Ch80: Pivotal Point

Jeffery had been watching the game—okay, only some of it. Mostly he stole glances at his beloved wife.  Just like Wendy and unknown to him, his mind had drifted back in time—to the exact same time, in fact. It was, to Jeffery—and to Wendy if you bothered to ask her-- the pivotal point in their lives—the point at which they fell irrecoverably in love. 

For a solid month before that day, however, Jeffery had begged and pleaded, needled and bugged Dawn to please, please, please introduce him to her new best friend, the sassy southern belle who everyone was talking about and wanted to get to know--some more ardently than others, but none so much so as Jeffery. Finally, after the spectacular win over Skylerton’s junior varsity football team, Dawn gave him the best gift any friend could.  That was the day he first met and spoke to the love of his life, Wendy Meadows.

Jeffery’s heart beat a thousand miles an hour as he sat next to Wendy on that loud rumbling bus loaded with hyped up football players and joyful cheerleaders. He was happy, though—happy and terrified! What if he screwed up and said something stupid? What if she didn’t like him? What if the sun crashed into the moon before he got a chance to kiss her?

 “Um…it’s good that we won again. It’s becoming tradition to beat Skylerton I hear,” Wendy said.

“Yeah, they’re awful...uh...good game,” Jeffery said lamely. He suddenly wished someone would kick him or at least tell him what to say that wouldn’t sound so dumb. He chanced a glance and found her smiling at him. His heart did a back flip. 

“You did great,” she said.

“Um…thanks…uh…you did good, too,” Jeff said.

“You mean cheering?” she said with a giggle. “Not much to it. Dance around, jump and cheer. Anyone can do it.” 

“No, you do it really good,” he gushed.

“Okay, thanks,” she said with another adorable giggle. 

He gazed into her eyes and lost himself in them.  “You are so pretty,” he whispered. To his horror he realized he said it out loud. He turned red and quickly looked away.

“Thank you,” Wendy replied quietly, her own cheeks glowing with pleasure. She smiled again when he dared look at her.

Just then Mike Lorenzo, the quarterback, stuck his head between them.  “Move it, Fummel. I wanna talk to gorgeous over here,” he said,  nudging Jeff out of the seat. 

 “How many times do I have to tell you? My dad won’t let me date until I’m sixteen and you know what?” she said angrily. “Because you don’t listen to anything I say, I’ll never go out with you, Mike. Not ever! So get lost!”  

She pushed him out of the seat and Camille came back. “You heard her, Mike. Go!” Camille said slipping protectively into the seat beside her best friend.

“All right,” Mike said, pretending this wasn’t a blow to his overinflated ego. Then he gave a cough which sounded suspiciously like, “Lezbo!”

  Jeff had no choice but to go back and sit with Jimmy, even though he would’ve liked to punch Mike instead.

“So, does Camille like me?” Jimmy asked, barely waiting for his best friend to sit.

“You were talking to her. Couldn’t you tell?” Jeff irritably said.

“No. Can you tell if Wendy likes you?” Jimmy retorted. 

Jeff shrugged. “Doesn’t matter if she did. She won’t go out with anyone until she’s sixteen.”

“Why not?” Jimmy asked.

“Her dad won’t let her.”

“Bummer,” Jimmy said. “But how about Camille? Does she have to wait?”

Jeff shook his head. “Dawn says Camille likes you,” he said.

Jimmy grinned until he remembered to act as if he didn’t care one way or the other. “Cool,” he said, trying for casual.  After a while he said, “You know, maybe you can find out when Wendy's birthday is then you can make sure you’re the first one to ask her out on that date.”

As ideas go, that wasn’t a bad one. At least Jeffrey thought so. So that night, after he bolted down his dinner and met Jimmy at his house, they walked the few blocks to Camille’s house where they heard loud music throbbing at the front door.

“Hi, guys!” Camille gushed staring at Jimmy, who couldn’t pull off the cool uncaring look any longer.

“Hi, Camille. You look good,” he said, staring at her pert little boobs in the tight fitting t-shirt.

“Thanks,” she said, giggling. “Come in. Everyone’s already here.”

“Everyone?” Jeff said. “Like Wendy and Dawn, too?”

“Oh sure. They were the first ones here. We’re BFFs, you know.”

Jimmy and Jeff exchanged nervous looks and followed Camille down to the basement where at least a quarter of their class was hanging out.

“The football stars are here!” Camille shouted and she grabbed Jimmy’s hand and pulled him to the dry bar. “Come have a soda.”

Jeff stood alone looking around. His heart skipped a beat when he saw Wendy. She was surrounded by several guys from the football team, as usual. 

“Yeah, snowball’s chance in hell I got,” he muttered to himself. 

He signed, turned away and he was just about to get a drink when a hand tugged on his jacket. To his astonishment it was Wendy smiling at him. So, maybe it’s snowing in hell right now?

“Hi, Jeffery,” she said. “Glad you came. We were wondering if you would.”

“My mom likes it when we all eat together. It’s stupid, but she says it’s good for families,” he said. He wished he had something better to say.

“I wish we would do that. My dad always comes home late and me and my sister eat alone,” she said.

“What about your mom?” he said.

“My mom died when I was little. Barely remember her.”

“Wow, I’m really sorry,” he said, now feeling stupid plus insensitive.

“It’s okay. I have May, my sister, and we do okay,” Wendy said.

For several  minutes they stood in silence.

“So, um…wanna drink?” she asked holding out a can of soda.

“Sure,” he said, grabbing it and taking a couple of gulps.

“Uh…” she said, trying not to laugh. “I meant I would get one for you. That was mine. Now you got my germs.”

“Oh,” he said looking at the can and whispering, “It’s almost like a kiss.”

She giggled. “Not quite.”

“As close as I’m getting,” he muttered, taking another sip and handing it back to her.  He then frowned and took it back. “Sorry.You don’t want my germs.”

She smiled and took it back. “What if I do?” she said and she took a drink from it.

He stared at her in stunned disbelief. It occurred to him if he had been obnoxious and full of himself  like Mike Lorenzo he’d have risked going in for a real kiss just then. Alas, Jeffery was nothing like Mike. He didn’t have the self-confidence to do any such thing.

Little did he know, that was precisely why Wendy liked him. “Why did you say this was the closest you’d get to a kiss?” she asked, stepping closer to be heard over the loud music.

“I…I heard what you said to Mike. You’re not allowed to date. Guess loads of guys ask you out all the time.”

“Yeah, but none that I really like. None that I would…”

She stopped when Camille shouted for attention and announced they were starting a game of spin the bottle.

Jeffery felt his heart sink down to his feet. Last thing he wanted to do is watch everybody but him kissing Wendy and he certainly didn’t want to kiss anyone but her.

“Don’t like spin the bottle?” she asked watching his reaction.

“Only one girl in the whole school I want to kiss and every guy here wants her, too, so, I don’t wanna play,” he grumbled.

Wendy stared at him. “Who…who is this girl?”

He stared right back, drumming up the courage and said, “You.”

“Wendy, arentcha coming?” Camille said, waving her over with frantic hand gestures and pleading eyes.

“Uh…no thanks,” she said, grabbing her throat and coughing slightly. “I think I’m getting sick. Don’t want to spread the flu or anything.”

An audible groan came from most of the guys and they proceeded to get her to join them anyway, but Wendy ignored their pleas and turned back to Jeffery.

“Guess I shouldn’t have taken your soda, huh? Now we’ll both be sick,” he said, but he didn’t look remotely sad about it. He was rather delighted that she wouldn’t be kissing every creep here.

She stepped closer and whispered, “You can’t tell when someone’s lying, can you?”

“Who’s lying?” he said, stupidly.

She giggled and drank the last bit of the soda. Then she took his hand and led him to the dry bar where she put down the can on its side. “I want to play a new game. Wanna play with me?”

If she had asked him to lick the bottom of her shoes, he would have still nodded and said, “Okay.”

She grinned and said, “It’s called spin the can and when the top of the can points to you, you gotta kiss the person next to you.” 

“How’s that different from spin the bottle?” he asked.

She giggled again. “You’re so cute, but a little dense.”

She then turned the can one full turn and stopped when the top faced Jeffery. “Did I tell ya the rules yet?”

He shook his head staring in fascination.

“Only two people get to play my game. Just you and me.” She then went on tiptop and kissed him.

“I like your game,” he mumbled breathlessly.

“I thought you might,” she said just before kissing him again and again and…

“Jeffery? Jeffery!” Wendy said, shaking him out of his daydream. “The game’s over.”

He grabbed her hand and pulled her close. “No, it’s not,” he said and he kissed her, good and long.