Chapter 5

During the next week at school, I watched as Bob took up with Amy and spent every free moment with her. He was doing what he naturally does when he's interested in a girl. I thought it kind of odd that everyone in the entire school, including the teachers, were interested in the turn of events -- that is until George Nelson sat down at our table in third period Chemistry and asked which of the girls I had put my money on.

George is a nice guy, not to mention cute in a James Dean sort of way, with short dark hair and blue eye. We've been good friends since first grade and I can usually figure out where he's coming from within a minute or two; however this time my brain waves refused to blend with his and I responded, "What girls?"

"The ones that are competing for Bob. Larry Johnson is taking bets on which one will win. Everyone's in on it, even the teachers and Mr. Tucker."

Mr. Tucker is our principal.

"Tammy Sue is in the lead," he continued. "Beth is the underdog. Larry took in almost two hundred dollars during break. Mr. Tucker says the winner can have a hundred dollars of the money. The rest will go toward getting some things we need for the school."

"What if he doesn't choose any of them?" I asked.

George grinned. "There's a spot for that, too. It's fourth in the running."

By the end of the week, everyone in town, and in the community, had placed a wager. There hadn't been this much excitement since two years ago when Faye-Ann Holmes and her twin sister Raye-Ann butted heads over their family tree. According to Faye-Ann's research they were descendents of Robert E. Lee. According to Raye-Ann they were kin to Stonewall Jackson. Everyone had placed wagers on which one would win the argument, knowing full well that both ladies were probably both wrong. They had gone a week without speaking to each other, when Mrs. Livingston, the librarian looked over their documents and informed them they were both correct -- they were related through their mother's side to Lee and their father's side to Jackson. Nothing was further from the truth, on both counts, but the two ladies were ninety-one years-old and no one saw any harm in making them happy.

I went with George to his away baseball game on Friday night. I loved baseball and watching him pitch was an added bonus. He had a no hitter up 'til the eighth inning when the short-stop for the Badgers lucked out and tapped one into right field for a base-hit. He didn't get any further than first, though, and George was pleased with his one hitter.

After the game, we ate pizza and then drove to my house. I only live a couple of miles from Bob's and as we passed the house George said, "All the girls, but Beth, placed bets on themselves after school today."