High School Hangover (16 page)

“I like a woman with a little meat on her bones, yeah?” Dom says, nudging Bernie.

“Esther was husky,” Bernie agrees.

“Skinny women always seem so bitter,” Trudy chirps, not making eye contact with Milly. I love it that they are all trying to make Ginger feel better.

I ease myself down on the ledge of the pool and dip my feet in. The water feels amazing. I really want to get in, but the thought of Jack seeing me in this suit again is more than I can handle. Jack steps in and eases himself down on the other side of Kris.

“You should really get in,” Ginger tells me, resting her head on the ledge and closing her eyes.

“I’m good,” I answer, secretly jealous of them.

I see Dom wade over to Jack, holding his oxygen machine in the air, and whisper something in his ear. Jack shakes his head no and Dom shrugs his shoulders. Those two sure have hit it off. Normally I would think that is completely sweet but something about Dom alarms me. He gives off that connected guy vibe. Like if you cross him he might have you whacked. But I guess that is crazy because he has been nothing but nice to me. Besides, how scary can a guy on portable oxygen be? All you would have to do is put a crimp in his oxygen tube to slow him down.

“How did you two manage to get so far away from home, anyway?” Bernie asks me and Jack.

“I’ll let Jack explain that,” I tease. I’m hoping I’ll get some small piece of information out of him that I didn’t know before. I haven’t had hardly any time to even rewind last night in my mind to figure out what went wrong.

Jack twists his hands together under the water and seems flustered. I guess maybe this impromptu trip wasn’t exactly on his agenda either.

“We were at this crazy party last night,” Jack says, glancing at me. “And I drank a lot. Somehow I ended up in a moving van that Laney was in and when we woke up we were in Texas,” he wraps up quickly, his words nervously running over each other. Maybe he is still worried that his parents are going to be disappointed in him for taking off.

“That is the lamest excuse for climbing into a car to make out that I have ever heard,” Milly smarts off.

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would ever have the urge to beat up an old lady but Milly is really pushing me.

“Let me guess, you don’t remember anything,” Kris teases me. “It’s no wonder sexually contracted diseases are at an all time high.”

My mouth drops open at the suggestion of me and Jack having sex. Okay, so maybe I enjoyed that kiss a little too much, but there is no way we would ever hook up.

“I would never have sex with Jack,” I blurt out. A deafening silence falls over the room as my words echo back to me. “Wait, that’s not what I meant,” I try to explain, but the look on Jack’s face says it all. I might as well have sucker-punched him square in his junk.

“I’m not saying there is anything wrong with Jack. I kind of have a boyfriend,” I explain.

“Laney, it’s fine,” Jack says. “You aren’t my type either,” he says, adding a laugh. Everyone starts babbling happily again and forgets all about it. I should be ecstatic that they didn’t make a big issue out of it, but I’m too hurt by Jack’s comment.

What does he mean I’m not his type? I’m smart, and nice, and not hideously disfigured. This is crazy. Why do I even care? Clearly I’m Leo’s type, considering he wanted me by his side all night last night, so that’s all that matters. I mean, would he really have come back for me after going inside with Amelia if he didn’t like me? I don’t think so.

Wait a minute. Leo came back for me. He pulled me out of the pool and we snuck across the street to his house while everyone was searching for that Mimi person. I can remember his strong arms pulling me out of the pool. His shirt looked like it was moving. That must have been the punch talking. I’m so excited that I remember more about last night I can hardly stand it.

“Leo came back for me,” I shout, looking at Jack. “He pulled me out of the pool and we ran to his house,” I say, trying to remember more but hitting a wall in my memory.

“Cool,” Jack says in a monotone.

I try not to let Jack’s lack of excitement get me down. I was at Leo’s house with him. Then it hits me. Leo and I must have gotten into the moving van to be alone. Of course. It would have been the perfect place because no one would have looked for us there. Except that I don’t remember any of that and it still doesn’t explain how I woke up with Jack and not Leo. Crap. I kick the water in frustration, accidentally splashing Bernie right in the face.

“Hey, what’s the big idea?” he growls at me, but adds a smile and a wink so I know he isn’t really irritated.

“Sorry, Bernie,” I apologize. He ignores me and continues ogling Milly, who is trying to see how much water she can hold in her bikini top.

I try to get Jack’s attention but he won’t look my direction. Even when Archie farts so hard that it has a whirlpool effect on the water, he doesn’t even throw me a smirk. I guess my comment about not having sex with him really cut deep. I don’t even know why he cares when he had those blondes hanging on him last night. The memory of the blondes pawing him stings a bit. I shake it off. Jack has his blondes and I have Leo.

I don’t even know what it is exactly about Leo that I like. I guess because we’ve always been neck and neck with our GPA’s, I always saw him as a challenge which kind of intrigued me. In the end, I won, but Leo gave me a close race all four years of high school. Plus, he’s so tall and handsome. Not handsome like Jack, but in a different kind of way. Like someone took a big block of human and chiseled all his angled features perfectly. But mostly it is because of how he tried to come to my rescue during my project presentation. Only a true gentleman would do that.

I notice Ginger gazing at Dom and I hope that I was never so obvious in my affections for Leo. I stretch my leg under the water and nudge her.

“What?” she asks innocently.

“Stop looking at him like he’s a Greek god,” I whisper. She immediately blushes and turns away. “Don’t be embarrassed, but don’t let him catch you looking at him like that.”

What I’m more concerned with is Milly noticing. She would bust Ginger out in a heartbeat if she thought it would embarrass her, then she’d go after Dom like a great white after a bleeding seal.

“Are you guys excited to go to Graceland tomorrow?” Ginger asks, obviously trying to get her mind off Dom’s hairy chest.

“We’re going to Memphis?” I ask.

“I didn’t bring my blue suede shoes for nothing,” Kris jokes.

“I love Memphis. That’s where my dad lives,” I say dreamily. A fantasy of surprising Dad by showing up on his doorstep immediately runs through my head. Our long awaited reunion will be amazing and he’ll insist on driving me the rest of the way home himself. I can almost picture myself waving goodbye to Jack and the seniors as they pull out of Dad’s driveway. Then I remember that Dad is in Paris and my fantasy loses its air like a deflated balloon.

“Your pops lives there, yeah?” Dom asks me.

I nod, biting my lip. I don’t think Dad would like me just showing up unannounced, but he isn’t even going to be home. I want to see where he lives. I want to know where to picture him when we talk. “He isn’t home, though,” I say, knowing the seniors will never agree to stalk my dad’s house when there are so many tourist attractions to hit.

“Maybe he’ll get home early. I’m sure these guys wouldn’t mind cruising by his place tomorrow, yeah?” Dom offers. Everyone nods their heads agreeably.

“All this soaking is getting me hungry,” Bernie perks up. He holds his hand out to me for me to help him out. I stand up and tug gently trying to help him out without hurting him. He reciprocates by yanking my arm so hard that it knocks me off balance and I fall into the water, clothes and all.

Jack and all the seniors cheer like crazy as I spit water out of my mouth. I peel off Milly’s sundress and toss it on a nearby chair. I figure I’m up to my neck in water so it’s not like anybody can see anything anyway. And I’ll strategically place my towel when I get out. I’m the master of the strategically placed towel, the only skill I’ve learned from physical education. I catch Jack’s eyes lingering on my chest, but it happens so fast I think I must be wrong. He continues chatting with Dom. It is really cool how comfortable Jack is with the seniors. I don’t know a lot of guys who would take such an interest in them like he’s done.

“Why are we all taking a bath together?” Archie asks suddenly, looking alarmed.

Ginger goes from a relaxed pose with her head resting against the pool ledge to being stiff and at attention within a millisecond. “Archie, we’re all on a trip, remember?” Ginger says softly, taking his hand.

Jack and I look at each other, panicked. The seniors all huddle around Archie as he gets increasingly irritated.

“I don’t know any of you. I want to go home,” he cries, making his way out of the pool.

Everyone bolts after him with the exception of me, Milly, and Jack. They are all trying to help him dry off and redress but he keeps insisting that they are all strangers.

I am fighting to hold back tears, wondering where the old man with the farting problem has disappeared to. Jack touches his foot to mine reassuringly under the water.

“It doesn’t last long,” Milly explains, fanning her hair out on the pool ledge. “But he’s getting worse. That’s why we’re taking this trip. It won’t be long before he doesn’t remember anything or anybody,” she says, not unkindly but with the air of a person who has seen this happen before.

“It must be so hard on all of you,” I say.

“We manage. It’s harder on his family because sometimes he doesn’t even recognize his own children. They don’t visit very often,” she says.

“Do you have any kids?” I ask. I don’t particularly like chatting up Milly but I feel helpless watching Archie so I’m trying to distract myself.

“No, I never got married or had kids,” she says, looking away from me. “Who wants the hassle?”

No wonder Milly has to be the center of attention with all the men. While women like Trudy and Ginger were happily married with children, Milly spent her entire life never meeting anyone special. I feel almost sadder for her then I do for Archie. At least he doesn’t remember what he’s missing. Milly probably doesn’t have a second where she forgets how empty her entire life has been. I still don’t particularly like her, but I do feel sorry for her.

“Wasn’t there ever anyone special?” I pry.

“Yeah, there was. But I screwed it up royally. Hopefully you’ll be smarter than I was,” she warns, giving Jack elevator eyes.

Jack pulls himself out of the water effortlessly, beads of water cascading down his muscular body. I try to avert my gaze but fail miserably.

“Will you stop,” I hiss, nudging Milly. “I don’t like him like that.”

“Yeah, and I’m a virgin,” she teases, pulling herself out of the pool.

I slap the top of the water in frustration then grab a towel from the side of the pool and unfold it. I manage to get out of the pool and wrap it around me without incident. I’m able to wring most of the water out of Milly’s sundress and slip it over me. Thankfully it isn’t a very long ride back to the hotel.

After everyone is dried off, we pile back onto the bus. Archie seems a bit less confused but he still isn’t back to his normal joking self yet. The sadness of it hits me like a locomotive. I know how frustrated I am about losing a few hours. I can’t imagine how scary it is losing the memories of your entire life.

I push the thoughts away before they can overwhelm me. I got really good at holding back emotion when Mom divorced Dad. Luckily, I had myself trained so well that I barely skipped a beat when Dad told me he was moving away. If I thought about the fact that I’ve only seen him twice in the last three years, I’d probably break down. But that wouldn’t solve anything.

Dom plops down next to me, clutching his noisy machine, and I smile at him.

“Your pops like living in Memphis?” he asks, in between compressor pulses.

“Yeah, he’s lived there for about three years now,” I confirm.

“You guys is from St. Louey, yeah? I usta know some peoples in St. Louey. What’s your pops name?” he asks.

“My dad is Archer Wentworth. He’s a very important businessman,” I explain, although I’ve never quite understood exactly what my dad does. Every time I ask him about his job, he sort of talks in circles. I guess his job is too complicated for me to understand.

“You two close?”

“Oh, yeah. I mean, we don’t get to see each other much but we talk on the phone all the time.”

“He’ll sure be surprised tomorrow, yeah?” Dom says with a bit of a twinkle in his eye.

“You think?” I wonder. “I mean, he probably won’t even be home, but I’ve always kind of felt like he didn’t want me in Memphis for some reason,” I say, wondering why in the world I’m pouring my heart out to a man I don’t know.

“Oh, I guarantee you. He’ll be so surprised, he’ll have to change his shorts,” Dom assures me.

*****

After everyone has showered and gotten into dry clothes, the seniors decide that the hotel restaurant isn’t good enough and they want to head back to town to eat. We all hop back on the bus. Luckily, this routine is getting a little faster each time. After vetoing about ten choices of restaurants, Kris swings into the parking lot of a nightclub called The Big Chill. Everyone starts piling off excitedly.

“Hold on, guys. Laney and I can’t get in here,” Jack shouts over them.

All the seniors start laughing hysterically. Ginger shoves a wad of twenties into Jack’s palm as I sit dazed in my seat.

“Be careful with her,” Kris warns, tossing the bus keys to Jack.

“But shouldn’t we be with you?” I shout to their retreating figures which elicits more snickers.

“Isn’t it cute how they think they need to babysit us?” Trudy asks Ginger.

“Be back in three hours and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” Milly teases, throwing Jack a kiss as she exits the bus.

“What the h?” Jack asks, stunned. He sinks down in the seat next to me and we watch as the posse of seniors limp their way inside. I can only imagine the looks on the owner’s faces when they invade the club.