Black Kat
Page 12
Morgan and Sam were pretending to watch television now, but they seemed to be listening in.
Joan stood silent, her eyes glaring into her daughter’s. After a few seconds, Gwen hunched her shoulders inward and turned to the screen again. Joan spoke, “Anne gave a very tearful confession to her mother about New Year’s. One that her mother felt the need to pull me aside about and tell me how bad of a parent I am.” Joan addressed her son. “Samuel?”
“What?” Sam answered in an innocent voice, staring at her blankly.
“You’re in big trouble, mister.” She pointed a finger at him then looked to Gwen again. “And so are you.”
“Why?” Now that Sam was included in the talk, it would get heated. He didn’t give in to the guilt trip like Gwen. He fought back. “I didn’t do shit.”
“Sam.” Joan’s voice deepened. “Do not use that language with me.”
“What’d I do?” Sam shrugged. “It was a party, Mom. Nothing fuckin’ happened. Why are you being like this?”
“Nothing happened?” Joan’s jaw dropped a little. “Oh, really? So, you’re gonna lie to me?”
There was a pause, all three of them avoiding her eyes.
Joan continued, “And what’s this I hear about you, Gwen?” Her voice shook. “Betting sex with boys and taking off your panties at the rink?”
“I did not!” Gwen looked horrified, and she sat up straight, arguing with giant hand motions. “I never bet sex! I bet the boys a kiss! I have no idea where sex got into that!”
“Did you dress like a Kats’ girl?”
“Well…” Gwen stumbled over her words, her gaze moving away from her mother’s. “Kinda…but I never said I—”
“And in front of everyone, you took off your panties and threw them on the ice?”
“They were boy shorts,” Morgan added cheekily.
“Shut it, Mr. Tanner.” Joan waved a stiff finger in his direction. “I’ll get to you in a minute.” She then turned back to Gwen. “I don’t care if they were panties or boy shorts. That is inappropriate behavior, and you should not be doing it.”
Gwen crossed her arms and angrily sat back on the couch.
“Then, you go back to Morgan’s, lying to me…” Joan placed a hand over her heart. “And saying you were being good…which you weren’t. Both you and Sam took advantage of my trust. And Gwen…” Her face was red, and she was now gesturing wildly. “You slept in Morgan’s room that night. Not on the couch, like you told me you did.”
“What the fuck, Mom? We played games all night,” Sam defended passionately. Once his anger was set off, it was hard to calm him down. “You think I’d let Morgan sleep with Gwen?” He motioned toward his friend. “Morgan didn’t do shit with her. And Anne’s such a fuckin’ prude, she twisted what happened. She’s a fuckin’ liar.”
“Samuel Roberts!” Joan looked horrified, shock on her face. “Do not talk that way to me! If your father was here, you would not be acting like this.” Her tone wavered, and it was clear she was running out of steam, her patience wearing thin.
“Sure, Gwen dressed like a little slut, but she’s not one.” Sam briefly glanced at Gwen.
“And Anne made all this up?” Joan crossed her arms over her chest. “A girl that never tells a lie? Why would she do that?”
“I don’t know.” Sam glared at the television. “’Cause she’s mad that I didn’t call her back? She’s pissed that I don’t want to see her anymore.”
“I doubt that,” Joan snapped. “And what would possess you…” She turned to Gwen, a disgusted expression on her face. “To take your panties off in front of a bunch of boys?”
“I didn’t!” Gwen’s voice was raised. “They were boy shorts! I’m not stupid enough to take off my underwear in public, Mom.”
“And you…” Joan turned to Morgan. “I’m having a very long talk with your father, young man.”
“For what?” Morgan spoke defensively, shrugging his shoulders. “For having my friends crash at my house?”
The sound of the door interrupted them. Nick walked in with his lunch box in his hand. His eyes scanned the angry faces then settled on Joan. “What’s happenin’ here, Joanie?”
“Our children are in trouble.” Joan pointed to the couch. “And your son is combatting my every word.” She burst into tears.
“Let’s just all calm down here.” Nick’s tone was soft, his arm going around his wife’s shoulders. He then turned to Sam. “What’s wrong, Sam?”
“Mom’s saying we did all this stuff on New Year’s.” Sam’s voice was much softer in his father’s presence. “And we didn’t.”
“Ask your daughter why she took off her panties at the rink.”
“Gwenie?” Nick now wrapped his arm around his daughter’s shoulders, cuddling her close. “Did you do that?”
“Daddy, that’s not how it was.” Gwen’s sweetness always worked on him.
“Then how was it?” Nick released her.
“They were boy shorts,” Gwen spoke. “I wouldn’t take off my panties in front of a bunch of horny boys.”
Nick chuckled. “And why did you do it?”
“You know those shorts the girls at the games wear? The ones you can buy in the gift shop?”
“Yeah…” Nick seemed to be more amused by the conversation then angry, his mood much different from Joan’s.
“Well, that’s what they were. I wore them under my skirt. We were racing at the rink, and Morgan said I had to give him my shorts if he won. His number was on the back, so it was a joke, he didn’t actually want them. Then, he cheated…” She sent a playful glare to Morgan. “So, I was mad. And well…” She shrugged nervously, avoiding her father’s eyes. “I threw them at him. He was being a dick.”
“And what’s the other stuff you’re being accused of?” Nick turned to Sam.
“Mom said Gwen slept with Morgan.”
“I didn’t.” Gwen put a hand to her chest, fear in her shaky voice. “Sam was downstairs watching television with Anne, so me and Morgan went upstairs to play games. We fell asleep on the couch.”
“You and Morgan?”
“Yeah.” Gwen nodded. “I told Mom I slept with Anne, because she’d wouldn’t believe me if I told her the truth.”
“Morgan?” Nick looked to him for an explanation.
“Gwenie’s right. We fell asleep by each other, but all we did was sleep. Why would I try anything with her when I knew Sam was downstairs? He’d kick my ass.”
Nick chuckled again. “Okay.” He then gestured to the stairs. “Now, get. I wanna watch Crimson West.” He shooed them, and they scurried away.
Joan sat next to him, whispering angrily, “You don’t believe them, do you?”
“Nope.” He laughed when he saw his wife’s horrified expression. He rubbed her knee and pulled her close. Her body was stiff, and she couldn’t relax in his arms. “Don’t get so upset. There’s nothing you can do about it right now. Yelling doesn’t help.”
“So, we just let them get by with it?”
“No.” Nick sighed. “You still punish them. But we’ve already punished them for New Year’s. I don’t think we need to do it again. And do you remember what you did when your mother found out you were doing that?”
“I guess.” Joan let out an annoyed exhale.
“We don’t want to push them too far away.”
“She’s my baby, Nickie.” She melted into his body as she finally relaxed, his thick hand rubbing her back. “With the boys, it was so much easier, but with Gwenie, I—”
“I feel the same way. Up until now, we had Sam and Morgan to watch over her. We got lucky and didn’t have to deal with other boys.”
“But Morgan’s not protecting her.”
“He is, just in a different way than Sam.” Nick gazed up the stairs, a tired look on his face. “And Gwen’s very attached to him. This is not just a case of a regular boyfriend. Morgan is like a part of our family. We can’t just turn on him because he’s seeing her.”
“No. We’ll have to watch them closer. Make sure they aren’t alone like that, so it doesn’t happen again. You need to have another talk with Gwenie…” He cringed. “We can’t stop them doing it, so we need to make sure they’re being safe.”
“I don’t want them doing it at all.”
“Neither do I, but it’ll happen anyway. It is happening.”
“Let’s just lock her in her room.”
“Joanie…” Nick chuckled. “She’s seventeen. You can’t do that.”
Chapter Five
Sam and Morgan were sitting at a table with a bunch of boys. They were eating their annual Sunday dinner at Benson’s. Sam was flashing his tattoo, as the guys were comparing. Morgan didn’t turn eighteen until April and was jealous he couldn’t get one yet. Gwen was with Jenny gossiping, and Anne was being viciously left out, as Gwen was still angry at her for being ratted out.
Over a month had passed since the incident and everything was healed except the girl’s relationship. The Kats were on their way to state, which had all the boys riled up. It’s all they could talk about. Morgan was starting the first game this week, and his excitement was overflowing.
“Gwen?” Anne’s mousey voice rang out behind Gwen. Both she and Jenny turned.
“Yeah?” Gwen narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
“Can I talk to you a minute?” Anne was scratching her arm nervously, not meeting Gwen’s gaze.
“Umm…” Gwen paused then stood. “Sure.” She went outside with Anne, who insisted on meeting alone. Rubbing her arms, Gwen shivered, but put on a fake smile. “What’s up?”
“I…” Anne looked like she was about to cry, her voice shaking. “Think…ummm…I…”
“You what?”
“I missed my period.” Anne bit her lip.
“Oh.” Gwen’s expression went blank, and she wasn’t sure what to say. “Well…you gotta have sex to get pregnant. I doubt Sam—”
“I’m not that naïve, Gwen. I know how babies are made.”
“Did you do it with Sam?”
“Yeah. After you went upstairs with Morgan.” Anne looked down. “That’s why I left the party early.”
“Oh…kay.” Gwen’s voice was shaky. “And you don’t do that a lot? Like with other—”
“It’s Sam’s.” Anne’s answer was sharp. “And it was my first time, so…I didn’t think about…”
“Any players leaving the ice?” Gwen laughed nervously.
“What?”
“Nevermind.” Gwen waved away the subject. “So, you didn’t use anything?”
“Sam said he didn’t…” Anne’s face was red, the subject being very hard for her to discuss. “You know…do that…in there.”
“Yeah…well…Sam lies.”
“I figured that out.” Anne’s voice was soft. “And when I tried to call him after that, he didn’t answer me. He just…did that and…just…”
“I’m sorry, Anne.” Gwen put her hand on the other girl’s shoulder. “My brother’s kinda a jerk like that.”
“Yeah…I’ve noticed.”
“How late are you?”
“About a month.”
“Wow.” A slightly sickened expression appeared on Gwen’s face. “Well…did you take a test or anything?”
“I’m too embarrassed to buy one.” Anne wiped at her eyes. “I can’t. Could you do it for me? I don’t have anyone else to help me with this.”
“Well…” Gwen’s voice showed her fear. She didn’t want to get caught buying one, either.
“Please, Gwen.” Anne’s eyes were pleading.
“Okay.” Gwen sent her a smile.
“You would?” Anne tried to smile back, but it looked more like a grimace.
“Sure.” Gwen nodded. She then glanced around the street, her gaze settling on a building. She turned back to Anne. “You got some money? I’ll go grab it.”
“Thank you so much, Gwen.” Anne breathed a sigh of relief as she pulled out her wallet.
“It’s fine.” Gwen sighed. She took the bills and walked down to the store. Grabbing the pregnancy test, she hid it behind a magazine and walked up to the counter.
“Good afternoon.” The girl greeted Gwen as she had all her customers, a generic tone to her voice. She then turned to another man that walked up to the check out. “You back from lunch, Marc?”
“Yep.” Marc relieved the cashier. He held his hand out to Gwen, motioning for her to give him her purchases. “Good afternoon, Gwen.” He was in her Anatomy class and sat directly behind her and Morgan. He was also one of Jake’s best friends and was not fond of the hockey star.
Gwen wanted to run and scrap this mission. Instead, she set her things on the counter. “Hi, Marc.” She avoided his eyes as she heard the beep of the items sliding over the glass. Then, she heard the snicker that escaped Marc’s lips, but she choose to ignore it.
“What’s this for?” He waved the pregnancy test before bagging it. “Morgan slip up?”
“What do you think it’s for?” Gwen’s answer was snippy, her stiff hand holding out the cash. Without another word exchanged, Gwen got her change and hurried back to the club. She saw Anne waiting outside. “Here.” Gwen handed her the bag.
“Thanks.” Anne hid the purchases inside her thick jacket. Her sad eyes looked downward as she wiped a few tears.
“You’re welcome.” Gwen tried to smile, but couldn’t. This was serious business. The outcome of that test could ruin her brother’s life and that terrified her. “So…” Gwen’s voice showed her slight fear, even though she was doing a good job of suppressing it. “Will you let me know how it turns out? I’ll be here for you, whatever the outcome.”
“Thanks, Gwen.” Anne swallowed hard, her nervous eyes scanning the parking lot. “You’re a great friend.”
“I try.” Biting her lip, Gwen tried to sound upbeat, but was finding it difficult.
“I gotta go.” Anne pointed to her parents, who were leaving. “I’ll see you at school tomorrow.”
“Yeah…” Gwen watched Anne walk away then let out a tired sigh. She walked back inside. She sat with Jenny, but was having a hard time keeping her mind focused on the gossip. All Jenny talked about was boys. Gwen used to be right in on it, but she pulled back a little now. Somehow, talking about her sexy number twenty-three wasn’t feeling as good as it should. She and Morgan could easily be put in the same situation if they weren’t careful.
She watched Sam, who was sitting next to Morgan, idolizing his friend as he spoke animatedly. The hockey star used giant hand motions, every word from his mouth intense. Without even hearing what Morgan was saying, she could understand it by his actions.
Looking on was Joan. She could see her daughter and her friends’ eyes glued on the boys. Turning from them, Joan regarded the Tanners. Martha and Kent were joking around with Nick at the bar. Joan excused herself from her other friends and walked over.
She made a few minutes of pleasant conversation with Martha then got down to a different issue. “Gwenie and Sam stayed over at your house on New Year’s.”
“Yeah.” Martha still kept her smile, her eyes bright like her personality. “Why?”
“I’ve been meaning to speak with you about this…” Joan was trying to be polite, but it was clear she was ready to battle. She hadn’t spoken to the Tanners about the issue, as Nick had said he would take care of it.
“About what?” Martha played with the straw in her glass, her eyes narrowing curiously.
“You and Kent letting Morgan sleep with Gwen that night and not caring.”
Hearing his wife’s words, Nick choked on his drink. He recovered smoothly then motioned toward some of their friends. He, nor Kent, seemed to want in on this conversation. They slowly gravitated toward some others, leaving the women alone.
Joan continued, “I cannot
believe you knew about it, and allowed it.”
“Joan….” Martha was still smiling, but it was clear she felt a little cornered. “It wasn’t a big deal. They were having a party, and Sam and that other girl were there, too. You allow Morgan to sleep at your house all the time, so what’s the difference?”
“There’s a big difference. Did you punish Morgan for sleeping with my daughter?”
“Joan—” Martha tried to protest.
Joan’s voice lowered so that the people near them didn’t hear. “Your son slept with my daughter, in your house, and he wasn’t punished?”
“No.” Martha’s eyes narrowed. “Besides, it is not my son you should be worried about.”
“Excuse me?”
“So…” She made a pained smile, a great anger in her underlying tone. “Is Sam graduating this year?” She laughed lightly when she saw the horror on Joan’s face. “And how many girls has he snuck home when you’re working? Because your daughter told me it’s a lot.” Martha’s voice rose from a whisper. “So, next time you want to belittle my parenting, take a look in the mirror. Now, excuse me, Joan.” Martha turned and walked over to her husband.
A few minutes later, Gwen bounced up to the bar. She tapped her father on the shoulder. He was sitting with the Tanners, all of them talking animatedly. “Daddy?”
“What’s up, kiddo?” Nick turned to his daughter, gentleness in his voice. She was his only girl and was spoiled by him greatly.
“Can I go to Morgan’s game this weekend? It’s the first game for the cup. I really, really want to go.” She then hung on her father’s arm, clinging to him. “Please, Daddy?”
“But it’s five hours away.”
“I know, but…” Fidgeting with her fingers, she looked down at the black and red friendship bracelet on her wrist that had simple white beads with Morgan’s number. She wasn’t shy about showing her great love for her number twenty-three. “It’s, like, a huge game. If Morgan wins it, he and the Kats’ll be going to state.”