Shaking my head in answer I scrambled in my brain to find something that would work. Maybe I should just ask for it. “Would you give me detention, three days? They won’t let me into detention hall unless my name is on the list.”
Mr. Thompson studied me for a moment. “What did Scott do this time?” he asked with a smile.
“It was totally unjustified. I swear, Coach Carlson has it out for him.” I knew the Mr. Thompson didn’t particularly care for Coach Carlson, Every time they were in the same room together you could tell by his body language.
“So you think going to detention with him will help how?”
“He’s going there because of me, because of something I did.”
“It’s not a death sentence, a few days sitting in the cafeteria after school won’t hurt him, it’ll give him a chance to catch up on some of his homework,” he said as he started to put his papers into his briefcase. He shut the case and picked it up by the handle ready to leave.
“Listen, you damn idiot, do I need to ruin your next class, just give me the damn detention.” Sometimes it was fun being me.
Several of the students who had recently entered winced in shock. Somebody whistled in admiration. Mr. Thompson saw the reaction I’d created then nodded. “Very well, Ms. Rivers, three days of detention. I hope you have a good time together.”
I smiled as I reached out and hugged him. The world was normal again, everything would be all right. Scott couldn’t get mad at me for my crazy family and all the problems they caused him. No way could he get mad if I was sharing his punishment, right?
.o0o.
“What in the hell did you do?” Scott yelled at me when I told him about going to detention with him. He looked like I’d stabbed him in the back. My insides bunched up like somebody had punched me in the gut. I thought he’d be pleased. Why was he mad?
We were all sitting at the lunch table. I’d planned to share my good news before Mattie could start giving him a hard time for getting into another fight.
He was really mad. This wasn’t him being upset or worried. He was pissed off.
“Katie, I don’t need you trying to protect me or feeling sorry for me for a minor detention.” He stabbed at his Macaroni and cheese and shoveled a forkful into his mouth.
It was a shock. I’d expected him to be pleased. We’d be able to spend that time together. I was letting the school know that I supported him. To have it thrown back in my face like this was unbelievably hurtful. This wasn’t a mistake on his part, it was intentional, and he meant every word.
I threw my unopened yogurt and fresh orange back into my brown bag and bumped him hard with my shoulder as I stood up. Giving him my most disgusted look, I turned and stomped off. I didn’t care what anybody thought.
To top it off, it occurred to me that now we’d have to spend the next three afternoons together in detention.
.o0o.
Scott
Katie walking away like that made my stomach knot into a tight ball and squeezed my heart like a set of vice grips.
Mattie shook her head at me and said, “I swear Scott, you are making Kevin and frogs everywhere seem smarter every day.”
.o0o.
I took us to the bluff after the post-school detention. Mattie had ridden the bus home earlier. Katie and I hadn’t had a chance to talk all day. She seemed to be avoiding me. In detention, Mr. Thompson separated us before we could sit down.
Katie sat on the far side of the truck. She hadn’t sat in the middle seat and kept shooting me expectant looks like she was waiting for something. I turned the truck off and leaned back with a big sigh.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to jump all over you like that,” I said. She relaxed then nodded her head as she accepted my apology.
“You hurt me, Scott, I was only trying to help,” she said.
“I know, I know, I’m sorry,” I said with my best contrite voice.
She studied me for a moment then unbuckled her belt and scooted across the seat to sit next to me. My arm slipped around her shoulder and pulled her into a tight hug. My insides relaxed for the first time that day and I felt like all was right with the world again. It always amazed me how this young woman had become the center of my life. If she was unhappy, I was miserable.
Snuggling into my side she asked me if I’d any plans Saturday night.
“No, nothing in particular, whatever you want?” I said then wondered if I was assuming too much thinking she’d automatically want to spend her Saturday evening with me.
“Do you want to come for dinner, about six?” she asked with a hesitant hitch in her voice.
“Sure, sounds great,” I said. I could feel her smile next to my side.
“It will just be the two of us. Aunt Jenny’s going out of town, some kind of training thing for her work. She won’t be home until Sunday afternoon.”
Home alone with Katie, my heart skipped and a thousand thoughts jumped through my brain. Only a majority of which involved some less than pure actions on our part. “That sounds great, do you want me to bring anything?”
“No, I’ll take care of everything,” she said before drifting off into a contemplative silence, probably figuring out what she was going to serve for dinner.
We drove home in a comfortable silence, everything was forgiven and forgotten. Having Katie sitting in the middle seat was so much cooler. That was one of the many good points about Katie, she didn’t hold a grudge, it wasn’t in her.
Walking her to her porch she grabbed my hand and jumped onto the step turning to face me. Her eyes were alight with secret mischief. What was she up to now?
“I’m looking forward to Saturday night,” I said.
She smiled as she looked down at her hands. Seeming to come to a decision she looked up and kissed me briefly. Looking deeply into my eyes she asked me to do her a favor.
“Sure whatever you want,” I said.
“Can you make sure to bring some condoms?” she said with a smile before turning and skipping into the house.
Chapter Twenty
Scott
The damn bolt wouldn’t slide into the hole. I was buried under the combine changing out the starter and couldn’t get the damn thing to line up. Cursing, I punched it with the heel of my hand and heard it click into place.
My day had been like that since I woke up before sunrise this morning. It started with me knocking my alarm clock off my bedside table and breaking the faceplate. I burnt my toast for breakfast, broke a shoelace putting on my boots and now I’d scuffed up my hands trying to get this damn thing into place.
Everything I touched seemed to fall apart in my hands. But hey, I wasn’t nervous or anything. I wasn’t obsessing about what Katie had said to me the other night before skipping inside her house. No not me. I only thought about it for the thirty-fourth time in the last hour.
The day was dragging and seemed to be taking forever. I swear the sun had got stuck. Finishing with the starter I gathered my tools and wiped my hands on a dirty rag. Mattie came out of the barn as I exited the equipment shed. She smiled and joined me as we walked to the house.
“How’s Chrissy and Star?” I asked.
“They’re fine,” she said absently as she looked out over the fields. Something was on her mind. She was as obvious as a hairy mole on a supermodel.
“How are you doing, Sis?” I asked.
Dropping the hand that had been shading her eyes she looked at me as if just now realizing I was standing there. Her eyes clouded but she shook her head.
“I’m fine. Everything is great.” I didn’t believe a word of it but also knew I’d never get it out of her until she was ready.
“You know I’m here if you ever need to talk?” I said. Sounding all big brotherly.
She clapped a hand on my shoulder and laughed. “Yea, right, like you’re going to tell me how to get a guy to like me. Do you have a suggestion on how I should do my hair? Maybe I should ask Grandfather what dress I should wear? Maybe you and
I could discuss my p……., Never mind.”
My throat hurt from swallowing so hard. Boy, had I stepped into it. Those were the last things I wanted to discuss with my little sister, especially today.
Mattie laughed again, “Don’t worry, you’re off the hook. Go get ready for your date with Katie. Where are you guys going?”
“She’s making me dinner at her house.” There was absolutely no reason to tell her that Aunt Jenny was gone for the night.
“oooooouw. She is getting serious. You do realize how important this is to her, right.”
I nodded my head but I think Mattie and I were looking at it differently.
“Just so I’m sure I’m on the right track here, why is this more important than a normal date?” I asked. Hey, information could be gold in this situation. Especially when it came to dealing with women.
Mattie laughed and put her hands in the back pockets of her jeans and slowly walked towards the door. Hurrying to catch up I bent over to make sure I heard her answer.
“It’s important because she’s in charge. Until now, you’ve probably been the one to decide where you go, what you eat, etc. You’ve been the one paying for things. Now, you’re going to be judging her, judging where she lives, how she cooks. It’s an unconscious try out for being a wife. Preferably, your wife.”
“A wife!” I sputtered. “It’s way too early for that. No way is that what’s going on.” My voice caught on several of those words, especially the one starting with wife.
“I said it’s unconscious. She’s not thinking like that. But deep down that’s what’s going on. She’s going to be very nervous so you be nice to her.”
“Hey I’m always nice to her,” I said, reminding myself to stop by the grocery store and pick up some flowers. Husband and wife? Wow! Okay, I’ll admit that phantom thoughts about Katie and I growing old together had passed through my mind occasionally. And I was very aware that I couldn’t imagine us not together.
That meant that eventually, we’d either have to marry or break up. My stomach tightened into a sick ball thinking about breaking up someday. We wouldn’t be like this for the rest of our lives.
Wow, this was some scary shit. I caught up to Mattie as she entered the house and thanked her for the insight. She smiled and I wished I could do the same for her.
.o0o.
Katie
Nothing was going right. The day was going to be a total disaster. Ever since Aunt Jenny left this morning things had been going wrong.
I’d spilled a bottle of Pine-Sol in the bathroom and now the house smelled like a hospital. A pimple was threatening to erupt on my forehead. I mean, come on, I hadn’t had a pimple since I was sixteen, now, today of all days.
He was going to think I was a Cyclops. Dinner had bubbled over, twice, I was lucky it hadn’t stuck to the bottom of the pot.
To top it off, I couldn’t decide what to wear. What if he showed up in jeans and a t-shirt and I was dressed all fancy. Or worse, what if he wore a suit and I was in a t-shirt and Jeans. I’d have died right there on the spot.
Inspiration struck, I’d wait until he had left his house then call Mattie and find out what he was wearing. She’d understand.
I picked out two different outfits. Jeans and a t-shirt and a green satin dress I had bought last weekend especially for this night. I also laid out my new under things, black frilly bra and panties. I would be wearing them, whichever outfit I selected.
A quick sweep of the house one last time before I jumped into the shower let me know that everything really was going to be fine. Please, God.
I checked off the things I’d done that day.
Hugged Aunt Jenny. I had told her that Scott was coming for dinner and that we’d probably watch TV afterword. Her eyebrow had cocked itself halfway up her forehead but she didn’t say anything.
Instead, she smiled and patted my cheek. “Have fun dear, call me if you have any problems. I’ll be home early Sunday afternoon.” I waved to her as she backed out of the driveway before racing into the house and started cleaning it from top to bottom. That was when the Pine-Sol accident happened.
Undressing before getting into the shower I caught a glimpse of myself in the bathroom mirror. Pausing, I examined everything. Flat stomach, perky breasts, I should be okay. My hips looked like they’d grown two inches in the last six months though, maybe Scott would think I was curvy. Everything looked acceptable, not outstanding, but acceptable.
The issue though was would Scott find me acceptable. As was normal, any thought of Scott sent my brain flying to thinking about tonight and what was going to happen. My body craved him, wanted to touch and be touched.
A physical burning in my very center threatened to overrule everything. Please don’t freeze up. Don’t ruin this, I kept telling myself.
An hour later the doorbell rang as I was putting on the last bit of mascara. My heart dropped and started racing at the same time. A quick once over showed that the bathroom was ready, no embarrassing feminine products or forgotten panties. Running my hands down my dress I thanked Mattie once again for letting me know he was wearing a dress shirt and tie. That’s my boy, I thought. He gets how important this is.
I scanned the living room and my face in the hallway mirror before I opened the front door.
My man and his broad shoulders filled the entire outside world. He smiled and my heart melted. He stepped in and handed me the most beautiful bouquet of red roses. Had a girl ever been so lucky? Their scent filled the room and helped hide the last remaining bit of Pine-Sol.
Reaching up I kissed him on the cheek and used my thumb to wipe away a faint trace of lipstick. I wrapped my arm through his and pulled him into the room. It was impossible not to touch him. It was like he had been away for ages. You know you’ve got it bad when twenty-four hours felt like a lifetime.
“Something smells very very good,” he said heading for the kitchen. His stomach rumbled and I laughed.
“You have to wait a few minutes; there are a few things that need to be finished.”
He totally ignored me and removed the lid off the sauce.
“Spaghetti?” he asked, his eyes lighting up with anticipation like a little boy on his birthday morning.
“Yes, from scratch, Mrs. Carlucci’s officially true Italian recipe. ‘Brought from the old country in her mother’s hat box,’ she used to say. Now, get out of there and let me finish,” I said as I tried to push him away from the stove.
He laughed and sat on the other side of the breakfast bar and folded his arms across his chest. Pretending to pout a little. He looked absurd and I laughed.
A delicious thrill washed its way through me as I felt his eyes traveling up and down my body while I worked over the stove. A girl could get used to this. Red roses, a big sexy man waiting to be fed, and thoughts of what was to come.
Slowly, I moved the wooden spoon through the sauce in long, languorous circles, my mind wandering into forbidden areas.
“What are you thinking about?” I asked innocently over my shoulder.
“You know what I’m thinking about. I’m thinking about the last thing you said to me yesterday and what that means.”
My face flushed and I’m sure I grew three shades redder than his roses. “Yeah, well, we can talk about that later. Help me get the salad on the table while I finish this up.
.o0o.
Scott James eating my cooking at my dining room table had to be one of the most sensuous things ever invented. The way he slowly savored that first bite, rolling it around in his mouth. His eyes closed for a moment as if he was in prayer then a giant smile broke across his face.
“This is unbelievably wonderful, WOW,” he said before scooping up another large bite. I lost his attention for a moment as he concentrated on his spaghetti.
“No I mean it, this is good. You have got to give Mattie the recipe.”
We ate in silence for a few minutes then he looked up and smiled. “You look great by the way. I should have tol
d you when I came in. I really like that color on you. It matches your eyes.” I blushed again and felt all tingly inside.
When he dished himself thirds I knew the dinner was a success. He saw me watching him and shrugged his shoulders and said, “Hey, I’m a growing boy, cut me some slack.”
I laughed and pushed my plate away so I could rest my elbows on the table and my chin on my hands while I concentrated on him. Scott’s a pretty simple guy I realized. All he needs is good food and as little drama as possible.
A desperate need to know everything about him crashed over me like an ocean wave. “What’s it like being so big and tall?” I asked. I don’t know where the question came from. It bubbled out.
He froze in mid-bite then continued on while he thought for a moment.
“I can’t walk into a room without everyone knowing I’m there. I stick out like a sore thumb.” He laughed and shook it off like it was not a big deal, but I bet that’s one of the reasons he didn’t like being the center of attention.
“Let’s see, I uh … have to be careful. Sometimes I can be a like a bull in a china shop.”
“I find that a little hard to believe, you are so graceful and have such good body control,” I said. He blushed a little and continued to take another bite.
“It used to be a lot worse; I must have broken a hundred things when I was fifteen. Every time I turned around I was knocking stuff off the table or walking into walls. It was pretty pathetic.”
I smiled to encourage him. He shrugged his shoulders again. “Let’s see … In every class picture, I am always located in the back row, far right. Every one of them. The teachers are always on the left back. Um, the kids used to call me Lurch, and Shrek. The girls were the worse; they knew I couldn’t beat them up so they were relentless. That stopped when Danny told them to leave me alone. For a girl, upsetting Danny Carrs was unthinkable.”
My breath caught for a moment, would bad memories ruin the evening. Scott, however, shrugged it off like yesterday’s rain and smiled back at me and stared into my eyes. My mouth went dry and I grabbed a glass of water.
Too Many Rules Page 15