The Gravity of Love

by Thomas, Anne

  She held up her left hand. "You may not be able to see it, but everyone else can. I have an imaginary ring on this finger," She pointed to her ring finger, "and apparently you're the one who gave it to me."

  An eyebrow quirked up. "Huh, how about that? I get more accomplished when I sleep walk and talk than I thought."

  She groaned. "Come on Red, this isn't a joke. None of my students will study because they think you proposed to me yesterday."

  His eyes looked in alarm. "Oh..." He said, the wheels in his mind spinning out of control.

  "Oh? That's all you have to say?" She asked softly, sinking in to one of his leather plush chairs in the corner of the room.

  "I'll fix it, Molls, don't you worry. Just give me to tomorrow and I'll have everything cleared up."

  "Thank you. We certainly can't have my students being distracted from their studies because of this."

  "Of course not. That...and if I'm engaged, I'll have one hell of a time getting dates from now on." He teased her, his eyes the color of a lake in the early winter, glittering as he ran a hand through his shaggy, thick brown hair, taking his long bangs out of his eyes. "You and Marty go hold down the fort for the rest of the day. I have a lot of business calls to make today, and then I'm all yours to solve the problem."

  Molly smiled. "Good. And by the way...for now on, watch what you say in front of the kids...Principal."

  He laughed at her mischievous look as she left his little office and made her way back to her own room.

  _______________________________________________________________________

  Harrison Grier Redford, a teenager himself in a manly body, was more than met the eye. But what met the eye was certainly enough for most women. Harrison laughed each time Molly would roll her dark brown eyes at the idea, wondering what was with the entire female race that had such weaknesses from broad shoulders, a tall build, thick shaggy hair that hung haphazardly to frame his face, and a particular shade of royal blue eyes. But beneath good looks and plenty of muscle laid a complicated soul who's biggest habit was running away or ignoring his problems. Not that he had anything major. He had skipped out on a real college education to join the marines at eighteen and stayed there until he turned twenty two. He considered those years to be some of the best and the most thrilling of his life. He was doing something worthwhile. He was helping people other than himself. It was a change. And it had felt good. But he had come home when his brother had fallen ill, contracting some kind of disease he still couldn't pronounce, nor understand. And after the two years it took for his brother to make it through, Harrison couldn't get himself to find the rapturous adventure that he had once held inside him. Instead, he settled down. Made plans with his lifelong friend Molly to move out of their parents' houses and in to apartment buildings. He took Molly two years after he left, as soon as she was ready. With getting that apartment, he needed a job. The first one that opened to him was his father's. He had taken some college courses in teaching when he was still in high school, as soon as Molly had expressed interest in doing the same field. Somehow, he managed to qualify, thanks to his dear father. Father Redford retired and bought a nice big yellow boat, and Harrison started his life living in the real world on his own.

  Now here he was, twenty eight years old and dating every woman in the Nevada state, some from California as well. He knew Molly disapproved of his dating techniques, but he considered them better than hers, seeing that she hadn't had a date since...well, maybe she never did. It wasn't that she couldn't Lord knows even he knew of all the guys over the years that had asked her for dates, but she always refused. The feisty five foot seven woman of his nearly his same age and that he towered over with his six foot four frame, shared more traits from the reddish part of her hair heritage rather than the brunette strands. Molly Radcliffe had a horrid Scottish temper, a loud Italian voice that also allowed her hands to cook the most amazing of meals when she wanted to, and the sassiness of her French side. With curly auburn hair that reached just below her ribcage and eyes of dark chocolate brown, she was a beauty. Not to say she was completely out of the ordinary. Not runway model gorgeous or stop on the street to gawk looking, but it was something special. Unique. Completely hers. If Harrison bothered to stop and think about his best friend, he'd realize she was those things more because of her great confidence in her own self. He was a big, strong marines man that was trained to save a person in multiple situations, but Molly never took advantage. She wanted to save herself. No damsel in distress for her. Though even she had to admit that she needed more adventure in her life. More fun. More danger to toy with. Her life was still so safe and easy going. She needed to shake it up a bit more. Make it as feisty as her attitude was. But her schedule of a teacher and a friend to many never seemed to allow her that release.

  One day, he'd have to show her how. If only she'd allow herself to see his side of things. The good side. She'd become looser then.

  But for now, she had come to him to make him stop the rumors that he had apparently started. And he needed a damn good, convincing way of making sure her students, and all the others, knew that there was no connection of that sort between him and Molly. Just like there never would be.

  _______________________________________________________________________

  "Are you ready? After all, you never know what kind of surprises await past that door." Marty said, unsuccessfully trying to hide a grin. Really, she couldn't wait to find out what Harrison was doing to fix the problem that had spread throughout the school. Her mismatched eyes, one of a strange hazel and the other blue, were dancing with excitement. "That boy better not let me down."

  Molly just shook her head, opening the glass door, leading the way to their classrooms, holding her breath in silent prayer that Harrison wouldn't make a fool of either of them. She was wasting that breath...

  _______________________________________________________________________

  It was five minutes before lunch period and Molly was putting up the assignment.

  Read chapters five through seven in Persuasion. Write out summary and your viewpoints on these chapters.

  Test on Monday start studying now!!

  She was still copying this from her assignment book when there was a knock at the door. Before she could even turn around, Harrison came in the room. And on his arm, was someone who made a shiver run down her spine and anger spark in her eyes.

  She looked towards the door that conjoined the two classrooms and saw Marty peering in through the window, her jaw gaping.

  For on his arm, was the woman with platinum blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. With the height of five eleven without her trademark four inch heels on, it was easy to see that she was once a model, back in the day. She made the stereotypical views on models being snobs come true. She was worse than stuck up she was better than everyone else in this place. Better than anyone...but the man she had her eye on for months, whom she was determined to get. Well, she had gotten him, obviously.

  "Principal Harrison, Miss Candice Greybill...to what do I owe this pleasure?" Molly asked, trying to keep her voice even.

  Harrison looked around the room, making sure all eyes were on him. They surely were.

  "Oh, I'm going to take off. I just wanted to say I couldn't make it to dinner tonight with you and Miss Lewison tonight. Miss Greybill and I are going out. You understand, don't you? It's kind of a last minute thing..."

  There weren't any supper plans for tonight. There never were. When you wanted to eat with one of the three, you came over around dinner time and plopped on the sofa until it was time to cook or call in. But despite the fact that he wasn't really breaking any previous dinner dates to her, it still made her blood boil at the thought. She wanted to release her burst of fury, to tell him that this wasn't the way he should have done it. But she was an English teacher, standing in front of her class. It was her duty to remain calm no matter what in front of those children.

  So instead of allowing her claw
s to show, she gave them a curt nod. "Fine with me." She said stiffly, then addressed her room.

  "Make sure you copied the assignment. Class dismissed." And with those words, she hurried towards Marty's classroom, of whom she'd already dismissed when she had started gawking, knowing she'd need to hear all about this as soon as possible.

  Harrison watched her retreat, stepping aside the door to let the flood of twenty students out of the room. The pretty little blonde on his arm that was the high school's art teacher and scrapbook leader, tugged on his sleeve, reminding him that he should be moving too. But there was something about the way Molly's eyes glistened over for a moment before her fury interfered that held his thoughts captive. What was wrong with her now? He doubted he'd be able to find out. There was just some things Molly never told him. Privacy was her friend. Or at least, until the screams rose too high in her throat to keep down. Yet usually those were masked with lies as well. A mysterious creature, that one was. With a shrug, he walked out of the room, shutting off the lights and closing the door.

  _______________________________________________________________________

  "You know...for someone as talkative as you, it's never a good sign when you fall completely silent after something that happened like it did at school." Marty rattled off, busying herself with getting drinks for the two of them.

  Molly shrugged. "I'm completely fine. Why would you think I wouldn't be?"

  Marty groaned. "Because I know you. Lets see, Harrison went and dumped his new girl for this one, just to prove that he's not with you. I know you heard the new talkings of your students that you must be below Harrison's tastes and that's why he don't date you not the other way around where you won't date him. And then, to top it all off, he goes and dates Candice Greybill the woman we both despise." Molly shook her head. "I don't despise her..."

  "If not, then it's a nastier word for what you feel towards her. And you should she treats you like dirt. And that woman who tries to walk all over you because she thinks she can, is now dating your best friend and you can't help but blame yourself because hey, you're the one who told him to solve it instead of stepping up and doing it yourself." Molly glanced up at her friend with a look of horror. "Is that what you think?" She asked in a whisper.

  "Oh hell no. But I know that's what you're thinking. And I know you're convincing yourself of those fine points. I know that for a fact just as much as I can tell that there's a volcano building up inside of you, bound to explode probably...quite soon."

  Molly shook her head. "Nope. Nope, I'm fine. No fuming for me. No explosions. No yelling at Harrison. I'm fine. Just fine."

  Marty's eyebrow raised in curiosity. "O...kay. So what's up?"

  Molly shrugged a shoulder. "I'm just done with him. Let him do what he wants why should I hound him about everything? I'm laid back. I'm cool. I get it. I have my own life to live it's not fair to either of us to keep trying to help him. So I'm letting him go. I hope he has fun with Candy Grey." She said.

  Marty smirked at the name. Candy Grey had been Candice's modeling name. "Sounds good to me." She said, handing her friend a glass of red wine. "A toast?"

  Molly grinned. "A toast. To new outlooks and a new way of living."

  Their glass flutes clinked together, then the tv was clicked on, starting their laid back style immediately.

  Just then, there was a knock on the door. Seeing that Marty had forgotten to lock the door behind her, Harrison came walking in. Marty laughed at the coincidence while Molly growled with a roll of her eyes. Standing from the couch, she walked back to her bedroom without a word.

  "Uh...what's with her?" Harrison asked Marty, who shook her head in pity.

  "The blind will never be able to see what's right in front of them." She noted, then fell back on to the sofa and sprawled out her body, clicking the tv remote to a channel she wanted to watch. Harrison shrugged, pacing back to the bedroom and knocking on the door. "Hey Radcliffe, Joe and I are heading to the Cali boarder to go try out an experiment and I was wondering if you wanted to go." He said through the wood. He was getting used to talking through her doors.

  "What kind of experiment are you to nutheads trying out now?" He heard her ask.

  "Well, Joe read somewhere that the only thing you call throw out of the window on a Californian highway in a moving car is chicken feathers and water. We called up his brother, who is going through law school now, and he verified the fact, so we're going to see if it works."

  Molly rolled her eyes as she played with the lamp switch that sat on her desk. "I've heard that one already. 'Of course it's legal I've read every law book in Dad's library. It's totally legal." She quoted.

  Harrison squinted, trying to think back. "...Wasn't that you?"

  Molly laughed. "We both said it. Only difference was, when I said it, I was right. When you said it, you were always wrong. Just because you read all the laws doesn't mean they'll bow down and bend for you. But no thanks, Harry. Just let me know when you go so I can get the bail money from your drawer and so I don't make an fancy plans for that night."

  Harrison smirked. It was true he had called Molly on occasion to do just that. It wasn't very good for his reputation, true but all work and no fun led to a very boring life, which he was determined to never partake in.

  "Not this time, my friend. This time it's legal. But alright then, more water and chicken feathers for me then."

  _______________________________________________________________________

  "So she wouldn't come, huh?" Josiah Jeffers asked, holding two sacks of chicken feathers with a few jugs of water resting on the tops of his boots.

  Harrison shook his head, his hands gripping the steering wheel tighter. "She acts fine...but I think she's mad at me. How am I to know though? She always gets difficult."

  "Didn't you say that your dating that Candy chick?" When Harrison confirmed this with a nod, he continued. "Isn't that the same Candy Grey that we hear Molls and Marty talk about sometimes? You know, that woman they can't stand?"

  Harrison shrugged. "I don't know. I can't keep up with all their chatter. And if she don't want me to date Candice, why don't she just say so? Why did she ask me to fix the problem if she wouldn't like the way I'd handle it? I mean really, would she have liked it better if I went on the intercom and announced to the school that we weren't? I'm sure she would have been oh so delighted!"

  "You know how complicated women are. Can't understand a single one of them. You must know that more than anyone."

  "Why? Because of my horribly infamous dating habits?"

  Josiah looked at his close friend in amusement. "I was going to say because you've had to deal with Molly since a year before you started kindergarten, but hey, that works too."

  Harrison slowed his speed until he was at thirty miles per hour. He had chosen a highway that had very little activity to guarantee no one getting hurt while driving behind them. And then, they started to pour out the jugs of water. At the same time, Josiah threw fistfuls of feathers out the window, watching as they hit the road, wet with their water, and stick fast to it under the baking sun.

  "Shame we aren't allowed to let glue out the window that might make it in to a comedic situation." Josiah commented.

  Harrison shook his head. "No way man the idea here is to get away with throwing things out the window, not to get glue all over my truck in the process. Contrary to popular belief, this is a damn fine truck. And I like this truck of mine."

  "It don't even make it up a steep hill anymore. It's chicken enough to wear these feathers."

  "Only if you're brave enough to risk the fist in your face."

  Josiah stopped after that, knowing fully what it felt like to be on the receiving end of Harrison Redford's anger. Instead, he threw the rest of the water out the window and started pouring out the feather stack. It was almost empty when they saw the familiar glare of red and blue lights, siren blaring in fury, directed at them.

  _______________________________________
________________________________

  If Harrison was one to blush, he would be doing so at this moment, watching in humiliation as Molly counted out the bills and signed the release forms for her two stupid friends that couldn't seem to stay out of trouble. And once she was through and the guard slid the cell door open for the two to walk out, Molly simply turned her back and started walking to her car without a word. Starting up the engine, she waited until they were seated, Harrison in the passenger side and Josiah in the back, and then took off.

  At first, Harrison tried to enjoy her silence. He ran his fingers along the window's edge, liking the feeling of the blue material under his fingers. He remembered the day she had dragged him to the car dealer to help her sign off for the car. A three year old Volkswagen Jetta wasn't much, certainly not to his tastes at all, but she was in love with it, that much was obvious. Her whole face was lit bright with her ecstatic excitement. He gave her a bit of grief about it as they drove away in it, but it all stopped with her explanation. "It's the exact same color as your eyes." She had glowed. It made him grin the fact that she could love such a car, just for its unique shade of darkened blue that happened to match his eyes. But now it was years later and she was riding him home in that old blue Jetta, and fuming at him. Most likely she had regretted buying a car of this color and probably thought about changing it to something, anything, other than this blue. But she never did. She hadn't given up on him quite yet.

  "I didn't know that the chicken feathers had to be limited and because there were actual chickens on your truck. And that you weren't supposed to dump gallons of water only a little to get you by..." He said weakly, not daring to look over at her.

  Molly didn't reply.

  "So what, now you have to be farmers to follow the law? That's just not right." Josiah commented.

  Molly said nothing, and Harrison glared him a warning glance. Josiah had a tendency to take a bad situation and blow it to all hell.

  A cell phone rang then, Harrison realizing it was coming from Molly's pocket. She stopped at a red light so she could cram her hand in to her tight pocket and get out the slick phone. "Yeah?" She asked, not in the mood for generous greetings.