Chapter 16: Dancing the Night Away

Monday April 28, 2014 – Freshman Year

"I was wondering if you would do something for me," Eve asked me.

"I'm trying to imagine what I wouldn't do for you," I said, my mind racing. "No, I would do that ... I would definitely do that ... Hmm. That I would have to be pretty drunk for, and even then it would be a little dicey."

"Yeah, not that ... yet, but maybe soon," Eve told me. "No, I was wondering if your dance class would accompany me when I do my new song at the talent show. I'm not officially in the show because we just got this song together, but I got permission to play it if I joined another act."

"We are talking about the one scheduled for this Thursday? Like three days from now?" I asked.

She just shrugged.

"How hard can it be?" she asked.

Since our dance routine for the upcoming show was terrible, at least in my opinion, why not team up with Eve and win the thing? I could sell them on this. Right? Eve gave me a CD and sent me on my merry way.

"There is no way."

"Before you shoot this idea down, at least listen to the song," I begged.

"Alright! If it will make you quit whining, we'll listen to it."

I just shut up and let Eve's song sell it. I put the CD in and pushed play.

"Take four. Loving My Cowboy..."

I had heard the song for the first time yesterday. You could hear the emotion just pouring out of the speakers. Tami had reminded me not to fall for Eve even more because of it, but there was something flattering when a girl writes a song about you. I could just imagine every guy that heard it would be hoping that she was singing to him.

I watched the dance class as the song went on. They went from stiff as a board to nodding their heads to the beat. When the song ended one of them started to object.

"We don't have time..."

" ... but we would win," I finished.

They were all silent. I didn't realize that I was holding my breath.

"We could still do the diner thing..."

YES! I didn't have to do Grease. I did a little happy dance that had the girls laughing.

They say that in life you have to have balance. Since I was really happy that we were going to be working with Eve on the talent show, something crappy was coming ... cue the ringing phone.

"Hello," I answered.

"Hey, David, it's Adrienne."

"I'm so glad you called. I need to know the color of your dress so I can get you a corsage."

"About that, remember when I said I would be your date if nothing conflicted?"

"Ahhh, don't you do this to me. Prom is less than a week away. Plus, Ford has spent money to do our Prom at my Dad's country club."

"Sorry," she told me. "I could get you a replacement date."

"Kate?" I asked hopefully.

"Let me see what I can do," she offered.

This was a disaster. I had been bragging since the first of the year that I was bringing a super model to Prom. I would be the laughing stock of Lincoln High. No one would go with me. Everyone already had dates, even Eve was going with Bill as a friend since neither of them had a date.

My phone rang, it was Adrienne.

"I have great news, she said yes!"

"Really?" I asked knowing Greg would green with envy.

"No. Sorry buddy. You will have to find your own date. What about your cute girlfriend? She'll go with you."

"No, she's going with one of my baseball teammates. They're going as friends. I couldn't do that to him now. He would never have time to get a date."

"What about Kara?"

"No, she's working. My other faux girlfriend, Sunny, has started shooting her new cable show."

"You could call Ford. They may have someone who is looking to get a little publicity."

"They already offered, Lindsey Fletcher. I passed because her Dad is supposed to be a piece of work."

"I don't know her."

"Google her, she did a sitcom."

I heard the clicking as she typed.

"I remember her. She's cute. How old is she?" Adrienne asked.

"I think she's my age or a little older."

"What's her dad's name?"

"Bill. Google him."

More clicking.

"Oh, I see what you mean," Adrienne said. "Hey, I think you need to see this."

She sent me a text with a link. Lindsey was in a bikini and either had a boob job or puberty had been very good to her.

"Those are new," I offered.

"I thought that might change your mind."

"Yes, I'm a horny boy. You know what boobs do to me," I teased her.

I had gotten a copy of our nude photo from Miami. Sunny was a good friend. I had sent it to Adrienne. She was still threatening to come and track me down to get the photo off of all my devices. I told her it was my screen saver. It might have been if she had not threatened to kill me and then sue me. I thought she was being a little mean, but who can figure out girls.

"I thought I told you to delete that picture."

"I thought you were going to be my prom date," I responded.

"Call, Clare, and see if Lindsey is still available to play your girlfriend. She could come to Prom and then don't you have a shoot on the left coast?"

"I'm going to San Francisco when school gets out, but I'm taking someone with me."

"No big deal, she's just your personal assistant," she advised me.

"There are three of them."

"Oh, good lord, I'm starting to think it's a good thing I'm not going to be your date. How many girls are you seeing anyway ... wait, don't answer that. I don't want to know. Now go call Clare."

She hung up on me. I racked my brains as to who I could call. I knew that Tracy was free, but that would not go over well. Eve was already making hints that we were through once school was out. She was being considerate of my feelings by giving me a target date for the breakup. I didn't need to hurry it along and bring the wrath of the other girls down on me as well.

I thought about Tami, Missy or Harper. They had their formal next week and I was taking them to it. I called Tami.

"Hey, guess who got stood up for Prom?"

"Oh buddy, say it isn't so."

"Yep, Adrienne has a conflict and can't come. I made her call Kate Upton; I figured we should give her one more chance to come to her senses. I can't believe she passed."

"Poor baby, just get Eve to go."

"She and Bill are going as friends. I can't do that to him."

"I would help you out, but quite honestly I can't afford it. Missy, Harper and I have been looking forward to going to formal with you. It's going to be a special night."

"I could buy you a dress," I begged.

"'Stupid Boy, ' I could never find a Prom dress now. They have all been picked over. Why don't you go stag? I know you're not shy, and would have a good time."

"Adrienne suggested I take Lindsey Fletcher. Remember the girl who contacted Ford needing a faux boyfriend?" I asked her.

"Didn't she have a psycho dad?"

"Yeah, but it's just for one night, how bad could it be?"

"Really? You amaze me sometimes. I take it she's hot."

"Maybe," I hedged.

"I would advise you go stag, but you won't listen to me, so go for it," she said, and I think giving her permission.

I called Clare.

"Clare Thomas."

"Hey, it's David Dawson."

"What can I do for you David?"

"Adrienne has bailed on me for Prom. I was calling to see if Lindsey Fletcher was still interested and could fill in. Oh, and her dad has to stay in LA. I don't need him stalking me."

"Are you sure about this? I seem to remember you putting up a pretty big stink about us suggesting her."

"I'm sure if I forced the issue I could find a date, but I would come across as a jerk. This is better with such short notice."

"I'll call you back," she told me.

I told Eve at baseball practice that Adrienne had a conflict. Bill looked nervous until he heard I was working on finding another date. By dinner time Beth, Cindy, Suzanne and Gina all offered to dump their dates. I told them I just couldn't do it. Gina was just mocking me, I think.

I got home and was putting my dinner into the microwave when my phone rang. It was a number I didn't recognize.

"This is David."

"David, this is Bill Fletcher, Lindsey's father."

"Sir."

"I was calling to see how much you are willing to pay for Lindsey to be your date? I understand that you had a last minute cancellation."

I wanted to ask if there were different prices for different services performed, but I didn't.

"I think there has been a miscommunication. Please thank Lindsey, but I'll make other arrangements," I said as I hung up.

My phone rang again. It was him, so I blocked his number. I called Clare.

"You aren't going to believe this," I started without even saying hello. "Bill Fletcher just called me to prostitute out his own daughter."

"Don't even joke about that," Clare warned me.

"He asked how much I was willing to pay for Lindsey to go on a date with me. Are you kidding me? I can find a date. Hell, I'll go stag before I'll pay for it."

"Alright, I'll take care of it. This is certainly shocking. I'll put the word out so no one else is blindsided."

"Thanks, Clare, I'll figure something out."

By the time I went to sleep, I had figured out I was not going to the Prom. I just didn't feel like going. I had seen the smirks on my teammate's faces after I told Eve. Tomorrow at school should be fun.

Thursday May 1, 2014 – Freshman Year

I was going to lunch when my phone rang. It was an LA number. Bill Fletcher had been trying to get in touch with me all week. He had even called my house and left several messages. I needed to tell him to get lost.

"What do you want?" I answered.

"I was hoping to go to Prom with you," a girl said.

"Funny, who is this?"

"Lindsey Fletcher."

"Okay, I've got to go. Tell your dad to quit calling, and you have a nice life."

"Stop! I need to talk to you."

I didn't say anything, but I didn't hang up either.

"Look, my dad doesn't represent me. He got the call because Ford had my old number. My mom and I moved out. I heard what he did, and I'm sorry."

"Thanks for the call. I have to go to lunch. They are having some kind of mystery meat, and whoever guesses what it is wins a prize."

"Look, I want to go to Prom with you."

"I wish you could, but I canceled everything. No more limo, dinner reservations canceled, hotel room canceled and I gave my tickets away. They are sold out, so I couldn't go with you even if I wanted to."

"I know you don't know me, but if I can fix everything, will you go to Prom with me?"

"Why?" I asked her.

"Alright, total honesty time. You talked to my dad. Something isn't right with him, but he refuses to get help. Mom had enough, and we moved out three months ago. I need some positive press. So we would be helping each other out."

"Again, why? I won't get you the kind of press you need. I'm just a kid who plays sports and does a little modeling. There have to be a thousand guys in LA who would do you more good than I would."

"There are two reasons. The first you probably will not understand. You said no to me a couple of months ago. I don't back down from a challenge. Actually, I bet you would understand. The second is that you are more than you say you are. Range Sports wouldn't have you as the face of their company if you weren't a good guy."

"And?"

She sighed.

"You're hot."

"Now that wasn't so hard was it?"

"You're also a pain in the ass."

That made me smile. This girl had spirit.

"You do know I have a girlfriend?"

"I didn't say you were perfect. So, will you let me take you to Prom?"

"I just have one question, what color dress will you be wearing?"

"Blue."

I heard in the background, 'YES! He said yes!'

She came back on and I was chuckling.

"Crud, you heard that. I'll call you when I get things arranged."

At lunch it was Torment Poor David day. I think everyone was enjoying me not having a date to Prom. I might have been a little bit of an ass bragging about taking Adrienne. I was making a list in my head of who was getting payback at some point.

"David only has two days to find a date for Prom people," Gina said holding court. "We need a list of eligible people. We can't be picky here, so any idea is a good idea."

Jeff raised his hand. Gina pointed at him.

"I heard Eleanor is still looking for a date."

Poor Eleanor was hands down the homeliest girl at Lincoln High. On top of that she was barely passing which gives you a hint that she was dumber than a sack of rocks. Rumor had it that she had licked the peanut butter spoon and put it back into the vat the cafeteria put out each day. Since then no one would touch it. Jeff just made the list.

"Okay, write that one down Cassidy," Gina said enjoying herself just a little too much.

Mike stuck up his hand and Gina nodded at him.

"Lisa Felton," he shared.

There were a lot of oohs and aahs from the guys, but Cassidy waved her hands to stop them.

"She's taken. Brad asked her out this morning."

The girls all perked up knowing I would NEVER date her now. I felt a little sad. Mike got a pass.

Alan raised his hand and the floor recognized him.

"Stacy Clute."

There were some nods at her name. She was in my art class. That was a very good suggestion, which moved my buddy up a notch. I had actually asked her and she turned me down.

"Sorry guys, she said 'no, '" I told them.

"Are we in the Twilight Zone? Our David got rejected twice in the same week?" Jim asked to the delight of everyone.

Then Eve raised her hand. I had a bad feeling about this one.

"We have someone right at this table. Tracy."

It was a classy move by Eve to in effect give permission for me to go out with Tracy. Everyone had kind of shunned her after she and I hooked up. She had put on a brave front and kept eating with us. We had kept our distance to keep from causing trouble, but she knew I still cared for her.

Tracy waved her hand.

"I can't," she said as everyone assumed she had a date. "David already has a date."

She floored them with that. I was wondering how she knew when I had just said yes five minutes before lunch. She held up her phone.

"I just got a text from Kendal that says David is taking a Miss Lindsey Fletcher to Prom."

All heads snapped from Tracy to me.

"Who is that?" Gina asked.

"She was my third grade teacher. I always thought she was good looking," I offered.

Miss Feller was good looking. Every guy in third grade followed her around like a puppy. She was still single, but rumor had it she was dating someone.

"I call bullshit," Eve said. "Show us a picture."

I opened my iPad and showed the picture Adrienne had sent me. Ed was shaking his head.

"I swear. You're the only guy I know who could fall into a pile a shit and come out of it smelling like a rose."

"But I thought he gave his tickets to Wolf? Aren't they sold out?" Mike asked.

Someone told me Wolf wasn't going because he couldn't afford to go. His dad was currently laid off so I gave him my tickets when I decided not to go. The baseball team had put together a drawing for a tux rental, which he somehow won. Jim and Cassidy needed someone to double with, so Jim was driving and paying for dinner. Small towns take care of their own.

Gina snorted.

"Do you think for one second that the guy that got Ford Modeling to pay to move Prom from the gym to the country club won't be able to get tickets?"

"There is that. Plus, she is hot," Mike offered; that got him a glare from Eve.

It didn't look like Eve was on board with this. I got up and she and I went for a walk.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked.

I could hear the hurt in her voice.

"I literally only found out on the way to lunch. I was planning on telling you before everyone else, but Kendal had to tell Tracy. You know that I was planning on staying home."

She was still fuming, but I could tell she was calming down.

"Yes, sorry, it just caught me off guard. So who is this girl?"

"Ford Modeling found her for me back in January. She is an actress trying to get her career back on track. She was looking for someone to pose as her boyfriend. Ford thought it would help my career and hers. I turned them down."

"So why is she back?"

"I figured she would be a better date than someone from around here who might get their feelings hurt. She just seemed like a safe alternative to sitting at home."

She kissed me.

"I'm sorry for getting mad. I know we are in a weird relationship and I have to remind myself to just enjoy today. I know better than to be all clingy since I'll be leaving soon."

"Eve, it was a weird situation with me taking Adrienne. If I had my choice, I would be taking you to Prom. We have Bill to think of though. He's a good guy, and I want you both to have a good time. Taking Lindsey will let me come. Will you save me a dance?"

"You bet. We'll have a good time," she told me then she changed the subject. "Is your dance class ready for tonight?"

"Yes, and they love your song. It'll come off very well. I'm even going to be all cowboyed up just for you."

The bell rang and we headed to class.

The Talent show had drawn a big crowd this year because they had announced that Eve would be introducing her new song. Angel had gotten the local country stations to announce it. She was making the circuit of stations on Friday and letting them play the new song before its release.

We were scheduled to go last. The dance team had been working hard and I thought we were going to look good. One of the girls was in theater also and got them to help us with a set. The theater group had done Grease in the fall. They still had the old 50s diner props. That had been one reason I didn't want to do Grease again. The fall production was very good and I didn't want ours to be compared to it.

I liked the changes the dance class had made. They made it more country than swing.

Eve and I watched the other performances from the wings. Most were pretty forgettable, but a couple were good. There was a quartet that did a classical chamber piece that was very good. A brother/sister team did the old classic by Sonny and Cher I Got You Babe that was a hit. They scheduled a fifteen minute intermission before we came on.

Eve and I watched in amazement as mass chaos ensued. The theater department setup two thirds of the stage as a diner. The other third was for Eve. They placed a stool with a microphone and a guitar stand for her acoustic guitar. The stage manager had us take our places. The lights went off on the stage and I could hear the MC.

"Now for what you all have been waiting for. Lincoln High Dance Team accompanied by a special guest, Eve Country Girl Holiday!"

The curtains pulled back and the spot on the MC went out and lights for the diner came up. There were two booths with girls dressed in bobby socks and poodle skirts. There were also girls at the counter with one of the girls dressed up like a waitress. In the center was a table for two with one of those old time five cent jukeboxes.

I walked out with Dana on my arm. She was also involved in theater, so we chose her to be the female lead ... She was looking at me like she adored me. We sat down and I reached across and held her hand.

"Oh, David, I have a little surprise for you. You know how couples have a special song? I found the perfect song for us. Look at E7."

I flipped the pages and ran my finger down the front of the jukebox and stopped when I found it and smiled at her.

"Is this the one?" I asked.

"Yes, play it for me while we dance. Our new song is Loving My Cowboy."

I acted like I was putting money in the jukebox and making the selection. I took her hand and we stepped to the center of the stage. The lights dimmed and a spotlight hit us as I took her into my arms. In the background they had pulled away our table and chairs so there would be room to dance.

We started to dance and a spotlight hit Eve and everyone clapped. She smiled at them until the audience quieted down. Then she started to play. The lights on the rest of the stage came up and we began our dance routine. Each girl got a few moments to show off her skills. Several had me as their dance partner. There was some simple two-stepping but also some more complex steps. It sounds disjointed but they had all been dancing together for years and pulled it together. When we got near the end, we all joined up into a line dance.

For the last few bars of music, they dimmed the lights and there was only a single spot on Eve. Dana and I walked across the stage timing the end of her song to step into the spot with Eve as Dana and I looked into each other's eyes as the lights went black. The audience was on their feet clapping. They brought the lights back up and we lined up to bow.

Eve, Dana and I were in the center as the dance team came forward and, once we all bowed, Eve pulled Dana and I forward and the three of us bowed again. The crowd was clamoring for an encore. Eve hung onto my hand so I wouldn't leave her side as the dance troupe exited the stage. A big screen came down and they wheeled a drum set out and speakers for guitars. Then Eve's Nashville band came out.

"I asked some friends to help me out. This song is currently on iTunes. I hope you enjoy Home Town Hero. I was grinning like an idiot as the band kicked in and Eve sang. They played the video they had at her launch party. When the song ended, Eve thanked everybody and we got off the stage.

We won of course. The only downside was that it was a school night. Eve had that look in her eye, and I was disappointed we couldn't do a follow-up. We made plans for Friday night, for just the two of us.

Friday May 2, 2014 – Freshman Year

Tonight was our last baseball game. The JV had had a pretty good baseball season this year with a record of 11 and 6. We were playing Mt. Vernon who only had a varsity team. Moose had combined our teams for the last game. Tonight was all about the seniors who were playing their last high school baseball game. The varsity had a rough year, especially after they lost so many players at Brad's party. They were 5 and 12 for the season.

My season had been up and down. After the perfect game, I had gotten rocked the next time out pitching. After that game, I had a little tenderness in my elbow so I hadn't pitched since. Moose wasn't planning on playing any of the JV, but had let us dress as a reward for playing hard all year.

The varsity was down 4 – 6 in the bottom of the fifth. Magic was talking to Moose. He was the varsity's captain, and he really wanted to win this last game. We were bringing up the tail end of the order. Moose looked down the bench and then talked to Coach Haskins.

"Eve, you're up; and Wolf, I want you on deck."

They both had hot bats, so I wasn't surprised he called them up.

"Justin ... David, go to the bullpen and warm up."

We would give him options since Justin was a lefty. Justin and I stretched each other out as I kept an eye on Eve. She was working her guy over. She had fouled off four straight pitches. She slapped a bloop tweener between short and left field. Both fielders were sprinting to make the play so Eve ran through the hold sign at first just as both of them flinched away from the ball to avoid colliding.

Eve had a standup double and Coach Haskins was yelling encouragement from the bench. He'd taught us to be much more aggressive on the base paths than the varsity. Wolf came up and took a massive cut at the first pitch. Everyone on their team took several steps back. Of course, on the next pitch, Wolf laid down a nice bunt that caught even me by surprise. Coach had never before asked him to bunt because he had hit 14 home runs this year. He just beat out the tag.

Justin and I were now up throwing pitches and trying to watch what was going on. Jeff was now up with Eve at third and Wolf was on first. On the first pitch he hit a screamer at short. I was surprised when the short stop didn't even look at Eve. She was off like a shot when Mt. Vernon turned the double play conceding the run. We were now down 6 – 5, and that is how the inning ended.

Moose called for Justin to come in for the top of the sixth. Coach Herndon trotted out to watch me warm-up.

"How does the arm feel?" he asked me.

"I'm a little rusty, but I feel good. If you need me, I can go," I told him.

He watched for a while and then headed back to talk to Moose. Justin got himself into a jam because he was trying to be too precise. He walked the first two batters. Moose went out to talk to him and he seemed to settle down. Mt. Vernon bailed him out by hitting into a double play. He struck out the next guy, leaving a runner on third.

Their pitcher was getting tired, but he was a real gamer, and had battled us. He clipped the first batter, putting him on first. Magic was up next. The Mt. Vernon coach had seen enough, and brought in their closer. He was rumored to be a mid-round selection in this year's draft. He had a heck of a fastball, and he had the luxury of choosing between playing in the minors or playing college ball.

Magic dug in to battle their kid. He was throwing smoke, and would just dare Magic to hit his fastball. Magic was a three year starter, and if it weren't for football, he would be getting a hard look from some of the local colleges.

The first pitch was intended to blow Magic away. He got his bat on it and slapped the ball over their first baseman's head. It rolled into the corner where it got lost for a moment. When their right fielder finally dug it out, our lead runner was rounding third and Magic was halfway to second. The right fielder had a cannon for an arm. He put the ball on a rope to home. We were lucky it wasn't on line or he would have gunned down our runner. We were now tied 6 – 6.

Moose sent Mike in because he was a contact hitter. Mike squared up like he was going to bunt. Their pitcher threw three straight fastballs that were high. Mike was able to lay off them, and ran the count to 3 – 0. I think Mt. Vernon figured that Mike was going to take the next pitch and you could see them relax. Their pitcher took a little off the next pitch and put it right down the middle. Mike got all of it and put it over the fence dead center. We were now up 8 – 6 and that was how the inning ended.

Justin started the next inning the same way. There were soon runners at first and second with no outs. Moose came out and motioned me in. Moose was grinning at me.

"What's so funny Moose?"

"I was just thinking how I wanted to cut you at the beginning of the year, and here you are pitching in the final game."

"I see your point," I said as I smiled at him.

"Look, this is it. I know you have been holding back all year. I want you to give it your all."

I gave him an even bigger smile.

"You got it," I said as I took the baseball.

I decided to set the tone and uncorked the hardest ball I had thrown all year. Unfortunately, my aim was off, and I hit the batter, right in the middle of his back. It sounded like I had thrown it into a bag of wet cement. He dropped to the ground and I was apologizing like crazy.

Fortunately everyone realized that there was no way I was head hunting in this situation. I now had bases loaded with no outs and had hit the first guy I faced. I needed to get my head into this game. I got the sign from the catcher and glanced over at the runner at first. You have to be kidding me. He was joking with the first base coach not paying attention. I fired over to first and Wolf made me look good by digging it out of the dirt and tagging him out.

Wolf was paying attention as their third base runner thought about going home. Wolf walked the ball back to me. The ball had dirt on it so the umpire gave me a clean one. The next batter had worn us out all game. I threw a split finger fastball; on purpose this time and got strike one. He smiled at me which made me a little nervous. The next pitch I threw the four seam fastball. He hit a golf shot to center field. I snapped my head around and saw Eve as she drifted back. Dang it, she was going to run out of room. She settled under it and took it in. It was deep enough that their guy on third tagged up and scored.

Eve had hustled the ball in so that the guy on second only took one base. Moose came out.

"Look over at the bullpen," he told me.

There was no one warming up.

"We have faith in you. Go get the last one and win this game," Moose told me.

I took a deep breath after he went back to the dugout to help focus. They sent in a pinch hitter. This kid was a lefty. I had only faced three lefties all year. I focused and Tim called for the fastball low and outside. I decided to forget the pitching from the stretch and just did my normal windup. The pitch felt great when it left my hand.