“I figured that. However, she may not want to talk with me. She hasn’t since the beginning of the school year.”
I suddenly remembered that Jackie was a former member of Kristen’s old circle of friends. I shrugged my shoulders and said, “You should try to talk to her at the party on Friday. She has changed, but she’s a wonderful person.”
Jackie cast her eyes downward. “Yeah. We all were a bit stuck up.”
“You know that Patrice is coming, right?”
Jackie looked surprised. “She is? I didn’t know she was invited.”
“Well, Patrice is a friend of mine from way back, and she’s still friends with Kristen. Her brother Jack is also going to be there. I don’t think Kristen is avoiding her old friends, Jackie; she’s just avoiding her old attitudes. Try talking to her at the party.”
Jackie thought this over and said, “Maybe. I guess it can’t hurt.”
I watched the cheerleader walk away. She was a cute girl, a bit smaller in stature than Camille was. Jackie’s face looked a lot like Camille’s; I imagine she’s what Camille would look like with darker hair.
On Friday, the day of the party, I noticed that Sherry seemed a bit nervous about something.
“Hi, Sherry,” I said, smiling at her. “What’s up?”
“Um… can we talk in private during lunch?”
“Sure,” I said. “What’s up?”
“I’ll tell you then.”
The class bell rang and History class started. I found my seat and forgot about Sherry as I concentrated on the Holy Roman Empire.
At lunch, I saw Kristen and after we kissed, she said, “Sherry wants to talk to you, alone. I know what it’s about, and I have no problem with it.”
“You have no problem with what?” I asked.
“I’ll let Sherry tell you. But just remember what I said.”
I was confused. Kristen hadn’t said much of anything. I spied Sherry as she entered the lunchroom, and Kristen told me to go over to her.
“Hi, Sherry. What’s up?”
“Can we go, like, to the music room?” Sherry asked, nervously.
“I guess so,” I said. I was a little apprehensive, since I usually associated lunchtime music sessions with other people to have a more romantic theme, but since Kristen told me she had no problem with whatever Sherry wanted, I decided it would probably be safe. If not, I had a good explanation if I had guessed wrong.
Neither one of us said anything as we walked to the music room. A hall monitor spotted us, and I pulled out my Music Room pass, and told the monitor that Sherry and I were going to the room to practice. I figured that the monitor wouldn’t know whether or not Sherry was in the band.
The monitor gave a quick glance at my pass and let us continue.
After we got out of earshot of the monitor, I giggled to Sherry. “Probably anything typewritten on something that looks like a pass would be accepted, but I never had the nerve to try that.”
Sherry gave a nervous giggle in response.
I wondered why Sherry was so nervous. Was there something happening with Dale?
We got to the music room, and I let Sherry in.
I was somewhat anxious to find out why she was so nervous. “So, what’s up? You’ve been acting very jittery today.”
“I found Kristen yesterday before your band practice, and talked with her while my bus left. She then offered to drive me home, and we finished talking.”
I nodded, getting a bit impatient. “What were the two of you talking about?”
Sherry hemmed and hawed, and then finally said, “I need to invite a boyfriend to a thing with the cheerleaders tomorrow.”
It suddenly dawned on me that tomorrow was Saturday; the day that Camille had told me was the cheerleaders’ initiation. “Um, I’m not really your boyfriend, Sherry.”
“I know. Camille suggested that you were pretty trustworthy.”
So, both Camille and Kristen knew about this. “What do you need a boyfriend for?”
“They won’t tell us, not even Camille. She said it’s a tradition. Jim, can you keep a secret?”
“I try to.”
Sherry sighed and said, “It’s an initiation for the rookie cheerleaders. The juniors and the sophomores have theirs in the morning here at the school. I’m not supposed to tell you any more than that, but I couldn’t even if I wanted since I haven’t been told anything more, either.”
This sort of fit in with what Camille told me, and pretty much explained why Camille had told me about the initiation. She was preparing me for Sherry asking me to be there with her. I wondered what Camille and the other cheerleaders were planning.
I also now understood why Kristen had said that she had no problem with it. If she hadn’t told me that, I would have declined Sherry’s invitation, since I knew that Kristen had a terrible jealous streak.
I mulled these things in my mind for a few moments, and came to a decision. “I’ll go with you.”
Sherry looked relieved. “Camille is giving me a ride, tomorrow. She said she could pick you up as well.”
This confirmed to me that Camille definitely had something in mind. I figured that I’d have a talk with her at the party tonight.
I nodded to Sherry, and she looked at me uncertainly. I moved over to her and kissed her lightly on the cheek. “Thanks for thinking of me,” I quietly said.
Sherry reddened just a bit and nodded.
I said, “Let’s go back to the lunchroom. I’ll let Kristen know about it later.”
“Before we leave, could you do me a favor?” Sherry asked.
“What, Sherry?”
“I love hearing you play. The practice rooms are empty. Could you play me a song?”
“Which one?” I asked.
“Can you play Harmony from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road?”
I actually knew that song. Thinking about it, I realized it was a wonderful song for a single piano. “Sure.”
I sat down at the piano and played the first C-major seventh chord.
Sherry watched me play the song, and I saw an expression of amazement on her face.
The only place where the song seemed lacking to me was near the end, where I couldn’t duplicate the vocal harmonies from the record.
“I’ve always loved that song,” Sherry said. “I’ve never heard you play that song before. I had hoped you knew the song.”
“Actually, I know the song, but I never played it before,” I admitted.
“That was your first time playing it?” Sherry asked me, now shocked. “It sounded like you’ve been playing it for years!”
I shrugged. “I picked out the first chord, and it sounded right. The other chords just followed. There are only two verses to the song and the chorus, and I have sung along with the record a few times.”
I got up from the piano and started to walk back to the lunchroom.
“Wow,” was all Sherry could manage. She followed me to the lunchroom. About halfway there, Sherry remarked, “I’m glad the song was in your range.”
I laughed. “As I said, I sometimes sing along with the album. The words to that entire album are on the cover of the record, so it’s easy to sing along. Two years ago, Roy Fennel, the guy from the chorus, taught me how to add falsetto to my range without making it sound like I’m trying to sound like a cartoon. I notice that a lot of British singers like Paul McCartney and Elton John use that technique all the time.”