“And I have a best friend to straighten me out.”
“You wouldn’t have it any other way, ‘stupid boy.’”
Mr. Hill handed me back the phone.
“Kendal wants to talk to you.”
“Hey.”
“You’re going to get me fired.”
If she didn’t have a laugh in her voice, I would’ve been worried.
“Why’s that?” I asked, playing along.
“Here I am studying for my Corporate Taxation class, and you drum up more business than we projected from now until the end of the year. If you keep finding jobs, Tom won’t need me. Anyways, good work; I’ll look like a rock star when I walk in with the Hill contracts.”
“Kendal, I won’t tell Tom if you want to take credit. I forgot to tell you, Abby Wesleyan owns a high-end interior design company, and she wants my butt on the wall of her office. Give the photo to her at cost. I think she may end up being more important than the Hills.”
“You got it, boss. Anything else?”
“Yes, we need to compensate Ava. Mr. Hill says to take 25% off the top as my finder fee, subtract expenses, and then pay her 50% for the photos she’s in. You may have to pay her through Ford.”
“David, you don’t have to do that.”
“I know, but I’m thinking long-term. We may get better-known models to do shoots with me if they know we treat them right.”
“Yep, I’m definitely getting fired. Now let me go eat some ice cream while I figure out which McDonalds I’ll be working at.”
“You got it. I almost forgot, did you set up the flyer shoot?”
“I really am going to get fired,” she laughed. “Yes, we’re doing it Friday morning. I’ll be by to pick you up at eight o’clock.”
“Stop by a half-hour earlier and Mom will make us breakfast.”
“I’m not passing up a home-cooked meal.”
We all went back to the mixer. I looked at my watch. We’d been gone twenty minutes and I was starved.
WE CAME BACK INTO THE dance and Jennie and Carol each took an arm. Tami just raised her eyebrows and let me know I was on my own.
“Hey, I think I saw a buffet. I’m starved,” I said, with my one-track mind.
I led the two Wesleyan sisters to the buffet line. Mark saw Jennie on my arm and stormed out again.
“What’s Mark mad about?” I asked Jennie.
Jennie shrugged. I had poked that bear enough. I loaded up a plate and we found a place to sit.
“I didn’t know you were coming,” Jennie flirted. “If I did, I wouldn’t have brought Mark.”
“Riiiiight. That’s why you dumped boy wonder here Saturday to go out with Mark and his buddies. You were just looking for the most fun. How was boating in fifty-degree weather?” Carol asked in a sarcastic tone.
“Shut up, Carol. David isn’t interested in hearing about that stuff,” Jennie huffed.
“At least I’m not a greedy bitch. I offered him a threesome so he could have some variety.”
“You did not. Did she, David?”
Jennie’s whining hurt my ears. It was time to give her a taste of her own medicine.
“She sure did. Too bad you don’t have a couple of hot girls who would rock my world. Carol just has the better offer on the table. You know how it is: I’m all about maximizing fun.”
Carol laughed and pulled me onto the dance floor. They were playing a slow song, so she molded her body to mine.
“I bet you she’s trying to find several girls that’ll do you after the dance.”
“Hey, can I ask you something serious?” She gave me a strange look. “Not about your sister.”
“Of course.”
“Teddy offered me a scholarship to go to Wesleyan. Would it be worth it?”
“It wouldn’t hurt you. If you’re looking to go to an Ivy League school or something similar, then this is worth your while. If you’re going to Kentucky—hint, hint—it might help you test out of a year’s worth of their courses. You could graduate in three years, or not have any pressure over four. If you’re going to be a full-time model, then it’s probably not worth the effort. I would just get homeschooled by tutors and then take the GED.”
The song ended and Jennie was at the end of the dance floor with two other girls. Carol and I burst out laughing. I shook my head.
“She doesn’t get it, does she?” I asked.
“I’ll go spell it out for her. Go find your friend and have fun. I need to go beat some sense into my sister.”
“Does she know that no guy will ever trust her if her word doesn’t mean anything?”
Carol stopped for a second and cocked her head as she realized the truth in what I said.
“I’ve never looked at it that way. I just knew I could never count on her. Uncle Teddy and Dad are big on your word being your bond. I think I’ll have this conversation with my dear sister with them present. They may have some much-needed insights that’ll help my dear sister.”
I watched her as she walked away.
I FOUND TAMI, AND SHE took my hand and found a table in a corner so we wouldn’t be bothered. We needed to get in two months’ worth of talking in just an hour.
“I have a question that affects you: what would you think if I transferred to Wesleyan, either in the spring or summer quarter?”
“I’d love it, but what about football?”
“Teddy said he’d make sure the team was competitive if I agreed to come. The other option is if modeling takes off, I might put football on the back burner.”
“What does your mom think?”
Tami knew that if my mom objected, I wouldn’t come.
“I haven’t talked to her about it. I also have to consider Peggy.”
“Greg and Angie will take over your apartment in no time.”
“They could do that. I haven’t decided, but I wanted to make sure you’re okay if I do.”
“You’re my best friend, and I’ll support you no matter what, but that doesn’t mean I won’t tell you if I disagree. I think Wesleyan, or a school like it, would be good for you. I know you’ll miss your friends, but I know you’ll make new ones. The best result would be you dating girls your own age. I get worried when I see your date is twenty-one and the way she looks at you.
“I’ve known you for a long time, and you have it in you to handle a lot. You proved that by playing quarterback as a freshman, but you’re going to regret growing up so fast. I miss the dork that played video games or talked me into playing baseball. David, I love you to death, but I’m scared for you.”
“Is that why you put the brakes on Peggy and my relationship?”
She had tears at the corners of her eyes.
“Yes. You went from an immature dork to almost grown-up over the summer. You skipped the fumbling and awkward moments. You missed the joy of freshman football where it’s just a game. Instead, your brother gave you a shortcut. I also blame your uncle. He transformed both your body and mind. What teenager has life goals?”
“But I’m so much happier. You have no idea how confused and sad I was.”
“There’s the rub. I love that you’re confident and driven. God knows, if you weren’t so young, I’d stake my claim, but I told you I’ll be your last, and you’re not ready for that. I’m not ready for that. I know you don’t want to hear this, but I need to date as well.”
She saw me stiffen. She was right. I wanted Tami only for myself, but if I wasn’t ready to marry her, it wasn’t fair to keep her locked up. I tried another angle.
“I could attend to your needs so you wouldn’t have to do that whole terrible dating thing.”
She actually laughed at me. The nerve of that girl!
“While that might be appealing—and if my first time was any indication, I might well go for that—we both know if we started any kind of a regular action, we’d be doomed. We couldn’t stop, and it would end in a spectacularly bad way.”
We’d talked about this before and I agreed with her logic, but that didn’t mean I had to like it.