9: My Girlfriend

Two things made eighth grade a new experience for me. First, I had no study hall, so all my homework had to be done after school instead of during school. The reason I had no study hall was that I was approved to take high school chemistry during fifth period. That was usually at least a sophomore class and every day I crossed from the junior high halls into the high school halls. I was taking high school Algebra, too, but they had a whole eighth grade class for that. Talk about feeling like a midget. Some of my eighth grade classmates were still close to my size. I wasn't the only one who was short at a couple inches under five foot, but the percentage was much smaller on the other side of the hall. I just felt like a little kid among giants. That had its own problems.

In the junior high part of the school, I had lots of friends, including a couple giants—one high and one wide—that people stepped aside for. In the high school hall, the only people I really knew were my sister, Carl's brother Bill, and Joanne. The first day I went to class, I didn't see any of them. I did get to meet the varsity football team. At least the part of them who were finally getting around to fulfilling their science requirement with chemistry. I was slammed aside as the five big guys hit the door at the same time I did. Great. This was just going to be a great year if I was going to get pushed around by the football team.

I dropped off my admission slip on the teacher's desk and looked for a seat. The only one available was next to a guy who probably outweighed Jackson by fifty pounds and looked as tall as Lionel. I sat at the desk and if anything, looked even smaller. He looked over at me and grinned. I thought it was a little predatory, but his voice didn't match his size. It was soft and a little hoarse.

"Hey, little guy. Did you get lost? This is a high school class."

"I'm in this class. It might be a mistake, but not because I don't belong here."

"You some kind of a progidy?"

"Prodigy. I guess a little. I just like science and do real well in it."

"Real well?"

"Yeah." He held out a big meaty hand and I shook it a little gingerly.

"I'm Reggie Martin, senior varsity tackle."

"Uh ... I'm Brian Frost, eighth grade shrimp." He laughed just as the bell rang and we turned to the teacher who started explaining all about how we'd be in lectures on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and lab on Tuesday and Thursday. Since this was Tuesday, we'd use the opportunity to pick our lab partners and he'd give us a minute to change seats if we needed to. The guy on the other side of Reggie tapped him on the shoulder, but he waved him away.

"I got a lab partner," he rasped. He looked at me. "So partner, can you get me through this class?" Oh crap. If I let myself get bullied by this guy it was going to be a long miserable year. Better to just get beat to a pulp the first day, I guessed.

"I'll be your lab partner and I'll help if you don't understand something that I do. But I won't do your homework for you in this or any other class and I don't care if you stuff me in a wastebasket. I've been there before. I help some of the basketball players and cheerleaders in my class, but I don't do anybody's work for them."

"You got guts for a little guy. I like that. Let me tell you something, Brian. Nobody does my work for me. If I had Al over there do my weight-lifting for me, I wouldn't be built like this. I'm not a straight-A student, but my grades are good enough to get me into college and maybe get a scholarship. We work together, we work as partners. Deal?" I grinned at him. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

"Deal," I said as I stuck out my hand again. I was a little more confident in my handshake this time and he didn't try to crush it.

Oh yeah. The other thing that made this year different from any other was my girlfriend. It wasn't Rose. Or Brenda, Samantha, Rachel, Whitney, or Liz. And it certainly wasn't Joanne.

It all happened on Friday the first week of school. Rhonda Gordon walked right up to our tables at lunch out of the blue.

"Hi. Can I join you?" she asked. I thought she was asking the table, but she was looking right at me.

"Sure," I said. "We try not to be a clique. We're just friends. I'm Brian."

"Yeah, I know. We were in the same math class last year. I'm Rhonda." I looked quickly at Brenda and she moved over a seat away from me.

"Sit here, Rhonda, and tell us about yourself. I don't know you and I'm not sure any of the rest of us do, either. What elementary did you go to?" Brenda asked as they got settled with their lunches.

"John Mason Elementary over in Fort Wayne. I just moved here last year when my dad got transferred."

"What did he get transferred to?" I asked.

"He's a minister," she said. "They promised we wouldn't have to move again until I graduated. We moved last year so my sister could have all four years in the same high school. Course, anything could happen."

"Wow. You mean you just get moved around? Without getting to say anything about it?"

"That's pretty much it. This is my third school. In Fort Wayne the school was so big they split the elementary into upper and lower. It's weird going to a school where there's six grades."

"I hardly remember seeing you last year. I'm sorry I didn't make you more welcome. It's like two-thirds of everybody here was new to each other," I said. Man, it was ballsy of her to just walk up to a table of strangers and invite herself to sit down.

"I was pretty much a loner last year. My sister said I was going to stay that way if I didn't just go make some friends."

"Your sister sounds cool, too," Brenda said from the other side. "I'm Brenda." Crap. I realized that ever since she sat down I'd been carrying on a conversation with Rhonda like we were the only two at the table. Well, who could blame me? She had no end of cute! Curly brown hair, bright green eyes, a turned up nose, and a little spray of freckles. I hadn't stood next to her yet, but I estimated she wasn't much taller than me. I hadn't yet reached the point where I was as tall as most girls in my class. The guys were all much taller. Rhonda turned and introduced herself to Brenda and Brenda pointed out the rest of the folks sitting at our table. It turned out she had English with Brenda and Rachel and study hall with Sugar, Samantha, and Derek. She was pretty sure she had class with a few of the people at the other tables near us and we promised to get her introduced to everyone.

After lunch, I had to head to my chemistry class so I was turning the other direction from everyone else. Rhonda stopped me.

"Hey, it's Friday," she said. That was obvious. "Are you going to the football game?" Our varsity team played Friday nights and I realized it was a home game. Maybe I should go and support my lab partner.

"I hadn't thought about it. I think I will go if my folks will give me a ride over."

"I was hoping you'd meet me there and introduce me to more of your friends. Would that be okay?" We exchanged phone numbers and I promised that if my folks could get me to the game I'd see her there and I'd call if I couldn't make it. I got to chemistry class just as the bell rang and slid into my seat next to Reggie.

Crap! I think I was asked on a date tonight!

I caught a break because Betts got to drive to the game and pick up two of her girlfriends, so after Mom pressured her, she agreed to let me ride along. She wasn't happy about having to bring me home before she and her friends went to the post-game dance, but that was the price of her getting the car. She picked up Doug's sister Doreen and Ella Flynn, a senior I didn't know. Ella rode shotgun and Doreen sat in the back seat with me.

I always liked Doreen. She wasn't stuck up like a lot of older girls. I mean, she showed her brother everything if what Betts said was right. Just to be nice and teach him about girls. Way better than a stupid sticky book. I was finding out things almost every day that the book didn't cover. So while Ella and Betts talked in the front seat, Doreen deigned to have a conversation with me.

"You meeting friends at the game tonight? Doug didn't say anything." It suddenly dawned on me that I didn't tell any of my friends I was going to the game. Well, I didn't know for sure until I talked to Mom. That justified my not telling Doug or Carl on the bus. But I called Mom as soon as I got home, so I had plenty of time to call them. The only one who knew I was going to the game was Rhonda. And the front five linemen I had chemistry with.

"Yeah. I hope so. Mostly I wanted to see a buddy of mine who's on the team play." Okay, that was quick thinking.

"You've got a buddy on the varsity squad?" Doreen asked. "Who?"

"Oh, Reggie Martin. He plays tackle."

"No way that you know Reggie," Betts laughed. "He'd break you in half."

"He's my lab partner in chemistry," I said. This time Ella snapped around in her seat.

"Are you serious? You really are friends with Reggie?" she asked.

"Yeah. It's not like we hang out, but we get along great. Rod, Al, Bob, and George, too. I work with the whole front line."

"Oh my god. Will you hang with us after the game and introduce us? Tell them we're big fans or something. Just get them to talk to us after the game. I've wanted to go out with Reggie for-ever! I don't think he knows I exist."

"Sure, I guess." Betts scowled at me.

"Have you seen the car he drives?" Ella asked, turning back to Betts. "I think he's rich and he's going to Notre Dame in the fall. I'd fall on my back for him in a second." Ella kept babbling and she really sounded like an empty-headed gold-digger. I was wondering if there was a way I could get out of the introductions. Doreen turned to me and winked.

"Maybe you should warn him instead of introduce them," she laughed. "But really, if they're nice guys I wouldn't mind meeting them, too. I'm not going to put out for them, though. At least not tonight." I sort of giggled. Doreen was cool. And she wasn't done yet. "You're meeting a girl, aren't you?" she whispered. I glanced at Betts but she was raving about which other players were handsome and rich with Ella. I nodded. "I didn't think you told Doug you were coming here. And I'll bet none of the girls in your crew know either, do they? Just let me know if you need me to cover for you. You know, like if the two of you want to get a soda or something after the game. I'll get Betts to delay taking you home."

"Thanks, Doreen. You're cool."

"Run along and find your friends, shrimp-meat," Betts said as soon as she got the car parked. "Be sure you are back here at the car within ten minutes after the game or we'll leave without you." I jumped out of the car and took off. I barely heard Ella yell at me.

"No! Meet us at the gate so we can go wait for the team by the locker room." Well, we'd see what happened.

I spotted Rhonda waiting at the ticket counter with another girl that looked like a slightly older version of my new friend. I grinned and ran up to meet them.

"You did come!" Rhonda exclaimed. "I knew you would. Sort of. I almost called you but Donna said not to."

"I said I'd call if I couldn't come."

"Yeah, but I get anxious. This is my sister, Donna. Donna, this is Brian."

"Hi, Brian."

"Hi, Donna. It's nice to meet you. Are you going to sit with us?"

"No. I'm not your chaperone. Just stay in the stands and the concession area and don't leave without me. Daddy will be here after the game to take us home and said he'd give you a ride if you'd like."

"Gee, thanks. I'm sure my sister would prefer that. I might have to introduce her and a couple friends to the football team, though."

"Well, you guys have fun. There's Joanne. I'm off to have some fun." I looked and saw Joanne, Bill Fisher, and Sammy D. I had a little pang but when Joanne spotted me, she winked. I wondered if this whole thing with Rhonda was a setup. Well, she was a nice girl, so I was going to go with it and see what happened.

"'Bye!" Rhonda and I both said at the same time. We laughed and headed into the stands to find a seat for the game. Rhonda looked at me and giggled like she expected me to say something. Then she blurted out "Jinx! You owe me a soda!"

"Huh?"

"We said the same thing at the same time. I called 'jinx.' That means you owe me a soda."

"Cool. Let's go get one." It was still about twenty minutes until game time so we had plenty of time to get to the concession stand for a drink.

"You don't have to do that," she said. "You didn't even know the game. That wasn't fair."

"Yeah, but I was going to offer to buy you a soda anyway," I laughed. "It's what a guy does on a date. At least that's what I've been told."

"Does meeting at a football game make it a date?" she asked.

"Well, you asked me, so I guess you get to decide."

"I've never been on a date. I'm only thirteen."