The Bookworm Next Door: The Expanded and Revised Edition (15 page)

The announcements were stuff that he had heard millions of times: the football game in a few weeks, cross-country practices starting next week, and finally the announcement of what the school play was going to be and that audition information would be posted next to the theatre classroom in a few days. It was all easy stuff to tune out. A flash of red out of the corner of his eye was tempting to look at, even if he knew that he really couldn’t look at Delilah.

If he had known that Delilah was having just as hard of a time not looking over at him then he would have smiled and probably would have been even more distracted than before.

The rest of the morning passed much like Delilah’s entrance.  People, mostly males, turned to watch Delilah walk down the hallway.  She had quickly mastered the art of being seemingly unaware but she was secretly beaming on the inside at all of the new attention.

Grace shone with the attention, even though it wasn’t directed at her, all because she was proud of the way that Delilah was handling things.  She just had to be careful about where she turned her own attention; she didn’t want anybody - even Delilah - aware of her own feelings towards the quarterback or for them to make a big deal about who the mousy girl had a crush on.

The other pretty girls smiled sweetly before turning away and bad mouthing the very girl that they had previously overlooked. Delilah had already mentally prepared herself to take it all in stride.  Her sisters had warned her that it might happen and to not worry about it.  “Things will settle down,” they had informed her.

It was really difficult ignoring all of the staring. Delilah wanted nothing more than to kill her sisters, but Samantha and Charlotte had insisted that Delilah get her nose out of a book and into the bathroom. In that bathroom they had straightened her wavy red hair, applied lip gloss, eye liner, blush, and various other tools of torture that they insisted she learn about and apply to her everyday life.  Regardless, she had no intention of following their every scripture.

She now knew how they thought she should wear her hair when it was raining.  - "A little bit of hair gel can go a long way," Charlotte had commented. -  She was taught how to perfectly straighten every single unruly strand. She knew which shade of eye liner to wear and what type of mascara to use and that bronzer could be her best friend. All Delilah counted was the minutes that it meant that she wouldn’t be reading a book.

She’d rather be anywhere else if it meant that she wasn’t currently the center of attention.  Even at the school library.  Or the public library downtown where the homeless were normally found hanging out. 

It was this train of thought that reminded her of the book she had in her bag. "I have to go to the library to return this book after school," she told Grace once second period was over. Both girls were aware of the stares that were coming mostly from their male classmates and the glares from some of their female classmates.

That first lunch shift was an experience that would forever go down in the history of James Madison High School for as long as its current residents resided in the high school's halls.  Or Christmas Break.  Whichever happened first.

Grace and Delilah walked out of the cafeteria's lunch line carrying a tray of food each. Scanning the cafeteria for an empty table or a friend, they finally managed to settle at a table where luck, or good scheduling, was on their side.  Jennifer, Wesley, and Penny had already claimed a decent table near a window.

"What is everybody's problem? Guys are falling all over themselves to get my attention. Go ahead. Ask away. Everybody wants to."

"So what happened?  We didn’t ask this morning because of the Aimee and David Show," Penny finally managed to get out after being nudged by Jennifer and Wesley as they silently fought over who would get to ask.  “Did your sisters attack you while you were asleep and burn all of your khakis?”

"I really don't know what happened. I started running just to get out of Grandma’s house.  The next thing I know it’s this morning and my skirt fits and looks differently and my shirt is filled out a bit more."  She stopped talking when Penny started to choke to pat her on the back. "Probably because Samantha and Charlotte forced a full makeover on me.  And now everybody is reacting like it is a big deal.  Nothing happened.  I didn't really do anything different to my hair or get a boob job; I just grew up."  She paused, “Although Charlotte did steal all of my old khakis and they made me buy new ones.  And both of them held me hostage in the bathroom until I knew how to properly use a straightener, curling wand, and make up.”

“Straighteners are…evil,” Jennifer agreed, grinning as she managed to catch herself before a cuss word slipped out.  Sometimes it was fun to poke at Penny, but tiresome at the same time.

Delilah went back to eating the chicken sandwich that she had grabbed from the lunch line and looked up when a shadow fell over her tray. Looking up, the so-called - at least among Delilah’s group of friends - "pretty committee" was behind her. They were the same girls that had been talking about her 'transformation' and wondering aloud if she had gotten a boob job over the summer when they ‘thought’ she couldn’t hear them.

"Delilah," the ring leader, Aimee, started, "we were wondering if you would sit with us at our table."  Aside from being David’s ex, she was the self-proclaimed queen and the unspoken - nobody dared say it aloud around her - mean girl of the school.

The silence that fell over the cafeteria was complete. A pen drop would echo off of the walls, but nobody dared test the theory for fear of Aimee's wrath.  They knew that something major was about to happen.

Delilah looked around, aware that every eye was on her and they were all waiting for her response to Aimee’s loaded invitation. David looked strangely serious, almost as if he wasn’t certain what he wanted as an outcome to Aimee’s question. Grace was looking at her friend with wary eyes. Penny was grinning widely and nodding her heads enthusiastically; this was an once-in-a-lifetime chance to infiltrate the popular table and find out their plans.  Wesley and Jennifer were both shaking their heads no.  Aimee, Kelly Johnson, and Hannah Stanfield – looking more wary than the two other girls - were looking at her as if her acceptance was both mandatory and a given.

Taking a deep breath, she gave the first response that popped into her head.  "Why would I want to sit with the very people that started the boob job rumor?  You three are the most hypocritical people in the school; pretending to be each other’s friends and then stabbing each other in the back as soon as somebody turns around. I would rather sit with people that won't lie to me, tell me one thing to my face and another to my back, and make me one of the most miserable people in this school."  A brief feeling of regret filled her at Hannah’s expression and Delilah hoped that the other girl was aware that she knew there was more to Hannah’s deflection than what people said in public.  It was obvious that the former theatre geek was trying to stay on Kelly’s good side. 

Somebody started to clap until they realized their error in judgment - or a friend stopped them from getting on the mean girl’s list.  Everybody suspected what Aimee was capable of doing even when nobody could ever prove it and survive the encounter.

Delilah rotated back to her tray, resisting the urge to turn back around and look at the reaction on the three girls' faces, and went back to eating her sandwich. Jennifer would retell the story three times before lunch was over anyway. Seconds later she heard the clack of heels on the tiled floor before chaotic chatter reigned supreme after a few moments of stunned silence. She knew they had returned to the table where David and his friends were sitting when the talking had started back up louder than before, but now with Aimee’s enraged tones in the mix.

"Why did you do that?" Penny managed to ask. Grace still was speechless.

"Do what?" Delilah coolly brushed off the question. "Blow off the annoying clique of girls that were going to make my life miserable even if I did hang out with them. They would just find out who I like and one of them would take him from me.  Not that he's mine for them to take. They would spread just the same amount of rumors as before while pretending to be my friends as they spread them.  Only then they would leave me sobbing in the middle of the hallway during finals week friendless and crushed. At least that was probably Aimee’s plan.  She doesn't like it when people are prettier than she is. This way I still have my real friends and don’t have to worry about what I do and don’t say."

Grace pulled her best friend into a hug. She didn’t care that the people around them were talking about her friend.  All that mattered was that Delilah wasn’t a popularity seeking whore that would do whatever it took to get David back. It had always been her secret fear.

David, however, was still looking across the cafeteria at where Delilah was sitting, amazed at what she had just done. 

He wasn’t really surprised that she had done it. Especially not after the way she had laid into him freshmen year when he had tried to explain why he couldn’t publically be friends with her.  He was surprised she had said what he had learned that so many people wished they could say to Aimee.  

His admiration didn’t go unnoticed. Aimee, never one for taking humiliation gracefully, was starting to form her plan against the girl that had just shaken the foundation that she had carefully crafted since she was a freshman. She would get David back and Delilah would suffer for it.

There were two flaws to her plan: she had never learned that you cannot lose something that you never had, and going after Delilah automatically meant breaking her deal with David. 

Aimee didn’t care.  She wasn’t thinking about that deal.  All she cared was that she had done it once before so it couldn’t be that difficult to get David's attention away from Delilah again.

"Girls, I need a plan," she whispered to Hannah and Kelly.  The only problem was that she had no clue about where to begin. 

Waving goodbye towards Grace and one of her younger brothers – Jonah or Adam, she never could remember – Delilah started towards the front porch of her house.  She couldn’t wait until her eighteenth birthday and the traditional car present from her father.  She could only handle so much of Jonah – Adam? – asking Grace if he could practice his driving. 

It was at that moment when Delilah realized some of the ramifications of her actions at lunch. Behind David's Mustang was a Celica. It wasn’t a remarkable vehicle by any means, but the silver car looked nice next to the red Mustang.  But it wasn’t the car as much as the owner of the car that caught Delilah's attention; that car had first belonged to the oldest Kirkland sister and now the keys belonged in the youngest Kirkland sister’s hands.

Aimee, who had been waiting and watching for Delilah to return home, stepped out from the car and casually glided her way to the front door. Much to David's chagrin, after the fact, he answered the door. Surprised that Aimee was standing there, he was even more surprised when she just walked on inside as if she had been invited over to his house millions of times.  She had never once come over alone, even when they had been dating.  He didn’t know that now that Aimee’s pride had been pricked by Delilah that she was going to resort to all kinds of plans to keep David out of Delilah’s grasp.

It didn’t have to be rational or mature, but Aimee was running out of ideas.   

With a panicked glance towards next door, David saw that his worst fear was confirmed: Delilah had witnessed the whole thing. Shaking his head, he turned to go inside only to discover Aimee and his mother had become fast friends and they were seated comfortably on the living room couches.

"I didn't know that David has a girlfriend," Mrs. Carver was heard saying all the way from his spot in the doorway.

"Oh yes. We're old friends," Aimee grinned, hoping to win over David’s mother.  It was part of her latest plan to get him back; it was obvious that she was incapable of grasping that it was not going to happen.

"I don't have a girlfriend," David said at the same time.  He let out a frustrated groan as his mother glared at him and told him to be nice with a look. Minutes later he used some excuse about needing to do his laundry.  Instead the harried teenager managed to escape into the backyard and scrambled into the tree house that he hadn’t climbed into for years.

Mumbling to himself, he didn't notice the body that was already sitting in a comfortable folding lawn chair.  "Who does she think she is, coming over and taking over my safe haven where none of those shallow, superficial people ever come anymore?  Making friends with my mom? Geez, like Mom can’t see through that ruse."

"So I guess that Aimee isn't your latest girlfriend," Delilah interrupted, holding her place in the book she was trying to read. She could clearly hear his muttered ramblings ever since he had slipped out the kitchen door and made his way into the tree house. She had assumed that this would be a safe place to escape to hide; David hadn’t climbed into the tree house in years and the only reason it hadn’t gotten torn down was because Delilah liked to read up there.

"I don't even like her," David continued groaning. "I don't know why she came over. We aren't even technically friends."

"It seems like you aren't friends with a lot of people." Suddenly she remembered her place in his life and started to get up to leave, including putting her book down on the floor.  “Aimee wants you back and has ever since you broke up with her.”

"Don't go," he sighed, grabbing onto her arm before she could move another inch. "Don't go," he whispered again.  He didn’t want one of the few people that didn’t shallowly judge his every move to leave him alone right then.

Without thinking he did the one thing he had subconsciously thought about for years and leaned in to kiss her. It felt different than when he had kissed her when they were fourteen and she ran away. This time she tasted like raspberry gum and smelled of vanilla. This time she kissed him back for a moment before pulling back and scurrying away down the treehouse ladder.

Plopping down on the hard wood, David started mumbling to himself again, chastising himself for making a move on a girl he hadn’t spoken to in years. Later, when asked, he still found it difficult to explain what he was thinking at that very moment. There was no conscious thought about kissing her when he saw Delilah sitting there with her book. He just did it without any logical thought.

Starting to go climb down the ladder, David almost missed seeing the worn copy of
Pride
and Prejudice
that lay abandoned on the tree house floor until it was at eye level. Picking it up with the intention of returning the book later, David heard his name being called.

Aimee was still there, either not getting or just plain ignoring the hint from his brief disappearing act.  She would smirk like she had accomplished something when his mother was looking in another direction.

"I invited Aimee to stay for dinner. Isn't she a darling girl; she’s so much like Delilah.”  Mrs. Carver paused, wondering if she should ask her next question.  “Have you talked to Delilah lately, David?" She also missed the darkening look on Aimee's face at the mention of Delilah even though David caught the entire thing.

"Yes, ma'am. I just was talking to her a few minutes ago. She seemed to be in a hurry." David was looking right at Aimee.

Rebecca Carver looked steadfastly at her son.  "Go be a dear and invite her and Walter to dinner. I haven't had them over in years." Then, remembering her manners after David had disappeared through the back door, she asked, "You don't mind, do you Aimee? Mr. Davis is a wonderful neighbor. He's a big help now that the majority of my boys have moved out and with David being as busy at work as he has been lately. I really ought to thank Walter for all of his help last weekend with the yard.  David would have been at it for hours otherwise."

Aimee just smiled and said that it was okay. Her initial thought to make her excuses and leave were replaced by the silent hints that she could make towards David and the subtle jabs she could make towards Delilah. She found parents too easy to fool.

Hours later, after helping out in the kitchen and playing nice with Delilah when the parents were within hearing, Aimee was still camped out on the couch.  She was right next to Mrs. Carver while Mrs. Carver and Mr. Davis carried on a conversation about their day.  David would sneak looks over at Delilah, who looked bored but was trying her hardest not to look bored.

He reflected on the dinner from hell in which Aimee had claimed the seat right next to him and Delilah was forced to sit across from them.  The parents had claimed the seats at the ends. Aimee, when the Davis' were brought inside, had smiled sweetly at Mr. Davis.  She looked Delilah up and down as she pretended to admire the jeans and tee-shirt that Delilah had thrown on after school, saying, "You look
nice
.
Where
did you get that
shirt
?"

Delilah acted all innocent when she replied sweetly and honestly before giving it back. "Your hair is an
interesting
shade of blonde.
Where
did you get it done? I
must
know." She had ignored David's hellos and followed their parents into the living room.  It was fairly clear that the only reason she had come over was because of her father. 

At the dinner table, David politely pulled out the chair for Delilah, as he was raised, and went to sit down next to her.

Mrs. Carver had other ideas, "Aren't you going to be a gentleman and help Aimee into her seat?"

Before he could make it back to the chair that he wanted, Peter (lately known as Pete), his elder brother, slipped into the vacant seat and looked sheepishly at their mother. "Sorry for not calling. I hope there is enough food for me too." He then set out to give his best puppy dog, starving college student look and his mother dismissed his unexpected arrival in stride.

At least she did until after dinner when she noticed the two laundry bags worth of dirty clothes in the laundry room.  Peter was struggling to sort his colors and whites without spreading everything out across the room.  She knew a random Tuesday visit from her middle son had to have some strings attached.

Throughout dinner David had tried to get away from Aimee and her casually touching his arm. He knew that something was up when he felt her hand sliding upward from his knee.

Delilah, to his displeasure, started asking Pete a million questions about college and his literature class.  The two drifted off into their own personal conversation while Mr. Davis and Mrs. Carver smiled at each other. There had once been a time when they had once suspected that David and Delilah would end up getting married.  To Mrs. Carver’s thinking, Peter and Delilah were just as good of a match.

It wasn’t until everybody left that didn’t live in the Carver household, Pete pulled David into another room and soundly smacked David upside the head.

"What was that for?"  David tried rubbing the back of his head to remove the sting.

Pete looked at his brother with annoyance.  “Aimee is pretty and everything, but that is all superficial and calculated.  Even I can see it.  Delilah is the whole damn package even if you are too stupid and horny to see it."

A sly smile reached David’s mouth as he told his brother, "I kissed Delilah today. I don't know what Aimee thinks she is doing."

Peter started to shake his head and hit his brother again. "You don't go kissing girls that you haven't talked to for years because they turned from Plain Janes into the Homecoming Queen. You messed with Delilah's life by publicly blowing her off because she didn't fit into Will Cooper's misguided mold for popularity."

"You knew."

"Of course I knew that my younger brother was being an idiot.  John told me some of the conversations you had, and even if he didn’t tell me I still have eyes." Peter turned away, moving to return to the laundry room, before readdressing his little brother. "Make it right. I'm not marrying Delilah like Mr. Walter and Mom were starting to think about at dinner. I'm bringing Laura home in two weeks."

David stood there speechless. Not that it would matter since Peter went to tackle his dirty clothes and didn’t really care about his brother’s reaction.  It took a moment before David remembered the well-worn book he had stashed under a cushion in the living room.

While going to retrieve it he ran into his mother. "That Aimee is a nice girl. She's not Delilah, but she's still a nice girl."

"Nice my ass," David muttered once he was away from his mother.  “She’s planning something and I wish I knew what.”