“Hello, Mrs. Donaldson.” Jackson smiled.
“This is just wonderful. You two, still together…”
Hesitant to respond, for fear of sounding drunk, I leaned my head against Jackson’s shoulder and smiled.
“You kids haven’t gotten married yet, I hope!”
“Not yet,” Jackson chuckled. He could tell I was feeling the wine. And I think Mrs. Donaldson could too.
“Well, I was gonna say, I don’t remember getting an invitation, Jackson.”
“We’ll be sure you get one when it’s time, Mrs. Donaldson. We promise.”
“I wouldn’t miss that wedding to save my life.”
“Yes, ma’am. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’re gonna grab a bite to eat.”
“Oh, by all means. Go on and get y’all something. It’s all delicious. Be sure to try the shrimp!”
“Will do.” Jackson nodded. “It was great seeing you.”
“Tootles, Mrs. D.” I threw my hand up to wave bye.
“Tootles, Rebecca,” Mrs. Donaldson laughed.
Jackson put his arm around my waist and lowered his head to my ear. “Tootles?”
I covered my mouth with one hand and giggled. “I said that, didn’t I?”
The music blared as we headed toward the buffet. Cher was turning back time. How appropriate, I thought, then I saw Katie and Andrew heading our way. Katie was holding two plates, and she was walking with a purpose.
“Here, Rebecca.” She handed me one of the plates. “Eat this.”
I looked down and saw a couple of stuffed mushrooms, a crustless sandwich wedge, and three pickled shrimp. It smelled wonderful. I popped a mushroom in my mouth and began to chew. “Mmmm,” I moaned. “This is de-li-cious. You gotta try this.”
Before he could oppose, I stuck a mushroom in Jackson’s mouth. Then I picked up the finger sandwich and devoured the whole thing in one bite. “Mmmmm.” I reached over and grabbed Andrew’s drink and tossed it back, washing everything down. “Woo!” I handed the glass back to Andrew with nothing but ice left. “That’s strong!”
“Oh, dear God. You didn’t just do that, Rebecca.” Katie’s eyes moved from me to Jackson. “She cannot have anything else to drink. Trust me. She’s a lightweight. An extreme lightweight. She needs water and more food. Maybe some coffee. But no more alcohol. Or things will get ugly later. And believe me, Jackson, it won’t be fun.”
“I’m fun! Why you wanna talk about me like I’m not here?” I whined, smacking a pickled shrimp.
“I’m not talking about you, sis. I just don’t want you drinking anymore tonight. You’ll be sick. You remember what happened two nights ago, don’t you?”
“Here, Jackson.” Andrew took Katie’s plate and stacked it on top of his and handed them both to Jackson. “Take these back to the table. She needs to sit down. We’ll go get more.”
“Get me some more of these shrimp, Andrew. They’re ah-ma-zing.”
Andrew laughed. “Okey-dokey, doll face. We’ll be right back.”
“I’m sleepy.” I yawned.
“We’ve had a busy day,” Jackson said, helping me to my seat. “Here, drink some water.”
“Thanks, hunky-dunky.” I sucked down half the water. “Those shrimp’er kinda salty.”
Jackson laughed. “Would you like something sweet? I saw chocolate-covered strawberries.”
I leaned into him and ran my hand between his thighs. “I’ve got all the sweet I need right here.”
Jackson kissed me and put his hand over mine. “I have all I need right here too, babe.”
Katie and Andrew returned with more food, including chocolate-covered strawberries and white cake. They sat down and began telling us who they had talked to at the buffet. Jackson finished his beer and ate a couple of meatballs, and I finished off my water and took a bite of the cake. It was heavenly, just like everything else.
“Hi there, friends!” A short, round, red-head bounced over to our table. The name tag on her blouse had Megan written on it. “Have you guys voted yet?” She stood in place, bouncing to the beat of the music.
“Voted? No, not yet,” Jackson answered. “What are we voting for?”
“Oh! Jackson! It’s you!” She giggled. “I heard you were here. I’m so glad you came. A lot of people wanna see you.”
Jackson smiled but didn’t say anything.
“So, what are we voting for?” Andrew repeated.
“Oh! Yeah. Well, we have these ballots, see.” She held up a handful of papers and then proceeded to give us each a sheet while she continued to bounce. “We’re voting for a few silly categories… like, most changed, least changed, most interesting job, and so forth. You’ll have to mingle and talk to people to determine your answers. Maybe when you’re finished eating? Oh! And there are also a few personal questions for you to answer… like, how long have you been married, how many kids do you have, how far did you travel to get here, and so on. Does anybody need a pen?” Bubbly Megan, who was about to make me sick with all her gyrating, smiled and batted her eyes at Jackson.
“No, I think we’ve got it. Thanks,” Katie quickly answered.
“Where do we turn these in when we’re done?” Jackson asked.
“Oh! Yeah!” Megan giggled. “There’s a box by the waterfall. Just drop your ballots in the slit. I think Mrs. Liz is going to announce the results around ten o’clock, so you have about an hour to mingle.”
“Super.” Jackson smiled. “That’s my bedtime.”
Megan’s face turned the color of her hair. “Bedtime? Oh, okay. Great! Well, I better pass the rest of these out. See you guys later. Enjoy the party!” She giggled, waved, and waddled off.
“That girl has way too much energy for me,” Andrew said.
“She seemed, what, seventeen? Did she even go to school with us?” Katie asked.
“I don’t remember her, but I wasn’t a social butterfly like my boy here.” Andrew chuckled.
“Me?” Jackson laughed. “I’ve never been a social butterfly.”
“Right. That’s why a lot of people want to see you.” Andrew mocked.
Jackson shook his head, then squeezed my hand. “You’ve been awful quiet. You feeling okay?”
I smiled and nodded. “I feel great.”
“I bet you do, with a rock like that on your hand. Let me see that thing again.” Katie grabbed my hand. “Andrew, did you see this ring?”
“No, I did not.” Andrew leaned over and inspected my engagement ring. “Wow, Jackson. I’m impressed, brother.” He smiled and slapped Jackson on the upper arm. “So when did this happen? It had to’ve been today, right?”
Jackson looked at me and smiled, then nodded at Andrew.
“Well, hell! Give us some details, man!”
“I took her to that big oak behind the school.”
“It must be a pretty magical spot for her to say yes,” Andrew taunted.
“What? Kiss my ass.” Jackson chuckled, then winked at me. “She had no choice. It was meant to be. Our initials are on that tree.”
“That’s so sweet, Jackson,” Katie said. “Sounds like you put a lot of thought into the proposal.”
“Every day since we were eight years old.”
“For a ring like that, you were probably saving since then too,” Andrew said.
The four of us laughed, then Jackson put his arm around me and looked at me with the most sincere eyes. “Very few things worthwhile in life come without a cost. And she’s worth every penny.”
“Aww, honey.” I leaned over and kissed him on the mouth. “I’m gonna marry the hell outta you.”
We drank and nibbled as we continued to talk and giggle. It was so great to all be together. Everything was beyond delicious, and the conversation between us was so lighthearted and fun, it made me feel like we were still in high school. We were totally oblivious of our surroundings until we heard a loud thump come out of the speakers, followed by a sharp, deafening squeal. Mr. Walton was on the stage, adjusting the microphone,
making our ears bleed.
“Hello? Hello?” He cleared his throat and tapped on the microphone. Thump-thump-thump. “May I have your attention?” Thump-thump-thump. “Good evening,” he said, smiling at the crowd. “I’d like to welcome you all to the NHS Class of 1990 ten-year reunion.”
Applause filled the room.
“I just wanted to take a moment and say what a thrill it is to be here tonight. You were a class the faculty and staff could take pride in. Whether it was in academics, sports, or other extracurricular activities, you conducted yourselves like ladies and gentlemen.” He paused as several people chuckled. “Now, there were a few hiccups along the way.” He nodded and shook his finger at the crowd. “Like the time the boys’ basketball team took all the lightbulbs out of the girls’ locker room, and the time the FFA team duck taped Mr. Russell’s office door shut, while Mr. Russell was actually in his office.”
The crowd was rolling in laughter.
“And the time someone released all the chickens in the hall before spring break.” Mr. Walton put his hands on his hips and shook his head. “Ten years later, and I still don’t know who was responsible for that one.”
The giggling and hooting grew even louder.
“Those were just a few of the pranks I remember, but I’m sure there were many more. Nonetheless, it was all in fun. And no matter what pranks you all pulled, I want you to know you’ll always be welcome at Niceville High.” Mr. Walton smiled and raised his hands to calm the crowd’s applause. “As I close this welcome speech, I’d like to announce just a few moments ago I was informed of some very exciting and, in my opinion, long overdue news.” He looked directly at our table. “Two of our favorites got engaged today, and I’d like to ask them to come forward and lead us in the next dance.”
My throat suddenly felt like I’d inhaled half a pound of chalk dust and my stomach had more bats in it than the Marianna Caverns. I looked at Jackson, who was just as surprised as I was.
“Jackson Strickland, will you escort your new fiancée, Rebecca Sharp, to the dance floor? Everyone, please join me in wishing them the very best of luck and a lifetime full of happiness.”
As the applause grew louder, Mr. Walton motioned for us to come forward. My ears felt hot, and my lips were going numb. I desperately needed some wine, but we’d already drunk it all.
“Did you do this?” I asked him through a smile without moving my lips.
“No. I don’t know how he found out. But if we don’t get up there quick, I think they’re gonna start booing us.” Jackson chuckled.
I took an enormous breath, then we made our way toward the dance floor in front of the stage.
“I feel nauseous,” I whispered to him.
“It’ll be fine,” he said, clutching my hand. “Just breathe and smile. You look beautiful.”
We made it to the dance floor right before Kiss started singing “Forever.” Jackson pulled me around to face him. His hands slid to the small of my back and mine locked around his neck. He held me securely, yet gently, as we began to sway to the music.
I licked my lips, trying to get the feeling back in them. The crowd had formed a large circle around us, but I tried to focus on Jackson’s eyes. The bats in my stomach had turned into bullfrogs, but the more I focused on his eyes, the less they jumped. He lowered his face and kissed me on the lips, which caused another eruption of applause and whistling. I kept my eyes closed when the kiss was over and buried my face in Jackson’s collar as he pulled me in close against his body.
Nuzzling my ear with his nose, he began to sing to me softly. He kissed my earlobe and down my jaw to my chin before his hands moved up to cradle my face as the song came to an end.
“I love you, Rebecca,” he whispered, touching his forehead to mine.
“I love you too, Jackson.”
He smiled tenderly and lowered his mouth over mine, kissing me deeply. As he held me tight, hugging me to him protectively, his tongue swept against mine, and my inner core was flooded with a warm sensation.
The crowd began to clap when the song ended, but thankfully, the DJ immediately played another rock ballad, because Jackson and I were still intensely involved in our kiss. Jackson’s lips were doing things to my neck that made every hair on my body stand on ends. When his tongue traced my earlobe, that warm sensation turned into a hot tingle, and my nipples suddenly joined the party.
I ran my fingers up the back of his head, gripping at his soft, silky hair, thinking of where I’d like him to kiss me next when I was jolted from my short-lived erotic daydream by a sharp poke in my ribs. My eyelids flew open, and I yanked my head around, breaking away from Jackson’s lusty kiss, to identify the rude poker.
It was Tracy and Wendy, the terrible twosome. Shit! My body stiffened, and my mood instantly changed. Jackson cleared his throat, anticipating an exchange of words. Tracy was standing in front of us with her hand on her hip, and Wendy was smacking her gum like a cow chewing cud. They’d most definitely been hitting the sauce.
Tracy took a drink of her wine and looked at us through lazy eyes. “So, you two are actually engaged?” Her words were as slurred and sloppy as her posture. “I don’t know who’s getting the worse end of the deal here…” She giggled and threw her arm around Wendy’s shoulder. “Jackson, because he’s marrying a gutless runaway with mental issues, or Rebecca because she’s marrying a raging alcoholic with a crack baby.”
Wendy’s eyes grew big. “Oh my God, Trace! You didn’t just say that!” They fell into each other, laughing and sloshing their wine all over the floor.
“Oops!” Tracy said, looking down at the mess, and they laughed even harder. Same obnoxious, annoying laugh they’d had all through school. But now it was much worse because they were wasted.
Jackson’s body tensed.
“Hey!” Wendy cleared her throat, noticing he was ready to pounce. “We’re just kidding. Right, Trace?” She elbowed Tracy in the side.
“That’s right, just a little teasing.” Tracy reached out to pat me on the shoulder but missed and ended up swiping the air. “You know, for old time’s sake.” Then she straightened and took another sip of her wine. “We wanted to offer you both our best wishes. Ser-ious-ly.”
“Yeah! Ser-ious-ly,” Wendy echoed. “No one deserves happiness more than you two. Especially after all you’ve been through.”
“Wow, Wendy!” Tracy almost shouted. Drunk, no doubt. “Why don’t you just say because you’ve had a really shitty life?”
“Oh my God, Trace! You’re so bad!” They leaned into each other, laughing uncontrollably.
I felt my face and neck turn three shades of red as my eyes began to water and burn with anger. I was completely speechless. Absolutely without words. Sure, they were intoxicated, but their behavior was inexcusable. Forget holding Jackson back, I was about to fly into them both like a Tasmanian devil. Then I saw Katie and Andrew approaching from my peripheral. Katie was in attack mode, jaw clenched and lips pressed into a thin line of fury. I looked back at the two laughing hyenas and was startled by what followed.
“Girls!” Jackson’s voice was firm and fierce. And it got their attention right away. “I would say ladies, but it’s quite clear neither one of you know what a lady is, much less how to act like one. If you’ll excuse us, my beautiful fiancée and I have more important things to do than listen to your inebriated gibberish.” Jackson took my hand. “Come on, darling. Let’s get a drink.” He looked back at them. “And you two should get a life.”
Get a life, I thought. My childhood flashed through my mind. All the sadness I had felt, all the suffering I had endured because of those two bullies, it was so unwarranted, so unnecessary. Maybe I didn’t realize it then, but I suddenly knew. Because for the last ten years, I’d felt real sadness. Real loneliness. Real rejection. And that pain was a gazillion times worse than anything these evil she-devils had ever thrown my way.
“Wait,” I said, pulling Jackson back. “I have something to say.”
I
looked into his eyes and felt my frustration and anger melt away. I smiled, appreciating his tactfulness and chivalry. He had always stood up for me, protected me, and even fought my battles for me. But I realized I no longer needed him to do that. I realized I had already beaten the terrible twosome because I’d beaten my biggest fear and risen from my deepest, darkest sadness. By allowing myself to love again and to be loved again, my life was forever changed. It was me who needed to get a life. And because I had Jackson back in it, I had a life. A promising life, full of hope and love and joy. And no one could take that away. Ever. I would never again feel left out, unwanted, uninvited, or less than enough. Because I knew I was everything to Jackson. And he was everything to me. And that was all that mattered.
I looked at Tracy and Wendy and offered them a genuine smile. “Yes, we are engaged. He is the love of my life and I am happier than I ever thought possible. If you two put half as much effort into making something of your own lives as you put into trying to make everyone else as miserable as you are, you might find at least a sliver of happiness too. Pity, really, even after ten years, you two still choose this behavior. How lonely and pathetic your lives must be. I say this from the bottom of my heart, I’m truly sorry for you both.” I hooked my arm around Jackson’s elbow and smiled at my handsome fiancé, “Now, how about that drink, darling?”
Jackson grinned and winked at me, then we headed toward the bar.
“You bitch!” Tracy shouted and lunged forward with her hand drawn back, ready to slap me into next week.
Katie reached out and grabbed her wrist, just in time. “Honey, you’re about to get whiplash you’re gonna fly out that door so fast.” She moved around in front of Tracy and looked her right in the eye. “Now, I suggest you and your simple-minded little friend take your cheap-ass suits back to your table before I have you both charged with assault, public intoxication, and disorderly conduct.” Katie leaned in closer and lowered her voice. “In less than two seconds, I can have someone on the line who’ll be happy to give you a free ride down to the county jail in some fashionable silver bracelets. And don’t think I won’t do it. I’m a lawyer. I eat bitches like you for breakfast.”
Worth the Risk Page 25