“Okay. How was your day?”
I pushed Jim to a chair at the kitchen table and shared how everything went. We were just sitting down to eat when there was a knock at the front door. I went and got it while Dad served everyone. It was my camera crew. I’d forgotten about them.
“Hey, sorry. I got distracted. Were you supposed to film my family?” I asked.
“Would it be too much trouble?” Mr. Lester asked.
“I would rather you didn’t. My parents don’t need to be in the video. You’re welcome to come to dinner, though,” I offered.
We were having spaghetti, so Dad had enough for everyone. I put more noodles on because I knew Jim and I would have seconds. Jim was in a much better mood after dinner. Mom, Dad and I toned down our normal discussions because we had guests.
Mom gave Mr. Lester the third degree about their plans for the week. I found out that tomorrow I was going to run downtown. Then they were going to leave me alone until Friday and Saturday. The plan Saturday was for Eve to give a concert at the farm.
After dinner, I took Jim home. I called his sister on the way back.
“Hey, Suzanne, miss me?” I asked.
“‘Stupid boy,’ of course I miss you.”
I told her about Jim and Cassidy. I knew she was close to her brother. I’m sure that she was talking to him before I made it back home. I made a point to study because although I wanted to watch Monday Night Football, I’d made my parents a vow that I wouldn’t let my grades slip. After I was done, I went to bed early. I knew that tomorrow was going to be a long day, and needed my rest.
Tuesday October 21
PEGGY WAS WAITING FOR me when I came to school. I had finished with the video crew until Friday, so I didn’t have them stalking me. She gave me a curious look.
“When are you going to ask me to Homecoming? Or do you have another date?” she asked.
I had just assumed ...
“How about I do it right now?”
She started tapping her foot.
“You want the actual words ... my bad. Peggy, would you go to Homecoming with me?” I asked.
“I’m not sure you’re sincere.”
I threw my hands up. Was she seriously going to make me beg? I took a deep breath to calm down. My first instinct was just to go stag. Why do girls feel the need to control you? That was when it hit me. They needed to exert control if they felt they had none. Did Peggy want more out of our relationship than ‘just dating’? Did I want more than ‘just dating’ with Peggy? Why did I have to start my morning with a headache?
“Peggy, if you’re not sure, I don’t know how to convince you. I’m sorry, I made an assumption. I know we’re ‘just dating,’ and because of that, I need to be clearer if I want to ask you out ... by actually asking you out. If you decide you don’t want to go with me, just let me know, and I’ll go stag.”
I mentally kicked myself for the last comment. I should be above making snarky little remarks. I took a moment and thought about it, and it was a true statement. If she didn’t go with me, I’d go by myself. I know I’m kind of weird as far as teen guys go, but I like to dance. I wasn’t going to sit home and pine over Peggy if she didn’t want to go with me. I tried to save my last vestige of manhood and shut up. The ball was in her court. She was now in control if we went out Friday night or not.
“I guess I can’t find a better date, so I accept your invitation. My mom expects you to pick me up early so she can take pictures.”
I wondered how happy her dad would be when I showed up. I worried about that all the way to my first class.
TODAY, WOLF AND I WORKED on our lower bodies while lifting. He wanted to talk about Jim and Cassidy. I suddenly had a great idea (I know, be very afraid when that happens!).
“Do you have a date for homecoming?” I asked Wolf.
He looked at me funny.
“I wasn’t planning on going,” he told me.
“Why not?” I asked.
I then kicked myself, because I knew why not. Wolf was broke. He probably didn’t have good clothes, either. He was about to give me some lame excuse.
“Just shut up. I know why not. Will you let me help you, or am I going to have to drag you to the dance?”
“Dude, you can’t always help me out. If it wasn’t for football, I’d have a part-time job. I’d have the money I need for something like this.”
“What if I hired you?” I asked.
“David, I appreciate your offer, but I’m not looking for a handout,” he said, then sighed. “If I did work for you, it’d have to be a real job.”
I thought about it for a moment. I could go in two directions here. I could hire him to work out with me or to do some of the jobs my dad wanted me to do around the house. He already worked out with me, so I held that in reserve as Plan B.
“Can you do yard work and minor repairs?”
“What kind of work are you talking about?” he asked.
“Well, Dad was bitching that we needed to take the screens out and put on the storm windows. We also need to rake the yard and burn the leaves. When we do that I always get volunteered to do half the neighborhood. I think it’s a kind of child enslavement deal, where I work for free. Don’t even get me started on what I have to do if it snows! I’d pay good money if someone would take that on for me.”
He thought about it and then frowned.
“It wouldn’t help me for Homecoming, though. Plus, who’d go out with me this late?”
I smiled.
“I’d give you an advance on your pay, and you’d ask Cassidy.”
He saw through my evil plan.
“What about Jim? He’ll kill both of us. Plus, I’m not sure Cassidy would want to go with me,” he complained.
“Grow a pair and ask her at lunch today. If she says no, come talk to me. I’ll handle Jim,” I assured him.
After PE, I took a quick shower and then ran to Jim’s locker. I caught him before he was off to class.
“Hey, Wolf’s going to ask Cassidy to Homecoming,” I told him. “They’re going just as friends.”
He gave me a look, and then just shrugged. He knew that Wolf wouldn’t do anything that would make him mad.
“I see your hand in this. Thanks for taking care of her. Now you need to find me a date,” he teased me.
“I guess I owe you one. I found the guys at Northwestern dates, but you brought your own,” I said.
Jim gave me a playful shove.
“I’ll get you a date, but you have to treat her right.”
“You know me, I just want to go and have fun,” Jim said.
I ran to my next class so I wouldn’t be late.
AT LUNCH, I WAITED till the girls were about to drive me nuts. The models in New York had introduced me to a game I called ‘Bed, Wed, Dead.’ They called it ‘F*ck, Marry, Kill,’ but I tried to clean it up some. The basic concept was that you are given three names and you had to explain if you would just sleep with them, marry them, or kill them.
Here’s an example. Today they were doing Disney Princes: Eric from The Little Mermaid; the Beast, from Beauty and the Beast; and Aladdin, from Aladdin. Emma went first.
“I’m going to marry Eric because he’s the kind of guy that likes conversation. I’d bed the Beast, ’cause he’d be an animal in the sack. Finally, I’d kill Aladdin, because he’s a con man who steals an engaged girl from another man, and he wears a stupid vest.”
“Okay, I think I need to leave or ask who needs a date to Homecoming,” I said to change the topic.
“Hang on, are you telling us that you need a date to Homecoming? What happened to Peggy?” Maggie jumped in.
“No, I’m going with Peggy. I just have a friend who needs a date.”
The guys visibly relaxed because they realized they weren’t getting dumped. I just winked at them.
“I think we need to be careful here. David’s up to no good,” Kylie said.