The rest of the meal was very enjoyable. Jennie visibly relaxed when she saw that her mother was being nice to me. After the meal, most of the table was having coffee and people started to stop by. Jennie enjoyed showing me off to her classmates. That was when I finally got to meet Alistair Winston. Both Carol and Jennie stiffened for a moment when he walked up. I got the idea that neither liked him. He was perfectly charming. He stayed for a moment and then went on.
I was irritated when Mark came to the table.
“Well, hello, Mark,” Abigail greeted him warmly. “It’s nice to see you. How is your football team doing?”
“It’s nice to see you and Mr. Wesleyan. We ended up in a tie with David’s team and one other. It looks like we’ll be having a coin flip on Monday to determine who gets to go to State.” He turned to Jennie and said, “I was wondering if I might have a moment of your time.”
“Actually, why don’t we take a walk,” I said and stood up.
I think he thought I was going to go outside and kick his ass. Actually, everyone at the table thought that. I’d had enough of his interfering. We went into the bar area and found a seat. It was funny how I was now having my second unpleasant conversation in a bar on the same weekend.
“Mark, I’m going to be blunt. I’m tired of the crap you’ve been pulling. You’ve inserted yourself in Jennie and my relationship twice. I don’t know how much clearer things could be after last night.”
“But I love her.”
I shook my head. I was going to be nice, but I was fifteen; I wasn’t fifteen going on 30. Teenagers say shit to each other that’s hurtful and take glee in doing it.
“Mark, that’s bullshit and you know it. If you loved her, you wouldn’t have hit on that pretty blond.”
“You have no idea how I feel about her,” he said, his nostrils flaring in anger.
“Sure I do. You’re so insecure you’ll do anything to control her. I’ve seen you lie, manipulate, and I saw you almost cheat on her. You don’t love her. If you did, you’d never treat her as if she were your property. Plus, you’ve never considered how Jennie feels. Have you asked her?”
His face turned red.
“Bite me!”
I gave him a tight smile.
“Your daddy isn’t here to protect you. You’ve seen me put down bigger guys on the football field. That was within the game. Here there are no rules. I’ll hit you so hard that you’ll beg to go back to California. Then I’ll tear that million-dollar arm off and shove it up your ass. So, cool it.”
He saw that I meant every word, and he believed that I could back them up.
“I’m done playing with you. We both know who the better man is. You heard her scream every time she climaxed for me. You can’t even make a girl whimper. Do you really want to be the next guy after she had me? She’ll laugh you out of her bedroom. You need to stick to virgins that have no idea what real sex is about. You’ll never be able to make a girl as satisfied as Jennie was last night.”
Each word seemed to beat him down. I thought for a moment he would take a swing at me, but he saw the fire in my eyes. I just crossed my fingers and hoped he wouldn’t see through our ruse.
“I think you owe her an apology,” I said. “Why don’t we go back, and you spend a few minutes letting her know that you’re just friends. And if I hear about you even sniffing around her again, I’ll end your football career.”
He nodded his head and we went back to the table. I sat down without saying a word.
“Can we talk for a minute?” Mark asked Jennie.
She looked at me, and I nodded my head. She got up, and they walked off.
“What was that about?” Abigail asked.
“Mark has a crush on Jennie. I gave him some advice about just being her friend.”
“Why?” Carol asked.
“Simple: she can do better than him, and he finally knows it.”
“Yes, I think she can,” Abigail laughed.
“Teddy was right,” Jerald spoke up. “You’re pushing her too hard. Jennie has a good head on her shoulders. Heck, she found this one.”
He pointed at me.
“Yes, this one could be special,” Carol smirked. “Teddy said that David tried to straighten him out last night. When was the last time you heard that, Dad?”
Jerald looked surprised.
“What did you tell him?”
I was sure Teddy was the kind of man that wouldn’t appreciate me talking about him.
“Sir, with all due respect, you should talk to Teddy about our conversation.”
Abigail’s eyebrows went up.
“Jerald, I think you’re right. Jennie has good taste in men. I think we should take credit for that.”
Everyone laughed. Parents do need to take credit when their kids do something right. Jennie came back to the table, and I stood up to help her into her seat. She wrapped me in her arms and made me forget my name. She put her forehead on mine so she had my full attention.
“Thank you. I don’t know what you said, but thank you.”
“What are the plans for this afternoon?” Carol asked as we sat back down.
“I want to spend some time with David, so I was going to get my clothes for tonight and take them over to Uncle Teddy’s. In addition, I haven’t seen David’s suit. I want to make sure everything looks right.”
“Why don’t we all get our stuff and go to Teddy’s?” her mother said. “I know your dad and I want to talk to him. I’ll call the hair and makeup gal and have her go over there.”
Jennie had been outmaneuvered, and I gave her a little smirk. We all went back to Jennie’s home so that everyone could get their clothes.
TEDDY WAS ASTONISHED to see me bring the whole family back. He led us all into his solarium. The view of his gardens was so cool that I zoned out, just enjoying the space. That was until I heard Teddy use my name.
“David told me that I’m paranoid because I think that everyone’s after my money. Then I see the clothes he’s wearing, and I realize I’m right.”
The heck with it. I’d already warned Teddy that his assumptions pissed me off. I liked him, but this paranoia about money was infuriating.
“Teddy, you’re clueless,” I blurted.
Everyone’s eyes were on me. The color drained from a few faces. Abigail’s mouth twitched as if she wanted to smile, which gave me the courage to continue.
“What Jennie did was give me a gift. She knew that most of the guests, including you, would look down on me if I came to the party dressed in what I own. She wanted to make me feel comfortable and make her proud to have me on her arm tonight. She also knows that I’m a high school student and don’t have access to the funds needed to buy nice clothes. So she made me a gift,” I repeated myself.
“My point exactly, you needed money and she gave it to you,” Teddy said and seemed pleased with himself since he felt I’d just proved his point.
“Teddy, you seem like a nice person, but you’re really annoying when you get on this money shtick. Giving a gift makes me feel good. However, if the recipient rejects it because it’s too much, it makes me feel like shit. I graciously accepted Jennie’s gift in the spirit it was given. I didn’t ask for it or hint around. Jennie wanted me to look good while I was here. I wanted her to be happy. You cheapen both of us when you make it sound like I’m taking advantage of her.”
There was silence. One glance at Jennie and told me that I was on my own. Teddy’s expression was unreadable. Then Jerald saved the day by laughing. That got everyone to stop holding his or her breath.
“When was the last time anyone told you something you didn’t want to hear?” Jerald asked.