The Great High School Love Game

by Marcia Carrington

  Amy looked at Carrie, seeming a little confused.

  “I told you about when I last saw him, didn’t I?” Amy asked.

  “Yeah Amy, you have.” Carrie was puzzled by Amy’s forgetfulness, and thought maybe something else was bothering her. This seemed odd to Carrie, as Amy was always very sharp about telling her everything.

  “Amy, what’s going on?”

  Amy sighed, and shook her head. She put down her sandwich, and looked off into the distance, where she saw some trees on the oval swaying in the wind.

  “No, nothing’s up with Jake and me, ” Amy said blankly.

  Carrie shook her head in disbelief, as her instincts told her that Amy was troubled about something.

  “But you seem a little out of it. I can read you like a book. Amy, just spill it, and tell me what’s going on, now,” Carrie looked at Amy with a serious expression. “You’ve never been good at getting to the point.”

  Amy sighed, and looked at Carrie, who watched her keenly.

  “Well, someone came over a few days ago.”

  “Who was it? Jake?” Carrie said excitedly.

  “No Carrie, it wasn’t Jake, but Chad came over.”

  “Chad?” Carrie said, eyes widening in disbelief.

  “Yeah, he came over to ask me to the park,” Amy said casually. “We went for a run together.”

  “And you went,” Carrie replied.

  “Yep,” Amy said, with a smile. The possibility of not one, but two guys interested in her was not a horrible idea.

  Carrie considered everything Amy had said, and looked down at the table, deep in thought. Amy watched Carrie, but was utterly baffled by her silence. After a few moments, Carrie raised her head, and shook it in doubt.

  “That’s funny — I thought Chad liked Francine; they seem to be around each other a lot.” Carrie again paused in thought for a few seconds, to Amy’s confusion. “Come to think of it, they always just seem to be talking, never anything more.”

  Carrie again looked at Amy, a pensive expression on her face. Amy did not know what to think of this, and asked Carrie,

  “Carrie, what’s wrong?”

  Carrie released a cautious smile, and told Amy, with eyes twinkling,

  “First Jake, now Chad. Seems you’re more popular than you thought.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well Amy, I think I was right all along, and that everything’s running to plan. I’m ‘worried’ to tell you this, but you might end up with two guys asking you to the gala. Come to think of it, why can’t I be so lucky?”

  Amy was astounded by what Carrie was implying, and shook her head at this. Guys like Jake and Chad would never be interested in her; they were too handsome, too smart, too unavailable for her. This was as far away from reality as it ever would be.

  “Come off it Carrie. Maybe they’re just making fun of me,” Amy said. Carrie frowned at what Amy just said, and was disappointed that Amy felt this way about herself, but thought another approach was needed for Amy.

  “Yeah Amy, I’m serious. You’re getting more than you bargained for, and it’s good for you.”

  “What’s that s’posed to mean?”

  “It’ll show you you’re not as bad as you think you are. Anyway, I think you might end up with double trouble if you don’t play it right,” Carrie said, with a wide grin. Amy’s ‘dilemma’ sounded like something out of the celebrity pages which Carrie loved, or, those engrossing TV soap operas where two men fight over one woman. It was all just too delicious for Carrie to contemplate.

  Amy, though, knew the facts actually stacked things against her, and dismissed Carrie’s opinion — things were not always as easy as Carrie made them sound.

  “It’s hopeless anyway. Jake’s taking his sister to the gala, and besides, Chad hasn’t asked me yet,” Amy said.

  Carrie looked at Amy, eyes lighting up.

  “Yet’s the right word,” Carrie said. “Nothing’s definite; a lot can happen in a few weeks,” Carrie told Amy, who shook her head at Carrie’s words. “My hunch’s that things’ll fall into place soon. I can feel it,” Carrie said, nodding her head. “Oh Amy something else, before I forget.”

  “What?” Amy asked.

  “Don’t forget about our bet — you’ll be the loser,” Carrie said.

  “Lose one way, win the other,” Amy stated.

  Amy and Carrie laughed together at this comment, and began to open up their desserts. Carrie took a sizable chunk out of her apple, while Amy devoured a spoonful of fruit salad. Amy’s mind, though, wandered over to Jake, and whether he really would ask her to the gala, instead of taking his sister. Amy also considered Chad, but thoughts of Jake were stronger, and more exciting to her, than those of Chad.

  * * * *

  “Oh yum…can’t wait to have lunch,” Francine said, eyeing the mouth-watering delights on display in the carvery cabinet.

  “Count me in,” Chad said, drooling as much as Francine.

  Lunchtime was always very busy at school, especially at the school restaurant, with today being no exception to this. As usual, there were students aplenty anxiously waiting to pick up their lunches, and the room was filled with the chatter of hungry students and academic staff members. The restaurant staff were battling to keep up with the demand, but did it with all their customary grace, and warm smiles.

  The restaurant was a space where seats seemed to disappear like there was no tomorrow, but there was a reason for this. The food there was always great, and one could find healthy, nutritious meals which were never boring. Aside from this, it was also a place where both staff, and students, could eat together in a communal location. The cultural divide which separated staff from students at other schools did not exist here, and the restaurant only exemplified this.

  Chad and Francine had left immediately after class to get in early, and take more time out for lunch. As they had come early, they sped to the front of the queue, and were served quickly. Francine chose a low fat hamburger, while Chad selected a steak with vegetables and rich gravy. They looked at their meals, and smiled at each other, in anticipation of some great food.

  After picking up their lunches, Chad and Francine settled into a table with a window outlook. This was their favorite table at the restaurant, as it had a clear view of the school’s green, very grassy oval, and also, the glistening waters of the school swimming pool. Chad and Francine were anxious to discuss their progress with Amy and Jake, and thought they would treat themselves to lunch here today, just for something different. They were interested to see how they were doing with them, and Chad opened the conversation on this point.

  “So, how’d it go with Jake?” Chad said, taking a sip of his water, and watching Francine carefully.

  “Really well, ’til his parents interrupted us,” Francine replied, curling her lips. She remembered how good she felt massaging Jake, this idea leaving her tingling with excitement.

  “Did his parents catch you together or something?” Chad asked.

  “No Chaddie, but if they’d come home without ringing, I would’ve made sure they caught us together. You know me,” she said, with a wicked smile. Chad nodded at this comment, knowing exactly what Francine meant. True to Francine’s tempestuous personality, she sighed. Francine was known for her sudden mood swings, but, interestingly, this made her all the more fascinating for Chad. “But Jake was scared off by them coming.”

  “Why? What happened?” Chad asked.

  “I’ll let you know what happened, if you tell me what you did with Amy,” Francine said, watching him guardedly. She knew that Chad had the habit of leaving out details when he was talking about something, and this irritated her. Come to think of it, she often did the same, and should not complain.

  “You have a deal Franci,” Chad said. Chad saw Francine hesitate a bit, but knew she was doing this to keep him on tenterhooks. “Come on Franci, spill the beans. What happened with Jake?”

  Francine took a bite of her burger, and let Chad
sweat it out just a bit more. She loved doing this to ‘punish’ him.

  “Well, it happened this way. Jake was working on his garden, and I remembered he injured his shoulder playing sport once.”

  “Yeah, I remember that,” Chad said, nodding in remembrance of that event. Jake was unable to play sport for a few months while his shoulder healed. “But what’s that gotta do with what you did with Jake?” Chad asked, becoming rather impatient at Francine’s slow unraveling of her time with Jake. Francine realized that Chad was in suspense, and threw back her head, smiling deviously.

  “I dropped a can of lemonade on his shoulder, so I could massage it better,” she cooed. “And, without his shirt.”

  Chad was surprised with what Francine told him, but knew her approach was in keeping with her unpredictable personality. “Very smooth, fancy Franci,” Chad said. Francine smiled at Chad, grateful for his support, and pleased with her effect upon Jake. “I’m sure Jake didn’t mind having that happen to him,” Chad said.

  “I believe he enjoyed it, even if it was something he wouldn’t normally do. With me, only things like that’d happen from now on. Jake’d never be bored with me,” Francine said, thinking about Amy. Francine thought that Amy was sometimes sappy and a little reserved, and would never do such a thing with Jake — it just was not in her nature.

  “Well, Jake’s very lucky, and doesn’t know how lucky he’ll be,” Chad intoned.

  Francine smiled at Chad’s comment, but felt that they had talked enough about what she did with Jake.

  “Enough about me and Jake. How’d you go with Amy?” Francine enquired, taking a sip of her drink.

  Chad smiled when Francine mentioned Amy, looking confident with himself.

  “Oh, Amy and I played on the swings. It was really great,” Chad said.

  Francine looked at Chad with a quizzical expression, unsure what he meant by this statement. In her mind, it sounded a little old-fashioned in approach for Chad.

  “You played on the swings? You and Amy played on the swings? Is that all that happened? Thought I knew you better than that,” Francine said seductively.

  “Yeah, I wanna tease you like you teased me when I asked you about Jake. I wanna make you suffer,” he said, smiling broadly.

  “Okay, okay, you made your point,” she said, acting as if angry with him. “Just get on with it, my burger’ll begin to hate me,” Francine said.

  “I got to recreate Amy’s almost-kiss with Jake — with me in Jake’s role,” Chad said. “You have no idea how great it felt.”

  “I think I do,” Francine said slowly to Chad. She paused for a moment, and smiled at him. “Good work, Chad — I knew you had it in you.”

  “Let me put it this way — I’m sure Amy’ll be finding it hard to forget what happened between us,” Chad said.

  Francine sighed at Chad’s comment, and he saw her face now had a solemn expression. Chad was unsure what she was thinking, and asked her,

  “Franci, what’s the matter?”

  Francine shook her head, and frowned slightly.

  “I hope what you’re saying’s true, and Amy and Jake’ve started to feel about us like we do about them,” Francine said. There were not many times when Francine was downbeat about something, but when she was, there was always a good reason for it.

  “Why’d you say that? Thought everything was going so well for us,” Chad enquired. He was a little unsettled by Francine’s mood swing, and took a bite of his vegetables to console himself.

  “Oh, I dunno, after hearing about Jake and Amy nearly kissing, I think we need to know exactly what’s going on between them,” Francine said.

  “How? Do you think we need to try something else?” Chad asked.

  A burst of inspiration rapidly came to Francine, and she now knew what her next move would be. While temporary doubts often presented themselves, Francine remembered that these were really nothing to worry about. Neither no one, nor anything, would stand in her way of getting Jake. From now on, she was not about to let her guard down where Jake was concerned.

  “I believe we’ll get what we want, but we’ve gotta be very careful,” Francine warned Chad, and he looked at her, slightly alarmed. Francine noticed this and wanted to reassure him, as she felt she might have alarmed him unnecessarily.

  “Don’t worry Chad, we’ll take care of everything — we always do,” she said, smiling at Chad. Francine’s grin became contagious with Chad, and he also smiled at her. They continued to enjoy their lunch, but Francine knew exactly what she was going to do next, and smiled with great assurance.

  Chapter Seven

  The kitchen today was a hotbed of cooking activity, with cake pans, cookie trays, and other equipment out on the kitchen bench. The sweet aromas of chocolate and coconut filled the air, similar to the interior of a continental bake house. These scents wafted out into the lounge room, and created an aura of warmth. The gleaming stainless steel oven was working tirelessly to produce confections irresistible to both the appetite, and the nose.

  Amy was alone at home, doing some cooking in her large, comfortable family kitchen. While it had been a draining day at school, Amy found that cooking was a relaxing way for her to unwind, but also, helped her family. Amy’s parents were very grateful for her efforts, and loved her cooking. Even her younger brother never refused to eat what she made, as young boys could be really fussy with their food. Cooking also took Amy’s mind far away from things like essay submissions and exams, and eased her into her own little world.

  Amy had always liked to make sweets since she was a little girl, and had produced some wonderful gastronomic masterpieces over the years. One of her favorite subjects at school was Home Economics, which she excelled at. Amy was always at the top of this class, and had won several prizes over the last few years for her cooking.

  In the past, she had made various types of exotic fare such as Greek, Italian, Danish, French, Jewish and other international delicacies. These were always well-received at school functions and fund-raising activities, and her skills were often called upon for these. Amy was seriously thinking of pursuing catering as a career, and had also catered for parties at times.

  Amy’s specialty, though, was sweets, and today she was making chocolate cookies, and coconut cookies. After inserting the baking trays into the oven, and placing her cooking utensils in the sink, Amy thought about Jake. She had not seen him for several days, and was beginning to miss him. Amy recalled their encounters in her mind, and wondered if he felt the same way about her. She remembered his friendly gray eyes, and the sound of his low, but commanding voice.

  “No,” Amy said, shaking her head, “Jake wouldn’t be interested in me. Stop imagining and get back to work,” she cautioned herself. Amy almost approached the sink to clean some utensils when the doorbell rang. This changed the entire mood of the moment, and Amy looked around her shoulder with curiosity.

  “Who could that be?” Amy enquired. Amy walked out of the kitchen wearing an apron and hair net, and gripped the door handle. Upon opening the door, Amy was faced with a very surprising sight, one which made her jaw drop.

  What she witnessed was a lush, colorful floral bouquet, which was hiding the face of the giver. Amy shook her head in amazement, and asked herself repeatedly who it could possibly be. She wracked her brain again and again, but, was unable to identify her visitor. It could either have been Jake or Chad, judging by how they had treated Amy over the last few weeks, but she did not want to become embarrassed by naming the wrong person. Amy was in a momentary dilemma, and nervously bit her lips, not knowing what to do. She finally mustered up the courage to call out a name, the person who Amy wanted it to be the most.

  “Jake, is it you?”

  The person holding the bouquet moved it away from their face little by little, and, after several tense moments, finally revealed themselves.

  “Jake!” Amy said.

  “Hi Amy, you busy or something?” he asked, presenting her with the elaborate bouquet,
which was composed of roses, carnations, and other assorted flowers. The bouquet seemed to contain every flower color imaginable, such as deep reds, violets, whites, and blues. The flowers were tastefully arranged in a lovely wicker basket, and Amy gushed just looking at them.

  “Thanks for these,” Amy said, giving Jake a wide smile. She thought it was so nice of Jake to bring her flowers; Amy had never received flowers from a guy before, and was thrilled. Jake’s gesture made her warm inside, the same sensation experienced when one puts on a warm coat on a really cold day.

  Jake watched her warmly, still waiting to hear her response to his question. He gathered that maybe she was tongue-tied, and asked Amy,

  “You going out or something?”

  Amy was still taken aback by the flowers, and nervously blurted,

  “Yes, I mean no, was just making some cookies,” Amy said, feeling immediately silly for what she said. Jake lifted his nose in the air after Amy said this, and closed his eyes.

  “Yeah, can tell — they must be delicious. If it smells good, it must taste good,” he said, eyeing Amy.

  Amy was stunned by Jake’s comment, and did not answer for a few moments. Jake was looking at her, but smiled tensely at her silence. She realized she was staring at Jake, and had forgotten to ask him inside. Amy motioned Jake to come in, and was both delirious over his visit, but also, embarrassed by how she had just acted with him.

  Amy asked Jake to sit on her sofa, which he did, comfortably settling into the plush microfiber couch. She was a little out of sorts with Jake, and again became nervous. Amy did not know what to say to him, as she was afraid she would say something dumb. Jake picked up on Amy’s hesitation, and said,

  “Sorry if I’ve caught you at a bad time, I know you’re busy and all.”

  “That’s okay,” Amy said.

  “It’s just I’ve been having trouble with some English studies, and I know you’re good at that stuff…” Jake said. Although she did not show it, Amy was secretly thrilled that Jake had asked her to help him.