Chapter 4

The next week was much the same. Lunch was fine; dates were rejected. The Quartet met again after physics lab and we had a great time. Jake's infatuation with Denise was obvious, but he still couldn't find the courage to invite her out. When we'd finished physics we just hung out in the music room. I sat down at the baby grand and started playing. "That sounded really good," Jake said. "What was it?"

"Oh, just some tune I'm working on," I replied.

"You wrote that?" Denise said. "Oh wow!"

"Is there anything you can't do?" Fran asked, sounding almost exasperated.

Now that was an opening. "Yeah, tons of things. I'm not at all good around girls. There is this gorgeous thing that I keep asking out, but she keeps shooting me down," I dead-panned.

Denise giggled and Jake laughed out loud, but Fran didn't take the bait. "Maybe you're not so raging hot at being serious either," she said, and there was an uncomfortable silence. Nothing much more happened that week, and I spent another lonely weekend on my bike.

The PLAN came out of the blue on the following Tuesday, and the unwitting and innocent agent of change was Miss Johnson - of all people - who at the end of yet another soporific English class announced that the date of the Senior Prom had been decided and that it would be on the first Saturday in April. The entire class was immediately awake and abuzz and the excited talking continued when the bell rang and Miss Johnson left the room.

"Oh no," said Fran when she had checked her dairy. "That's my birthday!"

Suzy and Lorraine were standing nearby batting eyelids at a delighted Darren and a stressed looking Jake and heard her. "As if that would matter," Suzy sneered.

"Yeah. No one is likely to ask you anyway," Lorraine added.

Endurance has its limits. Any ideas of soft approaches or keeping a low profile were blown right out of the water. I exploded. In a very loud voice I said "You're plain wrong there Lorraine. Fran will be asked, and she will be asked before anyone else!" I then turned to Fran. "Fran, will you allow me to take you to the Prom?"

There was a brief silence where you could have heard a pin drop, and then the noise returned with lots of derisive laughter. To my consternation Fran fled the room with tears streaming down her cheeks. I was about to run after her, but Linda - another girl from 'The Tracks' - caught my arm to hold me back. "That was mean. She is suffering enough - why do you want to humiliate her like that?"

I stared at Linda. "What are you talking about?" I exploded. "I am serious - I do want to take her to the Prom."

Linda's face was a study. "But you. I mean, you're a 'Hill' boy and your dad's a doctor and all and she's..." she trailed off with a wild look in her face.

"And she's what?" I asked, and I'm sure that didn't sound nice.

Linda blanched. "Ohmygod. You are serious." She let go of my arm like she had burned herself.

The bimbos had been following this exchange with glee and their sniggering was loud and theatrical. I desperately wanted to get out of there and find Fran, but I had no idea where she might have gotten to. I rushed out the door, ran randomly up and down a few corridors - and nearly collided with Denise. "You'll find her over behind the science block," she calmly said. I nodded thankfully and rushed in that direction.

I found Fran huddled in a corner. The more sensitive of the girls from her street, a freshman called Elisa I later found out, was there with a skinny arm around Fran's heaving shoulders.

"Fran?" I asked.

"GO AWAY!" she yelled hysterically.

"I will, but not before you tell me why you won't go to the Prom with me," I replied quietly.

"Stop teasing me!" she burst out.

"I'm not," I said. "I really want you to go with me."

There was a long silence. "I think he does," Elisa said. "He likes you. He told me so!"

"But why would anyone want to take me out?" Fran asked between deep sobs.

That was an opportunity too good to miss. "Well, you are sweet and bright for starters. You have gorgeous hair, honey colored skin, a fabulous smile that lights up a room and the clearest bluest eyes I have ever seen - and that I want to drown in forever."

A deep blush spread over her face and down her neck. "But I, I, I..." She indicated her bulk. "You wouldn't want to go with any one that looks like this and dress the way I do!"

"I would take you to the Prom right this moment and be the happiest man on earth," I replied. "But no-one says you will look like this in 7 or 8 months. If you will let me help you, we can work on that too."

Elisa was looking at us starry-eyed. "Fran," she said with intense earnestness. "This guy wants you, you know. Joy called you a twit the other day when George told us how you wouldn't go out with him and all. I told her off, but if you still turn him down then I'll have to apologize to her - 'cus then I agree completely."

I could have kissed her!

"Let's make a deal," I said to Fran. "You let me help you with those things that bug you. It will be tough, but it is quite handy to have my dad around." She gave a small laugh. "In return you will agree to go out with me occasionally. You don't have to make up your mind about the Prom yet, but at least promise me not to accept anyone else."