by June Sproat
“So, you’re telling me that someone steals my lock, trashes my locker and I have to pay for it?” I just wanted to clarify before I lost it.
“Well, was anything missing?” the evil-eyed, grumpy lady who was having a really bad hair day asked.
“Um, I don’t think so. It’s a mess though,” I said
“Well, nothing I can do, hun. Want the new lock?” the evil-eyed, grumpy lady who was having a really bad hair day asked with a raised eyebrow.
I just have to know, can EVERYONE raise their eyebrow but me?
“Yes,” I said. Like I had a choice. I handed the money to her and got my new lock.
Great, now I was like ten minutes late for class.
“Do you think I could get a pass for class?” I asked.
Evil-eyed, grumpy, having a really bad hair day lady forced a smile, tilted her head and said, “sure.” She handed it to me, I tilted my head back at her, smiled, and forced a, “thanks,” and left.
With my new lock in place and my proper books in hand; I finally made it to first period, twenty minutes late! The locker cleaning would have to wait until lunch. That is if I made it that long!
Chapter Seventeen
“I wish my friends would have stopped me from making all the mistakes I made these four years.” — Deanna Hancock
“Let me see your shoes!” I demanded of Becky when I saw her at lunch. I didn’t even bother to get my lunch. I just marched right over to the jock table. I was totally shocked when I first saw my locker, but then I started to think about it. Who would want to get me? The first name that popped in my head was Becky. After the discussion with Steve and what I said about Becky, added to the fact it wouldn’t be the first time she had done something to me, she was my top suspect.
“Oh my gosh, don’t you love them?” Becky squealed, “I just got them yesterday. No one has noticed yet today. You have a great eye for fashion, Kate!” Becky said.
I had no eye for fashion. I wasn’t looking for fashion, I was looking for dirt. Dirt that was actually mud earlier when she walked in and trashed my locker.
She stuck out her foot revealing a way too small shoe to have made the footprints at my locker. I scrunched my lips. Maybe she had someone else do the dirty work for her.
“Um, yeah, really cute shoes.” I walked around her, and started looking at the shoes of the guys at the table. One of them had to have the dirt. Of course, they all must have thought I was nuts kneeling down on the floor and poking my head around.
But I was determined to find them, and there they were.
Dirty shoes at the end of the table.
I raised my eyes up along the legs that wore those shoes, and groaned.
“What’s up?” Steve asked.
“I’ll show you, come with me!” I wasn’t discussing this in front of everyone.
Surprisingly, he got up and came with me.
“Kate, are you okay?” he asked as I stormed in front of him.
“No, I am not okay and it looks like I have you to thank for it!”
We turned toward my locker just like I had this morning, but the floor was clean.
No footprints.
Darn janitors!
I stopped in front of my locker.
“This is why I am not okay!” I yanked the door open. He looked in.
“So, you’re upset because you’re a slob?” he said, squinting his eyes.
“I,” I huffed, “am not a slob! Someone else, maybe someone right here did this.”
He blinked.
I stared.
“You think I did this?” he pointed at the locker.
“Why would you think I did this?”
“Because your shoes are dirty that’s why!” I crossed my arms over my chest.
A minute passed.
Silence.
Another minute, still nothing.
“Did you hit your head or something?” he asked.
“No,” I said, my arms still crossed as I waited for him to fess up.
“How does the fact my shoes have dirt on them have anything to do with your locker?”
“Because of the footprints,” I said pointing to the floor and then waved my hand like I was erasing something. “Um, well, the footprints that were here this morning, that is. There were muddy footprints leading right up to my locker. And you have dirt on your shoes.” Jeez, how much evidence does he need?
He leaned against my open locker.
“So, someone, with dirty shoes, trashed your locker. And you think, because I have dirty shoes, it had to be me?” he raised his eyebrows.
I will admit, when he put it that way, it did sound kind of dumb, but he left out the Becky factor and the fact he thinks I’m a snob.
I nodded yes.
“Did you even consider that since it rained, and that maybe, oh I don’t know, half the school has dirty shoes? Look at your own feet!” he thrust his arms in the direction of my feet.
He was right. I had dirty shoes.
“But,” I pointed out, “the person who left the footprints this morning had large feet. I don’t have large feet! Are you saying I have large feet?” I raised both my eyebrows at him. Since I couldn’t do the one eyebrow thingy, I figured two would work in this situation.
“No, I’m just saying…well, why do you think it was me anyway?” he asked. He really acted like he didn’t know anything about the locker.
“Well, because you think I’m a snob, and then because of what I said about you and Becky. I thought maybe you did it for her, you know, because she is, you know upset…or whatever…” I trailed off because really, this made a whole lot more sense earlier.
“Do me a favor, next time you decide I did something to hurt you, maybe you should think it out a little bit more! I’m really not the jerk you seem to think I am.” He looked at me.
I felt his stare burn right into my heart. Then he walked away.
Okay, so I made a mistake. Things haven’t been exactly normal for me lately. You think he could give me a break; I have been under a lot of stress. I mean, he doesn’t have to be so nasty about it! So I made a mistake. I jumped to a conclusion and was wrong.
I should have apologized. But he didn’t give me the chance. It’s not my fault he keeps walking away whenever he gets angry!
Of course it seems I’m the reason he’s angry, but that’s not the point. I mean it’s not like it really matters. He’ll probably just go right back to not knowing I existed anyway which would be just fine with me.
No, it wouldn’t. Not really, but what could I do?
It’s not like I could just show up somewhere he’s at and throw myself at his mercy.
Or could I? Yes, I could just show up. Isn’t there always some kind of party on the weekends? Yeah, there is. Well at least I think there is, but being new to this whole knowing the popular kids thing, I wasn’t so sure.
The only problem I saw was I didn’t know if there was going to be a party tonight and if there was a party tonight, how was I going to find out about it?
This turned out to be less of a challenge than I thought. During lunch, as I walked past the ‘jock table’, which I hadn’t sat at for lunch since the whole snob thing happened, I overheard where they planned to meet this weekend. This time they would be getting together at Becky’s house. Her parents decided to take an impromptu trip which freed up their home for Becky and her friends. Although I’m sure that a party was not really what her parents had in mind.
Okay, this was good. I would go tonight, find Steve, and explain to him that I am not a snob. Then I would apologize for the locker thing and hopefully get my life back to normal. That’s what I wanted, right? To have my hopelessly ordinary life back just like it was before. Wasn’t it?
Chapter Eighteen
“I wish all my friends health and prosperity.”— John Knight
“What do you mean you can’t come with me?” I practically screamed at Jodi over the phone.
“Well, I’b thick. I cat br
eadth,” Jodi said, obviously not faking her head cold.
“So take something and go with me.” I totally had no compassion!
“Kate, if you don’t wanna go, don’t go, but I cat hab this conbersation adymore. By hed is killing be,” Jodi said, or something like that, because it was very hard to understand her.
“Fine, I hope you feel better. I’ll call you tomorrow,” I said and hung up.
Maybe I shouldn’t go.
No, I am going. I have to go. I need to clear things up with Steve, at least for my own sake.
****
I stood in Becky’s house wearing my new sweater—yes that sweater—and jeans, waiting patiently to straighten out the whole mess with Steve. Only problem was, he wasn’t there. I thought he was always at these parties, or at least I guessed he was. Since this was only my second party, I wasn’t sure, but if he was going out with Becky now, he should be here right?
I grabbed some punch and walked around the house. It was a pretty nice house, split level. A few steps up and you’re in the living room and kitchen area. A few steps down and there’s a family room area, which is where I expected to see Steve, but he wasn’t there.
I kept my eye on the door and waited for Steve to come in so I could talk to him. I wasn’t there for any other reason. Just apologize, and then go home. Of course, I wasn’t too sure what I was going to say. I mean, I know to apologize for the locker thing, but after that I have no idea. I wasn’t even sure he would accept my apology! If he didn’t, what would I do?
Well, there was no way I was begging him to forgive me, that’s for sure!
Ooo, the punch was good, very sweet.
Really, when a person says they’re sorry, most people accept that and move on, but not Steve. No, he has to get all, I’m better that. That’s what I would tell him if he didn’t accept my apology. I would tell him he was being a snob! That ought to show him!
I needed more punch.
So where was he? It seemed like everyone else was here. Too bad Jodi wasn’t. She would really like this punch. It’s not like the punch last weekend, no oranges. I wonder who made it. It’s really, really good.
“Having fun, Katie?” sing-song asked as I drank my second punch, or was it my third, I couldn’t remember.
“Yeah,” but I wasn’t having fun because I wasn’t there to have fun. I was there to tell Steve where he could take his attitude. He had some nerve to be so snobby as to not even show up for my apology!
This party seemed much better than the one last weekend. I mean last time all they did was watch some basketball on TV and have a fight. This time there was music. It was really good music. I had never heard this song before. Not like that’s a big surprise because I don’t usually sit around listening to music, unless I’m doing my homework, which really pisses off my parents. Now I just use the headphones so they don’t know when I’m doing it.
“What song is this?” I asked this really cute guy by the CDs.
“It’s new from Nickelback.” He handed me the
CD case.
“I really like it.” I looked down at the case but I had no clue which song it was.
“Yeah, it’s pretty good. I’m Josh,” he said
“Hi, I’m Kate,” I handed the case back to him.
“I know. Saw you in the paper,” he said.
“Oh, that. I wish I could forget about that. I mean it was so stupid.” I looked down at my cup which was almost empty, so I finished it off.
“It wasn’t stupid.” Josh took my cup. “Let me get you some more.”
“Okay, thanks.”
That’s when it happened. It meaning that all hell broke loose. When Josh went to get me more punch, Steve came in. He didn’t see me at first, but I saw him. I felt hot all over. I’m not sure if it was anger, or the fact that I didn’t know what to say to him? Didn’t matter, I was sure it had to be one of those reasons.
Josh came back and handed me the punch. I drank half of it right away.
“Slow down,” Josh said, “That’s got a bit of a kick to it.”
“Oh, I’m okay, I’m just really thirsty,” I said.
Besides, it was really good punch.
And then he was there. Steve, I mean, right next to me. I froze.
“I’m surprised to see you here,” Steve said.
I turned to look at him. My feet kind of got tangled up, and I lost my balance stumbling into Steve. He grabbed me around the waist and set me straight. I raised my hand and smoothed my hair as if nothing happened.
“Really, why is that?” I asked.
“Because this really isn’t your crowd.”
Why did he keep saying that? Like he even knew who my crowd is! How could he? I don’t even know my crowd!
I finished my punch and handed the cup to Josh. “Would you get me more, please?” I looked at Josh. I think I even batted my eyes.
“Sure,” he said.
“Kate, I think you’ve had enough.” Steve reached for the cup.
“Who are you? My dad?” I glared.
“Really, Kate, you don’t drink; you’re going to get sick.” he said.
“I’m fine.” I said firmly. I turned to Josh, “just a little more, please, if you don’t mind.”
He didn’t, and went to get the punch.
I turned and hmmphed at Steve, which he apparently didn’t appreciate since he went, “Whatever!” and walked away.
He did it again. He just walked away before I was done talking to him. Well, if he thinks I’m going to chase him, he’s so wrong.
Josh came back and I downed my punch. We started to dance. I felt good. I mean, when I got to Becky’s I was just going to tell Steve I was sorry and leave. But that was before he dissed me. I would show him, and really, I was having a good time! I was dancing, I was having fun, I was getting…really warm. I shouldn’t have worn this sweater.
I even told Josh that I shouldn’t have worn the sweater because I was getting warm, and he said, “then take it off.”
At first I was a little surprised, but then I realized I had a camisole underneath the sweater which looks like a summer top. I must’ve told Josh I was wearing one, because why else would he suggest I take off my sweater? Since I was so warm I figured, why not? And off it went! That was sooo much better. In fact I was able to dance even more, and Josh seemed to be having a great time, too.
Well it seemed that way since he smiled a lot. Then he swung me around and I was on the coffee table. The music was so loud and it was so good. Then I felt his hands around my waist, and I put my hands on his shoulders. I was having so much fun, and I thought things were just great.
Apparently Steve didn’t think so.
“I think that’s enough,” he said and grabbed my hand.
“What are you doing?” I pulled my hand back which probably wasn’t the best move because I almost fell off the table.
“Kate, you’re drunk. Let’s go.” He grabbed at me again.
“I don’t want to go. Why are you always bossing me around?” I snapped.
“Why are you always so stubborn?” he snapped back.
“Dude, if she wants to stay, let her. I’ll be happy to take care of her.” Josh gave Steve a little wink which seemed to really piss Steve off. Before I knew what was happening, Steve grabbed Josh by the shirt and shoved him against the wall. Then he was all in Josh’s face and told him, “I said that she’s had enough.”
Since Steve was way taller than Josh, and quite a bit more muscular, it seemed Steve was going to win.
“I have not had enough,” I stomped my foot like a two-year-old.
Steve shoved Josh one more time and let go of his shirt. Steve turned around and grabbed my sweater from the chair where it landed earlier.
“Yes, you have. Trust me.” Steve took off his coat and put it around my shoulders. Then to my complete amazement, he bent over, grabbed me around the knees, and tossed me over his shoulder walking right out of the house.
I was sooooo embar
rassed. Everyone stared at us. Okay, I couldn’t see if anyone actually looked at us because my face was buried in Steve’s back, but I imagined that they were.
“Put me down!” I screamed.
“Not until we’re at my truck,” he said.
The cool air outside washed over me and suddenly, I knew I had to get down…and quick.
“Um, Steve if you don’t put me down now…” I tried to say, but it was too late.
I puked down the back of his shirt. That made him put me down.
I had to sit, standing wasn’t so good. He pulled his shirt over his head and inspected the damage.
This probably wasn’t the best time to notice how hot he was. I mean he had just barbarically grabbed me out of a party where I was having a really good time. I should be very angry with him, but I just messed up his shirt even though it was his own fault. I mean, who told him to carry me upside down?
But now he had no shirt on and I couldn’t help it. If he had taken his shirt off in the house, I would have gone with him willingly. Where had that thought come from? It was the punch; it had to be the punch. “It’s not too bad. Looks like most of it ended up on the sidewalk,” he said balling up his shirt.
“Here,” he knelt down and handed me my sweater. I took off his coat and pulled the sweater over my head. He pulled his jacket on over his bare chest and I couldn’t help but think, too bad it’s a cool night. He held out his hand which I grabbed and slowly got up. He put his arm around my waist, like he did at the nurse’s office the other day. “Did you eat anything?” he asked.
I shook my head no.
“That’s the problem. You shouldn’t drink on an empty stomach. Let’s get you some food.” He helped me get into his truck.
He started the engine and rolled down the window.
“Just in case,” he said when I looked over at him.
The cool air felt good.
He pulled into McDonalds and then walked around to get my door.
“You don’t have to do this, you know,” I said.
“I know,” was all he answered.
This is what friends do for each other. That is, I guess that this is what friends do for each other. Since I had never been in this situation before and from the way I felt, hoped I never would again, I could only guess.