After dinner, we all went to the ballroom where a band was playing. They had a table reserved for their family. Carol saw some of her college friends and invited them to sit with us. I found myself sitting with seven girls. I was happy that Jennie laid claim to me, which kept Carol’s friends at bay. A slow song came on, and I asked Jennie to dance.
I slid my hands under her jacket and rested them on her back right above her skirt. She put her hands around my neck.
“Thank you for tonight. I appreciate you being a gentleman.”
“I was told that I had to be on my best behavior.”
“I hope that wasn’t on my account.”
“No, I’ve gone through some girl-related issues over the last few weeks. Tami wants me to go out and have fun without the pressure of a relationship.”
“Are you saying you’re not interested in me?”
That one took me by surprise.
“To be honest, I hadn’t thought about it.” I could tell that was the wrong thing to say, so I tried to recover. “It’s not you. That came out wrong and sounds horrible. Let’s just tell it like it is. I am a ‘stupid boy’ at times and as such, I act like a jerk. Jennie, if I took two seconds to think about it, I would want to go out with you. As a matter of fact, I’d love to see you again.”
“Nice save. I... well... shoot.”
I felt someone tap me on the shoulder.
“Do you mind if I cut in?”
I turned to find Mr. California, Mark. I remembered his dad’s advice and looked at Jennie. She gave me a slight nod, and I allowed Mark to take her in his arms. I walked back to the table and sat down. I tried to decide if I was pissed or not. I watched their body language, and Jennie didn’t look comfortable. Mark tried to move closer a couple of times, and she moved back to keep her distance. She didn’t say a word to him, and I could see that Mark was talking and glancing over at me.
It looked like Mark said something that pissed Jennie off. She stormed off the dance floor and went to the women’s bathroom. After a while, I looked around and Mark was missing. At midnight, the band quit playing and everyone was leaving. It started to look like I’d been stood up. Carol and her friends had left earlier, so I didn’t know anyone, and I was an hour from home. I walked out front to see if the driver was there. I was truly stranded. It was now 12:30.
I didn’t have Jennie’s cell number. I then called Tami, but she didn’t pick up, so I left her a voice mail to let her know what was going on. Crap!
I finally gave up and called Greg. Of course he’d been drinking, and I could tell he was in no shape to come and get me. I talked to one of the valets, and he agreed to take me to a motel not far from the club. Luckily, I had enough cash to get a room for the night.
I went to sleep and vowed I would take a break from dating. I’d had a good time tonight until Jennie disappeared.
Chapter 28 – Call Off the Dogs
Sunday October 27
Tami made the mistake of waking me up Sunday morning.
“David, I just got your message. Are you pulling my leg?”
“Bite me, Tami. Why would I lie about this?” I asked and then hung up.
Okay, it wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but I was mad. I looked at the time, and it was 8:00 a.m. I called home and Mom answered.
“Hey, Mom, we may need to skip church today. I’m over an hour from home, and I need a ride.”
“Do I even want to know?”
“It’s not that bad. Tami set me up on a date, and the girl got pissed at someone else. She stormed out, leaving me to fend for myself. I called Greg last night, but he’d been drinking so I didn’t even tell him I needed a ride. I got a motel room and waited until this morning to call you.”
I saw that Tami was trying to call. I just ignored it. I gave Mom my address, and she said she and Dad would come get me. I hated that they were going to kill their Sunday morning by bailing me out. I couldn’t wait until my sixteenth birthday when I’d be able to drive myself.
I cooled down and listened to Tami’s voice mail. It asked me to call her. She knew me well enough to know that when I got mad I got over it quickly. So she learned to let me work through it and not to bother me. I dialed her number.
“Hey.”
“David, I’m sorry. I thought you were joking around. I have a call into Jennie to find out what happened. So how did you get home?”
“Who said I was home?”
“Oh wow! Where’d you spend the night?”
“You know what, Tami? Can we drop it? The more I talk about it, the madder I get.”
“Sorry.”
“Look, it’s not your fault. I think I learned my lesson last night. I’ve been treated like an afterthought by the last four girls I’ve gone out with. I’m done. Don’t set me up on any more dates, and don’t bother bringing anyone home for Thanksgiving.”
It wasn’t up to me to decide if she brought friends home.
“Well, you can bring friends home, but don’t expect me to go on a date with them.”
“I don’t blame you. What do you want me to do about Jennie?”
“Nothing! Your scholarship is in place because of her uncle. I’ve seen how much her family’s wealth influences people around here. I imagine it’s ten times worse at Wesleyan. I don’t want you to be hurt by any of this. If anyone asks, I had a great time.”
“What should I tell everyone about you not dating? You do know that they’re wanting to go out with you, many for the wrong reasons. I thought Jennie had it together and was self-confident enough to be a good match, but I need to tell them something.”
“I figured. Tell them I’m slammed with football and need to focus on that right now. I know that not everyone is a self-centered bitch at your school, and I’d hate to ruin it for everyone else, but I can’t handle this right now. Maybe by Christmas I’ll be in a better frame of mind.”
“David, I’m still shocked that Jennie stranded you. It’s just not like her. I actually like her a lot. It’s going to be hard for me not to say anything. But if you say I can’t, I won’t.”
“Tami, I trust your judgment. I also don’t want you losing a friend over this. I know you’ve worked hard to fit in. You know that I care for you and only want what’s best for you. You decide.”
“I’ll make this up to you.”
I could tell that Tami was shaken. She obviously liked and trusted Jennie.
“Hey, you know me better than that. No make-up is required. I know you didn’t do this to be mean. I’m either having the worst run of luck with girls, or I have a ‘kick me’ sign on my back.”
We spent the next few minutes talking, but she needed to go to breakfast with her suite-mates so we hung up. Thirty minutes later Mom and Dad showed up, and we hit a local diner for breakfast. When we took our seats, I noticed Jennie and Mark were at a table near the back. She saw me and looked confused. She got up and came to our table.
“Where did you go last night?”
What was she talking about? I just ignored her question.
“Jennie, I would like you to meet my mom and dad. They drove up to get me this morning after you left me stranded.”
“Mark said ...” she started, and then it dawned on her.
I saw her go from confused to beet red as she stormed over to their table. We could hear her as she screamed at him. I saw his dad come from the bathroom, and she screamed at him too. She put her hand out and Mark’s dad gave her his keys.
“How are we supposed to get home?” Mark yelled.
“You didn’t seem to mind stranding my date last night! You told me he’d left with that skank, Kelly! You can walk back to California, for all I care!”
My mom looked at me with a straight face.
“I think I like her.”
“Careful, David, if your mom starts to approve of your girlfriends, something’s wrong,” Dad chuckled.