Chapter Twenty-Five
Susie
We’re standing around after the game, still too revved up to let it end and leave, talking about what to do to celebrate.
“Dane’s having a party,”
Sherry says.
“That’s right,”
Carol says. “Mack told me about it.
“I think it’s going to be a big one,”
Judy says. “Definitely the place to be.”
“I’ll be there,”
Liz says, touching my arm. “We’ll be there.”
The fans are filing out, and Liz jumps up and down yelling, “Huskies! Huskies!”
She waves her pom-poms, and the others join in and get the departing fans riled up.
A familiar-looking guy in the crowd stops and then grins as he comes toward me.
“Vinnie?”
I’m surprised that he seems amiable and sober. But I gravitate towards Josh standing next to me just in case.
“You remember me.”
He gives me a quick hug, and I back up awkwardly and uncomfortably. “Sorry. I’m Italian. I can’t help myself. What a game. Your boyfriend was unbelievable. What a player.”
It confuses me for a minute that he’s so normal and friendly, unlike his behavior at the beer fest, where he got arrested, and at the Deep Throat movie.
“My boyfriend? Oh, you mean Bryan? He’s not my… we’re not together.”
He laughs. “You sure about that, Susie?”
I nod, not sure of anything. Still in disbelief how different Vinnie seems in the light of day. He’s kind of handsome with dark hair and eyes, a winning smile, and more confidence than most boys I’ve met not named Bryan or Dane.
“If that’s true, then maybe we could—”
He stops talking abruptly and steps back from me.
“Great game, Bryan.”
He puts out a hand for Bryan to shake as Bryan walks up behind me and stands at my shoulder, not touching, but he seems proprietary anyway.
Liz comes rushing over, and Bryan shakes Vinnie’s hand. I’m surprised, though he doesn’t smile at the guy.
“I see you’re sober.”
“Most of the time. I wouldn’t be graduating with a Civil Engineering degree next semester if I let loose too often.”
Bryan nods. Vinnie gives me a last big smile then turns to leave, saying, “Maybe we’ll see you around.”
“Was that the guy from Deep Throat?” Liz asks.
“Yeah. A rugby player. A guy with a lot of balls,”
Bryan says with a note of respect.
A couple of the other guys from the team come over and start talking up the party to the cheerleaders. Liz turns her attention to them.
“See you later at the party, Bry.”
She bounces away, still full of energy like it’s only half-time.
Bryan turns to me. “Come to my party.”
“Of course. Everyone’s going.”
“I meant as my personal guest.”
His voice is low and deep, and his face is smudged with that black stuff under his eyes.
I feel more attracted to him than ever. My chest clenches as my heart throbs unnecessarily hard.
I stare at him, mute, because too many thoughts rush around my head, causing a buzz of crazy emotions to churn. How can he ignore the fact that Liz will be there too?
The horror of that thought is quickly followed by elation that he chose me as his personal guest, like maybe I mean something to him—something more than his tutor, maybe more than a cute cheerleader.
Or maybe personal guest is his euphemism for a girl he wants to sleep with.
“I’m not sleeping with you,” I say.
He grins, but it’s an evil grin, so I don’t count it as a smile. “I’m glad you’re still thinking about my invitation.”
“Don’t flatter yourself. You know we’re strictly friends.”
That’s not strictly true because the way we kiss shouts otherwise. Without thinking it through, I add, “Like you and Liz.”
His grin twitches and gets serious. He lowers his head so that his mouth is close to my ear. He must know what that does to me because I shudder automatically.
“You know I slept with Liz.”
I don’t say anything, but I back away. “We’ll both be there along with a mob of other people. It should be fun.”
I clear my throat and change the subject. “I’ll be celebrating because I switched to education. I made the decision to become a teacher.”
“You’re an excellent teacher.”
He looks genuinely proud of me.
His pride warms me, and I smile. Then I realize how easy I am, though that’s only true when it comes to him. It doesn’t affect me like this when any other guy, like Dane or Vinnie or Alex from the soccer team, shows an interest or flatters me.
“Good move. It’s always best to go with your strengths.”
No other guy would make me feel so elated that I float like a balloon, high and free and giddy.
He wraps an arm around my shoulders and gives me a squeeze. “See you later for a special celebration—without the mob of other people.”
He walks away without letting me rebut him, not that it would do any good.
I see my mom and aunt hovering at the bottom of the stands and tell Liz and the others I’ll see them later. I trot over to my mother and aunt and give them each a big hug, almost surprised at how happy I am to see them.
They insist on taking me to a quick dinner at Kathy Johns, a restaurant at Four Corners just off campus. Even though it’s a casual, inexpensive restaurant, I can’t help thinking it’s money they shouldn’t be spending.
“Are you sure?”
I say as we walk inside.
“Of course. You have to eat, and I don’t know what you normally do on the weekend, but if things are anything like they used to be, you’re a poor college student who shouldn’t look a free meal gift horse in the mouth.”
I relax and realize I need to enjoy this time with my family instead of wasting it on worrying.
When we sit, as I’m looking at the menu, salivating over the choice between a burger and fried chicken, Mom puts her menu down.
“So how’s Liz doing?”
Shit. Back to tiptoeing around, trying to preserve Liz’s privacy without lying to my mother.
“She’s doing so well. I don’t know how she manages everything she does. She’s a fantastic leader as captain of the cheerleaders and is doing great in her classes.”
I’m not sure about this last claim since she hasn’t talked about her grades since mid-terms. “She’s an accounting major.”
“Do you go to parties with her?”
Mom asks carefully.
“Sometimes. We all go out. It’s fun.”
Aunt Mabel says, “Parties are a big part of the college experience, and you make sure you enjoy them. You were always too serious, Susie.”
She pats my hand, and I’m grateful for her encouragement.
“Sounds like you spend a lot of time with Liz,”
Mom says apropos of nothing.
I inhale and tell her the truth. “We’re roommates, so yes, we spend almost all our time together except in class.”
Mom inhales deeply, and Aunt Mabel pats my hand again. “It’s wonderful to have a good friend to spend time with. I remember Liz as a real spitfire.”
“How’s her family?” Mom asks.
I lift my chin. “She doesn’t talk about her family much.”
I take a breath because it’s not right to talk about what Liz told me about her dad, but this is Mom, and I’m tired of lying. Flashing an uneasy glance at my aunt, I say, “Her dad is bedridden.”
Mom visibly relaxes but doesn’t make any comment.
Aunt Mabel says, “Oh dear. How do they get on? Are they on welfare?”
“I… don’t know. Her mom works, I think.”
“Her mother’s family has money,”
Mom says, and Aunt Mabel nods her head as if that’s the answer.
Maybe it is, but I always got the impression that her mother was excommunicated from her family—except for her one sister, Liz’s aunt.
“What did you think of the game?”
I ask, needing to change the subject.
“That young man who ran with the ball and scored a touchdown is very good,”
she says. “Do you know him? I thought I recognized you talking to him.”
I nod.
“Well, tell us all about him,”
Aunt Mabel says with the smile on her mouth ready for gossip.
“What do you want to know?”
I half-laugh, uncomfortable with the topic and hoping they didn’t see too much, like the hug and the way he whispered in my ear.
“What are his prospects? What will he do after college? Will he play football?”
Mom asks like she’s sizing him up for husband material.
“He’s Liz’s friend,”
I blurt to stop her from interrogating me about Bryan as if he could be mine. “He’s a farmer,”
I add, to dash her dreams into dust.
Mom raises her brows.
“Lucky Liz,”
Aunt Mabel says. “He looked like a handsome one, all big and muscly like he could carry a lady over the threshold very easily.”
She winks at me, and I laugh.
“You’re both incorrigible,”
I say. “I’m here for an education and to get a degree for a career.”
Mom lifts one brow, compressing her mouth. “Is that why you became a cheerleader?”
She has a point.
The waitress comes by then, saving me and turning the conversation to food.
But at the back of my mind, I’m giving far too much thought to Mom’s very good question. I was a serious student at Smith, spending my time in study groups when I wasn’t tutoring.
Grades were everything then, but I was lonely.
Now I’m not. I belong on the cheerleading squad. It may have started out as a lark, but now it’s part of my life. The travel, the performing, and togetherness of the squad fills a need I didn’t realize I had.
And if I’m totally honest, sharing the football connection with Bryan means something to me.
I wonder how much I mean to him.