Chapter 16: Monday

Tom Canfield stopped at Kyle’s locker on Monday. “How’s it going?”

“Great.”

“What you doing for summer?”

“Dunno. Fool around, I guess. Probably go hiking, take some bike trips.”

“Sally into that?”

“Guess so, we haven’t talked much about it. We did that last year.” Kyle pulled stuff out of his pack and put it away. “How’s it going with you and Melanie?”

“Oh, great. We’re good friends. Have been for years, ever since fourth grade.”

“I hear you’re going together.”

“Who said?”

“Melanie told Sally. I’m real glad for you, Tom, I was really sorry about that business that Saturday. Except it got Sally and me together.”

“Melanie said Sally told her about you guys. She said she’s asked you two to get together with us.”

“Yeah, that’s what I heard. I told Sally it was all right with me as long as it doesn’t break us up. Or you either.”

“Glad to hear it. So what’s next?”

“We let the girls decide,” Kyle replied.

Tom changed the subject. “Don’t see much of you two after school. You just vanish with the bell.”

“We all study together.”

“We all? Who’s ‘all’?”

“There’s six of us. Sally, her brother, my sister and the Fratellis. We go to one of our houses and hang out and study.”

“Boring! You should come with Melanie and me.”

“Well, we’ll see what the girls say.”

Tom shrugged his shoulders. “We have a good time anyway. Get a lot of exercise.”

“I could probably use more exercise,” Kyle admitted. “Maybe I’ll start running in the mornings.” He looked around speculatively, his eyes lighting on the Fratelli twins coming down the hall, followed closely by Sally Pryzck. He slammed his locker door and twisted the combination lock. “Gotta go, Tom. Take care.”

Kyle fell in beside Sally and walked off toward class, his hand reaching for hers. He called out, “Andy!”

Andy and Patti hung back a step or two. “Yeah?”

“You figured out who you’re going to date yet?”

Andy rolled his eyes. “Geez, gimme a break. I don’t even have a clue.”

Patti slugged him. “Dummy! I have to do everything for you. I’ve got an idea, so you be on time for lunch, hear?”

“Mr Pryzck, Ms Fratelli is on the line for you.”

Peter picked up the phone, “Hi, Maria, what’s up?”

“I want you to have lunch with me. When’s a good time this week?” Maria said.

“Let me look,” Peter said, paging through his Calendar, “how about ... um ... It’s a busy week. I could take some time today, I think, if that’s not too soon?”

“Today’s great!” Maria replied excitedly.

“Okay, where shall we meet and when; where do you want to eat?”

“Come to my house. Can you make it at noon? I’m making something special.”

“Well, all right, I guess. Sounds great. I’ll be there. Thanks.”

Andy was waiting outside the cafeteria when Patti came up. “What’s the idea? What you gonna do?” he asked.

“We’re going after our dates. You’re going to get in line behind Henry LeBeau. He always eats with his sister and sometimes some other guys, but you’re going to ask him to sit with us.”

Andy looked doubtful. “I hardly know the guy. I don’t know, sis...”

“Just shut up and do it,” Patti said with a look that brooked no denial. “I know what I’m doing. Anyway, he’s in your AP Math class, so you do too know him. That’s good enough.”

“I hope so. And here they come. Come on.” Andy grabbed Patti’s arm and fell in behind their targets as they were walking into the lunchroom. Henry followed his sister in the line and Andy got behind him. When they had taken trays, Andy spoke up.

“Henry, why don’t you guys join us today? Unless you’ve got something going?”

Henry looked at him in surprise, then nodded to Patti. “Hi, you two.” He turned to his sister. “You want to sit with them?”

Donna LeBeau stepped back from the line and looked at Andy. Her eyes scanned his face, flicked over his body. Patti got only a cursory glance. She smiled. “Fratellis! Yes, great!”

The four teens found a table near the windows and took their places across from each other. Henry was, as Patti had said, a little taller than Andy with sandy hair and brown eyes. His shoulders were broad and his body, in his casual school clothes, seemed strong though not particularly muscular. His sister, Donna, had long blond hair that, today, she wore in a French braid. She was shorter than Henry but with the same broad shoulders and an athletic figure with firm breasts. Her eyes were a crisp blue. She wore a tailored shirt and a skirt that ended just above her knees and what appeared to be lovely legs.

There was a moment of tension as Andy wondered what to say, but Patti had the situation in hand. “You know, I’ve been trying to figure it out. Are you two twins, too? What a hoot! Two sets of fraternals in the same class! Are you?”

The ice broken, Donna laughed and looked at her brother. “What a great idea!” she said. “I never thought of that.”