by Tia Siren
The crowd began to disperse a while later, and Jennie bade me stay so she wouldn’t be alone while she waited for Brad.
“Hey, girl,” I heard Brad say from behind.
We both spun and after taking her first look at him, ran to him and jumped up to straddle his waist. I might as not have existed; they paid me no mind and began to wander off. I checked the time on my phone; it was too late for any of the buses, and with no money for a cab, I figured that walking would be best.
I palmed the can of mace I kept in my purse; an old habit and probably a good one to have. The street was still littered with people going in every direction.
“So Jennie ditched you again, eh?” I heard an older voice from behind. It was Coach Reynolds.
“Evening Mr. Reynolds,” I said curtly, “and, yes,” I added. He seemed amused, filling the evening air with laughter.
“That girl is trouble, and I think Brad will find out soon enough,” he said.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“She doesn’t know who her real friends are, yet. I think she’s a bit too boy crazy, which is fine. But, if she keeps that up she won’t have anyone to rely on.”
I nodded, not really understanding what he meant.
“Do you need a ride home,” he asked.
I knew what I wanted to say, but I wasn’t able to say it.
“I think I’m okay. I’ll just walk,” I replied.
“Oh nonsense, I couldn’t let someone walk home in the dark alone like this. It’s only right. Just come with me,” he said.
While it was a little demanding, I was glad that he insisted. I already felt a little safer now that he was nearby.
We had walked another block before we got to his car; an old muscle car from the 60’s. The paint was a little rough from wear, and the interior was slightly cracked along some of the seams, but it looked like he prided himself on it. A great amount of care was put into maintaining this old thing. I felt a bit out of place sliding into the passenger seat.
“So, where are we off to?” he asked, rumbling the engine to a start.
I gave him the directions to the room I was renting. I liked being out of the dormitories and enjoyed the responsibility of living alone and free.
The car vibrated and hummed as he pulled into the street, as though there was a purring kitten sitting on my lap.
We pulled to a light, and not a single person was around. I felt a little nervous again, and I think he could tell.
“Wanna have some fun?” he said.
I inched away from him slightly, assuming something nefarious.
“Not that kind of fun,” he inferred while revving the engine.
I sighed with relief and giggled at my own misunderstanding; I had a feeling we were about to be very irresponsible.
He stared at the hanging light, with his hand firmly grasping the shift lever. I wrapped my arm around the handle on the door, feeling my heart starting to race.
The light turned green. His hammered the gas hard and the tires began to screech and howl. Grey dust filled the air, and we shot down the road like a bullet from a gun.
He sped past more green lights, building up more speed until we reached my turn.
“Here!” I shouted and pointed to the right.
He smiled, revved the engine and shifted down, making the cars tail spin into the turn, causing the car to go sideways.
An odd thing occurred during my brief glimpse of death; I found that I wasn’t so nervous anymore. I even loosened my grip on the door and started enjoying the feeling of swaying with the motion of the car. The engine thumped, and I could feel each and every patter strike me in ways I hadn’t felt before. It felt like liberation.
“Woo!” I shouted.
He laughed as he continued to drive like a maniac. And, before I wanted it to, our ride had come to an end. He slowed down as we approached the house in which I stayed.
I sat for a moment in the passenger seat, shaking with excitement. I couldn’t stop myself from giggling with giddiness.
“Okay, you better hop out,” he said, “I don’t want people to start talking.”
I slid from the car seat, my legs still feeling a little rubbery from the excitement. With the door shut, I leaned over the open window and blew him a kiss. I immediately regretted it; feeling a little embarrassed as he drove off.
My heart still raced, and my skin was still flush. I felt more alive now than any other time I could remember. I danced to my room, barely feeling the ground as I went along.
I wonder how often he gives people rides.
2.
“Isn’t Brad just gorgeous,” Jennie said as we sat in the stands watching them practice.
I rolled my eyes like I usually would; I doubt she ever saw me do it. She was always so absorbed by her boyfriend playing to ever really pay attention, anyway.
I adjusted my glasses, putting them to rest on the bridge of my nose. They were just slightly too big, but there was nothing I could do, new glasses weren’t in the budget.
“You know, I think Brad said that Mike was making eyes at you, I bet I could introduce you two, and you’d hit it off right away,” she said, rubbing my shoulder and shaking my glasses back down to the tip of my nose.
I furiously tucked them back to their usual spot.
“Mike is pretty cute,” I managed to squeak out.
“Perfect! Come with me to the party tonight and you can meet him. I think you guys would make a cute couple,” she said.
I hadn’t much interest, but I knew that Jennie would find another excuse to bring me to the party. Might as well just accept the first and move on.
I set aside my books; they weren’t holding my interest. I dwelled on the ride from last night and still felt the pangs of excitement shoot through my head.
I closed my eyes and relaxed my muscles. I somehow wasn’t feeling very anxious or nervous today as I usually did. It was as though a switch had clicked on in my head last night.
When I opened my eyes, I saw the coach, watching from the sidelines and barking out orders. His clean and pressed button down belayed his more mischievous demeanor. He was quite attractive. Tall and sinewy, but still very muscular; his broad shoulders tapered down in a V-shape towards his waistline. His close-cropped hair framed his face while his sharp brown eyes gave him a stern but lighthearted gaze.
I found myself watching him as he waved his clipboard through the air, and blew his whistle. My heart skipped a beat; the only other time it had done that was when I met my old high school boyfriend.
“Alright guys, get in here,” he shouted.
The crew of players did as told, huddling around the coach. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but they listened intently to his words. Then they all broke off and headed towards the showers. Mr. Reynolds grabbed his bag and shoved the clipboard inside.
“Okay, Sandy. I’m going to go wait for Brad outside the locker room door, coming?”
“I think I’m going to stay here a while, you go on ahead,” I said.
She nodded and happily skipped off.
I tucked my schoolbooks away and trotted down the stairs. I barely made it halfway down when I saw the girls cheer team cease their practicing for the day.
They looked like models, every one of them. Their long legs barely covered by a tiny skirt, and blonde hair tied back to a ponytail. I was envious of her good looks and chipper attitude. I could just barely make out their conversation.
“Hey, Mr. Reynolds, what are you doing this weekend,” asked the prettiest of the bunch, “the girls and I were planning on having a little cheer camp and would love to have you there to coach us.”
“Doesn’t the cheer team already have a coach?” he asked.
They all giggled.
“Well, we do, but we could always use a little more coaching,” she said through a bright smile.
The squad captain did a flirty bounce where she stood. It was easy to see that she had taken a liking to Mr. Reynol
ds; I felt a little envious.
“I think I’ll leave your training to your coach; I’m much better at teaching players.”
The girls let out a collective ‘aww’ as he spurred their advances. He turned to grab his things as the girls wandered off to the field. I slowly continued to descend the stairs, and he flashed me a smile as I did.
“Good practice?” I asked, making polite small talk.
“Are you really here to talk about practice,” he asked, “where did Jennie go?”
I pointed toward the locker room, and he nodded in understanding.
“The players kept talking about a party tonight; they even invited me for some odd reason,” he said.
“Jennie asked me to go; she wants me to hook up with one of the players. Mike, I think.”
“Mike is a good kid, but a little daft in the head. You really have to grind things into that skull.”
I sighed, realizing how long tonight was probably going to be.
“If you go, I’ll buy you a drink,” I quipped, expecting to be brushed off.
“I might have to hold you to that,” he replied.
I coughed, nervously.
“Why do you let Jennie boss you around,” he asked. He looked at me quizzically, and I realized I had no real response.
I had never really thought about why I let her do it; she just did it, and I went along. It’s just the way our friendship has been since forever.
“Because she’s my friend,” I replied.
He set his things down and sat on a bleacher, patting the seat to beckon me to join him.
I did as I was asked; taking a seat right next to him. I was closer now than I was last night, but I trusted him a little better today.
“You should be friends with someone because they want to spend time with you; not just because they want you around, so they’re not alone,” he said.
I nodded.
“You’re a smart girl; you probably get good grades, and study in your spare time. But, you have to spend time with people that are good for you.”
“Jennie is good to me,” I started, “she’s been my friend since grade school and is part of the reason I’m going to this college.”
“But, did you want to go to this college?”
I hadn’t thought of that. I was really hoping to get into something more upscale. For a long time, I had hopes of getting into an ivy-league school, and I had the grades to make it happen. Jennie didn’t, but she probably wouldn’t have gone to college if I weren’t here to support her the entire way.
“I suppose I didn’t,” I replied honestly, “I just wanted to be there for my friend.”
He nodded.
“I bet you haven’t had very many boyfriends,” he said.
I leaned back in shock that he would ask something like that. Though, he wasn’t wrong about that either. I shook my head no.
“It’s confidence that you’re lacking. You accept what other people want you to accept.”
I nodded.
“See, you’re doing it right now.”
I laughed when he pointed it out but really didn’t know what to say.
“I’m only playing. I grew up in much the same way. I got good grades; I spent a lot of time to myself, and I went along to football tryouts even though I really didn’t have much interest.
“I was a little stick figure of a kid, and I got teased a lot for it. Still, when I ran on the field, there wasn’t one person who could catch me.
“Playing in this sport did something to me, I gained a measure of confidence I hadn’t had before. Then, I started working out, eating right and now I turn down people that wouldn’t have given me a second glance when I was in school.”
I nodded along.
“So you’re saying I should workout and eat right,” I asked.
“I’m saying that you need to find what works for you,” he said, “try a new sport or travel, take a class you never thought you could take; Or even something simple like a makeover; just one small change can have a large impact on your life. But, I wouldn’t change a single thing about you.”
His words stirred in my breast, and I wanted to make a change. I had thought about what I would do if I could; his words were inspiring me to act. Still, I wondered what he meant about not changing a thing.
“I think I have an idea,” I said.
He laughed.
“Good! Now get out there and make it happen,” he said. He sighed and stood to leave, but he lingered for a thoughtful moment after picking up his bag.
“Coach,” I asked.
“Yes?”
“You seem to have something on your mind, is there something you wanted to add,” I asked.
“Oh, it’s nothing,” he replied, “just a thought.”
He grabbed his bag from the stand and started walking away, but turned before getting out of earshot.
“Just make sure you don’t change too much because some people like you the way you are.”
I nodded, confused, and wondered what he meant by that. I felt my heart race after what he said. It became a longing to spend some time with the coach, just him and I. Part of me wanted to surprise him, show him just what I could be.
I’d considered doing a makeover for a while, and even Jennie had suggested it on more than one occasion. I wanted to be better and more attractive. Maybe, if I’m more attractive, someone like the coach would fall for me.
Or, maybe even the coach would fall for me, I wondered. I know he’s attractive and not even that much older than me. He always has a way with people; a way that influences people to improve. I wondered if he would ever fall for someone like me as I was now, but he wouldn’t want someone that was so unsure.
I needed help, and I knew who might just be able.
3.
Jennie and Brad were already making out on Brad’s car. I didn’t know whether to be assertive or disgusted. I chose the former.
“Ahem…” I coughed.
Neither of them paid any mind. I tried again but this time much louder.
“Jennie,” I said, “I need your help.”
Jennie leaned off her boyfriend and turned toward me. I felt a little nervous talking to her like this, but I pushed past my feelings.
“Sandy, why don’t you go home and get ready for tonight. I’m going to stay out with Brad,” she started turning back, but I had to interject.
“Jennie, I go to a lot of trouble to keep you happy, the least you could do is help me out for once.”
She leaned back and straightened her back.
“You follow me because you want to, Sandy. I don’t force you to keep me happy,” she said.
“If you still want me to go tonight, then you’ll help. At least, I thought friends help each other out.”
She sighed, and threw her head back in an exaggerated motion.
“Fine, Sandy, I’ll help. Brad, I’ll catch you tonight,” she said.
Brad happily entered his car, kissed Jennie goodbye, and sped off. We were finally alone.
“What do you need,” she asked.
I didn’t really know what I needed, but I knew what I wanted.
“I want you to make me look good. I’ve gone too long with this look; I need a makeover.”
Sandy smiled wickedly and tugged me by the arm.
“You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for you to say that,” she said.
She started talking really fast, and I could barely keep up, even with the experience I’d had with her motor mouth in the past.
“Slow down, Jennie, what are we doing first,” I asked.
“You need clothes first; we’re going to the mall!”
I was always nervous when I rode with Jennie; she wasn’t exactly the safest driver I’d ever known. It usually took about twenty minutes to get to the mall from school; she did it in ten.
She pulled me inside the mall, holding my arm the entire way. I was beginning to feel a bit overwhelmed. I wasn’t one for buying new clothes, g
enerally preferring to shop when necessary, not for fun. Jennie was the opposite.
“Considering how tiny you are, I think we should get something that shows off the curves you do have,” she said while throwing piles of clothes at me.
I looked at a couple of price-tags and knew this wouldn’t be a cheap trip. With my mound of clothing in tow, I was shoved inside a dressing room. Jennie joined along and eagerly helped me strip off my usually jeans and t-shirt I had made a habit of wearing.
“Okay, we need to get you some new underwear, this just doesn’t work for me,” she added.
I didn’t know what was wrong with it; it served its purpose of keeping me covered and together. I started rolling my eyes but Jennie caught me and grabbed me by the chin.
“If you roll your eyes one more time today, I am going to leave you to figure this out yourself. You think I don’t see you when you do it, but I see it all the time,” she said.
I felt like a deer in the headlights as she spoke. I guess I’d struck a nerve with her that I didn’t know existed.
“Sorry, Jennie,” I said.
“It’s okay; you’re my best friend and friends have to stick together,” She smiled and released me as though it never happened.
She exited the room, leaving me to try on everything she left. She was right, I thought, I didn’t have much of a figure at all. I was always a little taller than most girls and fairly waifish. It caused a lot of teasing through early middle school and all of high school. Probably part of the reason I wore baggier clothing and sweaters to cover myself up.
I slid on the first pair of pants, and they wore really tight. It was only then that I really realized how long and spindly my legs were, and how well the garment accentuated my tiny butt. I felt a little sexier in them already.
The next thing I tried was a tight fitting halter top; I had owned them in the past but rarely wore them. This one fit me like a glove and made my chest look twice as big as I remember. I did a couple of poses in the mirror, as I had seen models do in magazines, and I saw a side of myself I had never seen before. I could finally see a more confident me, Mr. Reynolds was right.
I heard a knock on my door, and before I could cover myself up, Jennie came barging in. She looked me up and down.