The Stern and Wild Ones (The Seeker Series)

by Reece Evhans

  "Ally?" She just stood there with her eyebrows raised, holding a bag of groceries.

  "Hey, Mom," I resisted the urge to wipe my lips. "Um, well, this is Jack. My, um, my b-boyfriend," I ended weakly.

  "Ma'am, it's a pleasure to meet you," Jack held out his hand to her. She held her hand out automatically.

  "Jack? Well, yes. It's a, um...a pleasure to meet you, too." How did one act in these circumstances, when one has walked in on one's daughter in an intense lip-lock with guy? Awkward doesn't begin to cover it.

  "So, we're going to Jack's house. His aunt is having a party for Jack," I attempted to fill the silence.

  "Oh, what's the occasion?" My mother wanted to know.

  Well, this just kept getting more awkward. "So, he's no longer on probation. Um, his aunt is having the whole family over. You know, to celebrate." It sounded so lame, saying it aloud.

  "Oh, congratulations, Jack. Well, have a good time. Be home by curfew." We had never even discussed a curfew. It had never been necessary before.

  “Yes, ma'am. Of course I'll have her home by then," Jack said.

  "Yeah, mom. Of course we will," I didn't even know what time this supposed curfew was. "Let's go, Jack."

  We got in his car and just sat for a moment, both of us still in shock or something. Then we looked at each other and slowly smiled. Then we started laughing.

  "So," said Jack still chuckling. "Do I know how to make a great first impression, or what? Please tell me my hands were not all over your rear end."

  "I think they were fine. She was probably paying more attention to the fact that your tongue was in my mouth. That was incredibly awkward.”

  “So, what time is your curfew? I don’t want any more black marks against me.”

  “I have no idea. I’ve never had need for a curfew before. I think she was as flustered as us and just made that up on the spot.”

  ****

  The spread of food waiting for us at Trina and Manny's was impressive; it looked like everyone had brought something. This was no last-minute, thrown together party. They knew, like I did, that Jack would be finished with his probation today. There were many more friends and relatives here than had gone to his hearing, so Jack took me around, introducing me as his girlfriend, which thrilled me every time he said it. I had just met a Mrs. Flores, a long-time friend of the family, when Shelley approached, holding a baby in her arms who looked to be somewhere between 1-2 years old.

  "Hey, Ally. You look fantastic tonight, by the way. Where did you get that dress? This is my son, Nathan. Can you say hi to Ally, son?" The little boy hid his face in Shelley's neck.

  Jack turned from talking to Mrs. Flores. "Hey, little man," he addressed the baby, who looked up from his hiding place and stretched out his arms to Jack. Jack took him from Shelley and began tickling him, which Nathan apparently loved, judging by his giggles.

  Shelley smiled at them fondly and put her arm around my shoulders, leading me away. "So, it's official now, huh? You guys are going out? I heard Jack introducing you as his girlfriend."

  "Yeah. I guess so." I wondered where she was going with this.

  "Well, it's about damn time. I never thought he'd grow the cajones to ask you out." She stopped and turned to me, serious for a moment. "I'm glad, Ally. You're good for him. He's been happier since that day you showed up at the shop. He even smiles once in a while. Come on, while I have a break from my son, let's get some food."

  About an hour and a half into the party, after managing to eat part of a plate of food and visiting with more relatives than I could ever imagine, I found myself looking around for Jack. He was nowhere to be found.

  When I asked Trina, she said, "I think he just needed some time alone. This has been a big day for him. I think he went up to his room. He probably fell asleep. Poor boy hasn't been sleeping well for weeks. Why don't you go see if you can wake him up?" As I began to walk away, she touched my arm and said with a knowing look, "Don't be too long." Well, that's not embarrassing. I flushed as I went to find Jack.

  I opened his bedroom door carefully and found him lying on his back on his bed, his arm over his eyes. I stood looking around his room, this place where he slept, studied, and dreamed. Of me? Maybe. It was exceptionally neat, filled with mismatched, obviously hand-me-down furniture. A bookshelf overflowed with well-worn paperbacks, a mix of bestsellers and classics, evidence of how well read he was. He seemed to favor thrillers and spy novels. His suit jacket was folded neatly over the back of a desk chair, his tie draped over it.

  "I'm awake," he said quietly.

  I quietly shut the door behind me and tiptoed over to the bed. I crawled up beside him and laid my head on his chest. "Are you ok?"

  He put his arm around me. "Yeah. It just got a little overwhelming down there. They mean well, but..."

  We just lay there for a few minutes silently before I raised my head to look at him. I smiled into his eyes and then we were kissing again, not as frantically or as intensely as earlier, but rather lazily, like we had all the time in the world. I could just lose myself in his kisses. We broke apart and just smiled at each other again.

  “God, Ally. I am so happy right now. I can’t believe that you’re here with me like this, that you want to be with me.”

  “I love being with you like this.” I said as I kissed him again. "I never knew kisses could be so different," I whispered.

  "Am I the first guy you've ever kissed, Ally?" he asked, gently pushing my hair behind my ear.

  "No, the second," I admitted.

  "Who was the first? I probably need to kill him tomorrow."

  I laughed softly, "I don't want you to kill Travis."

  "Travis!" he exclaimed, sitting up. "The Travis that eats lunch with us? The guy is gay! Why the hell were you kissing him?"

  "Well, apparently kissing me helped him decide to switch teams."

  Jack called him a name I will not repeat here. "Well, his incredible idiocy is my gain. I can't believe that guy had you in his arms and ever let you go." He lay back down. We just held each other, not kissing, but just being together. After a while, Jack stirred and said, "We better go back down. I wouldn't want my aunt to walk in on us. That would be awkward."

  "Been there, done that. Don't worry. I locked the door." I began kissing him again.

  He kissed me back for too brief a time and then pulled back, saying, "Jesus, Ally. Don't tell me stuff like that. I don't have the willpower tonight to stop myself." He kissed me again. Then he rolled back onto his back, laughing ruefully. "And apparently I'm too exhausted to do anything about it."

  I sat up and leaned over him, brushing his hair back, loving the feel of it, loving that I finally had the right to run my fingers through it. "Poor Jack. You’ve had a rough day. If it makes you feel any better, I never had any intention of giving you my virginity with approximately 50 members of your extended family right downstairs." I gave him a last, quick kiss. "Come, on. Let's go mingle a bit more and then you can drive me home. I might even let you get to second base on my front porch."

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  "Nobody ever sees truth except in fragments."

  -Henry Ward Beecher, Proverbs from Plymouth Pulpit

  I had never in my life been excited about a basketball game, but I was about this one, the season opener between the Sandia High School Matadors and the Eldorado Eagles. Hey, I don't make up these names. The reason I was excited about this one had little to do with sports or cheerleading, although it would be the first game I had ever cheered at. It had everything to do with my boyfriend. That's right, I said it. I have a boyfriend. He is the handsomest, smartest, best smelling...Ok, I'll stop. I'm just excited to finally be dating Jack. Officially and everything. Last night, when he took me home, he insisted on going in the house and asking my mother and my grandmother if he could date me. If you thought my mother walking in on us kissing was awkward...

  It was really sweet, but I sure could have skipped the part where my grandmother laid down a f
ew ground rules, including home by midnight on weekends and asking Jack if he carried condoms at all times. I could have died. Especially when she made it clear that it was not a rhetorical question. I stopped her just as she was demanding to look inside wallet. I'm not sure I was ready to know if he had condoms in his wallet. Oh, and before you get your panties all up in a twist, no, I did not let him get to second base on my front porch. Not that he tried, but I totally would not have let him. I am nearly positive about that. Apparently, Jack is a true gentleman. Damn it.

  Anyway, here I was at the first game of the season, the gym was packed, and my boyfriend and I were going to a party afterward. Well, neither of us really wanted to go to the party, but I was trying to get close to Veronica and find out who was hurting her and who had knocked her up. I'm pretty sure it was one guy who was doing the hurting and the, um, impregnating, and I'm even more certain that it was someone older than her boyfriend, Danny. Maybe it was one of the senior guys or maybe someone's older brother. Or maybe it was an adult. It was so frustrating to be able to see so much, but never his face. I felt completely useless.

  This line of thinking made me remember an episode that had happened earlier in the day. Jack and I had been at my locker, right before lunch, talking and just basically enjoying being with each other, when we were interrupted by an argument a few lockers away. It was a couple of the football players, whom I recognized from my ill-fated first attempt to talk to Veronica. They seemed to be in a violent argument and one of them seemed to be very angry with the other about some money that was owed to him. We were trying to ignore them when one of them slammed his fist into the locker, said a very foul word, and walked away.

  "Well, that was weird," Jack looked concerned. "I wouldn't be surprised if that guy broke his hand."

  Later, at the game, I was cheering away on the sidelines and Tara, Jack, Travis, and his boyfriend, Dustin, were all in the bleachers cheering for me. At halftime, the cheerleaders again performed our routine to "Move, Shake, Drop" by Pitbull, with me flying through several stunts in the middle. Jack was waiting for me outside the locker room after the game, which, sadly, Sandia lost.

  "You were amazing," he said as I gave him a hug. Much better today in the compliment department, I noticed. It's amazing the kind of changes a day can bring. He did give Devonne a dirty look as we left, however. "I just don't like that he can touch you in places even I'm not allowed," he grumbled.

  "Well, if you say pretty please," I teased.

  He laughed and pulled me into a dark corner for a kiss. "You're gonna kill me, girl," he whispered against my mouth. "You better watch what you ask for. I might not always be such a gentleman."

  "I wish," I said and kissed him again.

  We went out for pizza with Tara, Travis, and Dustin. I was starving after all that cheering and dancing and wolfed down more than my share of slices.

  "Are you going to finish that?" I asked Jack, gesturing to a half-eaten slice of cheese pizza on his plate.

  "Help yourself," he offered the plate to me.

  "What?" I asked through a full mouth, as he just stared at me while I chewed.

  "I'm just wondering how someone so small can pack away so much food. It's kind of a turn on, I'm not gonna lie,” he said.

  "I actually hate her," said Tara, who had limited herself to one slice and a small salad. She's not even slightly chubby, but complains that she packs on the weight way too easily. I personally think her tall, willowy figure could stand a couple more pounds, but what do I know?

  "Hey, cheerleading takes a surprising amount of energy. I burned a lot of calories tonight."

  "Yeah, and you need to replenish so you can burn more later, huh?" she said in a suggestive tone of voice.

  "God, Tara, crude much?" said Dustin, who was holding hands with Travis under the table. Jeez, at least I hope they were just holding hands.

  "What?" she said innocently. "I meant dancing. Why? What did you think I meant, perv?"

  "Well," said Jack. "Ally and I do have plans later...for dancing," he said after a pregnant pause. We all laughed and I loved him for not being offended by my ridiculous friends.

  "Let's all go back to my house and watch cheesy horror movies," suggested Tara. "I rented Thankskilling about a giant turkey who starts to kill everyone. It'll get us in the mood for Thanksgiving next week. Come on, it'll be fun."

  "Oh, man. I would love nothing better. Maniacal turkeys are just so much fun, but I am dragging Jack to Veronica's party, at least for a little while," I explained.

  "Oh, shit," said Tara. "I forgot you were torturing yourself like that. Ok, do you want us to watch the other movie I rented, Black Sheep, first? It's about a genetic experiment gone bad and crazed sheep start killing people all over New Zealand. We could totally save Thankskilling for the late-night feature."

  I looked to Jack for an opinion. He smiled wryly and said, "It really seems like Ally's got her heart set on the maniacal turkey, so I'm going to have to defer to my lovely lady here and say save Thankskilling for when we get there. I can personally guarantee that we will spend as little time at the popular kids' lame party as possible."

  "That is the most romantic thing you've ever said to me," I replied in an over-the-top drama voice. "Oh, Jack, take me now," I suddenly had a southern accent as I laid myself across his lap, pizza crust still in my hand.

  "Why, Miss Scarlett, I think I will," he said and leaned down to kiss me. Right before his lips were on mine he said, "Take you to the party, that is." He lifted me up and helped me on with my jacket. "If you can tear yourself away from your pizza, we can get this over with."

  ****

  Veronica lived in a McMansion, of course. I've heard her stepfather is a high-priced divorce attorney, so that totally makes sense. I prefer older, more historic houses that have some character. Jack found a spot well down the street and we walked hand-in-hand into the house. The party was in full swing and was very well attended. There was loud music playing and dancing seemed to be the main activity, at least in the living room. Now, I don't want you to get the wrong idea about teen parties. This was not a scene out of a 1980's John Huston movie where sex-crazed teens completely trash a house. Everyone here seemed to be minding their own business and behaving themselves, at least on the surface. We walked through to the kitchen and found an impressive spread of snacks and soft drinks. Veronica was filling a chip bowl.

  "Hey, Ally," she stopped to rush over and give me a hug. I met Jack's amused eyes over her shoulder. "You made it," she let me go and turned to Jack. "And I see you guys made up. Well, if you two want to be um, private, I'm sure you can find an empty bedroom upstairs. Food and drinks are right here; help yourself. There's goodies of all kinds out in the garage," she raised her eyebrows knowingly. "You want me to get you a beer, Jack?" she purred and sidled up to him.

  "I don't drink," Jack said coldly and moved closer to me. His mother was killed by a drunk driver and Jack had sworn never to touch alcohol.

  Ok, scratch my earlier comment. This was exactly like an 80's John Huston movie, only with fewer shoulder pads. I inserted myself between Veronica and my boyfriend, ostensibly to pour a Coke. I got a whiff of Veronica's breath as she laughed.

  "Oh, my God, Veronica! Have you been drinking?" I put my hands on her upper arms and shook her slightly.

  "What is your problem?" She tried to shake me off, but I was like a mongoose with a cobra. "It's a party! Of course I've been drinking. That's what you do at parties, except you guys, apparently."

  "Yeah, but you are pregnant! You're not supposed to drink when you're pregnant! What the hell is wrong with you?"

  "Shut up!" she said abruptly. "No, I'm not! God, why would you say that?" Her eyes began darting around nervously, seeing if anyone was close enough to have heard our conversation.

  I decided to try a new tactic. I let her go and said softly, "Hey, it's ok, Veronica. I know. Remember in the nurse's office? You were asking all sorts of questions about prenatal care? I know a
bout the pregnancy. It's ok, I won't tell anyone."

  She looked at me with abject terror in her eyes. "I was talking about a friend. It's not me. I'm not pregnant. Get the hell away from me!" and she turned and stalked out of the kitchen.

  I looked at Jack, biting my lip. "Well, that went well."

  He reached past me and finished pouring the Coke. "This party sucks," he said.

  "Yeah," I agreed. "Come on, let's see if we can find Long Duk Dong here somewhere."

  He chuckled, enjoying my Sixteen Candles reference. "You can be Molly Ringwald."

  Twenty minutes later, Jack and I were slow dancing in the living room and making plans to blow off the rest of the party as soon as possible, when I suddenly remembered that I wanted to ask him about the crude joke the girls had been laughing about yesterday at the pep rally. "Jack," I said, looking up at his gorgeous face. "I need you to explain something to me."

  "Sure. What is it?"

  "Well, I heard something I didn't understand. It's probably dirty, but I felt really stupid not getting it." I told him about the ‘big man with a really little man’ joke I had overheard.

  He smiled and pulled me back into his arms. "Oh, Ally. You are so beautifully innocent, sweetheart. I don't really want to tell you."

  "Oh, come on, Jack. I don't want to feel like such a baby around these girls. Please tell me."

  "Ok, but I feel like I'm ruining you or something. They were talking about the size of a guy's...well, dick. It's a kind of old wives tale that really big guys have small...you know."

  "Really? I've never heard that before. Is it true?"

  He laughed. "I don't know. I certainly haven't asked any of the big guys I know. Nor do I plan to. I have heard that steroids can do that to a guy, though." We continued dancing quietly for a few minutes. "Does that satisfy your intense curiosity?"