Chapter 4: Anita's Big Brother

"Riley huh?" Rebecca asked on the cruise home.

"Huh?" Tina stammered.

"Tina you're in the clouds somewhere. I think your head is full of boy."

Tina giggled. "Yeah, I guess. I like him, he seems like, I don't know. He's like this jock but he's not full of himself or anything. And you got to admit he's pretty damn cute."

The two were sitting on the bow deck of Kalliste as Tony navigated her home.

"I invented a word, or something, when I met Tony. I thought of him, well I still do, as hunky-cute."

"Ahh! That's good, yeah, that sounds like Riley alright."

"Is he nice?"

"He seems so. He seems a bit star-struck maybe. I kept trying to tell him that we're just normal people, but I'm not sure I got through to him."

"Tina we aren't normal people. I know you dragged me into it, but this whole band thing makes people look at us different. Do you think he'll ask you out?"

Tina laughed again. "Oh I think so. He asked me if he could call me and I got a bit carried away. I told him he damn well better call me!"

"Ah! Go Tina!" Rebecca laughed.

"Yeah, he was so cute. But really he didn't hold my hand like you think. I kept grabbing on to his. Like I said I think he was a little intimidated. Do I seem like that to you? I mean intimidating?"

"I guess that depends on what you mean. Musically? Oh hell yeah. You intimidate all of us. Tina, you sat first chair violin on the Gilchrist Select Orchestra and you didn't even sit with the orchestra. You scored, what, five songs so the orchestra could accompany me? You scored that brass piece that Antonio and his friends did with us at the beach concert. Oh yeah, you are intimidating all right. Well not to us, we're just in awe of you.

"Personally no, you're just Tina to me, but to Riley you might be this larger-than-life rock star. I've been there OK? Tony and I went through this. I just thought I was some poor crippled girl and a boy like Tony was so far out of reach it wasn't even possible. Hey I know it might embarrass you but maybe he can tell you how to handle it. It worked for me after all."

"Oh wouldn't that be interesting! I mean Tony and I can talk about anything, but this may be too embarrassing."

"Nah, like I said, he's been there and done that. He convinced me. It's really no different than when we talked in the mall last year is it?"

"No, I guess not."

"I kissed her."

"Huh?"

"I kissed her," Tony said. "I got so fed up with her bullshit that I just laid one on her. I didn't know what else to do. Then again she was in a hospital bed so I had a distinct advantage. I've played against Riley, he can run pretty fast so it may not be so easy for you."

"Tony!" Tina chuckled at the thought of having to actually chase Riley to kiss him. Somehow, she didn't think that would be a problem. "That's all the advice you can give me? Kiss him?"

"Well, I mean, make it a really good kiss."

Tina punched Tony in the arm. "Gee thanks, I embarrass myself coming to you for advice and that's all I get?"

"What do you want me to tell you Tina? Yes, lay one on the boy if that's what you want. You're a beautiful girl, he's a bit intimidated by you. You need to show him what you want. That's what I had to do with Rebecca. He won't be the first boy to be scared of a beautiful, talented girl. I don't know why you think girls have a monopoly on being scared of the opposite sex. Us boys are just as terrified. He's not afraid of you exactly; he just doesn't think he measures up. He's smart, good at sports, but you are up there under the lights onstage. I imagine he has his pick of girls at school. You have to show him that he does measure up. I'm sure there are long, drawn out ways that you can dance around each other for a few months, but yeah, just laying one on worked for Rebecca."

"Do you really think all that about me?"

"Of course Tina. You are beautiful, hmm very cute too, and that's a rare combination, we won't even go into talented. Look he's a nice guy as far as I can tell. Even if you think he's the cat's meow it doesn't take away the fact that he may be a little intimidated by your success. Let him know you're interested and he'll come around. It didn't take a genius to see his eyes never left you today. Go with it."

"He may not call me."

"He'll call you. Man I'm not sure which of you is more insecure, the jock or my beautiful geek sister."

Tony was good at earning hugs, even from his sisters, and that got him one.

He called.

Tony grabbed the phone near the bar in the basement. Tina, Tony, and Anita were all working on a guitar lesson. Tina wasn't about to let Anita learn guitar by rote, they were practicing sight-reading. "For you Tina," he called across the room, "It's Riley."

Anita sighed heavily as Tina went to the phone. Rebecca gets Tony, now Tina gets Riley. She knew both were too old for her, but Riley was such a dream. Well Tony too, but he had eventually gotten filed away in the "brother" category that she hadn't had in her brain before.

"Hey Riley!" Tina said. "I was hoping you'd call."

"Hey, uhm I was wondering, well, would you like to do something this weekend?"

"Oh, when? We promised our student council that we'd do some dances at school this year. We don't have a club gig this weekend so we're doing the dance at school after the game on Friday night."

"Oh, well it's Saturday. My sister Cindy is getting an award from the Press Club. You know, got to support the family. It's kind of formal, I have to wear a suit and all. I mean I love Cindy, but it would be a whole lot less boring if you were there."

"Haha, I know the kind of thing you're talking about. Tony's actually invited to it for some reason. We did a couple of those for our charity; lots of pompous people, rubber chicken dinner, dancing to bad music right?"

"Uh, I don't know, you might know more about this kind of thing than I do."

"I'd love to go Riley. Like you said, as long as you're there we can have fun," Tina said, thinking frantically about what dress she'd wear and instantly deciding on shopping for a new one instead.

"Really?"

"Sure, the least I can do for keeping me company Monday is to save you from the boredom. What time Saturday?"

"Well it starts at eight. I'd have to pick you up at seven-thirty, is that alright?"

"It's fine Riley. Hey, why don't you come to our dance on Friday? We won't actually get to dance, but we could talk between sets and maybe before and after. It's not going to be like River Street, but we did promise we'd do a few dances at our own school this year when we were free."

"You don't get paid for that?"

"Heh, well yeah, we do, but we could do four school dances for what they pay us for one night in the clubs downtown. Really though, we promised them last year that we'd do a couple of dances this year. We're pretty successful now, but these are our friends. It's kind of a business, we really won't make any money at a school dance; they can only pay so much."

"Wow, I never thought of it that way."

"Yeah, well, we do make more than the average kid working after school, but we still have to pay expenses and stuff. We have so much crap to set up and take down we have to hire kids to help us."

"Well I'll help for free."

"Hah! I'll hold you to that. I'll make Matt put you to work! Really though, I think we're showing up with the truck around six-thirty at the gym at our school Friday if you want to come."

"Sure! It actually sounds like fun. I'm not sure if I'm going to be a groupie, or what do you call it? A roadie?"

"Sweet! My brother has groupies, I always wanted one!" Tina chuckled.

"Huh?"

"It's a long story, we were in a teen magazine and a couple of little girls recognized him. Gwen calls them his "groupies." Tony calls them the New Jersey Chapter of the Chaos Fan Club. Of course Rebecca reminds him that that's actually the only chapter of our fan club."

"You'll have to tell me about that, it sounds funny."

"Yeah, it is. I want to talk more but we're in the middle of a guitar lesson with Anita. I'll see you Friday right? And Saturday's a date?"

"Yes to both, I look forward to seeing you again."

"No, definitely no!"

"Why not?"

"Tina," Rebecca implored, "if your goal is to get into the back seat of Riley's car, that dress will definitely do it. Now I've never been in the back seat of a boy's car..."

"You and Tony never did it in his car?"

"Tina! Your brother owns a damn ocean liner why would we ... never mind.

"This is a semi-formal thing though, isn't it? You're going with too much sex stuff with that. That dress is slit right up to your butt! Go a bit cuter and a bit less sexy. His parents are going to be there right?" Rebecca asked.

"Well yeah, I guess they are," Tina admitted.

Tony thought for a minute and said, "You want to be the most beautiful girl there, though Rebecca will be there too so you'll have some competition." Tony winked at Rebecca. "You don't want to be the most sexy woman. You already said you intimidate him right? Why are you trying to buy a dress that makes you sexier? Rebecca is right. If you want in his back seat that dress will get you there. If you want to impress you need something more your age. A little daring is OK, but that is just kind of ... Ah shit, guys call that a 'fuck-me dress'."

"Tony!" both girls exclaimed.

"Hey, you asked me to come along. I'd be just as happy with a couple of magazines at the food court."

"He's right Tina, that's too much. You don't have to do the whole catholic school-girl thing, but come on, you said his parents will be there right?" Anita asked. She was along for the shopping trip as well.

"Well yeah."

"OK, I know you like him, but, huh, I don't know how to explain, it's not like I get to go. You want to impress him, but not impress his parents too much right?

"I'm out of here," Tony said. "This could take years and cost thousands of lives. You have my opinion. Be the very sexy girl that's amazingly cute as well, but don't take sexy too far. You do both naturally and that's what you should be. You did bring your own card this time right?"

"Yes, I have it."

"OK, food court in an hour or so OK?"

"Yeah, we'll be there."

The after-school drama waited until Thursday and once again it involved Anita. This time it nearly landed Tony in jail. Why kids have to be so cruel to each other is a mystery. As the four teens drove up to the junior high a young boy could be seen waving a finger at Anita's crying face. Tina was out of the car literally before it stopped and Tony wasn't far behind.

"He says I'm a ... a ... a orphan ... annn no one ... loves me."