Amy was upbeat even into the afternoon, and this was obvious in her attitude. She was more talkative, her eyes brighter, and more alive, than ever before. Several weeks ago, Amy was much more reserved, and uncertain whether anyone would ask her to the gala. After becoming close to Jake, it was the first time in Amy’s life she had felt attractive, and wanted by someone. Jake’s place in Amy’s life paved the way for her blossoming, and increasing self-confidence. Carrie was pleased Amy was finally happy, and eagerly shared in her joy.
“Amy, I’m so happy for you and Jake. Everything’s come together for both of you.”
“Thanks Carrie,” Amy replied, her mind still floating on the clouds.
“Of course, I knew it all along, so you can’t say I didn’t warn you,” Carrie said, with a cheeky smile, to which Amy responded with her own grimace. Amy and Carrie stopped in front of the school hall, and Amy looked at it with much interest. Warm memories of her evening with Jake, and her crowning as the Queen of the Gala, suddenly flashed in her mind.
“I know you won’t let me forget it,” Amy said.
Carrie shook her head, and rolled her eyes.
“Of course not,” Carrie deadpanned, with both laughing at this comment. Amy knew she could not win with Carrie; she was right, after all. She was always right, and about everything. With their pleasant moment of reflection now over, Amy and Carrie moved off, and began walking towards the center of the school.
Amy surprised Carrie by unexpectedly letting out a big sigh, which was something Amy rarely, if ever, did. Carrie realized Amy was thinking of something, but felt it was a happy, rather than sad, sigh. It was unlike like those sighs she heard weeks ago from Amy, before Jake came into her life. Amy was looking at the ground, and lifted her head, face lit up with joy. After pausing for a moment, she smiled, with Carrie all ears.
“What is it, Amy?”
“Carrie, something else happened the night of the gala.”
“What?” Carrie enquired, desperate for the next instalment of this live romance novel.
Amy was silent for a second, but not long enough to bug Carrie.
“Carrie, Jake kissed me,” Amy admitted, aglow with happiness. Just the thought of Jake kissing her was enough to make Amy melt, and turn her legs into jelly.
“Really?” Carrie asked, hands folded in front of her.
“Yeah, we were standing in front of my house when Jake kissed me. I’ll never forget it, as long as I live,” Amy said, eyes shining with contentment. Carrie smiled at her, but Amy remembered another equally important event of the evening, one which left her as breathless as the previous one. “By the way Carrie, Jake also gave me a friendship ring — here it is,” Amy said proudly, presenting it to Carrie. Carrie picked up Amy’s hand, and rested it on hers for a better glimpse of the ring. The ring shone brightly in the afternoon light, and Amy’s hand trembled a little out of excitement. Impressed with this sight, Carrie smiled lovingly at Amy.
“It’s very nice Amy.”
“Thanks Carrie. I dunno how I made it to school today — my feet buckled when I got out of bed,” Amy stated, Carrie nodding understandingly at this.
“Can see why Jake has that effect on you. He’s so nice. But be very careful,” Carrie said, suddenly acting serious.
“Why?” Amy asked, intrigued by Carrie’s announcement.
Carrie threw back her head, and smiled audaciously.
“If he wasn’t yours, I’d have him,” Carrie said, eyes flashing, and satisfied with her sauciness. “I bet if I snapped my fingers, Jake’d come running, to me.”
Amy smiled at Carrie’s comment, and nodded her head.
“Oh yeah, so James’s not enough for you, Carrie? I thought you were my friend,” Amy said, acting hurt. If anyone was a loyal friend, though, it was Carrie. She could not hurt a fly, let alone steal someone’s boyfriend.
“Of course not, one’s never enough,” Carrie replied, to Amy’s amusement. After their joking had died down, Carrie became solemn, and toned down her voice. “No Amy, I’d never do that to you, and you know it. Anyway, I’m having a hard enough time turning James into a human being — you think I’m that stupid to take on more trouble?” Carrie said, eyes wide open.
Amy smiled at Carrie, which she also did in response to Amy. Amy loved it how Carrie could always turn a situation around with humor, and make her chuckle. Carrie wanted to change the subject back to the burning topic of Jake and Amy, and asked Amy,
“Anyway Amy, what’s happening next? When’ll you see Jake again?”
Amy released another great sigh, and looked up at the bright blue sky.
“Jake’ll be coming over to see me after basketball training today.”
“I bet you can hardly wait to see him again,” Carrie responded, nodding her head.
“Yeah, I can’t wait to see him again, it’s like I haven’t seen him forever,” Amy revealed, with another great sigh.
* * * *
“I’m happy basketball training only lasted half an hour, and we get tomorrow and the next day off it!” said a player in the locker room, whilst putting on his shoes.
“Yeah, I’m with you — you’d think we didn’t have a life sometimes the way things are around here!” replied another player, who was getting dressed.
Jake listened in on this conversation with interest, and smiled. He was in the locker room after his basketball training, getting dressed. Jake had just tied his shoelaces, and was preparing his bag before going to Amy’s house. Instead of the usual hour of basketball training, it was only a half hour today. This was a reward from the coach to the players for a job well done, and, as a bonus, they were also getting the next day off.
Like Amy, Jake was also boosted by the school’s fancy dress gala, and, especially, by Amy herself. He found it difficult to concentrate during the school day, as his attention was constantly fixed upon Amy, and the beautiful moments they shared the night of the gala. Jake thought his teachers were droning on unnecessarily today, and really wanted to press the fast forward button on them.
Chad was also with Jake in the locker room, buttoning up his shirt, and fixing up his collar. Chad could hardly wait to ask Jake about the gala, and, particularly, about Amy. Although Chad had witnessed the night Amy and Jake had shared, his confidence at winning Amy once and for all was at an all-time high. Francine’s confidence about this was, at long last, starting to rub off on him, and Chad looked over in Jake’s direction.
“Amy looked great at the gala — she really was Cinderella from what I saw. She seemed on top of the world,” Chad stated.
Jake was putting some things into his locker, and froze after hearing this. He turned away from the locker, and faced Chad.
“You know, she was…” Jake looked away from Chad, and thought of Amy. “Wanna know some things about Amy?” Jake asked, feeling he had found a sympathetic ear in Chad.
“What do you mean?” Chad asked.
Jake looked at Chad with an upbeat expression.
“Amy’s one of the most genuine people I’ve ever known.”
“Really, why do you say that?” Chad asked, knowing full well that Amy was very nice.
“She doesn’t want anything in return if she does something for you,” Jake praised, face aglow when talking about Amy. “She’s my best friend.”
Chad knew he liked that type of feeling, and wished he could also experience this from Amy. He remembered the day he took Amy out to the park, and they really seemed to be connecting that day. Chad thought it was the beginning of great things to come, but it was not to be at that time.
Jake was feverishly searching for something in the room, and his eyes widened in despair. Chad was busy fantasizing about Amy, and did not notice what Jake was doing. As Chad emerged from his thoughts, he observed Jake was gazing around the locker room, rummaging for something. Chad was intrigued by this, and keenly watched Jake.
“Looking for something, Jake?”
“Yeah, I am.” Jake continued to scamp
er around the room, but, with no luck.
“What, you lost something? Maybe I can help you find it.”
Jake felt he had looked everywhere possible, and was getting nowhere fast, and looked to Chad in desperation.
“Chad, you seen my lunch cooler bag?”
Chad raised his eyebrows, and proceeded with a minor search for it.
“Nope,” Chad shook his head, and shrugged his shoulders. “Can’t see it anywhere.”
“I’m sure I left it in here,” Jake pondered, looking around the room, puzzled. He searched in various other places in the room, but could not see his bag anywhere. Jake asked a few of the other guys in the room, but they looked stumped, saying they had not seen it. Jake sighed deeply, and frowned. He tried looking in some other places, but still, with no success. After exhausting his search inside the locker room, Jake considered another place where his bag might be, and his enthusiasm returned.
“Maybe I left it outside. Yeah, that’s probably where it is.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Chad replied, watching Jake’s every move. Jake shrugged his shoulders, and walked outside in search of his bag.
Chad looked around the locker room, and over at the doorway through which Jake had just exited. There seemed to be no one in sight, and he could not hear anyone either talking, or in the shower rooms. Chad cautiously checked in there anyhow, and indeed there was no one present. A wave of excitement swept through his body as Chad plotted his next move.
“I’m gonna do it — and nothing can stop me,” Chad said, upon surveying the empty locker room. Chad checked once again no one was lurking in the vicinity, and proceeded to the clothes hook where Jake’s parka was hanging. After taking a final careful peek around the room, Chad planted an envelope inside one of Jake’s outside pockets.
Chad had gone to the trouble of taking Jake’s lunch cooler bag outside when he was in the shower, in order to lodge his envelope in Jake’s parka. Chad was highly satisfied after carrying out his act, and smiled, quickly returning to his seat, as if nothing had happened. With heart burning and face afire with passion, Chad hungrily pondered,
“I’ve done it — I’ve really done it — this little envelope’ll change Jake’s life forever. Amy’ll be mine, and mine only.” Chad had a few quiet moments alone to himself, his heart beating so fast he thought it was going to jump out of his body. Soon afterwards, though, Jake returned to the locker room, clutching his lunch cooler bag, and looking very relieved. Chad’s exhilaration was reaching breaking point, but, nevertheless, it was very well hidden from Jake.
“Found what you lost?” Chad asked.
“I’m sure I left it here, but maybe, I left it outside, and forgot about it. This stuff happens,” Jake said.
“We’ve been doing lots of training, and we’re tired, so you may’ve forgotten it. You’ve found it now, so that’s the best part,” Chad said.
“Yeah, you’re right,” Jake said, nodding his head.
Chad also nodded his head, as if in agreement with Jake’s sentiments, but internally, he was singing an entirely different tune. He said to himself very softly,
“Jake, if only you knew what I’ve done, if only you knew.”
Jake thought he heard Chad murmur something, but could not understand what he said.
“What Chad?”
Chad looked at Jake in fright, a little alarmed, thinking he would be exposed.
“Oh, nothing,” Chad said, brushing this off quickly, as did Jake, to Chad’s relief. Jake, anyhow, was anxious to see Amy, and quickly wore his parka. Chad watched him all the while, his eyes highly focused upon the pocket where he had placed the envelope. With a wide smile, Jake told Chad,
“I’ll be going to see Amy today.”
“Good luck,” Chad said, looking again at Jake, and his pocket. Jake winked at Chad, and, picking up his bag, left the locker room. Chad observed Jake as he walked out of the room, and looked over at the clothes hook where Jake’s parka was hung. His green eyes glistening, and heart full of anticipation, Chad took a deep breath, and said, with a sly expression,
“Yeah Jake, after what I’ve put in your pocket, you really will need all the luck you can get with Amy.”
* * * *
Later on the same day, Chad was going to meet Francine at ‘The Place’ to discuss things. Before going there, Chad dropped off his school bag at home, as it was heavy with books, and also contained some weighty sporting gear. After closing the front door, Chad quickly walked to ‘The Place’, as he was anxious to see Francine. There was a fresh wind in the air this afternoon, and Chad felt it energized him greatly.
Chad looked around at the quiet streets as he walked by, and admired the various homes in the area. They all had beautiful gardens, and it seemed as if their flowers were in full bloom at the present time. Chad believed this scene reflected how good he felt about himself today, and, that very soon, Amy would be his.
Francine was seated in a booth in ‘The Place’ and felt very impatient, as Chad had not yet arrived. A million thoughts were racing through her mind, and she believed for a moment she was going to jump out of the booth from anxiety. Francine tried to take her mind off things by opening her small tote bag, which she kept with her at all times.
Francine’s bag held various basics such as her purse, keys, some makeup essentials, and a small verse book. She took out her small gilt-edged mirror, and looked into it. Francine noticed her hair needed a slight comb, and retrieved her comb, and ran it through her hair. After doing this, Francine was still antsy, and tapped her fingers on the table. Francine sensed she needed something to calm her nerves, and took out the verse book, and opened it. She searched for the verse of the day, which she quickly found. It contained the following message,
“Be calm. Some good is on its way.”
Francine was a little better after reading this, and smiled, thinking maybe she was being overeager, and should just let things ride. She put the book back into her bag, and gazed out the shop’s windows, hoping Chad would soon come. Francine looked around the shop, wondering if Chad had accomplished their aim, and squinted her eyes in suspense.
“Did he do it? Did Chad put the envelope in Jake’s parka? Hope so, ’cause this is the only way for me to get Jake.”
As Francine glanced out of the shop windows, to her relief, Chad walked through the front door. His face carried a neutral expression, and Francine was unable to figure out whether he was happy, or sad. Chad eventually came over to the booth where Francine was seated, and looked her in the eye. Francine could not take any more of this teasing and, her curiosity level at its peak, asked Chad,
“Did you do it?”
Chad knew Francine was at the end of her rope, and would not last much longer, but decided to indulge her. He made himself comfortable in the booth, and took a deep breath.
“Yeah Franci, I did it — I planted the envelope in Jake’s pocket,” he said, feeling on top of the world. The forbidden nature of the entire situation added an extra dimension of excitement for both Chad and Francine. Francine’s eyes were wide with wonder, and she wanted to know more.
“How’d it go? Did you have any problems?”
Chad eased even further back into the booth, and seemed relaxed. Francine had never seen him so at ease before, and her eyes boggled in surprise.
“No probs, it all went like clockwork. I took Jake’s cooler bag outside, and when he went outside to look for it, I placed the envelope in his parka pocket. Was as simple as that,” Chad said, proud of his achievement. Francine nodded in approval, happy everything had gone to plan so far.
“Well done, Chad.”
“Thanks Franci,” Chad smiled, happy with her gratitude. Chad remembered only a few weeks back, both he and Francine were unsure whether they would ever have a chance with Amy and Jake, as their other ideas to have them had failed to have any impact. Both Chad and Francine felt their latest scheme would work, and finally get them what they wanted.
Chad smiled warmly at Franc
ine, and she did likewise. He felt without Francine’s encouragement, he would not have been able to do what he did today. Francine also knew Chad was very important to her; without him, she would not see her dream of getting Jake, ever. Chad broke the intimate mood by arising from his seat, and moving over to the bar, to Francine’s puzzlement. Francine thought Chad was easy to read as a person, but, she was realizing over time this was not the case; Chad was more complex a person than she first imagined.
“What’re you doing?” Francine asked. She saw the bar person was preparing some drinks, and Francine’s face lit up when she comprehended what Chad was doing. When Chad came back to the booth, he gave Francine her drink, and served himself.
“You always think of everything,” Francine enthused, privileged to have Chad as a friend.
“Could say the same thing about you,” he said, Francine smiling at his comment. “I think we’ve got something to celebrate, Franci.”
Francine smiled at Chad, and nodded.
“Chad, that little envelope of ours is just enough to split Amy and Jake wide apart.”
Chad also nodded, in harmony with Francine’s sentiments. By now in an utterly decadent frame of mind, Francine raised her drinking glass to make a toast, to Chad’s delight.
“Yeah Chad, let’s make a toast to Amy and Jake — may they never find their way back to each other, but instead, to us,” Francine stated. Francine looked at Chad with conviction, and he did the same with her. They could not turn back now — the only way for them was onwards, and upwards.
The Great High School Love Game Page 15