Junior Year Box Set

“All my life. Our moms are best friends. For the longest time, they believed my brother Greg and she would get married. The only problem was that they didn’t handle the pressure well. Then Greg met Angie, who’s now his wife, so then our moms thought maybe the two of us would join the families together.”

I realized it was probably mean to lay that on him, but I wanted him to understand that Beth and I were close friends, not just acquaintances. He seemed to ponder that for a moment before he asked his next question.

“Do you think I have a chance with her?”

“In high school, Beth was the head cheerleader and Homecoming Queen. She could have any guy she wanted. What surprised everyone was that she wasn’t into the jocks like you’d expect. Beth had a crush on a guy in the band. She was heartbroken when she found out what a jerk he was, but I would say you’re more her type than I am.”

“Why won’t she be my girlfriend, then?”

“If I were to guess, it has a lot to do with the way you acted last night. Getting pissed off and storming out is exactly the wrong thing to do to get Beth interested. If she wanted an insecure jerk, she would date a jock. I believe ultimately, Beth wants what we all want: someone to be her equal. She wants a partner self-assured enough that they’re confident that the other person in the relationship has their best interest at heart. I’ll tell you right now that Beth’s not looking for someone to manipulate her emotions.”

“So, do you think I have a chance?” he asked again.

“Look, man, I hardly know you, but …”

“But what?”

“Right now, I’d just be her friend. I think you’ll find she can be a great friend to you. Certainly, I feel lucky to have her friendship. I wouldn’t trade that just to go out with her.”

“You’re just saying that because you want to have sex with her,” he said.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The old David would have just knocked him the hell out. Cassidy had worked with me to take a moment and calm down before I knocked anyone the hell out.

“My sex life is none of your business. If I ever hear you say something like that again, you’ll wish you hadn’t. It also highlights what I’ve been dancing around: you need to grow the hell up. Beth is looking for a man to be her life partner. She doesn’t need a smart-mouthed kid who throws a fit at the drop of a hat.”

“You’re a real asshole,” he said and stormed out of my apartment.

I hoped Beth understood and wouldn’t be mad at me.

◊◊◊

Mom called me down to lunch over the intercom. Our house was full, so Mom and Mrs. A had put everything on the buffet. I helped Kyle and Mac make their plates and grabbed some food for Nate. I gathered the little guys, and we all toddled into the kitchen. Beth joined me. I noticed Carl had gone to the formal dining room with everyone else.

The women had outdone themselves: there was both regular and smoked turkey, ham, and all the fixings. I’d made sourdough rolls, homemade wheat bread, and two types of stuffing. There was everything you would expect at a Thanksgiving meal: cranberry relish, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and more. I was looking forward to the pies because we had four kinds this year: sweet potato, pumpkin, mincemeat, and of course, my favorite, pecan.

When the little ones were done eating, Beth got us cups of hot cider.

“What did you say to Carl? He won’t talk to me.”

“He wanted to know what it would take to win you over. I told him that while he was your type, he needed to grow up. I suggested that he focus on being your friend until he does.”

Beth shook her head.

“I like Carl, but his clingy attitude really has put the brakes on us going further,” she admitted and then got an evil smile. “Why don’t you quit high school and come live with me at Purdue?”

“What would your roommate in the dorm think?” I asked.

“Mom tells me you have money. You could get us an apartment. You could do your modeling gig during the day while I go to school. I’d come home, and you could give me foot massages and feed me.”

“I could do that. What would I get out of this deal?” I asked.

“Me, of course. You know that you can’t resist my charms. And there are some more fantasies I want to fulfill with you. One involves having sex with a movie star. Do you think you might be able to find one for me?”

“What’re you looking for in said movie star?” I teased.

“He would have to be tall and smoking hot. He would also have to have a big package.”

“I’ll ask around when I’m in LA. I’m not sure how I’ll know if they have a big package or not,” I said.

“Who has a big package?” Tami asked, surprising us.

I hadn’t seen Beth blush in a long time.

“Never you mind, Missy,” I said.

“Do you mind if I steal David for a while? I need to talk to him,” Tami said.

“No, we were just goofing around. I need to find Carl and smooth things over,” Beth said.

“Come on. We need some privacy,” Tami said, and I followed her to my apartment.

◊◊◊

I’d planned to sit in my comfy chair, but Tami made me join her on the couch.