Mike and saw me immediately, dropping his gym bag and opening his arms. I ran into them and he hugged me close. And just for that moment, I thought everything would be all right.
“Break it up, you two, break it up,” Mike teased, putting his arm around Barbara. “I realize you haven’t seen each other since last night, but please try to control yourselves. So what do you think of this guy, huh, Gaby? Still waters run deep. I’ve already asked for his autograph, which I assume will be worth big bucks some day, and the team is planning on having his gym shoes bronzed. Sound like a good idea?”
Mike always went on like this, and he was pretty funny, too, but his banter lacked the nasty edge of sarcasm that characterized Jeff’s humor. Heath’s skin became faintly tinged with pink as he listened.
“Oh, look at him, he’s blushing. Isn’t that cute? Knock off the shy act, Lindsay, the girls know you’re only doing it to get attention.”
“Dalton, will you grow up?” Barbara muttered. “Put a sock in it.”
Mike became all innocence. “Ah, honey, don’t be mad. Old Heath doesn’t mind, do you, Heath? He’s got to get used to handling people worse than me, and this is practice. Just think: product endorsements, centerfolds, maybe even a spot on a late-night talk show. And we’ll be able to say we knew him when.”
Heath just smiled and shook his head, dismissing Mike’s nonsense. It was obvious that he didn’t mind it because he knew it was good natured. And I enjoyed being part of the foursome, included in Mike’s chatter. Always before I had been the odd one out, Barbara’s friend but not part of the group. Now I had stepped inside the charmed circle, and so easily, because I was with Heath. And Heath was suddenly okay, too, because he could play basketball. When you thought about it that way, it was all really rather silly.
We decided to go in separate cars, so Heath could take me home afterwards. On the short drive there I was quiet, thinking.
“We don’t have to go to The Barn, if you don’t want to,” Heath said, interrupting my thoughts. “I’ll take you anywhere you like.”
He saw through me as if I were a pane of glass.
“No, it’s all right.” I didn’t want to rob him of his moment of glory; Barb said the group there always made a fuss over the game’s hero when he came in. Besides, Barbara and Mike would be waiting for us.
Mike waved from a booth in the rear as we walked through the door. He did it so naturally, as if we were part of the post game celebration every week. It would never occur to him to wonder why we hadn’t been friends before; he was as guileless as a child.
Quite a few people applauded when they caught sight of Heath, and he glanced at me, startled. He hadn’t expected such a reception. Perhaps I should have warned him. Well, too late now. We made our way back to Mike and Barb.
“What was that all about?” Heath murmured. “I felt like the President entering the Senate chamber.”
I slid in next to him. “Oh, they always do that. Homage to the hero.”
He looked uncomfortable, but didn’t reply. I canvassed the other booths and saw Jeff and Daphne on the other side of the room. It appeared that they were together again.
An accident of fate had made them the two best looking seniors, so it was sort of ordained that they would wind up a couple. The funny thing was that they didn’t seem to like each other that much. They fought a lot, and broke up about once a month. This was obviously a time of truce; they hung on each other, grinning hugely. I wished them long life and prosperity and looked away.
The waitress came to take our order. Mike knew her and exchanged small talk for a moment before giving his and Barbara’s order.
“And you’d better talk to my silent partner here,” Mike added, indicating Heath. “Or rather, talk to his interpreter. Nobody reaches him except through this redhead on your left.”
I could feel myself blushing as Heath told her what we wanted. Really, Mike could be embarrassing.
I began to relax as Mike continued to dominate the conversation with a description of his social studies class which kept us in stitches. It was something called “Modern Urban Civilization,” and Mike maintained that the teacher didn’t know what that meant, so they saw a different film every week. It was a class of graduating seniors who were just marking time to collect the required number of hours. They wouldn’t object if they stared at a wall twice a week for 45 minutes as long as they got credit for it. He was in the middle of a rundown of last Monday’s session when a shadow fell across the table, and we looked up to see Vicki Stanfield in the aisle. My hands clenched in my lap. Oh, oh, I thought. Here it comes.
“Heath,” she began, “I just had to congratulate you on the game today. Do you remember me? I’m Vicki Stanfield, from your English class. I sit right by the window in the last row.”
She flashed him her most winning smile, and it was winning indeed. Vicki had worn bands on her teeth for four years, and her parents had spent a mint, in order to produce the effect we were witnessing now. And it was worth it. She was a poster child for The American Dental Association.
“Oh, yeah. Hi, Vicki,” Heath said. He was regarding her with mild interest, and it was clear that his response lacked the degree of enthusiasm to which Vicki was accustomed.
She tried again. “I’m having a lot of trouble with that assignment on Milton, and I noticed that
you always seem to understand what’s going on. Maybe Monday during study you could give me a few pointers? I would really appreciate it.”
Vicki, the secretary of The National Honor Society, was having trouble with her English assignment. I couldn’t believe she had the nerve to approach him with such a transparent fairy tale, and in front of her old boyfriend, too. Whatever Vicki lacked in class she made up for in nerve.
“I don’t know if I’ll be in study on Monday. I’ve got an excuse to go for my team physical and it’s overdue already,” Heath answered.
Thank heavens, I thought. But Vicki was not one to let such a trivial matter stand in her way.
“Maybe some other time, then,” she said, shifting her weight so that her legs were shown to advantage in her little cheerleading outfit.
“Maybe,” Heath said neutrally.
“‘Bye for now,” she said, including Mike and Barbara in her farewell smile, ignoring me as if I were a piece of lint on the seat next to Heath. “I’ll count on it,” she added in an undertone Heath alone, and sauntered away.
The waitress brought the food as she was leaving and the others dug in, Barbara taking the opportunity to roll her eyes at me as she picked up her sandwich. I knew she would have more to say on that little scene later.
I had lost my appetite, and played with my jumbo burger while the rest of the food vanished from the table. Heath noticed that I wasn’t eating and asked if the burger was done well. He knew I couldn’t eat rare meat.
“No, it’s fine, I’m just not as hungry as I thought I was,” I said.
“I’ll take it if you don’t want it,” Mike said shamelessly.
“Michael!” Barbara scolded. “You are impossible!”
“Why should we let it go to waste?” Mike asked logically.
“Here, you can have it,” I said, glad to see it go. The smell of it was making me nauseated. I pushed it across the table to him and he started in on it with relish.
The sound of the jukebox and the video games in the background was giving me a headache. I said I was going to the ladies’ room and Barbara jumped up to follow me.
“‘I’m having a lot of trouble with that assignment on Milton,’” Barb said as soon as the door closed behind us, mimicking Vicki. “I’ll bet she is. She’s got more brass than a marching band. Well, Heath certainly gave her the cold shoulder, I was very happy to see.”
“No, he didn’t,” I answered. “He just told her the truth. If she corners him again, he’ll help her. That’s the way he is. And don’t be so sure he isn’t interested because he didn’t fall all over himself to get to her tonight. He’s very polite, and too much of a gentleman to come on to her with me sitting there next to him. That’s not to say what will happen when I’m not around.”
Barbara stared at me. “Boy, you really have a lot of faith in yourself, don’t you?”
I shrugged. “I’m just trying to be realistic. She’s got a lot going for her. She’s in with the right crowd and she’s a senior, which means that she and Heath will have all the same events to go to in the spring. If I were a guy, I’d be interested.”
“You’re neurotic, do you know that? Since the first time you went out with Heath you’ve been convinced that he was only marking time with you until someone better came along. As far as I can see, he hasn’t paid the slightest bit of attention to anyone but you, and yet you’re waiting every minute for the boom to fall. And his reaction to Vicki was not politeness, it was disinterest. If you couldn’t see that then you’re worse off than I thought.”
I said nothing, fiddling with the compact in my hand.
“And you can stop looking like a kicked dog, I’m not trying to beat up on you. I’m only telling you what I think is the truth. Can’t you believe in Heath just a little? He seems sincere, as if he really cares about you. Don’t you feel that way?”
“I want to, but . . .”
Barbara sighed. “Look, we’d better get back outside, they’re going to think we died in here. This conversation is to be continued, all right?”
“All right.”
“And if the worst happens and Heath gets interested in Vicki, we’ll just introduce him to her mother. That will be the end of the romance, okay?”
I laughed weakly. “Have you got any aspirin?” I asked as we left the lounge.
Barb fished in her purse and produced a bottle, and I took two when we got back to the table.
“What’s wrong?” Heath asked me. “Aren’t you feeling well?”
“It’s just a headache.”
“Let’s go, then,” Heath said, standing up. He was reaching for our coats when Jeff Lafferty came up behind him, wearing his most unpleasant grin. The pounding in my temples worsened. What had ever induced me to come here?
“Hey, Dalton,” Jeff said, “why don’t you come over to our table? What are you doing here with these dull types? What are you talking about, poetry, politics, the national debt? It looks like a pretty grim group to me.”
He was placing Mike squarely on the spot, and Mike had never been one to challenge Jeff. Mike always danced around Jeff, staying on his good side but not really supporting some of the things he said and did, either. Mike maintained a delicate balance with his bluff good humor, but it was clear he wouldn’t be able to finesse his way out of this one. Jeff was waiting alertly for his reply.
“Uh, I don’t know, Laff, I was just getting ready to leave,” Mike said evasively.
“Yeah, I could see why you would want to,” Jeff said, glancing significantly at Heath.
I watched Jeff, wondering how someone so beautiful could be such a louse. Why couldn’t he just go his own way and let other people go theirs? No. He had to needle, and prod, and agitate, just to prove that he had everyone under his thumb.
Mike said nothing, obviously hoping that Jeff would drop it. But Jeff had not accomplished his mission yet. This whole scene was to get to Heath, the real object of his enmity.
“I guess you think you were hot stuff today,” Jeff said to Heath, turning to face him. “I wonder how you’ll do when the coach stops telling the rest of us to give you a clear field. The coach used to be in the army, you know. I think he must like your haircut.”
Heath said nothing, but I could see the pressure building inside of him. The rest of the people in the place were falling silent, watching the two tall figures in the aisle.
“Yeah, that must be it,” Jeff continued. “Or else he heard about your father’s girlfriend, and he’s hoping for an introduction. My old man goes to the country club, and he’s seen your father there a few times with some blonde who looks young enough to be his daughter. I hope he’s not going to marry her. He probably should adopt her instead.”
Heath’s jaw went tight and he moved forward. I could see that there would be a fight in a second, and I boiled over with rage at Jeff and sympathy for Heath. The pain in my head reached a crescendo. I stepped in front of Heath, confronting Jeff.
“Why don’t you just shut up, Jeff Lafferty? You’re not fooling anybody with all this talk, we know the real reason you’re causing trouble. You can’t stand it because Heath is a better player than you are, and you’re jealous. You’re afraid he’s going to steal the limelight and you might not be king of the hill anymore. Poor Jeffie. If you can’t be number one you’re going to ruin it for whoever is. You’re just a spoiled baby who won’t play ‘Simon Says’ if he can’t be Simon. Why don’t you pick up your marbles and go home? I think your mother is calling you.”
Mike and Barbara were staring at me, astonished, and the other diners were frozen in place, waiting to see what would happen. I stood rooted, shaking, surprised myself at the words which had rushed out of my mouth before I thought about them. Jeff was white, speechless for once in his life, looking at me as if he couldn’t believe what he had just heard. Then, as he recovered, his expression changed. He advanced on me with a dangerous glint in his eye and I recoiled.
Heath moved so fast he seemed a blur. He yanke
d Jeff back from me with one swift move and said in a deadly quiet voice, “Try it, and I’ll break your arm.”
Jeff wrestled with Heath and Mike jumped up to separate them. Someone had alerted the owner at the back of the restaurant, and he came running to help Mike. He was yammering in a thick accent that he didn’t want any trouble in his place, wouldn’t the boys just be good boys and go home.
It was all over in a minute. Jeff subsided, calling over his shoulder that he wasn’t through with us yet. That I believed. Mike and Heath bundled Barb and me into our coats and we were outside on the sidewalk before we knew what happened.
I sagged against the front of the building, spent. Heath put his arm around me. “Are you all right?”
“I think so.”
He studied me for a moment in the light from the sign overhead, and then began to chuckle. It escalated into laughter, and soon he was dissolved in hysterics, wiping his eyes. Mike and Barb stood watching him as if he were deranged.
“If you could have seen yourself,” Heath gasped. “You were great.” He put his hands on his hips and spoke in a high pitched voice, looking up as if he were addressing an imaginary person taller than himself.
“‘You shut up, Jeff Lafferty, you’re nothing but a spoiled baby,’” he recited, cackling. “If only I had a picture of Lafferty’s face.” He grabbed me and kissed me soundly, holding me at arm’s length. “You are a tiger, a tiger. I don’t need another person in this world if you are on my side.”
I giggled, glowing with the praise, but had the presence of mind to say, “You won’t think it’s so funny when Jeff starts in on us on Monday. He’s not going to forget this one.”
Heath sobered. “Yeah, well, I’ve been steering clear of him, trying to avoid a fight, but if he kicks up again I’ll beat him senseless.” He said distantly, almost as an afterthought, “And I can do it, too.”
I felt a chill at his tone. I didn’t like the look on his face, and said to distract him, “We’d better get going, it’s getting late.”
“Remember us?” Barb called from down the street. “You two going to stand there all night?”
Gabrielle's Bully (Young Adult Romance) Page 10