Chapter 10

Jake’s second week of school did not start well. During English class, Mrs. Greer took several opportunities to put him down even when he was correct. Jake was irritated and sat through the remainder of the class in silence. Jake took his time leaving stopping at her desk when everyone else was gone.

“What do you want, Mr. Turner?” she asked curtly.

“I want a conference with you tomorrow afternoon at 2:30,” he answered bluntly.

“For what reason, Mr. Turner?”

“I’ll tell you then, Mrs. Greer,” he said tersely.

He was feeling better by third period. The geometry pop quiz from Friday was returned and Jake scored 110%, including the bonus question. He aced his history quiz also. His teachers were beginning to take notice of him and he was called on more often. Chemistry was going to be his hardest subject. It was also the hardest the first time he was in high school. But he listened attentively and took lots of notes. At least Mr. McClelland was a good teacher and tried to help everyone keep up. It also helped that his lab partner, Scott Hughes, was a brainiac. He had rocket science written all over his nerdy self. Scott was leery of Jake. His status as a rich kid and a football player did not bode well for their partnership.

Jake broke the ice by quipping, “I won’t call you bookworm, if you don’t call me dumb jock.”

Scott stuck out his hand, “It’s a deal, at least until I find out how dumb a jock you are.”

Jake laughed and shook Scott’s proffered hand. Since chemistry was right before lunch, the lab partners gravitated to the lunchroom together. Scott was surprised and secretly pleased when Jake sat down with him to eat. Scott had naturally figured Jake would sit with the elite or the jocks, not some lowly nerd. Then the most amazing thing happened as people started coming to their table to sit. First, a redheaded goddess sat down. Jake introduced her as his sister but Scott was so flustered he missed her name. Then came two football jocks, including a black guy, and then two cheerleaders. Jake introduced him to each as his buddy and lab partner. After introductions were made and everyone was eating, Jake turned to Scott.

“So Bud, what do you know about computers?” Jake asked.

It turns out quite a lot. Scott’s father was a computer technician for NASA. After explaining the difference between main frames and mini main frames Scott thought he would lose his audience but Jake listened assiduously and so did his sister. The lunch bell rang and everyone got up to go to his or her next class. Jake clapped Scott on the back and told him he would see him later. Everyone else, including Angie, shook hands with him.

Study hall was the last period of the day and Jake carried his gym bag with him so he could go straight to practice without going back to his locker. He gave Miss Doane a big smile and chatted with her for a few minutes then went looking for a book on computers. Rebecca Doane felt a warm flush on her neck as she talked to the self-assured young man. He certainly was handsome.

‘Too bad he’s not older,’ she thought.

Finally, the dismissal bell rang. Jake grabbed his bag and headed for the door. He stopped by the librarian’s desk and told Miss Doane he thought she looked great today and he loved the skirt and blouse she wore. Rebecca blushed and thanked him. She had dressed with care that day for some reason and was flattered he had noticed.

As soon as he hit the gym, he sought out Coach Nelson.

“Got a second, Coach?” he asked.

“Sure, Turner. What’s up?”

“I had a little run in with Mrs. Greer, today. What’s her problem?”

Coach replied, “Victoria Greer is a shrew, pure and simple. She is married to Bill Greer, the superintendent of schools. They were married ten years ago when he was principal here and she was just out of college. He’s a bible-thumper and an ambitious weasel, but he’s an excellent administrator. I don’t know if she has always been so cold and heartless but in the three years I’ve been here, she has treated me like I was shit on her shoe. I try to avoid her and I suggest you do the same. She could bring your football playing to a halt.”

“To late for that, I’m afraid. I have a meeting with her tomorrow at 2:30, I’ll be late for practice but I need to get her off my back,” Jake said.

“Well, I don’t know what I can do, but let me know if I can help,” Nelson said.

Jake thanked the coach for his time and advice and went to suit up. Practice this week would be preparation for the upcoming game with Orange Port, an inter-county rival. Orange Port, like JFK, was a program on the rise. Last year they won seven games, including a 35 - 10 drubbing of Kennedy. They had lost a lot of players to graduation from their offense but returned most of their defensive starters. Coach Nelson and his assistants worked the JFK team hard. No one wanted a repeat of last year’s humiliation.

Jake was waiting outside wondering who his ride would be today. Debbie had been mysterious about it when she told him she would arrange to get him home. Just as he was thinking he might have to mooch a ride home, a silver Corvette pulled up, and a very pretty girl stepped out. She looked at the gawking players, spotted Jake, and broke into a radiant smile.

“Come on, Jake honey, I’m in a hurry,” she said.

Jake walked to the ‘vette and, after getting a thorough kissing, slid into the seat. The girl slammed the car in gear and roared away from the gym. Out on the highway she extended her hand to Jake.

“Hi, Jake. I’m Melissa Thornton, a friend of Debbie and Angie. Debbie asked if I’d pick you up today. I agreed and thought it would be fun when she told me what I had to do. As soon as I tell the rest of the girls how good you kiss they will be fighting to pick you up.”

Melissa was a sea change from her brother Chip. Instead of having his superior attitude, she was vivacious and bubbly. They hit it off immediately and were soon laughing and joking around like old friends. Jake asked her if it was going to be as bad for her rep, as it was good for his, for them to be seen together. She laughed and told him that he had caught the attention of a number of her classmates already and word was out that he was hot stuff.

“Then I suppose it would be okay if I asked you for a date sometime,” Jake said.

“I’d be offended if you didn’t,” she replied.

At home, Jake found Debbie and asked her about his traveling arrangements. Debbie laughed and told him that she had asked her Varsity Cheerleader teammates for their help and everyone not going steady had volunteered. They thought it would be great sport when she told them that they needed to act like they were hot for him in front of the team. Jake thanked her for her help, mentioned that he thought Melissa was great, and not at all like her brother. Debbie laughed ruefully and agreed. She told Jake that Melissa had introduced them and at first Chip had been as sweet and charming as his sister. She also told Jake that Melissa was really upset when she found out how her brother had treated Debbie. That was one reason she had volunteered to be the first to pick him up.

Helen gave Jake the items he had asked her to pick up for him. The birthday gift for Cindy was elegantly wrapped and the other items were exactly what he wanted. Since no one else was around, he pulled Helen to him and kissed her. Her lips parted and their tongues dueled for a minute. They were both panting when he broke the kiss.

“Cindy will love these. Do you want me to wrap the other gift?” Helen asked.

“No, only the necklace is for Cindy. Thanks, Mom, you are the greatest,” Jake said, as he bound up the stairs.

Jake put on a nice shirt and pair of pants and called Cindy’s house. Teresa Sorenson answered the phone and said yes when Jake asked if he could bring Cindy’s gift over. Jake rode his bike over to the Sorensons’ house. Cindy met him at the door. They were sitting on the porch swing when he produced her gift. She tore off the wrapping paper and opened the long slender velveteen box. Cindy gasped at the gold and ruby cross on the thick gold rope chain. She swept up her hair and Jake fastened the chain around her neck.

“Jake, it is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. I’ll never take it off,” she gushed.

Jake laughed and said, “I’m glad you like it. Look at the back of the cross.”

Cindy fingered the cross and turned it over. The back was engraved C-I-N-D-Y down the long section and J-A K-E across the arm of the cross.

“Now I know I’ll always be near your heart,” he said.

She threw her arms around him and kissed his face all over, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“I love you, Jake,” Cindy said.

“I love you too, Angel, and I’ll smile thinking of me between your beautiful breasts,” he whispered into her ear.

“I’m going to love having you see me wearing nothing but this,” she whispered back.

Then she ran into the house to show her parents.

On Tuesday, Rebecca Doane returned from lunch and opened her bottom desk drawer to put away her purse. She was dumbfounded to see a single yellow rose lying on top of a leather bound book. She pulled out the book. It was a beautiful early twentieth century edition of Shakespeare’s sonnets. She opened the cover and on the fly leaf was written:

Gossamer filaments finer than silk,

Bind kindred spirits to their ilk.

JET 9/9/71

She put her hand on the inscription and sat back stunned.

At study hall she followed Jake back into the reference stacks.

“Jacob, I found the book and rose they are beautiful, thank you, but I can’t take them. I’m a teacher and you are a student. It isn’t proper.” She said.

“A student didn’t give them to a teacher, I gave them to you to thank you for talking to me. You are the first person I’ve found who doesn’t think romance is old fashioned or dead.”

She stared at his sincere expression a few seconds and gave him a beautiful smile.

“In that case, thank you, Jacob. They are wonderful, and so are you,” she said.

Rebecca looked around to see if they were alone then stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.

Jake felt good when he left study hall but his mood darkened as neared Mrs. Greer’s room. He walked in and found her sitting at her desk, a combative frown on her face.

“Get on with it Mr. Turner, I don’t have all day,” she said.

“I do have all day,” said Jake, “and we are going to stay here until we work this out.”

“Work out what, Mr. Turner? You are just a moderately bright, arrogant jock but you’ll get your passing grades and stay on the team if that’s what’s bothering you.”

“I know I’ll get better than passing grades and thanks for acknowledging I have some brains. But that’s not the problem, your attitude is. From now on, I want you to treat me with the same respect that I show you. I’m not arrogant and I treat everyone with respect until they stop deserving it. You are close to not deserving it. Your position as a teacher might entitle you to respect, but your conduct as a person doesn’t.”

Victoria Greer was speechless. No one had ever talked to her like this.

“Get out you little...” she started to sputter.

Jake held up his hand and with a sharp look said, “There you go again. Let’s start over. I can see that you are unhappy and you bring it to work with you. You don’t get it here. I have an idea. Why don’t we make school a place where you are happy? Treating everyone, especially me, with respect will get the students on your side and make it easier for you to find some happiness. Does that make sense?”

“Who was this strange young man?” she wondered. He had cut right to the heart of her problem and made her feel like it was the most natural thing in the world to do as he said. She was suddenly ashamed of the way she had acted. She dropped her eyes and nodded her head affirmatively.

“Good, that wasn’t so hard was it?” Jake asked.

Another nod.

Jake continued, “I think we are going to become good friends. You are going to find out I’m a good student, and I am highly motivated. I know you are an excellent teacher and inside your hard shell is a person I want to know. What do you think?”