Chapter 2: Getting By

My little escapade with Sonya taught me to be more careful about whom I asked for a date. Dory was still pissed with me and we were only just talking to each other. On top of that, my two best friends, Jack and Bob, were on my case about Sonya. They knew her reputation, even if they didn't share it with me. They were at the dance too and saw me with her.

"What the hell do you want to fool around with that slut for?" Bob asked.

I shrugged. "I didn't know about her rep before I asked her out. For Christ's sake, there are over a thousand girls in this school. I can't know about them all."

"Well, I'm guessing you did by the time the night was over then," Jack said derisively.

I shrugged again. "Pretty much."

"You score?" Bob asked.

"Nope."

"Jesus, how did you fuck that up?"

I shrugged once more.

"If you couldn't score with Sonya, you may never score for the rest of your life," Jack snorted.

Jack Rathskell, aka "Rat Kill", aka "Rat", and Bob Chambers, were my best friends. But lately, Jack was working weekends at the new TV station, training to be a cameraman or something. Bob was around, but he had a girlfriend, Poppy, and she kept him busy. Anyway, we hadn't been seeing much of each other.

"Lay off, will you, Rat. I don't need to be reminded of my virginity."

"You just don't sample enough merchandise to get the chance," Rat sneered. "How about Dory? Now if that was my girl, I'd have two big dents in my chest by now."

"No you wouldn't," I said. "She's not like that."

"How do you know? You probably haven't tried," Rat persisted.

Bob was sitting back, just taking this all in, just like he normally would. He had the funny little smile on his face like this was all a big joke and you couldn't take any of it seriously. He was probably right.

"Besides, Dory's not speaking to me much since the dance. She's pissed I didn't take her."

"She's pissed because you took 'Sonya, the sure thing, '" Rat said, still on my case.

"So I heard. How was I to know? I don't listen to all the gossip in school."

"Her phone number is on the locker room wall in capital letters," Rat said, now exasperated with me. "How could you not know?"

"I guess I'm just clueless," I admitted.

"That's the first smart thing you've said this month," Rat said, shaking his head at me.

"So Bob," I said, "since Rat thinks I'm ignorant, maybe you can help me with a list of girls that won't get me in trouble and won't give me the wrong kind of reputation."

"Oh no," he said, shaking his head. "Not me buddy. If Poppy finds out I'm pimping for you, she'll kill me."

"What do you mean, pimping? All you have to do is tell me which ones are safe to date."

"And in Poppy's eyes, how would I know that?" he asked.

"Okay then, get Poppy to help you. Tell her I need to know who I should date and who I shouldn't. Those girls all know who I'm talking about."

He looked at me for a while before, "I'll think about it."

Knowing Bob, he would think about it, and then maybe do it.

So, a week later I'm sitting in the cafeteria and Dory sits down beside me. We aren't alone at the table, but that doesn't seem to stop her.

"I hear you're looking for a list of 'nice' girls."

Instantly, four other heads pop up and stare at me.

"Where did you hear that?" I asked, hoping she wouldn't say.

"Poppy wanted to know if you and I weren't seeing each other any more."

"Can we take this conversation somewhere else?" I asked, almost begging.

"Why, everyone knows about Sonya. You're just trying not to make the same mistake twice ... right?"

"Dory, please!" I pleaded to no avail.

"Will I be on that list, Stevie?" she said with a not-so-happy look.

"Cut it out, Dory. Of course you will."

"Oh ... so there will be a list. What number will I be?" she asked, almost snarling.

"Uhhm ... number one, naturally."

"Really? I wonder," she said, now getting up with her tray and leaving for another table.

Great! Just great! Now all my screw ups are public knowledge. Thank God this school year is going to be over soon. I won't have to come back here any more and be humiliated in public. College has got to be better than this.

I finished the 1992-93 school year with a mediocre-to-decent passing grade in all my subjects and qualified for college. My going to college wasn't optional. That damn I.Q. test made sure of that. I had a summer and weekend job at the grocery store, working for Eddie Chan as a stock boy and general gofer. Dory still wasn't speaking to me and since I was working Saturday, with Wednesday and Sunday off, I wasn't exactly visible on the dating scene.

I made enough money that summer to buy my first computer, a locally made Laser. Dory already had one and told me that it really helped her with her school work. She had talked me into taking a typing class the last semester and I was really glad I did. I had no idea how valuable that would become. The computer came with a colour monitor and some games already installed. What more could I want?

It was late August and I had just paid my tuition and I was in the over-crowded bookstore on campus, looking for the mandatory texts for my first year. I was flipping through a math text when I was bumped into from behind. I was about to turn around and give whoever it was the evil eye when I saw it was Dory, and what had bumped into me wasn't her shoulder.

"Oh ... hi, Dory. I didn't realize it was you."

"It's kind of crowded in here," she said with a slight smile. "I hope I didn't give you a bruise."

I almost said something, but held my tongue until, "No ... no problem. Here, why don't you move in here? I'm finished and I'm going to stand in line at the cashier."

"Thanks, Stevie. Maybe I'll catch up to you later."

"Yeah ... maybe." What the hell? All of a sudden she's talking to me again. Good deal. I have a feeling I'm going to need her help if this math textbook is any indication.

I'd been sitting at the outdoor plaza of the Student Union Building, known to students as "The SUB," sipping a Coke while I scanned the books I had purchased. I didn't like what I was seeing. This had the appearances of a very difficult year if these texts were any indication. I could feel the onset of hopelessness drifting toward me once more.

"Can I join you," the voice came from behind. It was Dory again, and her arms were loaded with books.

"Yeah, sure. Let me help you with the books."

"Thanks," she said, just before I stuck my hand into the wrong place, bounced it off a substantial boob, and caused her to spill her books all over the table and onto the ground.

"Oh, shit!" she snapped.

"My fault," I said immediately. "Sorry. I should have kept my hands to myself."

We were both down on the ground picking up the books that had fallen there. She seemed to have twice as many books as I did. I didn't think I'd forgotten any for my classes.

She didn't appear to be mad at me, so I stacked her books on the table for her and sat back down. She wasn't far behind me and sat opposite, sorting through the various texts, putting them in some kind of order.

"Would you like a drink? A Coke or something?"

"Yes ... thanks, Stevie," she smiled. "A diet Coke would be fine."

Dory was the only person I allowed to call me "Stevie." Anybody else got corrected in a hurry, but for some reason, her using it wasn't bothering me. So anyway, things were definitely looking up between us. We'd spoken more words in the last couple of minutes than we had since February.

I returned with a can of Coke and a plastic cup and put them down in front of her, taking my seat opposite once more.

I watched her pour the soft drink into the cup and I had a momentary flash that caused a chill to run through me. Dory must have seen my reaction.

"What was that?" she asked with a curious look.

"What was what?"

"That look that came over you. It was weird."

"Nothing, just a ... dream or something."

"A dream? In broad daylight?"

"No ... more like a nightmare in the daytime. I had a vision."

"A vision. Ohhhhhhh," she said with a grin. "A vision. What of?"

"I ... saw myself knocking your drink over and having it spill all over your clothes and books."

"You wouldn't dare," she said, looking me right in the eye. "You do that and I'll kill you ... with my bare hands."

I didn't think for a minute that she was kidding.

"It was just a vision. I'll keep my hands to myself," I promised.

"Good idea," she said, a smile returning to her now.

"So, what were you looking so glum about when I got here?" she asked.

"I just scanned a couple of the text books and began to wonder if I was cut out for college."

"Sure you are, Stevie. You're plenty smart. You just need a system and some commitment."

"What kind of system?"

"You remember how you got through Stats and Probs?"

"Sure, you showed me how."

"Well, the same thing goes for any course. You figure out the formula and go from there. It won't be easy, but you can do it."

"How come you're my biggest cheerleader?"

"Is that supposed to be a wisecrack?"

I must have given her one of my patented vacant looks.

"Using big and cheerleader in the same sentence," she said with what looked like a smirk.

I didn't catch it right away, but when I did, I quickly back-pedalled.

"No ... no ... I didn't mean it that way. You know I don't make fun of your ... body."

She smiled. "Yeah ... I know. I was just having some fun with you. Cheer up, Stevie. If we work together, maybe we can help each other."

"Jeez, I hope so, Dory."

"When you get your degree, what do you want to do with it?" she asked.

"I don't know. Frame it, I guess."

She laughed. "No ... I mean ... what kind of career are you interested in?"

I shrugged. "Don't have a clue. Not going to be a doctor or a lawyer. Don't want to be an accountant. Sounds boring as hell. I don't know, Dory. I really don't know."

"Well, you've got a whole year to decide. Almost all our courses this year are mandatory, so it will be second year when you have to have some sense of direction."

"How come you have so many books?" I asked.

"Oh, just some optional reading for me. Trying to get ahead," she said, waving her hand like it was no big deal.

"What did you choose for your optional course this semester?" I asked.

"Psychology 101. It sounds interesting."

"Hah! How about that! I chose that too for the same reason. Why do people behave the way they do? Especially people like me," I laughed.

"That sounds like a potential doctoral thesis. Who and why is Stevie Black."

We both laughed at that. It was good to be back talking with Dory again. If we can team up, she can be a big help to me. If nothing else, she'll keep me thinking about my courses and not girls or football.

"You going to try out for the football team?" she asked, seeming to read my mind.

I shook my head. "Nope. I'd probably make the Junior Varsity team, but I'm worried about getting through this year, especially this first four months. Maybe next year if I'm still here."

"Good plan, Stevie. I'll help you all I can. We can form our own study group."

"Hey ... great ... thanks."

"How are you getting out here?" she asked.

"I was thinking of getting a car pool together. I can use Mom's car once a week at least if I give her enough notice. How about you?"

"Same thing," she said. "I can use Mom's car."

"Any ideas who we can get for another two members?" I asked.

"Why don't we post a notice on the SUB bulletin board," Dory suggested. "Let's look for people who live in our area and who have a similar class schedule."

"Great idea. I'm sure there's other people in our situation."