Chapter 2

Some people who have never done anything to anybody still get the shaft from life. I’m one of the shaftees!

School was over for the day, and I’d no more than just seen my ex-girlfriend walk past me and smile with my replacement holding her hand in the process; then, Liz came up to me and asked me to follow her. I gave her a questioning look, but I did follow her. We found an empty table under a shady tree and took our seats.

“Okay?” I said. “You dumping me?” she snorted.

“No, well, not the way you mean,” she said.

“Huh? Either you are or you’re not,” I said.

“No, I’m not. But I am leaving town. My grandma’s in tough with cancer in Florida. I am being allowed to grad early, so I can go down there and be with her, with the family,” she said.

“Oh, my gosh! I am so sorry,” I said. “And they are allowing you to grad early?”

“Yes, my grades and the recs from my teachers are all good, and they all agree with the powers that I should be allowed to go without prejudice,” she said. I was nodding.

“I’m going to miss you,” I said.

“I feel the same way. Be well, Lee. I mean it, I really am going to miss you,” she said. I nodded.

It turned out that she was not just leaving early, she was leaving today. Life sure sucked if one were me.

It was April 2nd. The prom was for May 15th, six weeks hence; and now I had no date. Finals would be the following week of May 17th, with grades the week after that and graduation June 5th. How wonderful was that. I’d have extra time to study since I would not have to be concerning myself with preparations for going to the prom. To answer my own rhetorical question: it was not wonderful. At any rate, I decided just to not go, not without a date. The last thing I needed was Lance Conniff rubbing my nose in it. Oh, I forgot to mention, good ‘ole Lance was Penelope’s current boyfriend, the one she’d dumped me for. Tall, dark, and football star Lance.

A day later April 3rd, I got me a surprise visit. Yeah it was a surprise, and that from Lance Conniff himself.

“Got a minute,” said the star quarterback.

“What?” I said, kinda coldly.

“You coulda helped her with the midterms,” he said.

“Who?” I said.

“You know who, Penelope. She failed Math and got a D in Science. You coulda helped her,” he said.

“She dumped me for you. You should’ve helped her,” I said.

“Funny,” he said. I was forced to smile.

“To lazy to help the love of your life?’ I said.

“You know she’s committed to being a nurse. She needs those courses. The teachers like her so she saved her quarter grades by doing extra credit, but now finals are coming up. She needs a little help,” He said. “And, no I can’t help her with that stuff and you know it. Nobody around here can.”

“A ‘little’ help?” I said.

“Okay, a lot of help,” he said. I nodded.

“How about Liz?” I said. “Oh, I forgot, Liz left town yesterday.”

“Yeah, I heard,” he said. I stared at him and him at me.

“Send her around to see me. I mean if she really wants my help.” I said. He nodded.

Jesus how I missed Liz. We were so mismatched it wasn’t even funny, but that said, it was only the surface stuff, and we both realized it and kinda gloried in it. But, she had abandoned me to be a damned doctor or something; and to support her grandma. I mean the world didn’t have enough doctors and altruistic kind people! I needed a girlfriend—bad!

Well, I knew that if she really wanted me to help her, tutor her, she wouldn’t be long in showing up. But, two hours was way less than not long. She was waiting for me when I got home.

“Yes, it’s me. Can we talk?” said Penelope Davis. I was so shocked that all I could do was nod.

Mom was still at Marsha’s Hair and Nails where she’d worked virtually forever. I went in and waved at Penelope Davis to follow me.

“Have a seat. Your boyfriend says you want me to tutor you for finals. That right?” I said.

“Lee, please, leave Lance out of this. He’s a good guy. Okay?” she said. I shrugged.

“I got no hard on for him,” I said. “Nevertheless, he is the one who clued me that you wanted me to tutor you. Or did I misunderstand him?” She sighed.

“No, you didn’t misunderstand him. I do need your help,” she said. I nodded.

“I take it there is nobody else that you have considered,” I said.

“No,” she said. “There is no one else. I need this, Lee. I just have to be a nurse, somehow.”

“Yes, and I need stuff too, my girlfriend’s in Florida. She was my prom date for next month. Now I guess I won’t be going. But okay. I’ll help you. You’ll pass all of the classes you need,” I said. And I absolutely knew that she would.

Life wasn’t fair. I was helping her, but there was no one who was there to help me. If I were a bit better looking or not such a public nerd, I might have been able to convince another girl, any other girl to be my date for the big event. But the gods were against me. I had no hope.

But then I had a brainstorm. I was helping her, and that big time. She could help me. mister big shot Conniff could easily find a substitute. Oh yeah, I could definitely see the light at the end of the tunnel. She’d no doubt see it as blackmail, but I’d be seeing it as a matter of a simple trade: grades for a date, a big date, an expensive date.

We were working three nights a week at her place. In the middle of week two, I put it to her.

“You’re kidding right?” she said. I remained silent.

“That’s just flat out blackmail,” she said. I shrugged.

“You need something I need something. It’s a simple trade,” I said.

“I’ll pay you; I mean with money for your time,” she said.

“No,” I said.

“Can’t do it. I’m already committed to Lance for the prom,” she said. I started to pack up my books and stuff.

“What are you doing!” she said.

“I’m going home. Your lover boy can tutor you,” I said.

“You can’t do that!” she said. “You promised.”

“No, I didn’t. I did agree to help you, but that was just out of the goodness of my heart. You on the other hand have broken promises to me in the past, big promises. Well, they were big as far as I was concerned,” I said.

“Okay, okay, I guess I have no choice,” she said. “And I guess I do owe you. I know this is a lot of work that you don’t have to do. And...” she stopped.

“And?” I said.

“And I really don’t have the money to pay you what your time is worth to me anyway,” she said, and smiled.

“Good,” I said. “And yes, it’s a deal. You’ll be getting A’s.” She actually breathed a sigh of relief. I was certain that she would keep her promise that was the one thing that was certain; well, besides the good grades she’d be getting.”

“Yes, good,” she said.

“Pen, I mean for us to have fun. Okay?” I said. “I mean I know you and Lance and me and Liz...”

“No, I get it, and we will, have fun that is,” she said.

“Good, good, can I ask what kind of flowers do you like?” I said.

“Anything, just not gardenias,” she said, giving me a funny look. Well, she had told me early on about the flowers, but I’d forgotten. At any rate now I knew what not to get her for her corsage.

Over the next several weeks we worked and I did my very best to get her ready for her toughest yet tests. I knew that nursing schools were being very selective anymore. She had to have very good scores not to mention interviews to be accepted. Cheerleader good looks and a dazzling personality would not do it. No, she needed to be able to handle the course work with it, the nursing school of her choice, and do so with a certain degree of ease. She could do it. But, as well, she would have to do what I told her about handling aspects of her career quite apart from the academic stuff.

All of that said, there was still the prom to get ready for. I would have my mom’s car for the after prom parties, and I would have to park it at the school before the prom per se; that because I would be taking us to the prom in a limousine; well, that was kinda expected for a girl as high on the A-list as Penelope Davis.

Chapter 3 »