Red - Part One, Chapter Four

Hot for teacher: Lee meets the shop class substitute. Surprises: Jane talks Hara into a double date.

The Game is Made up of a Series of Small Rounds

 

Lee, hands shoved in pockets and mouth set, stood at the top of Centennial’s steps and gazed at the student population milling around in the yard in front of the building. The wind blew at him from the side, ruffling his hair and making him squint. The breeze died and he made his way down the steps and across the lawn towards Wheaton Hall. Unfortunately for him, the faculty advisor had failed to show during the Smithing/Woodshop informational meeting two weeks ago which made Lee wonder if the club was going to exist, and if the advisor was okay. The man who had advised the clubs for the last three years was in his sixties and had suffered his share of damages unrelated to anything that he did in the shop. On the other hand, the note he had received in his mailbox today telling him to meet with the faculty advisor had given him some hope as to both the health of the advisor and the club. He took one hand out of his pocket and shifted the bag on his shoulder as he walked. 

 

Glancing around, there seemed to be a lot more mingling of males and females now that the school year was progressing, of which Lee was glad. He liked the female aspect of the campus – it gave the school a little more credibility and allowed it to expand its educational services. He spotted a girl with short red hair and another with long black hair sitting on the lawn talking with two other boys Lee did not know. They all appeared to be enjoying each others company, laughing animatedly as he passed. The red head looked up as he passed, watching him with a blank face and sad eyes. He tore his gaze away from her and continued on his way. Lee still hadn’t been able to explain about Marla to Hara, even if there was nothing going on between him and either of the girls, but both he and Hara were unconsciously avoiding each other. They saw each other in classes, but there was no other contact between them; Marla had screwed up the only chance he ever had with a girl. Or did she? Lee looked up and found himself standing outside of Wheaton Hall. Going up the front steps, he found the stairwell down to the basement and went down three flights of stairs to the basement. He heard a blowtorch going inside and wondered if Mr. Frank was working in the shop. He cautiously opened the door, stepped inside, and looked around. There was a slim girl with long blonde hair tied back in a pony tail with bandana and wearing a pale purple or and off white mechanic’s smock, he couldn’t decide, bent over something with a blowtorch. She looked up as he came in, goggles over her face framed by two sections of hair on either side. Taking off the goggles, she glanced him over.

            “Who the hell are you?” She put her hands on her hips disapprovingly. 

            “I’m Lee Anderholt. I’m the president of the shop clubs.” He held out his hand expectantly. The girl looked him over again, smiled, and shook his hand.

            “I’m Winry, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Lee grinned at her. She let go of his hand, turned around, unzipped her smock, tied the sleeves in front of her and rolled it down to her waist, revealing a black tube top around her chest. She moved some things that were on a nearby stool and motioned for him to take a seat, which he did. She sat opposite him, a table piled high with odd and end metal parts between them.

            “So, uh, where is Mr. Frank?” Lee looked around as if he expected the old man to jump out from behind the equipment.

            “He’s still here. I decided to come and help Uncle Frank out. He’s my grandfather.”

            “Ah, I see.”

            “I go to NYU, but I’m on sabbatical this year, so I decided I’d come and get some experience under my belt.”

            “Experience?”

            “I want to go into iron works and I need some practical for my thesis,” she explained, gesturing around her at the shop. “I thought Uncle Frank’s would be the best place to do it. He is, after all, the best iron worker on the East Coast.”

            “He certainly is.” Lee laughed.

            “Then you do know he helped design most of the iron gates for the Ivy League schools?” she asked, getting up off of the stool. She moved across the room and retrieved a coffee mug and took a sip out of it.

            “He told us that the first day.” Lee mused. “Although, he needed to say something to captivate a classroom full of freshman.” Winry laughed and took another sip out of her coffee cup.

            “Sounds like him. He likes to make sure he can keep your attention.”

            “Mmm. Indeed. Ah, about the clubs…”

            “Oh! Just whenever. It’s not like I’m terribly busy.”

            “Well, that is okay then. I’ll make sure and let you know before we bust in on you though.”

            “Sounds good.”

            “I guess I will be going then.”

         “It was very nice to meet you.” Winry extended the hand that was not holding the coffee cup towards him. Lee shook it and turned to go out. As he approached the door, he heard her zip up her smock again and turn the blowtorch back on. He grinned to himself, pushed the door open, and made his way back up to the entrance of the hall, back down the steps, and made his way back towards his dorm.

 

***

“Explain to me why I am doing this again?”

            “Because you love me.” Jane made a heart with her hands and held it up to her chest. Hara glared at her disapprovingly before turning back to the mirror and clipping her hair into place.

            “I’m still not seeing why I have to go with you on this date.” Hara said, checking herself over.

            “I’m not going to go out by myself. And besides, his friend seemed into you.”

            “It’s a date! Not a party!” Hara said, exasperated. “Besides, I have things I could be doing tonight, like my homework and starting my paper for the philosophy class.”

            “Well, one: you are going to be doing your homework at lunch tomorrow like we always do, and two: no matter how many times you say you are going to start a paper early, you always crank out twelve pages two hours before class.”

            “Not my finest hours, but I cannot ignore my gift.”

            “Yes, the gift to crank out twelve pages in two hours and get an A on your paper.”

            “Well, it is. How many people do you know that can do that?”

            “Just you.”

            “Game, set, and match.”  Hara smiled, walking out of the bathroom. Jane rolled her eyes and followed her. The girls went out into the living room and took their coats off of the back of the couch. Marla looked up from over the stack of books and papers surrounding her on the table.

            “Have fun?” she asked.

            “We’ll do what we can.” Jane said as she went out the door.

            “Make sure to leave a light on for us.” Hara said.

            “If I ever get to bed, I will be sure to do that.” Marla said, disappearing back behind her stacks again. Hara shut the door and made sure it was locked before the girls walked to the end of the hall and down the stairs. At the bottom to the stairs were two boys: one was heavy-set with short brown hair, blue eyes and wore a short-sleeved collared shirt and creased pants; the other was stocky with blond hair, blue eyes, also wearing a short-sleeved collared shirt and creased pants. The blond spoke when he saw the girls.

            “You ready to go?” he asked, taking Hara’s arm.

            “Yup.” Jane smiled, taking the arm of the brown haired boy.

            “Cool. Shall we?” He motioned down the path with his other arm. Hara smiled and they walked to the parking lot. When they reached the parking lot, the brown-haired boy unlocked a car standing nearby. The blond opened the back door to the car and Hara slid inside, Jane sat in front. The brown-haired boy slid into the driver’s seat, the blond in the back next to Hara. Much to her slight displeasure, he put his arm around her and pulled her closer, but she didn’t say anything. They got out of the parking lot without incident, but as soon as they got on the highway, it seemed like they moved much faster.

            “You’re speeding, Garrett.” Jane said. Hara noticed that she was gripping the edges of the seat and her knuckles were quite white.

            “It’s only speeding if you get caught.” Garrett replied, tapping the accelerator. Hara heard Jane swallow and squeeze the seat a little more tightly. 

***

Much to Hara’s delight, they reached the restaurant without incident, though she noticed Jane was visibly shaken when she got out of the car. The blond got out of the car, came around the back, and opened the door for Hara, who was also glad to be getting out of the car. When they reached the doors the four of them stood there for a few moments before Garrett spoke.

“Did you forget how to open a door?” he asked, turning to Jane. She smiled painfully, opened the door and held it while the other three went through the door. The blond went to the desk and requested a table for four. The waiter counted four menus and motioned for them to follow him. After a few minutes of winding around tables, they reached a booth at the back of the restaurant. The four sat down, menus were passed out, and the waiter left them. There was a long silence while they looked at the menus. Hara first looked at the burgers, but then decided she felt like a salad, and then remembered how huge the portions were at restaurants and decided to go with an appetizer. A good-looking waiter with red-brown rock star hair and a small mustache and beard came over with a pitcher of water and filled all of their glasses. 

“How are you folks doing this evening?” he smiled. Hara noticed that he had very straight, white teeth.

“We’re good.” Garrett said. The waiter looked like he wanted to say something in retort, but smiled again without saying anything.

“My name is Kedyn and I’ll be your server this evening. So whenever you kids are ready to order, let me know.”

“We’re ready, don’t go anywhere.” the blond said. “I’ll have the chicken Caesar salad and a bowl of soup.” He handed his menu to Kedyn, who finished scribbling on the order pad, took the menu, tucked it under his arm, and looked up at Hara.

“I’ll have the appetizer sampler and a Shirley Temple.” Hara smiled as he took her menu. He then turned to Jane, who ordered the nachos plate, and finally to Garrett who ordered steak and potatoes with a side salad. After taking the menus, he smiled at them again and left. There was an awkward silence during which time the girls sipped at their water. Garrett got up abruptly, announcing that he was going to wash his hands. The blond joined him, leaving Hara and Jane alone with their water.

“Why do I feel like this is going to turn into the date from hell?”

“You mean it isn’t already?” Hara asked.

“It’s getting there.” Jane said, sipping her water. “I mean, come on, ‘Did you forget how to open a door?’ What was that?”

“Machistic?”

“What does that mean?”

“I should rephrase: a display of machismo?”

“Great. We’re on a date with machistas.”

“Oh, good. I can cross it off my list of things I’ve always wanted to do.” Hara spat sarcastically.

“Cross what off of your list of things you’ve always wanted to do?” the blond asked. The boys had evidently returned from washing their hands. Hara put on a forced smile that she hoped did not look forced.

“Use a dingle hopper.”

Garrett raised an eyebrow and the blond laughed as they sat down again. There was an awkward silence in which they all sipped their waters. The blond kept reaching over and putting his hand on Hara’s thigh and wandering inward no matter how many times Hara moved his hand away.

            “So how do you like it?” Garrett asked a few moments later. Jane coughed in her water, set the glass down and hit herself on the chest.

            “What?” she rasped.

            “Lights on or lights off?” he asked. This time Hara choked on her water. She moved the blond’s hand again, which had begun its trek back down her thigh.

            “Is ‘not at all’ an option?” Hara asked.

            “How do you mean?” Garrett’s eyes narrowed.

            “We don’t believe in doing that.” Jane explained. At that moment, Kedyn wandered over and delivered Hara’s Shirley Temple.

            “You sure you don’t want that black?” he whispered, bending down next to her slightly as he set her drink on the table. He watched as the blond moved his hand over and squeezed her thigh before it moved inward.

            “God, I wish.” Hara whispered back as she moved the hand again. Kedyn smiled politely and left them, more awkward silence consuming the group accompanied by more sipping of drinks and moving of hands. After a few moments, Garrett looked across the table at Hara and observed her for a few moments.

            “How big are you?” he asked casually, sipping his water. Hara choked on her Shirley Temple and coughed violently.

            “That isn’t any of your business.”

            “I just like to know with what I am working.”

            “What makes you think you are going to be ‘working with me’ any time soon?”

            “So you guys were serious about the ‘not at all’ option?”

            “Did I stutter?” Hara asked, exasperated.

            “No, I thought you were just playing hard to get.”

            “If I was, it might possibly have been addressed in a slightly more flirtatious manner.”

            “My bad, my bad.” Garrett grinned, sipping his water.

            “You pervert.” Jane spat, taking her water and throwing it in his face.

            “Will you excuse us, ladies?” the blond asked.

            “Are you coming back?” Hara asked hopefully.

            “Yes.” 

            “Darn,” Hara said when they were out of earshot. “I was really hoping they’d leave.”

            “Are you sure you don’t want that black?” asked Kedyn, coming over to their table to refill the water glasses.

            “Maybe if I was legal, but no.” Hara sighed.

            “I won’t ask for your ID.” Kedyn offered.

            “Very tempting, believe me. But I have to decline.”

            “I’ll give you free dessert, how about that?”

            “Right now?”

            “Why not?”

            “Cheesecake, please.” 

            “Sounds good.” Kedyn smiled and left to get the cheesecake. Not very long after he left, the boys returned to the table. Garrett looked rather sullen and the blond was looking rather pleased with himself.

            “That was inappropriate. Forgive me.” Garrett said, taking a sip of his water.

            “Don’t let it happen again.” Jane retorted, taking a sip of her water. There was more awkward silence and wondering of hands, broken only when Kedyn brought Hara and Jane cheesecake. They ate in silence for a while before the blond broke the silence.

            “Can I feed you?” he asked, leaning over and putting his hand near the top of her leg.

            “I can feed myself, but thank you.” Hara smiled. She removed the hand from her leg and returned to her cheesecake. Just as they finished their cheesecake, a waiter came over with a tray and passed out their respective dishes. Both girls started eagerly on their food while the boys ogled at them. 

            “Eating for two or are you just that fat?” Garrett asked after a few minutes. Jane looked up at him like she was going to strangle him. “I mean, first you eat all that cheesecake and now you are eating your food like you haven’t eaten anything in hours. I was curious.”

            “GET OUT NOW!” Jane roared, slamming down her silverware. “FIRST, YOU ASK INAPPROPRIATE QUESTIONS AND NOW YOU ARE MAKING FUN OF MY WEIGHT. I AM NOT GOING TO TOLLERATE THIS ABUSE! GET OUT!” The boys were so shocked that they immediately complied with Jane’s request, leaving the girls sitting quite alone with a lot of food and the check.

            “At least we got free dessert out of it.” Hara said as they exited the restaurant.

            “I’m never dating again.” Jane remarked grumpily.

            “I think we have bigger problems to worry about, actually.” Hara said, kicking a discarded can on the side of the road. “We rode over with the boys, but we have no way home.”   Jane grunted and the girls continued to meander aimlessly down the highway.  

“Rock, paper, scissors to see who flags down a car.” Hara said after a few minutes.

            “You have got to be kidding me.” Jane topped and looked at her incredulously. Hara shook her head ‘no.’ Jane sighed and held out her hand in a fist; Hara did the same. Hit, hit, hit. Hara had paper, Jane had rock. Hit, hit, hit. Jane had rock, Hara had scissors. Hit, hit, hit. Hara had scissors, Jane had paper. Jane groaned and the girls walked to the edge of the highway. Hara leaned on a guard rail and Jane stood next to the road and held out her thumb stiffly.

            “You’re wasting your femininity.” Hara laughed. Jane turned around and glared at her.

            “What do you want me to do?”

            “Don’t look so bored. Assert yourself.” Hara crossed her arms over her chest and smiled. Jane took a deep breath, and stood facing Hara. She turned her hip toward the road, flung out her shoulder, stuck out her chest, put her other hand on the back of her head, and smiled flirtatiously. After a few moments, a black PT Cruiser with hearse markings on the back windows skidded to a stop next to them. Inside were Nick and Peter, the later of whom was trying not to crack up. He covered his hand with his mouth and stifled a laugh.

            “Need a lift?” Nick asked airily. Jane’s face turned bright red. Hara let out a guffaw, but immediately stopped when Jane turned around and gave her a death glare.

            “Man, this was SO worth it.” Peter said from the back seat the girls got in the car; Hara took the front and Jane sat in the back next to Peter, who was still trying not to laugh. When the girls were settled, Nick drove away from the curb and started back down the highway towards the school.

            “Marla was worried when she saw the guys come back and not you.” Nick said to Hara.

            “Mmm. That was nice of her.”

            “We were making a nugget run and we volunteered to find you.”

            “Thanks,” she smiled. “This is about the only thing that has gone right for us tonight.”

            “Was it that bad?” Peter asked. Jane and Hara then filled them in about what had happened.

            “Yes, I’d definitely deem that the date from hell.” Nick said.

            “Just be thankful they didn’t like chew with their mouths open or like, spray you when they talked.” Peter said thoughtfully. 

“Well, I know one thing: I’m not dating ever again.” Jane exhaled loudly.

“Aw, don’t say that,” Nick said. “One date is not a reflection of what other dates you go on. For one, the people are different.” he reasoned.

“I just don’t see how I am going to find that perfect person if I keep having bad dates.”

“Join the club. We’ve got jackets.” Hara sighed.

“Okay, I’m gonna let you girls in on a secret.” Nick said.

“Okay, shoot.” Hara said.

“First, I am going to reiterate that one date is not a reflection of what your other dates are going to be right. Second, it’s not about finding that perfect person. It’s about finding that imperfect person and loving them perfectly. You understand?” Hara considered this for a moment and then shook her head.

“I don’t think it’s going to happen.”

“I can’t allow you to be pessimistic. That kills me more than anything else is to see people give up. Besides, sometimes you don’t have to look very far or very hard to find what you are looking for.” Nick reasoned again. Hara was silent.

“I haven’t known you very long, but I do know that you are an amazing woman that deserves a good man.  They are out there, believe me. You might have to look a little harder for them, but they are there.” Jane blew a raspberry in the backseat. Nick looked at her in the rear view mirror. “Don’t scoff. Just be patient, it will happen. Trust me.”

“Dude, just because you got your childhood sweetheart does not mean that everyone can find what they are looking for.” Peter said, slumping down in his seat. Nick rolled his eyes.

“I’m not saying that everyone is going to have the same scenario to work with, but there is someone out there for everyone.”

“If you say so.” Jane said.

“I do say so. Trust me, it will happen.” Nick smiled. Hara sighed loudly and looked out the window listlessly. The rest of the ride back to the school was uneventful, except for a small fight that broke out in the backseat between whether Jane or Peter got the last chicken nugget.

“Do you think Lee will notice that a) we took his car and b) half of the nuggets are gone?” Peter asked as he got out of the car.

“This is Lee’s car? It looks like a hearse.” Hara said. Peter laughed.

“Yeah, well, some of that is our fault. We helped decorate it; you can give us credit for that. The fact that it’s a chick magnet is no fault of our own.” Nick remarked. Hara laughed.

“Chick magnet? Are you kidding?”

“Partially. True the man has never been on a date, but we managed to get you two inside.” Nick smiled. Hara grinned back.

“Thanks for the ride home,” Jane said, dragging Hara by the arm toward the dorm. “Have a lovely evening and thank you for the nuggets.” she called as she went up the stairs. When the girls reached the top of the stairs, Jane let go of Hara and put both hands squarely on her shoulders.

“Please, don’t ever let me do that again.”

“The date or the car ride?”

“From now on, we are doing a major screening process before we go out with any member of the opposite gender.”

“Most agreed,” Hara nodded.

Author's Note

I'm sorry about the font sizes. :|

Reviews

[Beth Elaina]

A few typos, but otherwise fabulous. (ask me if you want me to show them to you) I loved the date; truly hellish. Can't wait to read more, but right now I should probably do my Chemistry homework.

[Harish Jackson]

You misspelled "tolerate". I just have to criticize something!

Other than that, it's a great chapter 4. As usual, I look forward to the next one (next chapter, not next chapter 4...there should be only one chapter 4).