Chapter 3 -- Walk Like The Man
Thursday January 26
The gang was all together at lunch, every one of them wearing sunglasses. I looked around, perplexed. Then Phil's girlfriend, Jill, fanned her face dramatically and exclaimed with a fake Southern drawl, "Ah do declare, we are in the presence of a movie star!"
Everybody started laughing and talking at once, but I had my own agenda.
"Can it, everyone. The odds are high that I
won't
get an award. Instead, for the privilege of
not
getting an award, I'll probably get to take redeye flights, dress up in an uncomfortable monkey suit, and eat rubber chicken. Could we pleeeeze talk about anything else?"
Gina just shrugged and started giving Phil grief about being whipped. Phil's girlfriend, Jill, looked like she was in college because she'd developed early. And Lord, how she'd developed. I could totally see why Phil would be whipped. If I were dating her, I might be, too. I decided to save my little brother since I'd caused this.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and brought up Lila's number, unable to avoid the fond memories I had of the older sister I'd hooked up with in Cincinnati.
"Are there rules for when you should text a girl?"
I vaguely remembered we'd discussed this at some point. I might have laid down the rules at the time.
"Three days unless it's for a hookup, then any time after ten," Wolf supplied.
Phil gave me a little smirk because he realized what I'd just done for him by grabbing the gang's attention. Everyone at the table turned and looked at me. Cassidy giggled.
"Careful, Bad Girl," I said, using Cassidy's social-media handle. "Remember that what happens when you're working security is like what happens in Vegas. You're not allowed to talk about it."
She crossed her arms and pouted. I pointed at Don.
"Distract your girlfriend before she does something rash, and I have to go see the trainers. Better yet, piss her off. I don't think she's reached her quota for hurting boys this week."
Don leaned over and kissed her cheek. He was such an amateur. He needed to up his game if he was going to distract her. I turned back to Wolf.
"What if she's both?" I asked.
"What do you mean?"
"If it's been more than three days, and I want to hook up with her?" I asked.
"I think he's back. Our David is working on being a slut again," Gina chirped.
I saw Dare furiously smashing his thumbs on his phone's screen. I'd warned him earlier this week that I would block him again if he kept sending me messages. Then the phones of every girl at the table chirped, almost at once.
"Why, you little shit," Pam said and showed me her phone.
'u so want 2b in d's thot club u thk he tks bout u.'
Attached was a photo of a t-shirt I would have to buy. It was orange with blue lettering, matching our school colors, so it had the whole school spirit thing going for it. The text said
'Food For Thot,'
with an arrow pointing down towards your package.
"What does 'thot' mean?" Gina asked.
I busted out laughing.
"Let's just say it's a woman who has many casual sexual encounters or relationships," Wolf said, being surprisingly sensitive.
Little Dare was too clever for his own good. All the girls turned and glared at him like he might officially be a 'stupid boy.'
---
Mom had sent me a message from the hospital. She'd taken Mayor Duke with her so he could do his service dog job with the cancer patients. She let me know that everything was under control regarding my attendance at the Academy Awards. People were handling the arrangements for me, so I wouldn't have to worry about it until it was actually time to fly out there.
Mom then shared that Billy Felton, Lisa's little brother, was back in the hospital. Mom said his cancer was back.
I hadn't had time to make visits to the hospital in a while, so I used this as an excuse to visit. I tried to devote my efforts toward the younger kids. Billy had been one of the first I'd visited. He'd been a little badass, throwing a tantrum because he thought his parents were treating him like a baby. It had taken some effort, but I helped him see it from his parents' point of view. They were worried sick about him and trying to protect him.
Billy was the reason Lisa Felton and I had become friends. I'd taken her across the street to the diner to get her mind off her little brother. That started its own drama when everyone assumed she and I were seeing each other on the side. My friends were mad at me because Lisa had a bad reputation, and they believed it was true. There were rumors that she had done some things that good girls didn't do.
Turned out, Bill Rogers and his group of Neanderthals had started those rumors. This was the same Bill Rogers who'd messed up Tracy Dole. He and I'd had some memorable run-ins because he couldn't get it through his thick head that Tracy wasn't his personal punching bag to abuse and misuse.
To this day, Tracy still had bouts of depression, and it all pointed back to the summer he'd bullied and brutalized her. If there was one guy in this world I actually wanted to kill, it was him.
Long story short, Lisa and I had flirted with getting together for a while. There are a handful of girls who just do it for you, and Lisa was one of those for me. She wasn't the best-looking girl at school, but she might have been the sexiest. That was until Brook Davis showed up. I'll say that Lisa made me want to be a naughty boy.
The scary part was that when it did finally happen, the actual sex was better than the fantasy I'd built up in my mind. Lisa Felton and I clicked between the sheets so well that it frankly scared me a little. If I'd been more mature when it happened, we might have ended up being a couple. Everyone, and I mean everyone, actively told me that Lisa and I were a mistake, and I folded under the pressure like a house of cards in a stiff wind.
Looking back, that might be one of my greatest regrets.
Billy's cancer had gotten me out of my head long enough to look at Lisa as more than the girl who got my motor running. Volunteering to spend time with cancer patients has a way of changing the focus of your thoughts from yourself to others. It allowed Lisa and me to take a step back and decide to be friends.
So, when I got my mom's message that Billy was back in the hospital, a lot of old feelings rushed back. I liked the kid and wanted to see him. I bailed on my flight instrument training class with Cassidy and convinced Paul to go with me.
Of course, we had to take the Demon, and I had to drive. I worried that Cassidy would kill me later when she found out that I'd taken it. I'd told her that there was probably salt on the road, and I didn't want to worry about it rusting my baby's undercarriage.
When I got to his room, I found Billy watching TV.
"David! I wondered if you'd come to see me. Your mother stopped by with Mayor Duke this morning, and I asked about you. She wanted me to remind you that you haven't been to church," Billy said.
Billy went to my church and was involved in the youth group there.
"I was away shooting a Japanese drama series. I planned to be back this Sunday."
"Maybe I'll get to see you there."
"Does that mean you're getting out?" I asked.
"Let's hope. I came in for a follow-up, and they found the cancer was back. They caught it early, so they started me back up on the treatment that worked last time. They want me to stay for a couple of days to make sure there aren't any complications. If my test results are good in the morning, I'm outta here," Billy said.
I was relieved when I heard the news. We chatted for a while, and I invited him to a baseball game in the spring, after he got out.
---
I was starved, so I headed to the diner for some of their fried chicken and pie. From the restaurant's entrance, through the window, I saw Joey Marshall sliding into a booth and getting a menu. I stood there like a stalker, watching her.
"We going in?" Paul asked.
"Go and grab a seat at the counter. Order what you want," I told him.
Paul followed my gaze and shook his head. He went in, and Kim Sun, a former cheerleader at Lincoln High, waited on him.
Joey was my strength and conditioning coach and technically off-limits. In my head, I played the 'what if' game. What if I just walked away and did the right thing? What if I went in and sat down just to talk to her?
The problem was, I couldn't stop thinking about her. When I first met Joey, I didn't know she worked for the high school. I admit I'd had impure thoughts. But I'd tried to push those aside because I wanted her help in getting me in shape to play ball this spring. I didn't want my desire to get in the way of my success.
Playing the 'what if' game helped me feel like I could walk away if I needed to. I could just be friendly and stop by and say 'Hi.' What would be the harm in that?
I watched her intently read the menu. She looked on edge. I wondered if she was always like that. When we worked out, she was utterly focused. I wondered if she ever had any fun.
I couldn't just stand there and stare at her. Nor did I need to add anything that wasn't professional to our relationship. I shifted and started to dig for the keys in my pocket, turning away. Then she did it. Joey reached up and ran her fingers through her hair.
That simple act reminded me that she was sexy as hell. Crud! I chuckled because she was my older version of Lisa Felton. I had a moment of clarity and realized I would burn in Hell for this.
I pushed through the door of the diner and found it filled with hospital staff. It was a weekday evening, so there were mainly nurses and doctors. Some glanced my way and smiled, but I ignored their looks and focused on my goal. I stopped behind her booth, but she was so engrossed in her menu that she didn't notice me. But I knew it was just an act. I'd seen her glance up when I came in.
I slid into the seat across from her. She looked up, and I saw a flash of irritation touch her blue eyes.
"You need to leave. This doesn't look right."
"It's just dinner, Joey. No big deal," I said.
"David!"
Why did her saying my name make me think of her calling it out in passion? This was wrong. She was right, I shouldn't be here with her.
"I should go," I said, admitting defeat.
