Chapter 10

The dance started off great, and got better. As we walked in the door of the gym, I saw a lot of heads turn towards us. I think they were all looking at Bernie. I wasn't the only one who had no idea how fantastic the body she was hiding had been. There were very few girls there that could hope to compete with her beauty. The way she was glued to my side left no doubt who my date was. Denise and Ann were drawing their share of attention, too. All three of them noticed, and there was a lot of blushing going on, as we found an empty table.

That didn't last long. Ann and Denise's friends, the ones who helped run 'interference' during the week, joined us. Helen, Margie, Linda, and Wendy, were all really nice. Bernie seemed uncomfortable with all the comments about her 'transformation', though. The girl just couldn't accept that she was a knockout.

I danced with Denise first. Pretending that we were only siblings wasn't easy, and I really don't think it was believable. The song was kind of slow, and we danced accordingly. Denise shared my feelings, as the song ended, she whispered

"We better stick to the fast ones, or I'm going to have to molest you in front of the whole school, baby!"

I didn't have to answer, she had already felt the evidence of my feelings. Ann was next, and the tempo was faster. That allowed me to recover a bit. I wanted to dance with Bernie next, but when it was another fast song, she vetoed the idea.

"Nope, I get all the slow ones, but I'm sure the other girls wouldn't turn you down, if you asked nicely." She was looking at out table companions as she said this, and I saw my 'sisters' nodding their approval. Suddenly, I had seven dance partners. I have to admit, it was a blast. I think the whole team stopped by to kid me about my 'Bevy of beauteous babes'.

Tim was elected the homecoming king, and Eve Roberts was the queen. She was one of the cheerleaders, and his girlfriend. He even made a little speech about the game, and called me to the stage. Tim tried to give me the credit for us winning, but I wouldn't go for it.

When I got there, I said "You've got the wrong guy, Tim. Somebody drag Henry Evans up here. He's the man who won this game for us. He's a great friend, too. Henry was even nice enough to bounce the ball right into my lap when he nailed that quarterback. He hit the guy so hard that his teeth are probably still rattling!"

Henry played tackle on defense, and guard on offense. He was a big guy, but very shy. He was blushing as two cheerleaders dragged him to the microphone.

He got a laugh when he started with "Gee thanks, Paul. Remind me to pay you back sometime", then got serious. "Folks, I may be proud of the way I played against Whitehorse, but I'm proud of the whole team. I think we all played better than we ever have before. We're good this year, but Paul is too bashful for his own good. There isn't a guy on the team who won't tell you that without Paul, we're not that great. The game wouldn't have been close enough for that play to matter, if he wasn't our quarterback. Folks, we're going to state!"

Now I was embarrassed again. That was the most I'd ever heard Henry say at one time since I met him. I was glad I had already left the stage, but the cheers felt weird to me. All my life, it had been jeers. My life certainly had taken a turn for the better when the O'Hallorans adopted us.

The slow dances with Bernie had been wonderful but finally, it was time for the last one. She practically melted into me as Al Green started singing 'Let's Stay Together'. As the song faded out, with;

Let's, we oughta stay together Loving you whether, whether Times are good or bad, happy or sad...

I looked into her moist and lovely dark brown eyes, and said "I love you Bernie Duncan, and I always will."

I was thinking of asking the coach if Bernie could try out for the team. Her hug just about broke me in half. I'm sure none of my teammates could kiss like she could, though (not that I wanted to find out!). That kiss lasted a good five minutes, and we had an audience when it ended. Those close enough, heard Bernie say;

"I love you too, Paul O'Halloran. You're the one I want to spend the rest of my life with."

The cheers shocked us both. We hadn't noticed the crowd, only each other. I think the whole team congratulated me. Two-thirds of the onlookers were male, though. Ann told me why after we got back to the house. Mom had picked us up and informed us that Bernie would be spending the night with us. Frank wanted some 'alone time' with Jean.

"You two better look out", she warned Bernie and I. "There are some world- class bitches in that school, and I heard them talking. They're going to try to break the two of you up. I don't know what their problem is, but they sounded serious."

Bernie was pissed, but I just laughed at the idea. "Let 'em try". I scoffed. "I can't speak for Bernie but, for my part, that doesn't stand a snowball's chance in hell of working. Besides, I have an idea that might stop that before it starts."

"Nobody is going to get you away from me", snarled Bernie. "If they so much as try, I'll rip their heads off and shit down their neck! So, what's the plan?"

After we quit laughing, I explained. They liked the idea, and thought it would work. Some aspects of being popular, I liked. It was time to use those.

Bernie slept in the guest room, but the smouldering look in her eyes as she kissed me good night and whispered "Soon baby, very soon", ensured that Denise and Ann would have an eventful evening. They didn't complain, though.

Dad embarrassed the hell out of us at breakfast. He looked at mom, and said "I'm gonna call around today. I'm not sure what can be done about ghosts but, from all the wailin' last night, we've got a bad case of haunting."

Denise tried to defend herself, and Ann, by pointing at Bernie and proclaiming "It's all her fault! She's got Paul so worked up thinking about her that he's insatiable! If she doesn't start helping out, I don't know what we'll do!"

"Yeah", Ann chimed in, "When she gets him going, it's a three woman job for sure!"

"Now, girls", mom chided them, "don't go rushing poor Bernie into anything. When, or if she ever decides to take things further, I'm sure that Paul will be the first person to know."

Bernie defended them, though. "Mrs O'Halloran, they're no more anxious than I am after last night. I had the most wonderful evening of my life. I'm very sure that I let Paul know that, too. The thing is, I'm a little scared about it."

Dad mentioned chores, and the look he gave me left no doubt that he wanted my help. I got the message, and followed him out.

"I know some of the hints Rachel throws my way when it's time for me to make myself scarce", he explained. "The look she sent my way was one of them. They've got some 'girl talk' to be doin'. We'd just be in the way. I kind of wanted to talk to you, too. Ann told me about your little speech at the dance, and I wanted to tell you how proud I was to hear it."

"A good quarterback is the leader of his team, and one of the qualities of a successful leader is to give credit where it's due. What you did for Henry was the right thing to do. It was also true, and everyone there knew it. What Henry said was just as true. I've been watching you, and I see it too. You're a pretty good quarterback, but you have a lot of room for improvement. It's not your skill at the position that makes the team good, it's your leadership. You take charge out there, and the team respects that. They also recognize that you're no prima donna. You get everybody involved, and spread encouragement and praise when it's needed. If you keep doing that, and your skill improves, you guys are going to go far."

Dad's observation surprised me. I didn't think I was doing anything unusual, and told him so.

He just smiled, and said "That's what makes you a leader, son."

The girls were all done with whatever they needed the privacy for, by the time we got back to the house. I did a double-take when I saw Bernie. Obviously, the dress hadn't been the only thing she had help with. She was wearing a pair of Levi's that I know she hadn't had before. There was certainly nothing loose fitting about them! She still had a flannel shirt on, but this one was at least two sizes smaller than I was used to seeing her wear. It was also tied off just below her boobs, and exposed everything between them and her jeans. The outfit was topped off by a pair of boots and a Stetson.

When I untied my tongue, I managed to say "Bernie, you look amazing. I thought you were beautiful last night, but WOW!"

She looked down, and looked coyly through her cute black bangs. "Do you really think so?"

"Hey!", Ann growled, "What about us?"

In my defense, Bernie had been quite distracting. When I looked at the other two, that feeling was cubed. The little pixies were all wearing identical outfits.

"Lord, help me", I whispered. Then I looked up, and said "I don't know what I've done to deserve this, but please help me to keep doing it. I don't need heaven, because I'm living it down here on earth!"