Chapter 6

"Hey Mike, didn't I see you walking home yesterday with Jennie Taylor?"

Tommy was jogging towards him as he yelled out his words. Mike slowed enough to let Tommy catch up with him, and then resumed his normal walking pace, once more.

"Yeah, I guess. We live right next to each other, remember? Sometimes, we help each other with studying while we're walking."

"Have you gone back to look through her window?"

"Not since I almost got caught when I broke her dog's water bowl, and her dad found your footprint by the back fence."

"What do you mean my footprint? How do you know whose footprint it was?"

"Well, for one thing it was big, and for another, it was from a pair of Van's. You're the only guy I know that wears Van's, and was in her back yard. Her father asked my dad if I wore shoes that made that kind of a print."

"What did your dad say?"

"He said that you were the only boy he knew who wore Van's, and had such big clodhopper's for feet."

"You're just bullshitting me, right?"

"Yeah, about what my father said, but Mr. Taylor really did ask if I wore shoes that made that kind of imprint. I don't think either one knew they were from Van's though."

"So does Jennie ask you questions about me? I see her looking at me when we're both in the hallways, or in Math and Science class together. She tries to be cool about it, but I can tell she still digs me."

"She did ask me once if you still dribbled your milk when you drank from the carton, but I told her that you'd gotten a lot better about that."

"Lying pussy! I never dribbled milk from a carton." They had made it to school, and Mike was glad that they had separate home rooms.

After another long day at school, Mike loitered around outside the front doors until he saw Jennie coming out. She was walking with two other girls, and Mike didn't feel comfortable or confident enough to just walk over to join her.

When she and the other two girls stopped, and just stood there, talking together, Mike decided to start heading for home. He figured that if he just stood around outside the school, people would think he was being weird or something.

He started walking, using his normal strides, but after he was a couple of blocks from the school, he stopped and took out a book from his book bag and sat on a low block wall fence in front of someone's front yard and started to read.

He sat there for half an hour, and still Jennie didn't come by. He figured that she must have gotten a ride home or something, so he walked the rest of the way home by himself.

Later that evening, after dinner, and after he'd finished up all of his school work, Mike picked up the telephone in his parent's bedroom and dialed Jennie's number. It rang twice before a man answered. Mike recognized Mr. Taylor's voice on the other end of the line.

"Hello?"

"Hello Mr. Taylor, this is Mike Sweeney. Is Jennie there?"

"Hold on and I'll check Mike, okay?"

"Sure Mr. Taylor, thanks."

In the background he could hear Mr. Taylor yelling for Jennie to pick up the phone, and to not talk all night.

"Hello?"

"Hi Jennie, it's Mike."

"Hi Mike. What do you need?"

"Uh, nothing, I guess. I just called to make sure you got home from school okay. I didn't see you walking, and I had kind of been waiting to walk home with you today."

"Well, usually, on Friday's, I go to tap and ballet lessons, with Donna and Gail. Donna's mom gives me a ride home after it's over. You should have come over and said something, after you saw us standing around after school, waiting for Donna's mom."

"I was gonna, but I didn't want to maybe embarrass you or something."

"You're really shy around girls, Mike, aren't you?"

"I don't know, I guess that maybe I am. Sometimes I'm not too shy around you though."

He heard Jennie giggling through her phone's mouthpiece.

"Well, that isn't what I meant. I know you're not always so shy."

"So what are you planning for the weekend? Besides studying I mean."

"Tomorrow night I'm going to the movies with Gary Simmons and his sister, and her new boyfriend. That's about all I've got planned so far, how about you?"

"Isn't Gary Simmons a senior? The guy with that big cast on his leg?"

"Yes, he broke his leg in the game against Kennedy, the first game of the season too. He's been so depressed about not being able to play this year. He was hoping for a scholarship to a good college, but now he says he'll have to go to the JC."

"I know him, I mean I've seen him around. I didn't know that you and he were going out."

"We just barely started going out. Tomorrow is only our second time going out together. I started talking to him at Ken Bauer's birthday party, and he just asked me out. I was surprised, you know? I'm pretty sure he was mostly interested in the boobs. With some guys, that's all they see, when they look at a girl."

"I think your face is pretty, and the rest of your body too. Especially your butt."

"Well, thank you Mike. That's nice to hear. I think it's a little too big, but I'm glad you like it. My dad told me to not tie up the phone for too long, Mike, so I better say good bye. Thanks for calling, and I guess I'll see you Monday, in school."

"Bye Jennie, have a good week end."