Revenge Of A Band Geek Gone Bad

by Rabinowitz, Naomi

  "Stay away from her," a few of the other guys chimed in, raising their fists. "Leave the lady alone."

  "Fine," Josh said, his face turning red. "I'll back off for now. But karma has a funny way of coming back to bite you in the ass, Meadows. Remember that." He stormed away. I ran off.

  "What does karma mean?" was the last thing I heard Clara ask before I darted into the girls' bathroom.

  ###

  Josh and Lana followed me into the bathroom. "Oh my God," I said, looking at my reflection in the mirror. I slumped against the wall and banged my head against it. "This can't be happening. I can’t believe that photo is online! I'm gonna have to hide for the rest of my life. I'm gonna have to enter a convent." A wave of nausea swept over me and I did my best not to throw up.

  "Mel, it's gonna be okay," Lana said, taking a seat next to me on the floor. "We'll find out who did this and then they're gonna be in so much trouble. Muller will make them take down that photo."

  "It was Kathy!" Josh shouted, punching the wall. A couple of girls entered the bathroom, but quickly backed out when they saw Josh. He paced around. "I'm so gonna get her."

  "I don't think it was her," I told him, when I'd gained back some of my composure. I wiped away my tears. "I'll bet it was Tamara. She probably used her phone to snap my picture in the gym’s locker room when I wasn't looking."

  "And she's bitchy enough to do it," Lana said, frowning.

  "Well, I still think Kathy was involved," Josh seethed. "She’s the one who posted my picture on Facebook last year. I'm going to get her and whoever else was responsible for this." He punched the wall again. "You can count on it."

  The three of us sat there for a while stewing in anger. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, imagining all of the possible ways that I could die a quick death. But then I knew that I didn't really want that. I just wanted an end to this whole feud. "Guys, I don't think we can do anything," I finally admitted. Both Lana and Josh gave me strange looks. "No, I'm serious." I turned to Josh. "If we go after them, Tamara's just gonna say that we did something to Kathy at the recital. I don't want to open that can of worms."

  "Yeah, but then they're just gonna keep coming back with worse things," Josh argued. "They’ll put other people’s pictures online. I need to fight them!"

  "He's right," Lana said. "You need to take care of this."

  They both had a point. I did need to stand up for myself. But I realized that my not wanting to get back at Kathy wasn't so much about me worrying about Tamara's threats as it was about feeling like I'd lost some dignity. I was tired of being the wallflower who snuck around pulling pranks from behind the scenes. And as I'd discovered, running away from my problems didn't work, nor did going crazy and smacking Kathy. If I wanted Kathy, Tamara and the other kids to respect me, I had to show them in person that they couldn't break me -- especially since I was beginning to see that they were pretty pathetic. Kathy may have been pretty, but she had no real self-esteem; as for Tamara and Clara, they got off on living vicariously through Kathy. They weren't worth my trouble, not when things were going so well for me. I couldn't keep running away every time something didn't work out. I needed to face my problems and get it over with.

  "Thanks, guys, but I don't need your help," I said, kissing Josh on the cheek. "I'm going to handle this in my own way." I pulled my phone out of my bag and took a deep breath as I logged on. There, my disgusting, distorted image stared back at me in all its half-naked glory. Josh and Lana eyed me as I slowly clicked on the “Like” button and commented, “Three cheers for my modeling debut.”

  I then stood up, pushed open the bathroom door and marched into the hallway where a large group was still gathered around waiting for the first period bell to ring. Kathy and Tamara saw me and started giggling. I prepared myself for what I was next about to do. "Okay, everyone, so you've now seen me in next to nothing," I said, flashing a big smile. I tossed back my hair and threw my arms up in a model pose. "And how about the stylish underwear? It was great, huh? I knew my granny panties would be cutting edge." I chuckled. "Am I ready for the runway or what? Wouldn't I make a great plus-sized model?"

  A couple of kids laughed and applauded, while Kathy and Tamara exchanged surprised looks. "Give us a break," Tamara said, a little shaken that I didn't seem more upset. She turned to the crowd. "Did you catch how hairy her legs were? I'll bet she could practically braid them."

  "Maybe that was part of her look," Maya said, winking at me. "Maybe she didn't shave on purpose."

  "Oh, it was," I told her. "It is winter, you know. Gotta keep warm, right?"

  "Right!" another girl agreed. "I so hate shaving." she said to her friend as they walked off. "Maybe I should stop..."

  "Yeah, why do we bother, anyway?" asked her friend. "It's not like guys feel they have to..."

  Kathy, Tamara and Clara stood there, shocked that I'd managed to get through this without sinking into a hole. I felt better than I had after doing any of those schemes.

  CHAPTER 17

  Word got around about how I'd handled the photo incident --and for the first time in my high school experience the other kids were showing me respect for something other than my musical talent. Dozens of kids friended me online, even a few from other schools. And as I walked through the halls over the next couple of days, I overheard students telling their friends about me. A couple of girls even came over to congratulate me. "I totally would've died and dropped out of school," one admitted. "I would've, like, stayed in that bathroom all day!" said another.

  My trick also seemed to be keeping Kathy and Tamara off my back. Neither of them spoke to me, but they didn't pick on me either. My social status had been raised a notch so I guess they were afraid that if they bugged the school's current "hero," it would've wrecked their standings.

  They had other things to concentrate on, anyway, like Ken being single. Dani had dumped him for Henry Baxter, the lacrosse team captain, so Ken was eager to find a hot girlfriend to take her place. He seemed to have his eye on Kathy.

  "You look beautiful today," he'd say to her when he came to band, or he'd compliment her flute playing. All of which Kathy ate up without a second thought. It obviously didn't bother her that Ken's interest in her came from out of nowhere; she readily forgave him for having ignored her for half the year.

  I also had plenty to keep me occupied. I'd just received my packet of music for the summer orchestra so I'd already gotten to work practicing it. I'd also begun working on a new series of paintings that were based on the ones Pablo Picasso did in that book Lana gave me. His big thing was doing a type of painting called "cubism," where he took something, like someone's face, and reconstructed it in pieces. The abstract effect was really cool and put a whole new perspective on the subject. My plan was to paint some cubist portraits of the people in my life, but for now I was practicing on smaller objects, like vases.

  Then, of course, there was Josh, with whom I spent almost all of my spare time. I loved being part of a couple. We'd walk through the halls holding hands, then head out to the lake after school where we'd spend hours kissing. When we were done with that, Josh would drive around until we reached some place we'd never been before. He loved to get "lost" in neighborhoods, singing along to the radio as he drove around. One time, he even took us all the way out to the beach in Montauk, at the far end of Long Island. We sat on the beach, huddled under the wool blanket he kept in his car. The clear winter sky made the stars easy to see, so he pointed out the constellations. It was just like being in a movie.

  ###

  I wasn't the only one falling in love. By February, Kathy and Ken were officially a couple. They couldn't keep their hands off of each other. As soon as the bell rang in band, Ken would race across the room to the flutes. He and Kathy would then head off to the band locker room together. Before long it came to be known as Ken and Kathy's spot; everyone knew that at 2 o'clock, they had to leave or else they'd get an eyeful.

  Ken also began to hang out with Josh a
lot more. They'd always been friendly, but whenever they weren't with their girlfriends, they'd be together. They always seemed to be whispering their discussions. After seeing them do this two or three times, I finally decided to find out what was going on.

  "Should I be jealous?" I joked one day after band. Josh had just finished talking to Ken and was about to drive me home.

  Josh went pale for a minute. "What? No!" he said, starting to laugh. He ushered me out of the locker room, where Ken and Kathy were getting ready for their "date." "Ken and I were just talking about doing, uh ... a trumpet duet."

  "Really? Then why are you always whispering when you're together? You look like you're planning something."

  "We're not," he said, just a little too quickly.

  "Josh, come on, I know what I saw. Just tell me already."

  "Okay, okay," he said. He paused for a moment as if thinking about something. "Let's just say that Ken's in trouble."

  "For what?" Maybe he'd been suspended for something, I thought. I figured I'd get some gossip for Lana.

  Josh took my books as we headed toward his car. "Look, you won't say anything, right? Not even to Lana?"

  I sighed. "Okay."

  "Well, the thing is, Ken's sort of, um ... failing three classes," Josh explained. "And well, uh... if he doesn't pass them, that, uh, means he can't do any extra curricular activities this spring. So no baseball, no state-wide band. And if he doesn't raise his grade to at least a B, no football next fall. Believe it or not, their coach makes those bozos keep a B average. Go figure."

  "Poor Ken," I said, not being able to imagine being under so much pressure. Getting good grades was important to me, but I'd never had trouble doing well.

  "Yeah, well, that's what happens when you spend all year partying," Josh said, shrugging. "He never studies."

  "You should talk," I said, laughing.

  "I don't have to study that hard," he answered, as we entered his car. I shook my head in mock exasperation. "Oh come on, you know I'm not being conceited," he said. "I learn quickly. That's just the way it is for me."

  "Yeah, you're a regular smarty-pants."

  He leaned over and gave me a quick peck on the cheek during a red light. "Anyway, I've offered to help him out and tutor him. But he doesn't want anyone to know 'cuz he's embarrassed."

  "Who could blame him?" I said. "Three classes – that sucks." I smiled at Josh. "He's lucky he has a genius friend to help him."

  "Yep, he is."

  "Fine, Einstein," I said, as we pulled into my driveway. I grabbed him and we started kissing. "Show me how smart you are."

  ###

  On Valentine's Day, which was also the day before the winter concert, Josh invited me to meet him in the band locker room the period right before our rehearsal. I'd never cut a class before, but getting out of history (I told my teacher Mr. Bogitsh that I had cramps, the most surefire way ever to be let out) turned out to be easier than I thought.

  Usually the band room and locker area were teeming with students, but that day we seemed to be the only ones in sight. When I entered, Josh was perched on top of one of the tuba cases, cradling a dozen red roses. As I approached him, he stood up and grinned. "Hi," he said, handing me the flowers. I took them from him and he wrapped his arms around me.

  "Hey," I said, resting my chin against his chest. I sniffed the flowers and ran my finger over the soft petals. Their scent filled the air. "Thanks. These are pretty." That morning, I'd given him one of my "eye" paintings. Lana warned me that he wouldn't like it, but Josh was impressed by my work. Either that or he was a good actor.

  "There's more," he told me. He ran his hands up and down my arms, giving me chills. "This weekend, after the concert's over and everything, I'm taking you out to a belated Valentine's Day dinner. I've been saving up so I can take you someplace nice." Most of the time we went to the diner where his mom was a waitress, and where the food was free.

  "You're so sweet," I said, pulling him closer to me. "So, anyway, what are we doing here?" I asked, a smile spreading across my lips. "Are we here to practice?"

  "Something like that," he replied. He took the flowers from me and kissed my neck. "See, we have to work on this."

  I leaned in and kissed him on the lips. "This is more what I was thinking."

  He brushed my lips with more force. "How about this?" he murmured. He repeated the action. "Or that?"

  I stopped for a moment to look him in the eyes. "Well, at least we agree on something."

  Josh kissed me again, this time pressing his body up against mine. I guided his hands to the hem of my sweater and didn't stop him when he snaked his fingers underneath. I now understood the appeal of the locker room for band couples. He continued to move his fingers up my back until they reached my bra; meanwhile, I slid mine along his waistline.

  He was just about to unsnap my bra when Ken and a couple of the other trumpet players entered the locker room. Josh and I quickly pulled apart. I adjusted my sweater, turning my head so no one could see my bright red cheeks.

  Ken chuckled. "Hey, you two, sorry. We didn't mean to interrupt anything."

  "Your timing sucks, Samuels," Josh said.

  "Sorry," Ken repeated, looking sheepish.

  It didn't make much of a difference because by now the other students were filing into the room. I tugged at my sweater and smoothed out my hair, wondering if anyone else could tell what Josh and I had been doing. I smiled as I pictured what we'd been up to and marveled at the fact that I hadn't been the least self conscious about Josh feeling my body. What did touching my bra count as? I asked myself, quietly giggling. Was it second base? Nah, he'd never actually gotten my bra off, I reasoned. But we'd get to second as soon as possible, I vowed. I made a mental note to wear nice underwear that weekend for dinner —- not ratty duds like I'd been sporting in that horrible photograph. Maybe I could even borrow Lana's mom's dress again, I thought. It was sleeveless and low cut in the front. Perfect for easy access!

  "Alright," Ken muttered, interrupting my daydream. "I'll do it today. Satisfied?"

  "Perfect," Josh whispered. "Everything should be set."

  "You're sure?"

  "Yep. Thanks for your help, man," Josh said, giving Ken a high-five. "I can't wait to see her face."

  "I still don't know about this..." Ken replied.

  Josh frowned. "You said you'd help me."

  "Okay, whatever," Ken said.

  Ken turned away from Josh to greet Kathy, who planted a big smooch on her boyfriend's lips. I approached Josh.

  "Josh, are you sure you're not up to something?" I asked, as we entered the band room.

  "No. I told you what's going on," he whispered. He nodded toward Ken. "You said you'd keep quiet about him, remember?"

  "I heard you guys and that didn't sound like it was about studying," I said, crossing my arms. I didn't want to nag him, but I also didn't want him lying to me about something, which he obviously was.

  "Oh, okay." He sighed. "Alright, you got me. The trumpets are planning to have a little fun with Francis at the dress rehearsal tomorrow. Play some wrong notes, freak him out a little -- you know, stuff like that. The usual."

  "That's mean. Mr. Francis is probably already stressed."

  He chuckled. "That's what makes it so fun -- we want to make him yell. Don't worry," he said, as I glared at him. "We won't take it too far. We won't make him have a heart attack."

  "Josh..." I began. I wasn't entirely convinced that this is what he'd been discussing with Ken, but decided not to get all worked up over it. Not on Valentine's Day.

  He took my hands. "Don't worry so much, okay? We all need the laugh so we can relax before tomorrow."

  "If you say so." I wasn't so sure.

  "Look, it'll be fine. Think about this weekend instead. Valentine's Day is gonna be great."

  I relaxed as he gave me a final kiss. "I can't wait."

  He winked. "Neither can I."

  ###

  Romance was definitely n
ot in the air the next morning. As soon as Josh and I entered the school, Maya and Lana came running over to us. "You'll never believe what happened," Lana said, her eyes bright. "This is major."

  Maya nodded. "She's not kidding, Mel."

  Josh rolled his eyes, but let us be so we could enjoy some girl talk. "So, what's going on?" I asked, watching Lana bounce up and down on her heels. "You look like you're about ready to jump out of your skin."

  "It's Ken," she said. She took a deep breath. "He and Kathy broke up. Yesterday. On Valentine's Day."

  "Seriously?" When I'd last seen them, they were still joined at the hip. Knowing Ken, he was probably just ready to go back to Dani. Again.

  "She's gonna be fun today in rehearsal," Maya said. "I definitely wouldn't want to be her."

  "I know, it sucks," I said. Given that Josh was my only boyfriend to date, I hadn't yet experienced a breakup, nor did I really want to. I'd seen Lana after she'd ended things with guys and it was never a pretty sight. But to be dumped on Valentine's Day, that just made the whole thing worse.

  "So, what do you think happened with them?" Lana asked. She could barely suppress her glee. "Do you think he got back together with Dani?"

  "No, I saw Dani making out with her boyfriend just this morning," said Maya.

  "Oh. Well then maybe he just realized what a bitch she is."

  "I don't know," I said. "He and Kathy seemed pretty happy yesterday."

  "I doubt it," Lana said. "I've seen them together and believe me, they weren't happy. I could tell just from the look on Ken's face that he did not like her." For someone who was supposedly over Ken, she sure did think about him a lot.

  We stopped talking when Kathy entered the hallway flanked by Clara and Tamara. She held her head high, but even in the dimly-lit hall, I could see that her eyes were puffy and her face pale. If the rumors were true —- and it was certainly looking that way, given Kathy's current state —- she probably hadn't gotten much sleep. I was again hit by that pang I'd felt while observing Kathy have her meltdown during the recital. First she lost out on the orchestra, now this ... her year really wasn't getting off to a very good start.