by Mark Tufo
“Don’t worry about them,” Kevin said, getting in behind her.
“Oh I wasn’t,” Callis turned and smiled at him.
“Want to sit with the jocks…or would you rather we sit alone?” Kevin asked.
“Oh, I think I’d like to see you in your true element.”
Mindy shot daggers with her eyes as they walked past. Callis lifted her tray a little higher so that Mindy could see the ‘bird’ she was flipping her.
“You bitch!” Mindy screamed, quickly standing up, knocking over Talea’s Jell-O as she did so.
“Miss Denton, principal’s office now!” Mr. Hembree the Geometry teacher said from across the cafeteria. It was his rotation to monitor the school lunch hour this week. A task that invariably led to a five-day-long bout of heartburn…and usually a migraine or two. It was only Monday and he could feel the pressure already beginning to build behind his eyes. This week was going to be a doozy.
“I didn’t fu...do anything!” Mindy said, catching herself.
Mr. Hembree merely pointed. The entire cafeteria became as quiet as an un-haunted morgue. Some kids laughed as she walked past, but most remained quiet and did their best to ignore the entire event.
Callis was the one to break the preternatural silence. “Oh, Kevin, you’re so funny,” she said, stroking his arm and laughing at something apparently witty he had said.
Mindy’s face reddened as she slammed open the far doors.
“One day, one damn day you couldn’t make it through without getting into trouble! What is the matter with you?” Mr. Denton was pacing back and forth while Mindy sat huffing and puffing in one of the chairs in the living room. Mrs. Denton sat in the other, not saying anything, but shaking her head from side to side in disgust on occasion.
“You don’t understand!” Mindy said voluminously. “She flipped me off! ME!!!”
“After what you did on Saturday, you’re lucky that’s all she did, if she even did that!” He matched her increasing volume.
“So what, now you don’t even believe me? Your own flesh and blood, over that piece of trailer trash that’s screwing over your precious Kevin!”
“I’m truly at a loss, Mindy. I just don’t know why you are behaving this way. It makes absolutely no sense. You have everything you could possibly want or need. You’re beautiful, captain of the cheerleading squad, an honor student and that’s not good enough for you?”
Mindy ‘pahed’.
“You feel the need to bully others that aren’t as blessed as we are? Is that it? Or is it because you feel so superior to all the other peasants,” he said sarcastically.
“It’s not that!”
“Then tell me. I want to know. I think I might need to know. Why are you so openly hostile to this girl? And not even just her, I went to the school today after you were sent home early. I talked to some of your teachers.”
Mindy’s eyes got momentarily big, like she had just got caught with her hand in the cookie jar. She immediately put her game face back on. “Why would you go to my school?”
“Your teachers didn’t have very many flattering things to say about you. I could tell they were uncomfortable talking about it, but the general consensus I was able to pull away is that you’re an elitist antagonizer. You can’t even believe how much that hurt me and your mother to hear those words.”
“It’s all about you and mom,” Mindy said defiantly.
“Go to your room. I can’t stand to look at you right now.”
She got up as if she had just finished watching MTV and was heading off to bed. Mr. Denton noted that the entire encounter had not even fazed her.
“I don’t know...I don’t even know what to say,” Mr. Denton told his wife as he walked to his liquor cabinet. He was so upset he didn’t even take notice of how similar to water his vodka tasted.
The rest of the school week went by without any more drama between Callis and Mindy as the latter was relegated to in-school suspension at the bequest of her father. He thought she needed some time to cool off and contemplate her actions. He did not hold out much hope that it would help, but he figured it couldn’t hurt.
Callis went to the Varsity football game that Friday night where the Rebels were trounced 42-14. Kevin had dressed for the game, as all freshman players were, to support the team, but he had not played. He made sure to turn and wave to her in the stands at every opportunity that he got. The game Saturday morning was much more to her liking as the Kevin-led junior varsity team pulled out a squeaker 13-12.
“Come on Talea we’ve been friends since the third grade, you’ve got to help me,” A desperate Laura asked her fast-becoming acquaintance.
“If Mindy even found out we were still talking on the phone she’d kill me. Being seen with you at school could be bad for me, Laura,” Talea replied.
“How do you think this is going for me, Talea? I’m almost invisible in school. No one from the cheerleading team will even look at me. I got asked out by Scott Garrison for God’s sake. The loser figured I had fallen so far from grace that maybe I was in his realm now. And you know what’s scary, Talea, I thought about it.”
“Wait…you thought about going out with the chess club vice president, the one with all the pimples? Laura, he probably weighs less than you.”
“Talea, it’s the first person at school besides teachers that will talk to me. I’ve never felt so alone in my life.”
“Maybe you should apologize to Mindy.”
“I have and I’m telling you I didn’t do it. Listen, it’s easy. I’m going to get Callis alone in the bathroom. I just need you to hide in a stall and be my witness. Mindy won’t believe me, but she’ll believe you.”
“I don’t know, Laura. You know how pissed Mindy can get, I don’t want to be like you.”
“I’ll buy you a new outfit.”
“From Macy’s?” Talea asked, perking up. She was going to do it anyway; she figured the scene would yield some drama and she wanted in, but what the heck, a free outfit was a free outfit.
“Sure…Macy’s. Thank you, Talea. You’re my only friend. So tomorrow then?”
“Yeah, whatever. I’ve got to go, Mindy is ringing through.”
“Bye.” Laura said to a dead line.
“It took you three rings to answer, what were you doing?” Mindy asked.
“I wasn’t expecting you to call. I thought you were grounded from the phone,” Talea replied smoothly.
“The parental units went out. Luckily they left the key to the liquor cabinet in the same spot.”
“Where’s your brother? Won’t he rat you out?”
“Oh, I’m sure he would but he’s with Calitosis.”
“Who?”
“Are you really that thick?” Mindy asked. “I can’t stand to call the bitch by her real name so I made something up.”
“Oh, I get it now.”
“We’ve got to do something to get him to break up with her.”
Talea thought Mindy spent way too much time worrying about who her brother dated, but she decided not to say anything out of self-preservation interests. “Got any ideas?”
“I’m thinking that cow Laura might be good for something after all. If she could somehow lure him away from her, maybe I’d consider her a friend again. Maybe when we hang up you should let her know…or is she still waiting on the other line?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Mindy.”
“Well that’s usually the case isn’t it? Call the cow, let her know.” Mindy hung up without so much as a ‘bye’.
Talea stared at the phone for a moment, making a hundred percent sure there was no connection and then said ‘bitch’ before dialing Laura back.
“Hey, Laura, there might be a better way to get into Mindy’s good graces.”
“What is it?” Laura fairly begged.
“Do I still get a new outfit?”
“Yes, fine a new outfit, what is it?”
“Mindy says if you can get Kevin away from
Callis, then you’ll be friends again.”
“How can I do that? He looks like he’s in love with her.”
“Use your mouth.”
“What?”
“Come on, Laura, Barry told me all about what you did at Chris Farrera’s party last month.”
“He said he wouldn’t say anything.”
“Come on, you give blow jobs to three different guys in the same night and you think no one’s going to find out? Maybe you shouldn’t be Mindy’s friend.”
“I’ll do it, I’ll do it. Tell her that. But how?”
“The football players are having a party tonight. Kevin will be invited.”
“How am I going to get in?”
“I’ll vouch for you and I think Mindy might, too.”
“Is Callis going to be there?”
“How do I know? That’s your problem.”
“Thank you, Talea, thank you...(the line went dead)...so much,” she concluded.
Cars lined both sides of the roadway on the well-to-do cul-de-sac. High school students were streaming into the house and loud music blared across the lawn every time the front door was opened.
“Hey, Kevin, glad you could make it!” Bob Rossi a senior offensive lineman said as he clapped the freshman on the shoulder. He was nearly twice the size of any other person in the room and had the affectionate name of Ted as in ‘Teddy Bear’. But on the playing field that persona went away completely. He took it as a personal affront if anyone touched his quarterback. Kevin was saddened to think that Bob would be graduated before he had a chance to play with him.
“Glad to be here,” Kevin told him.
“Hey congratulations on your win today,” Bob told him. Varsity was not obligated to watch the junior varsity games. “You played a hell of a game.”
“You were there?”
“Yeah, the coach wanted to know what I thought.”
“About what?”
“You don’t know? Well I can tell by that expression on your face that you don’t. Pender ended up with a concussion last night. He’s gonna be out for a couple of weeks. I love Paulson, he’s been my friend since pre-school, but I don’t think he’s all that good of a quarterback. So Coach wanted me to scout you and tell him what I think. And I think you should be starting.”
“For the varsity team? Are you kidding me?”
“Nope I don’t joke around. It takes too much energy to just not be up front. Sit, sit, you look like you’re about to crap yourself. You’ll be fine, I’ll watch your back. Just don’t go scrambling off in the flats like Pender did and you won’t get your head nearly torn off. Have a beer, celebrate,” Bob said, getting Kevin a cold can. “That hot girlfriend of yours coming?”
Kevin shook his head. “She said she couldn’t get the chill out from this morning’s game and thought she might be catching a cold.”
“And your sister is still grounded?”
Kevin nodded.
“Damn, two hottest chicks in the school and neither one is coming. Well at least Talea will be here and I think Laura. Alright, my man, I’m gonna go be social and shit…make yourself at home. Don’t do any Jay Cutler shit.”
“What?” Kevin asked, putting his beer down.
“Jay Cutler, you know the quarterback for the Bears…used to play for the Broncos…got drunk and hurt himself.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Alright. There’s a beer pong game going on downstairs. I’m heading that way.”
“I’ll be down in a minute. I just need to digest this.”
Bob was laughing as he headed down into the basement.
Kevin finished up his beer and headed downstairs.
“Come on, come on, man. You’re my new partner. Paulson can’t hit shit!” Bob shouted.
“Hey Derek,” Kevin said sheepishly.
“It’s cool man, don’t feel bad,” Derek said. “I plan on fighting my hardest to hold my spot, but if you’re the best person to right our ship, then I’ll back you a hundred percent.”
“Thank you.”
“Now go help Ted. I’ve been missing on purpose so I can go talk to Shea O’Hara.”
It was an hour later and four matches before the pairing was finally defeated.
“Good thing,” Kevin told Ted. “Otherwise I’d be floating away.”
“I’d say just go outside, but I got a couple of neighbors that I swear patrol out there with night vision goggles just so they can bust teens taking pisses. I got three citations last year, cops told me that if they had to come out again for that, the fine was gonna be like five hundred bucks.”
“That’s steep.”
“Yeah it is, so there’s a bathroom on the main floor, look for the line. If it’s too long, go up to the top floor. My folks have a bathroom off their bedroom.”
“They won’t mind?” Kevin asked, a little foggy in the head.
“Aren’t quarterbacks supposed to be smart? Don’t worry, man, they’re not in there.”
“I guess that’s a good thing.”
“Come back when you’re done, we’ve got the next round.”
Kevin nodded, but he didn’t think he should drink any more…at least for a while.
Talea watched as Kevin stumbled away. She sent Laura a text message, ‘he’s on the way 2 u.’ “Now where can I go to watch?” she asked.
“What, Talea?” Betsy Foundry, one of the girls on the cheerleading squad asked above the din of the music.
“I’ll be right back,” Talea told her.
Kevin got to the main floor. The line to the bathroom was a good eight or nine people deep and looked about double that because of his alcohol induced vision. “Upstairs,” he mumbled. “I can’t wait that long.” All of the doors upstairs were closed, he opened the first one.
“Occupado!” someone shouted, a girl’s voice laughed in the background.
“Sorry!” he said, moving to the next. It was the linen closet. He pondered urinating on the stack of towels for a moment he had to go so bad. “Sorry,” he mumbled to them also.
The next door he knocked on cautiously, when no one responded, he entered. The size of the room led him to believe he was on the right path. “Awesome,” he said as he got across the room and turned on the light to the bathroom.
He placed his hand against the wall and braced himself as he relieved his over-filled bladder. He was there long moments. “Holy shit…how long am I going to have to do this?” he asked. He was getting tired of standing in the awkward position. “Friggin finally,” he said, pushing himself off the wall and flushing the toilet. He was still fumbling with his fly as he stepped into the bedroom.
“Oooh…sorry,” he said when he realized he wasn’t alone. He tried to leave as quickly as possible, thinking that perhaps Ted’s parents had returned and were now in bed. Or worse, he had not noticed them when he came in and had disturbed them while they were sleeping.
“What’s your rush?”
“Callis?” he asked, trying to see through the murkiness of the room, wising he had not shut the light off.
Laura bristled at the mention of the name but continued to play the game. “Sure, if you want me to be.”
“Wait...what? Laura? What the hell are you doing here?” Kevin asked, flushed with embarrassment and now more aware that his fly was still open.
“Oh come on, you know he wants to come out and play,” she said seductively as she crawled across the bed.
“Laura, shouldn’t you have your head up my sister’s ass or something?” he asked, finally figuring out the mystery of his zipper. “Oh, that’s right, you’re not allowed up there anymore. How’s it feel to breathe normal air without the taint of my sister’s shit?”
“You don’t understand,” Laura said. Kevin thought she might be beginning to cry. “Without your sister I’m nothing.”
“So what is this all about? You think if we get together my sister will have to like you again? Trust me Laura you’re better off without her.”
“Something like that, and no, I’m not better off without her.”
“I feel sorry for you, Laura, I do. But I’m in love with Callis, and nothing you could offer me here is going to change that.” And with those words, he walked out.
Laura sat on the bed and cried.
“Well that didn’t work.”
Laura jumped as Talea came out of the bedroom closet.
“You scared the hell out of me! How did you get in there?” Laura asked. “And what were you doing in there?”
“Thinking. I’ve got an idea.”
“I’m listening.”
“This still might work.”
“How?” Laura asked.
“Okay, so Mindy doesn’t really care if you and Kevin go out…only that Kevin and Callis aren’t.”
“Almost the same thing isn’t it?”
“No, so he wouldn’t let you do anything, but that doesn’t mean we can’t tell everybody that you did,” Talea said with a devious slant.
Callis could hear the whispers as she and Kevin walked past, fingers pointed, conversations hushed as they approached.
“What is going on?” Kevin asked as they walked down the hallway that next Monday morning.
“Hello, lover,” Laura said loudly from her locker.
“What?” Kevin looked at her quizzically.
“What’s that all about?” Callis asked. She didn’t yet know why, but she was getting butterflies in her stomach. Something was amiss.
“Don’t you have Algebra first thing on Monday’s?” Kevin asked.
“Yeah.”
“We’re there. I’ll see you for lunch.”
“Oh right,” Callis said when she realized they were outside her first period class.
Kevin kissed her lightly on the lips and walked away. Callis stepped into the room and turned to watch him as he walked away.
One of his teammates clapped him on the shoulder and was smiling. “You dog!”
“What?” she saw Kevin answer.
Just then, Mr. Pembroke entered his classroom. “Let’s go, Miss Rose, there will be plenty of time to socialize later. Right now there is a surprise quiz with your name all over it.”