Ink (50 page)

We took our seats just as the bell rang. I settled in for the one of Mr. Hobbs intensely boring lectures.

The day dragged on in its usual slow pace. It seemed to always happen that way. Whenever I was anxious to get on with my day, the school hours had a way of dragging, painfully, by.

Graciously, my favorite teacher, Miss Kelly, allowed us the last fifteen minutes to talk amongst ourselves.

She was a young teacher, fresh out of college. She had done her assistant training here before she became a full fledged teacher. So, we all knew her well. She seemed to understand how it was to be young, being that she was still young herself. Not like the other teachers who had lost their flair for life and liked to make us work until the last minute.

“
So…” Jessica said, dragging her chair to my side. I didn’t go to people, they came to me.

“
So…what?” I asked.

“
So…are you going to watch Calvin practice today?”

“
No. He’s dropping me off at the mall so I can get a jump on finding my prom dress.”

“
Already?” she frowned. “It’s two months away.”

“
Well, Katie,” we were on a first name basis she and I, “just got a shipment in and she’s giving me first dibs.”

“
Only because you spend like, a gazillion dollars there every month,” she laughed.

I shrugged. It wasn’t my fault if I had a good allowance.

“
Rick is looking at you,” she whispered, leaning in to me.

I looked over my shoulder meeting his gaze. Rick Mandrake wasn’t like most guys. He didn’t get shy and avert his stare just because I caught him. No, instead his eyes stayed fixed on mine until I became too uncomfortable to continue. He was always like that. Overly confident. It was intriguing.

“
He’s so cute,” Jessica breathed.

“
Sure, if you like that sort of thing,” I said nonchalantly.

Rick was a senior. We were juniors. He was tall and slender with chocolate brown hair—wild and unmanageable. He had piercing brown eyes and strong bone structure. Everything one would expect in a male model. And he ruined it with his gothic ways.

From head to toe, Rick wore black. Today he was wearing a form fitting black thermal shirt tucked neatly into a pair of (again black) cargo pants, riddled with chains and loops and hooks and God only knew what else. He finished his look with a pair of black Converse sneakers. Over all, he was a ten—if you liked that sort of thing of course.

I met up with Calvin outside the classroom door. He was always waiting for me. I hardly knew how he managed it. His last class was on the second floor, mine on the first, and yet, every day he was standing outside the door waiting for me.

He threw his arm around my shoulder and pulled me down the hall.

“
We have to make this quick. Coach is going to kill me if I’m late again,” he rushed.

“
If it’s going to be a problem, then I’ll just go on my own,” I said. I really didn’t want to walk home. Something like that could hurt my rep. But I knew how important football was to him, and I’m not a total brat.

“
No, I’ll take you. We just have to go now, before—”

“
Willoughby! Get your butt in the locker room and suit up!” Coach Vargas’ voice boomed behind us.

Calvin flinched and gave me an apologetic look.

“
Ugh. Just go,” I said severely disappointed.

“
Come watch me practice. I’ll take you after,” he offered.

I didn’t have to think it over long. If it was a choice between shopping and watching a bunch of boys body slam each other, shopping won out every time.

“
No, thanks. Katie is expecting me.”

“
Willoughby! Lockers! Now! Miss Williams,” Coach Vargas nodded.

“
Sorry. Catch you later,” Calvin said, loping off.

I smiled dejectedly and stalked off into the sunny outdoors.

The walk home wasn’t really all that bad. My patent leather Jimmy Choo shoes lived up to their reputation—expensive and comfortable.

The sun was blinding, causing me to squint in a most unattractive way. I had forgotten my glasses in Calvin’s car in my haste to get home. Katie was only going to wait so long.

I hardly even noticed the black Camaro stealthily sliding up along side me.

“
Is that Val I see walking home? What, did your boy toy finally come to his senses?” the mocking voice called to me.

Eyes narrowed, I peered into the open window. It was worse than I could have imagined. The one person in school, besides Calvin, that was insanely gorgeous and socially inept in every way, smiled antagonistically back at me.

“
Rick, how’s it going?” I asked, ignoring his school yard teasing. Really, we weren’t in third grade anymore.

“
Better for me than you, I see. Where’s Calvin? Pumping iron or something?”

“
He’s at practice if you must know.” I rolled my eyes dramatically.

“
Aren’t you supposed to be cheering him on or something? Rah—Rah and all that?”

I’m on the varsity cheerleading squad. Best in the class, Coach Wheatly says. The best part about it, those adorable little dresses that show off my great legs.

“
I have more important things to do today than stand on the side lines for practice. I do the ‘Rah—Rah’ thing at
games.
” Really, you would think he would know the difference. But seeing as how he never showed much enthusiasm for… well… anything, I guessed not.

“
Whatever. Want a ride?”

That caught me off guard. Rick never really talked to anyone, let alone me. The most I ever got from him were those odd staring contests he liked so much. I think I only ever heard his voice in the rare instances the teacher would call on him.

“
I think I’ll walk, thanks,” I said, continuing down the sidewalk. Again, he coasted alongside me.

“
Are you sure? Bet your feet are killing you right about now.” His voice was alluring but his eyes flickered something devious. I would chance to say that he was testing me.

“
My shoes never hurt my feet,” I said, turning my nose up at him.

“
Suit yourself.” He waited a moment longer. When I didn’t acknowledge him any further, he sped away.

It was really quite ridiculous. It would have been prudent for me to take the ride. We were neighbors after all. It would have meant getting to the mall much sooner. Hind sight was always twenty—twenty.

By the time I hit the doorstep to my two story, Victorian house, my feet were baring the tell tale signs of blisters. I should have known better than to break in a new pair of pumps with a mile long walk. This would mean I’d have to wear a pair of tennis shoes now. Of course, that would mean I’d have to change my whole outfit too. Now that I thought about it, I might have to redo my hair while I was at it, depending on the outfit. I could be here all day!

I sat down on the top step and began peeling my feet from the stifling shoes.

“
Hey neighbor! Finally home I see. Bet you were wishing you’d have accepted my offer, huh?” Rick grinned at me.

Refusing to entertain him, I gathered my shoes and books and hobbled the rest of the way to the door.

“
Aw, it’s gonna be like that then?” he called after me.

I slammed the door behind me and made my way up the tall staircase to my room to begin my transformation.

Mom stood in the kitchen assembling bologna sandwiches. She works late at some firm on the outskirts of town. Really, I couldn’t be expected to remember the details; I have my own life to live.

“
Hey, Mom. Could you be a dear and give me a lift to the mall? I have an appointment with Katie about prom,” I said, snatching a crustless sandwich from under her arm.

“
I’ll be leaving for work soon, Valerie. I won’t be able to pick you up,” she warned.

“
Well, Dad can do it. Oh, and can I have an advance on my allowance? I want to make sure I have enough in case I find a really awesome dress.” My mind swirled with possibilities.

“
That’s something your dad and I have been meaning to speak with you about,” she said, wiping her hands clean on a towel.

On cue, Dad appeared behind me, grabbing a sandwich for himself. I looked back and forth between them, an ominous feeling coming over me. And that’s when things got ugly.

“
I can’t believe you’re saying this!” I managed between hysterical sobs.

“
Valerie, you’re nearly seventeen. We think it’s only right that we stop footing the bill. Money doesn’t grow on trees you know,” Dad reasoned.

“
But a job? I’ll be the laughing stock of Humansville High! I’m supposed to grow up, marry Calvin and never have to worry about these things.” That was my dream for as long as I could remember.

In first grade we were given an assignment on what we wanted to be when we grew up. I decided then that I wanted to marry a rich man and shop all day. A kept woman. Was that too much to ask?

“
You and Calvin could break up tomorrow. You need to learn the value of a dollar,” Mom chastised.

“
I know the value of a dollar, thank you very much. I can’t even buy a pop with one.” My sarcasm was rearing its ugly head, but I was beyond controlling myself by now. “Where am I even supposed to find a job? I refuse wait tables or ruin my complexion at some greasy fast food joint.”

Honestly, that didn’t leave me with many choices, but that was kind of my angle. I hoped that if I put up enough of a fuss they would abandon this crazy idea and we could all go back to being happy again. And by
we
, I mean
me
. I was totally not happy right now.

“
That’s fine. Your mother already set something up at her work,” Dad said, seeming quite pleased with himself.

My jaw dropped. This was really happening. They were going to make me work.

“
So, what, am I going to be pushing papers all day or something?” I asked, my voice weak.

Mom smiled. “Nope. You’ll be training for—”

“
Let her find out when she gets there, hon,” Dad interrupted, placing his hand over hers. She nodded, making a show of zipping her lips and throwing away the imaginary key.

Suddenly, like a life raft had been thrown to me, a thought came to mind. “Wait! Mom works nights. I have school. I can’t work a night job. I would be too tired. My grades would slack. I would be risking my education,” I pointed out, happy with myself for such quick thinking.

“
That won’t be a problem,” Mom said confidently.

I slumped in my chair resigned to their crazy plan that was sure to go awry. I was sure that after a day or two they would realize how stupid all this was and I could go back to my weekly stipend.

“
Fine. When do I start?” I sighed.

“
Tonight,” Mom said, clearing the table of dishes.

“
Tonight? But, I have a meeting with Katie!” I swear her name was becoming a tick at this point. “She’s holding dresses for me. First pick! I can’t miss this,” I pleaded, looking to Dad for help.

“
You don’t have enough money for one anyway. Better get out there and start earning it. The dresses will still be there later.”

“
But not these ones! By the time I get enough money together all the good ones will be gone!”

This was the worst night of my life. I couldn’t risk showing up at prom with a dress that some other figureless girl had. I was the trend setter. I had to be unique. I needed a one of a kind dress.

“
You’ll figure something out,” Mom said, starting the dishwasher. “Now, go change into something comfortable. We leave in an hour.”

“
An hour!” Good grief, I was doing a lot of yelling tonight.

“
An hour,” she said sternly.

Knowing that I had lost this battle, I conceded, storming from the kitchen.