by Joy Redmond
She barely heard Coach Norman announce the next player, “Billy Rice, wide receiver.” Billy ran across the floor and stood next to Wesley, and smiled. He was stocky, with sandy-blond hair and steel-gray eyes.
Jill gasped, and then whispered in Tori’s ear, “Geeze! That’s the best-looking hunk on the face of this earth!”
“No,” Tori said, shaking her head, “I think Wesley is!”
Coach announced the names of the other players one by one, and they each ran across the floor and joined their teammates. There was a thunderous ovation as all the players stood for a moment. Then Coach asked them to join the other students in the bleachers while cheerleading tryouts took place.
Tori managed to regain her composure before it was her turn to give a cheer. She was fifth contender up. She walked to the center of the floor and gave a flawless performance, finishing with a back-flip and a side split.
As she walked back to the bleachers, she looked into the crowd and was surprised to see Wesley Asner looking right at her, He was clapping his hands so hard, she knew they had to be stinging. She sat beside Jill, one bleacher below Wesley, and she was sure she could feel his breath on the back of her neck – sweet and warm. She slyly turned and looked up at him, and he smiled broadly and gave her a wink. I’ve got his attention. Good start.
Another contestant followed Tori, and then it was Jill’s turn. Tori held her breath as Jill did her routine – and she was perfect, too, with her blond hair cascading down her back, her blue eyes sparkling, and her smile beaming.
Billy Rice was sitting next to Wesley. As Jill took her seat, Tori looked up at Billy, who was clapping and smiling warmly. She was sure she could see his heart beating rapidly through his jersey. She leaned over to Jill and whispered, “Wesley Asner and Billy Rice are giving us the old once-over, or maybe the thrice-over. They can’t seem to peel their eyeballs off the end of their noses.”
“Which one is looking at me?” Jill asked, her face reddening. “I hope it’s Billy. He had my heart going pitty-patter when he came out of the locker room.”
“It is Billy,” Tori replied. “And that’s perfect, because Wesley’s the one I want.”
“Oh, great doodleberries! The two best-looking guys in school are staring at us. Can you believe it?” Jill said, wiping her palms on her shorts.
“I’m trying to believe it,” Tori answered, wanting to turn her head and stare at Wesley again, but she didn’t want to seem too interested. Grammy had always said that a man would chase after a woman who acted aloof. She wasn’t sure how she was supposed to act. Her heart was beating like a drum.
After cheerleader tryouts, Coach Norman announced it was time for all students to go to first period. Tori could have sworn she could feel Wesley’s eyes following her as she walked down the bleachers. Or maybe it was wishful thinking?
* * * *
Five minutes before the end of last period, the principal’s voice came over the loudspeaker. “May I have your attention please? I’d like to announce our varsity cheerleaders for this school year.”
Tori and Jill were seated across from each other. They clasped hands, held their breath, and their eyes were wishing the other good luck as the principal started calling names. “Mary Shelton. Glenda Roman. Linda Glass.”
Then Tori heard the sweetest sound ever – her name was on the list!
After Tori’s name, the principal announced, “Sara Parker.”
Then there was a maddening pause. There was only one more cheerleading spot left! What would Tori do if Jill didn’t make it?
After what seemed like forever, the principal finally announced, “Last, but not least – Jill Moss! Congratulations to everyone, and let’s have a great season!”
Tori and Jill hugged and quickly found themselves surrounded by other students, congratulating them, and all talking at once. When the last bell rang, Tori and Jill edged their way through the crowd, hurried to the locker they shared, and Tori dug through her purse, looking for the piece of paper with the combination written on it.
She was so excited that her hand shook a little as she held up the paper and read the numbers aloud so Jill could turn the dial. After three attempts, the door finally opened. They gathered up the books they needed to take home, and then closed the locker and headed for the front door.
They’d only taken a few steps when Tori saw Wesley and Billy, standing in front of a locker, talking.
“There they are,” Tori whispered, grabbing Jill’s arm.
“I know, I see them.”
As soon as they noticed Tori and Jill, Wesley and Billy smiled and walked toward them. Billy nudged Wesley with his elbow and Wesley stepped in front of Tori. “Hi, I’m Wesley Asner, but everybody calls me Wes.”
I know,” Tori said. “I heard Coach Norman introduce you this morning. My name is Tori Hicks. Everybody calls me Tori.” She instantly wanted to slap herself upside the head for saying such a stupid thing. What else would she be called, Toe? She was hoping her voice wasn’t quivering like her stomach was. She could feel her face turn red, and she wondered if she looked like the idiot she felt like.
“I know who you are,” he said with a smile. “Congratulations on being a cheerleader. That means we’ll probably be seeing a lot of each other during the season.”
“Yeah, I suppose so,” Tori said with a nervous giggle.
Billy was looking at Jill, and he finally said to her, “My name is Billy Rice. I’m on the football team, too.” He self-consciously stuffed his hands into his pockets as he waited for Jill to reply.
Jill flashed Billy a beautiful smile and said, “I’m Jill Moss. I’m a cheerleader, too.”
After an awkward silence, Wes looked into Tori’s eyes and stammered, “Er – do you date?”
“No, I don’t, and I don’t have a boyfriend,” she answered, then wondered why she’d said such a stupid thing. If she didn’t have a boyfriend then of course she didn’t date. Duh!
Wes just smiled, but said nothing.
A moment later, Billy asked Jill, “What about you? Do you date?”
“No, and I don’t have a boyfriend, either,” she replied, again flashing a smile.
Wes nodded, and then looking into Tori’s blushing face, he asked, “Well, would you mind giving me your phone number? Maybe we could do something this Friday night – that is, if you don’t have other plans.”
Tori grinned when she saw that Wes’ face was turning a bit red, too. That made her more comfortable. Maybe he was almost as nervous as she was, though she found that hard to believe. She almost dropped her books trying to get a piece of paper out of her notebook. She finally managed to rip out a page as Jill handed her a ballpoint. She jotted down her number and handed it to Wes. Then she jotted down Jill’s number on another piece and handed it to Billy.
“Thanks,” Wesley said with a wide smile while Billy nodded.
“Call us,” Tori said as the boys turned to go.
When they headed up the hallway, Tori slapped her palm against her forehead and said, “They wouldn’t have asked for a phone number if they weren’t going to call. That was a stupid thing to say!”
“They’re as nervous as we are, and they probably don’t remember what any of us said.” Jill giggled, but she didn’t seem nervous.
They watched as Wes and Billy folded the papers, tucked them into their pockets, and headed for football practice.
Tori and Jill hurried for the bus, climbed aboard, and took a seat up front. When the bus stopped on Maple Street, they hopped down the steps, ran across the street, and into Tori’s house.”
Tori tripped over the mat in the kitchen and almost fell as she reached for the wall phone by the back door, but she managed to steady herself and dial Grammy’s number.
When Grammy answered, she said excitedly, “Grammy, guess what? Jill and I were elected cheerleaders, then the two best-looking boys at Dixon High, asked us out!” She paused to take a breath, and continued, “They’re both football players, and ve
ry handsome. You can’t do any better than that, right?”
There was a silence on the other end of the phone, so Tori added, “You already knew all that, didn’t you? Just once I’d like to be able to tell you something exciting that you didn’t already know.” She rolled her eyes. Sometimes, Grammy’s gift was a pain in the butt.
“I’m sorry,” said Grammy with a chuckle. “If it makes you feel any better, I knew that you’d met a boy, but I didn’t know for sure about you becoming cheerleaders, so you did surprise me a little.”
Tori placed her hand over her heart and said, “Grammy, I felt an electric tingle when I looked into his eyes, and his voice makes me want to swoon. Am I in love?”
“No, sweet, you’re moonstruck,” Grammy said, then added, “But you soon will be in love. And so will Jill – and the four of you are going to be love mates forever!”
Tori put her hand over the receiver and said to Jill, “Grammy says we’re soon going to fall in love and we’ll stay in love forever. She says that Wes and Billy are our love mates.”
Tori said goodbye to Grammy, and then she and Jill hugged each other and did their pee-dance. “Holy jumping jacks!” Tori cried. “I can’t believe it. It sounds like Grammy thinks that we’ll be like the Four Musketeers. Forever!”
“Well, if Grammy says it, that’s good enough for me,” Jill said happily.
Anna’s Note
September 3, 1971
This morning I found myself staring out the kitchen window, gazing at the Morgan graveyard on the hillside behind the house, and watching the bright sunlight reflect off the granite headstones. I know my time is near, but Lord, I need your help. Please show me what I’m supposed to do to save my sweet Tori.
Anna West Morgan
Chapter Six
Tori was in a dither as she usually was when things weren’t as perfect as she thought they should be. The beautician had styled her hair in an upsweep and she had rushed home with the car windows rolled up. With no air-conditioning the heat was stifling, and it was just as hot in the house when she got home. She only had one hour to get ready for senior prom.
She sat at her vanity and looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was already starting to work its way out of the hairpins in various places and sweat was running down her forehead. She began the process of applying her makeup, and then stopped, and blew a wisp of hair from her eyes. “Freeze fire fuzzy! My makeup is sliding off as fast as I can put it on.”
She turned the osculating fan toward her bed, sat on the edge, and as the cool breeze blew over her, she reflected on her high school years. In the beginning, it had been flattering when the boys had vied for her attention, but Wesley Asner had been her steady boyfriend since their first date. The only thing she didn’t like about her high school years was the sight of Tommy Hill drooling every time she passed him in the hallway. He gave her the willies.
She thought she had the perfect man. Wes and she were madly in love and planned to be married after they finished college. She truly believed that their marriage would be as happy as Momma and Daddy’s or Grammy and Poppy’s. Nothing could make her doubt their love. They were soul mates forever – Grammy had said so, and she believed her.
Even though the breeze from the fan felt heavenly, time was running out, so she stood and wriggled into her pantyhose. Then she slipped on a teal-green, floor-length, strapless sheath evening gown. She slipped her feet into satin six-inch heels that had been dyed to match the gown. The heels would put her head just a little above Wes’ shoulder.
She clasped the single strand of pearls she had borrowed from Grammy around her neck, and then clamped on the matching earrings. Admiring herself in the mirror, she said, “Good enough! I’ll be the prettiest girl at the prom – except Jill.”
She held her skirt up as she descended the stairs, as if she were floating. She had applied extra coats of both hairspray and mascara. Tori thought her auburn hair, green eyes, and peaches-and-cream complexion made her look like a princess.
She’d been popular all four years of high school, winning the admiration of other students with her flamboyant, rambunctious personality. They called her a people magnet. Some of the teachers said that she had an aura that danced around her like fairy dust.
She made her way down the stairs, strolled across the living room, turned in circles, and said, “How do I look?”
“A perfect vision of loveliness.” Her dad kissed her cheek. “Daddy’s little girl is gone. You’re a woman, now.”
Tori swallowed hard and managed to say, “Thanks, Daddy.” She looked toward her mother. “Okay, let’s get on with the picture taking. Wes will be here any minute.” Tori tried to change the subject before she broke down in tears and had mascara running down her face.
Momma had Tori strike a pose, and just as she was snapping a picture, there was a knock on the front door.
“Come on in, Wes!” Tori called. “Save me from this ordeal!”
As Wes entered the living room, he looked at Tori and whistled. “Wow! Tori, you get more beautiful every day!”
Her mother smiled. “Wes, you stand by the railing. Tori, you stand on the first step.”
When they reached the stairway, her mother twisted and turned them as if they were mannequins in a department store window. Once she had them in position, she snapped several pictures while they forced their best smiles.
Tori finally said, “That’s enough, Momma! We’ve got to get going or we’ll be late.”
“I hope I’ll be able to drive with all these flashbulb spots in front of my eyes,” Wes said.
“Knock, knock.” Jill pushed open the front door and walked inside, holding Billy’s hand.
Tori gasped when she saw her. Jill was as beautiful as a movie star. Her blond hair, blue eyes, and “legs that went to her armpits,” as Billy described them, made her look like a goddess.
Tori’s heart warmed as she stared at her beautiful kindred spirit and she felt tears welling. She quickly drew her emotions in check. Now wasn’t the time to get sappy, she reminded herself.
“Oh, Jill, Billy, I’m glad you made it in time.” Tori’s mom grabbed the newcomers and guided them to the staircase. “Let’s get a few pictures of all of you together before you leave.” She snapped away while the four of them posed, smiled and blinked, trying to remove the spots that danced on their corneas.
“Momma, please,” Tori finally said. “One more and that’s it!”
“Okay! Stand still and we’ll make the last one the best one.”
As soon as the flash went off, they all started for the front door.
Tori’s parents stood on the front porch and waved as they drove away, Wes at the wheel and Jill and Billy in the backseat holding hands.
“The four musketeers!” Tori yelled, thrusting her arm into the air.
“The four musketeers!” Wes, Jill, and Billy yelled.
When they reached the school, Tori said, “Wes, pull up to the front entrance of the school and let me and Jill out. Then drive around to the back of the school and park your daddy’s new Pontiac Tempest next to the fence by the football field so it won’t get bumped by another car.”
“Good Idea,” Wes said. “Billy and I will catch up with you two inside.”
A few minutes later, Wes and Billy walked into the gym and headed for the punch bowl. Tori thought they looked like royalty in their black tuxedos, white shirts, and black bowties. Their black wingtip shoes gave off a glow like the sun reflecting off a mirror.
Wes’ six-foot frame, dark hair and eyes, coupled with his ruddy complexion, gave him a healthy outdoorsy appearance.
Billy’s sandy-blond hair and steel-gray eyes made him look like an innocent little boy, though he stood five-foot-eleven and had muscles like a body builder.
Tori looked around, soaking in the sights that surrounded her. She wanted to be able to remember everything about that special night. The gymnasium was decorated with black-and-gold streamers, and large black-and-gold ball
oons were bunched together in the middle of the ceiling.
A portable stage had been erected at the north end of the gym, adorned with pots of fern and baskets of pink and white carnations. An antique red settee sat center stage, accompanied by a white lattice archway. A six-piece band was set up on the left side.
At eight o’clock, the band started their first song and the dancing began. Prom night was the most important night of the year and the romantic atmosphere was intoxicating.
At eleven o’clock, Principal Branson took the stage holding a microphone. “May I have your attention, please?” he said as silence fell over the crowd. “It’s now my pleasure to announce the king and queen of this year’s prom.” There was a long pause for effect, then Mr. Branson grandly announced, “Ladies and gentleman, may I introduce your 1975 king and queen – Wesley Asner and Tori Hicks!”
Tori gasped and held her hands to her face as if it were the greatest shock of her life. She thought she had to appear to be surprised, but the truth was that if she hadn’t been elected queen, she would have been so disappointed she wouldn’t have gotten out of bed for several days.
Wes tucked his head and his face turned red, but Tori was all smiles, still trying to act surprised as they walked hand-in-hand across the floor and onto the stage while flashbulbs popped all around them. Everyone was applauding, and Tori heard Tommy Hill whistle through his teeth as she and Wes sat on the settee.
Mr. Branson waited for the cheers to die down, and then said, “The official coronation will be made by our senior class president, Billy Rice – and this year’s homecoming queen, Jill Moss.”
Everyone clapped again, and Tommy Hill whistled as Jill and Billy joined Wes and Tori on stage. When Mr. Branson gave the signal, Billy carefully placed a gold crown on Wes’ head and squeezed his buddy’s shoulders. Then Jill placed a gold crown on Tori’s head and kissed her cheek.
The band began playing “Unchained Melody” as Wes and Tori descended the steps and walked to the center of the floor. Wes held Tori closely as they basked in the joy of the moment – and in the warmth of their love.