Jeana sat next to Mickey in the counselor’s office with her arms folded across her chest, her hazel eyes an angry shade of green.

“Jeana, please don’t be mad at me,” Mickey said.

She refused to look at him. “Didn’t I tell you we were going to get in trouble if you didn’t stop taking me behind the gym after lunch to kiss for your ‘dessert’?”

“Yeah, but you know nobody’s ever come back there before. Somebody must’ve ratted us out, and I got a pretty good idea who it was.” His own eyes darkened to a menacing shade of their usual brilliant blue. “Strickland.”

“It could have been anybody,” she said with an exasperated sigh. “I wouldn’t be surprised if it was Tiffany or one of the other locker room groupies.”

Mickey started to protest, but Jeana shushed him when Mrs. Patrick re-entered her office, followed by Coach Carter and Coach Ricks. The counselor sat behind her desk and lay two manila folders in front of her with her hands folded on top of them.

“Well, the two of you are extremely lucky that Coach Carter has intervened on your behalf. Otherwise, you’d both be facing a three-day suspension because of the administration’s policy on public displays of affection. I might expect something like this from a football player, but I must say I’m surprised at such behavior from a member of the National Honor Society, Miss Russell.”

Jeana could only stare at her lap in humiliation. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Patrick. I promise it won’t ever happen again.”

“It’s all my fault,” Mickey said. “I made her go back there with me. She—”

Coach Carter slapped Mickey on the back of the head and cleared his throat. “That’s enough, son. I’ve already explained to Mrs. Patrick that you’re still new to Vigor and didn’t know about the PDA policy. I also told her what an exemplary athlete you are, and Coach Ricks vouched for your character on the basketball court as well. Lucky for you we convinced her we would make sure you were severely disciplined. After running a few hundred suicides, I think you’ll be able to remember to keep your loverboy lips to yourself while you’re at school from now on.”

“Yes sir,” Mickey said to his own lap. “Thanks, Coach.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be thanking anyone yet,” Mrs. Patrick said. “I’m sure these gentlemen will make good on their promises of punishment, but I haven’t told you mine yet. And while I’m also sure Miss Russell was a completely unwilling participant in the illicit activity, I’m afraid she must make some restitution as well.”

Mickey gave the counselor a concerned look. “I hope you’re not gonna make her do any running, ‘cause sometimes she falls—”

He stopped talking when Coach Carter slapped the back of his head again and Jeana hit him on the leg.

“No, I have something completely different in mind for both of you.” Mrs. Patrick put on her glasses and opened the folders in front of her. “In looking at your most recent standardized test scores, I see that Miss Russell is in the highest percentile for English, and Mr. Royal scored equally high in mathematics. I think some of our less proficient students could benefit from your exceptional aptitudes in these subjects, and Coach Carter agrees. In fact, he’s let me know about two athletes who are in danger of losing their athletic eligibility if they don’t pass next week’s quarter exams in these very subjects.” She paused to close the folders and look at Mickey and Jeana. “The two of you are going to tutor them every night until the exams and help them pass.”

Jeana and Mickey looked at each other in cautious relief, then a thought occurred to Jeana.

“Um . . . whom will we each have to tutor?” she asked.

Mrs. Patrick read from a slip of paper handed to her by Coach Carter. “Mr. Royal will be tutoring Gerta Erdmann, our All-County shot putter who is having trouble with Algebra. And Miss Russell will be helping one of your own teammates, Mr. Royal. One Mr. Wade Strickland.”

“Oh no she’s not!” Mickey stood up and was immediately pushed back into his seat by both coaches.

“Shut up, son,” Coach Ricks said. “Unless you want to spend the rest of basketball season sitting on the bench. And I don’t think Coach Creel has made the final cuts for the baseball team yet either.”

Mickey’s jaw muscles twitched noticeably, but he didn’t say anything else. Although Jeana wasn’t happy about it either, it was a lot better than getting suspended, so she couldn’t help feeling a little relieved.

“I have a question,” Jeana said. “What if we do our best to tutor them, but they still fail?”

“Then you may have to keep tutoring them for the rest of the year,” Mrs. Patrick replied. “But I’m sure that won’t be necessary if you apply yourselves the way your test scores indicate you can.” She stood, signaling the end of the meeting. “Report back here immediately after school and I’ll introduce you to your pupils.”

Out in the hall, Coach Carter grabbed Mickey’s arm. “Excuse us for a minute, young lady. I need to make sure Hot Lips here understands the game plan from now on.” He pulled Mickey around the corner, and Jeana heard barely contained yelling and muffled swearing for several minutes before Mickey returned, red-faced and remorseful.

“Are you gonna yell at me too?” he asked.

Jeana tried to maintain her scornful look, but she couldn’t do it. She took his hand and squeezed it. “No, I think you’ve had enough. At least we didn’t get suspended.”

“Yeah, but I probably will be after I have a little talk with Strickland to go over some ground rules.”

Jeana shook her head. “I don’t want you to say a word to him, Mickey. Knowing him, he’ll do everything you tell him not to do just to start a fight and get you in trouble. You just let me handle him. I’ll make sure he toes the line.”

Mickey gave her a skeptical look. “And how are you gonna do that?”

“Never mind. You just worry about working out your arms so you can fight off Gerta’s advances.” She laughed and walked down the hall toward her next class. “I hate to tell you this, but I’m pretty sure her biceps are bigger than yours.”

***

When Jeana and Mickey returned to Mrs. Patrick’s office after school, Gerta was seated on the couch next to the wall, and Jeana felt sure it was because she couldn’t fit into either of the chairs. Mrs. Patrick called Mickey in to sit down and told Jeana to wait in the outer lobby. Wade arrived almost immediately after the door closed, making Jeana wonder if he’d planned it that way.

“Hey there, Jeana-baby,” he said with his customary smirk. “What’re you doing here? I know you’re not failing anything.” He sat down beside her on the green vinyl sofa.

“With powers of deduction like that, I can’t imagine why you’re failing, Wade.” Jeana moved to the far end of the couch. “Don’t act like you don’t know why we’re here. They’re making me tutor you.”

“Yeah, I know.” He laughed as he slid over next to her. “I just wish they’d let me pick the subject.”

Jeana stood up and turned to face him with her hands on her hips. “You listen to me right now, Wade Strickland. I’m not going to help you one bit if you don’t behave yourself, and then you’re going to fail English and find yourself ineligible for your precious football next fall. If you have any intention of playing Super Jock for another year, you’d better do what I tell you to do and nothing else. You got that?”

He propped both arms on the back of the sofa and stretched his legs out in front of him. “Sure, Redhot. No problem. I like being at your mercy.”

Jeana rolled her eyes and walked to the other side of the room. “Just remember what I said. And you’d better not antagonize Mickey about it either.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Wade said. “Mainly ‘cause I don’t know what ‘antagonize’ means.”

Jeana fought to suppress a smile and was glad when Mrs. Patrick’s door opened. Mickey came out first and glared at Wade, who returned the look in kind until Gerta appeared in the doorway. As soon as it registered that Mickey would be tutoring Gerta, Wade cracked up.

Mrs. Patrick came out of the office and said, “I don’t think anyone with your grade point average has anything to laugh about, Mr. Strickland. And sit up straight.” She turned to pat Gerta on the arm. “I’m sure you’ll do just fine on that Algebra exam with Mr. Royal’s help, dear. Let me know if there’s any problem.”

“Ja, Frau Patrick,” Gerta said with a grin at Mickey. “I vill study hard.”

“So vill I,” Wade said with another guffaw, and even Jeana had to bite her lip.

Mickey gave Wade a look that could have melted steel. Mrs. Patrick snapped her fingers at Wade and pointed inside her office.

“Get in there, Mr. Strickland. I’ll speak to you and Miss Russell now.”

When he passed Gerta on the way into the office, Wade leaned over and mock-whispered: “Better keep a close eye on him for illegal use of the hands.”

Before Jeana followed Wade into the office, she asked Mickey, “Can you wait for me?”

He shook his head miserably. “I gotta get to basketball practice. And I’m supposed to meet Gerta at the library right after supper.”

“Ja, he has a date vith me tonight,” Gerta said smugly.

Jeana arched an eyebrow at her. “Shouldn’t you be at shooting practice right now?”

Gerta looked confused. “Shooting? Vy vould I be shooting somezing?”

Mickey sighed. “Jeana, I’ll explain what shot-putting is to you later.”

***

When they left Mrs. Patrick’s office ten minutes later, Jeana waited until they were out in the hall before turning to scowl at Wade.

“I’m sure you must be the only person in the history of Chickasaw to get banned from the public library. You’re unbelievable, Wade.”

“I know,” he said, flexing one of his arms. “That’s what all the girls tell me.”

Jeana rolled her eyes. “Well, I’m not coming over to your house, so you’ll have to come to mine. Be there at seven and bring your copy of Flowers for Algernon.”

“My copy of what?”

Jeana sighed in exasperation. “The book we’ve been reading in English for the past two weeks. You know, the one the exam is on?”

“Oh,” he said. “Uh . . . do you know where I can get a copy?”

“What have you been doing while we’re reading it in class? Staring out the window?”

He grinned and tugged on one of her curls. “Nah, staring at the back of your head, Redhot. Lost in dreams of you.”

“No wonder you’re failing,” she said with another sigh. “They’ve probably got a copy of it at the Book Rack. Just ask the girl at the counter. I’m sure she’ll be more than happy to help you find it if you flex your arms for her.”

“Yeah, that usually works.” He laughed and tweaked her chin. “See you tonight, Teach.”

Jeana watched him swagger down the hall, every girl he passed vying for his attention while he ignored them all. She’d never realized before how little he flirted with other girls compared to the way he always bothered her. Probably because she was the only one who wasn’t interested. Just another of his macho games.

 

***

Wade floored the Corvette’s accelerator as soon as he reached Kali-Oka Road. For once he wanted to make the ‘Vette fly out of elation instead of rage. Every night for the next week and a half, he’d have Jeana all to himself. Who would’ve ever thought that being a half-wit would earn him something as wonderful as that?

And Jeana didn’t even seem like she totally hated the idea of helping him. Could it be she was finally getting tired of that Yankee with the stupid blue eyes? If Wade could just figure out how to act around her, maybe this could be his chance to make her like him again.

As he passed the split pine and decelerated before he reached the curve, his high spirits fell along with the car’s speed. Who was he kidding? He didn’t have a clue how to act around Jeana. All he knew how to be anymore was the Wademan, and Jeana sure as hell wasn’t impressed by that phony. Jeana was nothing like all the girls who giggled over his crude comments and didn’t care what he did as long as they got to be seen with the big football star in the Corvette.

Wade cruised around the curve then sped up again, eager to get back to Chickasaw. He had a book to buy, then he would go home and count the seconds until it was time to go see Jeana and see if he could figure out something a helluva lot more important than how to pass a frigging English test.

***

At quarter to seven, Billy Joe arrived at Jeana’s door and announced that Mickey had sent him to keep an eye on Wade.

“Uh-uh,” Jeana said, pushing him out to the front porch and closing the door behind her. “I’ll have to tutor him for the rest of the year if he doesn’t pass this exam, and he won’t learn a thing if you’re here. I told Mickey I could handle Wade, and he’s going to have to trust me.” She sat in the swing, and Billy Joe parked his lanky form next to her. “Besides, it’s Mickey’s fault we’re in this mess in the first place. Did he tell you that?”

“I know you got caught tongue wrestling behind the gym,” Billy Joe said, “but I figured it was your idea.”

“No, it was Mr. Dedicated Athlete who insisted on thwarting authority against my better judgment. Obviously, he’s been hanging around you too much.”

“Yeah, yeah. So what am I supposed to tell Mick when he asks me why I didn’t stay here like he told me to?”

Jeana propped her hands on one of his shoulders. “Tell him I threatened to expose your deepest, darkest secrets if you didn’t go away.”

He cut his brown eyes in her direction. “And what would those be, pray tell?”

“Oh, just a little something about your hair being the secret to your sexual prowess, along with your affinity for sleeping with a certain blue teddy bear.”

He winced. “Great. Now I have to decide whether I’d rather be humiliated or pulverized. Mickey’s gonna kick my butt.”

“No he won’t,” she said with a snicker. “He’ll be too busy hiding from Gerta in between study sessions.”

An evil smile spread slowly across Billy Joe’s face. “You mean he’s tutoring the German Giant?”

Jeana nodded. “I guess he forgot to mention that too.”

“And she’s got the hots for Mick?”

“Ja, she vants him to show her more zan just ze Algebra.”

Billy Joe fell completely out of the swing from laughing. “Oh, this is priceless! Where are they, Jeana? I gotta see this for myself.”

“They’re at the library,” she said, laughing too. “You can tell him I convinced you that he needs a chaperone more than I do.”

Before he left, Billy Joe put an arm around Jeana’s shoulders. “Seriously, Jeana. You sure you’ll be okay with Wade?”

“Positive,” she said, hoping she was right. “Besides, I’m sure my daddy will be close by the whole time. Sometimes I think he and Mama love Mickey more than I do.”

“More than Gerta?” Billy Joe said, cracking up again. “See ya, kiddo. I gotta get to that library.”

Since it was almost seven, Jeana considered waiting for Wade in the porch swing, but she didn’t want him to think she was eager to see him. She went back inside and heard him drive up a few minutes later. When she opened the door and saw him standing there holding the book, she was struck for a moment by the memory of seeing him that way when he’d brought her the book of knock-knock jokes he’d given her for her eleventh birthday. For a few seconds, his face bore the same innocently happy expression he’d always worn when he came over to see her when they were kids, and she wondered again what could have happened to that boy she’d once liked better than any other.

Then his customary smirk returned.

“Hey, Jeana-baby.” He held up the book to show her. “I did like you said and showed her my muscle. She gave me every copy they had and didn’t charge me a dime.”

Jeana rolled her eyes for what she knew would be the first of many times. “Wonderful, Wade. Too bad Mrs. Langston isn’t any more impressed by your muscles than I am. You could just flex your way to an A and we could skip this whole tutoring business.”

“Yeah, too bad,” he said. “Both of you should wise up.”

She moved aside to let him come in and caught a whiff of some expensive-smelling aftershave. She also noticed his blond hair was brushed instead of pushed around carelessly the way he usually wore it, a style that seemed to add to his rakish appeal in the eyes of his many groupies. And he was wearing a neatly pressed green polo instead of his usual football jersey or T-shirt. She wasn’t sure what had prompted the change, but she was glad to see it. 

“You look very nice, Wade,” she said. “I hope it means you intend to take this seriously.”

“Oh, you can lay big money on that,” he said. “Dead serious.”

“Good. Mama and Daddy are watching TV in the den, so we can use the living room. Mama said to tell your mother hello.”

He sat on one end of the couch and put the book on the coffee table. Jeana sat on the other end, making sure she left plenty of space between them.

“To tell the truth,” he said, “I’m kinda surprised your folks even let me come over after… you know, what happened with your arm.” He looked at her cautiously. “It really was an accident, Jeana.”

“I know that, Wade. And my daddy believed you too. You wouldn’t be here now if he didn’t.”

He nodded and looked as though he wanted to say more about it, but just then Shelly and several of her middle school cheerleader friends came down the hall. As soon as they saw Wade, they descended on the room in a flurry of giggles and oh-my-Gods, and Jeana watched his face transform immediately into the smug, arrogant mask he usually wore.

“Hey, Wademan!” Jimbo’s sister Suzie said. “Can you take us for a ride in your ‘Vette?”

Another girl sat on the arm of the couch beside him. “I heard you’re going with Sandi again, Wademan. Is it true ? She’s such a total slut, you know.”

“What are you doing here with Shelly’s sister?” asked a girl who looked like a miniature version of Tiffany.

Wade stretched his arms across the back of the couch and grinned at Jeana. “Me and her are fooling around behind her boyfriend’s back.”

Before Jeana could open her mouth to say anything, one of the pillows from the loveseat flew across the room and bounced off Wade’s head.

“Don’t you dare lie about my sister like that, Wade Strickland!” Shelly said. “She would NEVER cheat on Mickey, and especially not with you.”

“Chill out, runt,” Wade said. He propped the pillow behind his head and laughed, but Jeana could hear a definite note of bitterness in his voice. “Everybody knows she’s hopelessly devoted to Yankee-boy, just like that chick in Grease.” He laughed unpleasantly and tweaked the chin of the girl sitting on the arm of the couch.

“Okay, everybody out,” Jeana said, hooking her thumb toward the door. “He’s only here because I’m tutoring him, and we have to get started.”

“I figured it was something like that,” Suzie whispered to the Tiffany lookalike on the way out. “I mean, could you really see the Wademan with Miss Brainy?”

They both giggled, and Jeana felt her face flush at the reminder of what he’d said about her all those years ago in middle school. As soon as the room cleared, she picked up the copy of Flowers for Algernon and tossed it roughly onto Wade’s lap.

“Let’s get this over with so you can go,” she said. “I know you don’t want to risk your precious reputation by being here a second longer than necessary.”

“Hey, I didn’t say anything like that.” He leaned forward indignantly. “It’s not my fault they’re a bunch of airheads.”

“Well, you certainly didn’t have to say what you did say. You have absolutely no idea how to be anything but obnoxious, do you?” Jeana picked up her own copy of the book and opened it. “Never mind, don’t answer that. Let’s just get this done so you can leave.”

“Fine with me,” he said. “I got plenty of other places to go where I’m wanted.”

“Oh, I’m so impressed,” she said. “Hey, I know. Why don’t you go let one of your admirers tutor you and see how far you get!”

He threw the copy of the book across the room and stood up. “Just forget the whole damn thing! I’m outta here!”

“Oh no you’re not.” Jeana stood in front of him and blocked his path with her hands on her hips. “You’re going to sit your oversized, egotistical butt down on that couch and learn more than you ever wanted to know about Flowers for Algernon. And you’re going to pass that stupid test with such flying colors that Mrs. Langston will think you must have cheated!”

Her hazel eyes flashed at him as she looked up into his green ones, her anger kicking up a notch when she saw his mouth twist in amusement.

“Damn, you’re scary, Jeana.” He pretended to chew his fingernails. “If I promise to stay and do whatever you tell me to do, will you promise not to hurt me? At least not too bad.”

She rolled her eyes once again and went to pick up his book. “Sit down and shut up, Wade. You make me want to spit.”

He laughed as he sat on the couch again. “Yeah, you make my mouth water too, Redhot.”

 

***

When he left two hours later, Wade took the ‘Vette out to Kali-Oka for another celebratory run. He’d actually done so well the rest of the night that when he left Jeana had looked at him almost the same way she used to look at him when they were kids. When she had liked him. When she had been his girl.

He floored the accelerator and said, “Yankee-boy can kiss my oversized, egotistical ass! She was mine first, and she’s gonna be mine again. Just wait!”

***

Sometime around midnight, Jeana heard tapping on her windowpane. She already had the window unlocked and the screen unlatched.

“Get in here, Mickey,” she whispered. “I figured you’d do this.”

He climbed in and pulled her into an immediate embrace. “Tell me, Jeana.”

“I’m yours, Mickey,” she said with a sigh. “You know nothing has changed.”

He held her face in his hands and kissed her deeply enough to make her knees weak. When he finally released her lips, he pressed his cheek against hers and whispered, “You’re sleeping in my arms tonight, baby.”

“Oh, Mickey,” she said. “You know I’d love that, but we can’t afford to get in any more trouble.”

“We won’t, Jeana. I promise.”

She pulled away to look into his eyes. “Why are you acting like you have anything to worry about just because I’m tutoring Wade?”

Even in the dark, she could see his features harden at the mention of Wade’s name. “Did he keep his hands off you while he was here? And why didn’t you let Billy Joe stay like I told him to?”

“Because Wade wouldn’t have learned anything if Billy Joe had been here, and of course Wade didn’t touch me. He’s so worried about his precious football eligibility that he’s actually working hard and trying to pass this test.”

Mickey didn’t look convinced. “I don’t like the way you sound, Jeana. Like you’re proud of him.”

She reached up and put her hands on his cheeks. “Then let’s stop talking about him. Come lie down with me. We’ll forget about everybody else in the world.”

His dimples appeared at that, and he let her lead him to the bed. She knew it would be a major test of their resolve not to let things go too far, but Mickey needed reassurance, and she knew just how to make all his doubts disappear. Whenever they were caught up in the magic their hands had become so skilled at giving, nothing else mattered to either of them.

Sometime later, just as she knew he would do because he was Mickey and wasn’t capable of being anything but fine and good and honorable, he held her against him almost too tightly and buried his face in her hair.

“If I don’t leave right now, baby, I’m going to make love to you and never stop. We’ll end up in this bed for the rest of our lives.”

She laughed softly. “That’s not really discouraging me, you know. And I thought you said you wanted me to sleep in your arms tonight.”

He groaned. “I do, but neither of us is gonna get any sleep if I stay.”

“Okay,” she said. “Go home. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Before he climbed out the window, he pulled her face to his for one more kiss. “Make sure you wear your locket on the outside of your shirt when Strickland is here.”

She pulled the engraved heart from inside her nightgown and kissed it. “I will, even though it’s not necessary. Everybody knows I belong to you, Mickey.”

Back in her bed alone, Jeana thought about what Mickey had said about how she’d sounded about Wade, and she realized she actually was proud of him. After the middle school drool squad had left, Wade hadn’t goofed off even once and had practically hung on every word she said to him about the plot overview and main themes of the book. And she could tell from the questions he’d asked that he was honestly interested in finding out what happened in the story. She had told him to read the first fifty pages after he got home, so the real test of his sincerity would be to see if he did it.

Of course, Mickey didn’t have anything to worry about when it came to Wade or any other guy in the world, but Jeana couldn’t deny there was a part of her that would always miss the boy Wade had been when they were kids. She still didn’t know what had changed him so much, but more and more she thought she saw glimpses of the Wade she’d grown up with. And she couldn’t help hoping he would come back some day.

 

***

When Mickey picked her up for school in the morning, Billy Joe ducked down beside the car and climbed in the back seat as if he didn’t want Mickey to see him.

“Out,” Mickey said without looking at him. “If I can’t even count on you to do me one little favor, you can hoof it to school.”

“Aw, come on, Mick,” Billy Joe said. “It wasn’t my fault. Jeana threatened my life if I didn’t leave.”

“Yeah, right,” Mickey said. “And I suppose she forced you to come to the library and read Mein Kampf at the next table too, huh?”

Jeana snickered. “I hope you kept an eye on them while you were there, Billy Joe. I worried all night that Gerta would be so overcome by Mickey’s eyes that she’d throw him over her shoulder and take him home with her.”

Billy Joe was rolling in the back seat. “Yeah, she did look kinda starry-eyed the whole time, and I kept hearing her say how she wanted to intercept Mickey’s slope or something like that.”

Mickey gave them both a look devoid of amusement. “It’s not funny. I don’t know how I’m ever gonna teach her anything when she can’t understand me half the time and I can’t understand her the other half.”

“I thought you told me you took German in the ninth grade in Washington,” Jeana said.

“I did, but I only remember one phrase,” he said as he backed down the driveway. “And it sure won’t do me any good in this situation.”

“Why? What is it?” Jeana asked.

“Siehst du die blondine in der bibliothek?”

“Translation?”

“Do you see the blonde in the library?”

Billy Joe cracked up again, and Jeana punched Mickey in the arm.

 

***

When she left her locker after first period, Jeana turned the corner onto the middle hall and ran smack into Wade.

“Whoa, Redhot,” he said, holding her by the shoulders to steady her. “Slow down. You almost knocked me over.”

She gave him a patronizing look. “It’s your fault for walking on the wrong side of the hall, and it would take a bulldozer to knock you over.” With a devilish smile, she added, “Either that or a certain fullback who wears the number twenty-two.”

Wade scoffed. “Yeah, we’ll see about that next year.”

“Does that mean you expect to pass this test and be eligible?”

“Sure does, Jeana-baby.” He produced his copy of Flowers for Algernon from his jacket pocket. “Read the whole thing last night.”

She arched an eyebrow at him. “All of it?”

“Yep. Took me ‘til three o’clock this morning, but I finished it. And I got a bunch of questions for you too.”

Normally, Jeana wouldn’t have believed him, but he looked so pleased with himself that she thought he must be telling the truth.

“Well, great,” she said. “I’ll see you at my house tonight.” She started to walk away, but he caught her hand to stop her.

“Hey, how ‘bout I come over right after school today instead of after supper? So we’ll have more time to study.”

Before she could answer, a muscular arm pushed Wade away from her. Mickey held him against the wall with a handful of his shirt twisted in his fist and their noses almost touching.

“Keep your hands off her, Strickland. I better not have to tell you again.”

“Mickey, stop it!” Jeana wedged herself between them and pushed on Mickey’s chest. “He wasn’t doing anything.”

“Yeah, what’s your problem, Yankee-boy?” Wade smirked at Mickey over Jeana’s head. “We were just talking about studying like we’re supposed to. You need to chill out.”

Mickey continued to glare at Wade, but he let go of his shirt and took a step back. “You don’t need to touch her to talk, so you’d better keep your hands to yourself unless you want ‘em broken.”

Wade held up his hands and wiggled his fingers. “Ooh, I’m so scared.”

“Both of you are acting like preschoolers,” Jeana said with an exasperated sigh. “Mickey, come on before you get us in more trouble. Wade, I’ll see you after school, and try to grow up some before then.” She pulled Mickey away by his arm with Wade’s laughter following them.

“Jeana, I—”

“I don’t want to hear it, Mickey,” she said. “There was no reason for that.”

“He was holding your hand in the middle of the—”

“No, he touched my hand to get my attention, but I don’t have time to argue about it now. We’ll talk about it at lunch.”

“Yeah, we sure will,” Mickey said, walking off in the opposite direction.

When lunchtime arrived, he was waiting for her in the cafeteria foyer by the door to the pep rally courtyard, leaning against the window with his arms folded across his chest. She’d never seen his eyes such an angry shade of blue. At least not when he was looking at her.

“Let’s go out in the courtyard to talk,” he said when she walked up. “I’m not hungry anyway.”

She followed him out the door without argument. The courtyard was in plain view from the windows surrounding it on all four sides, so the faculty didn’t mind if students sat out there at lunchtime as long as they didn’t take any food or drinks with them. There were two other couples already there on the far side, so Mickey and Jeana sat on the steps leading up to the cheerleader platform. Although she was still miffed over his unnecessary aggressiveness, she couldn’t possibly stay mad at him for long, so she took his hand when they sat down.

“Mickey, you know this is the only hand I’ll be holding for the rest of my life.”

All trace of anger left his face, and he squeezed her hand. “Man, you sure know all the right things to say to make me feel better.”

She smiled and brushed the hair from his brow. “Your eyes are still beautiful when you’re mad, but I don’t like that angry blue nearly as much as this shade.”

He sighed. “I’m sorry I let him get to me, Jeana. I just can’t stand the thought of him touching you, no matter what the reason. And I didn’t like the way everybody in the hall was looking at you and him.”

“I didn’t see anybody looking at us,” she said, “but if they were, they were probably just gawking at Wade the way people usually do.”

“Well, I don’t want anybody to think he’s hitting on you, even if he’s not.”

“Mickey, I can’t exactly tell him he’s not allowed to speak to me in public. That’s the same thing as—” She caught herself before she said anything about the middle school incident. “I’d just feel like such a snob, and I can’t stand people who act that way.”

“Okay, then I’ll just have a talk with him like I said in the first place.”

“No, Mickey. You know you’d end up in a fight with him, and you can’t afford to get in trouble again.” When he started to argue, she put her fingers over his mouth. “Do you want to play baseball or not?”

“Yeah, but—”

“No buts. I haven’t been memorizing baseball terms for nothing, you know. I’d better get to come watch you hit all those strikes or outs or whatever it is you’ve been telling me you can hit so well.”

“Homeruns, Jeana,” he said between laughs. “Okay, I’ll stay out of trouble. I wouldn’t want to disappoint such a devoted baseball fan.”

“Good, and make sure you remember that the only reason I’d ever go to any kind of ball game is to watch you.” She leaned over and looked into his eyes. “I love you, Mickey. Only you. Don’t ever forget that.”

“I love you too, Jeana,” he said. “And since I can’t kiss you here, I’m coming over to your house on my way to the library tonight. Strickland can practice writing his name or something until we’re done.”

“Okay,” she said. “Now let’s go get you something to eat before your stomach starts calling me dirty names.”

“I was hoping you’d say that.” He took her hand to help her up. “They’re serving hamburgers today.”

“Oh, gross.” Jeana looked disgusted. “They taste like dehydrated shoe leather, Mickey.”

“They’re not that bad,” he said as he opened the foyer door for her. “Besides, Billy Joe told me they got their recipe from you.”

 

***

Wade was talking to Mrs. Langston at her desk when Jeana and Mickey entered the room sixth period. Before he took his seat behind Jeana, Wade stopped and leaned over close to her ear.

“She wants to talk to me and you after class, Redhot. About the test.”

“Okay,” she said. She looked up and noticed that everyone around them was watching her curiously.

“What did he just say to you?” Mickey asked, more than a little irritation in his voice.

“Nothing, Mickey,” she said. “Just something about the test.”

Wade leaned up so his face was over Jeana’s right shoulder. “What? You gonna threaten to break my vocal chords for talking to her now?” He tapped both sides of his throat with his fingers. “Which part of me you gonna be worried about next, Yankee-boy?”

Mickey held up his fist. “Wanna guess which part of me you’d better worry about?”

“Stop it. Both of you,” Jeana said, then she added to Tiffany, “And can’t you find something else to stare at for a while? You look like a blow-dried deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming Corvette.”

Lamar snickered and got hit with Tiffany’s spiral notebook before she turned back around in her seat with a toss of her hair that would have made Farrah proud. Mrs. Langston began to call roll, so Jeana had to wait until after class to talk to Mickey. As soon as the bell rang, she pulled him over by the windows.

“Mrs. Langston wants to talk to me about the test. That’s all Wade said to me earlier, Mickey. You have to stop letting him bother you. You know he’s doing it on purpose just to get under your skin.”

“He’s doing it on purpose all right,” Mickey said. “But it has more to do with you than me.”

“Don’t be silly,” Jeana said. “Didn’t you see the way everyone around us was watching? He’s just putting on a show for all his fans.”

Mickey shook his head. “I think you’re wrong, but I gotta get to practice right now. See you tonight, okay?”

“Okay,” she said. “Make some good dribbles at practice.”

Mickey gave her an indulgent smile. “Anything for you, Jeana.”

Mrs. Langston complimented Jeana on her generosity for helping Wade pass and explained to both of them what he needed to make on the test to bring his grade up to a D, C, or—in the case of a miracle—a B. She also mentioned something about an extra credit assignment that Wade clearly didn’t want to talk about in front of Jeana.

He followed her out into the hall and said, “Hey, since I’m coming over to your house now instead of later, why don’t you just ride with me?”

She shook her head and kept walking to her locker. “Mama’s probably outside waiting for me already. Besides, I wouldn’t be caught dead riding in that make-out machine you drive.”

He laughed and kept following her. “Why not? Afraid you might like it too much?”

She stopped at her locker and turned to give him an arched eyebrow. “Hardly. But I might be afraid my I.Q. would automatically drop if I sat in the same seat as all your brainless Barbie dolls.”

He leaned against the locker beside hers with his arms folded. “Maybe the opposite would happen. Maybe I’d only have smart girls in it from now on if you rode in it.”

“Oh, sure,” she said, closing her locker with a derisive laugh. “And maybe I’ll try out for the football team next year and play linebacker.”

“That’d definitely make the locker room a helluva lot more fun,” he said, winking at her.

She started to walk away. “I’ll see you at my house around four.”

“Wait, Jeana.” He caught her arm lightly. “I got an idea. What if we make a bet?”

“On what?”

“That I can make at least a B on this test I gotta take.”

She gave him a disbelieving look. “Have you ever made a B on any kind of test, Wade?”

“Sure, in PE,” he said with a snicker. “And once on a health test about mono.”

“Oh, then no wonder you’re so overconfident,” she said. “And what would you want if you win?”

He grinned. “You have to ride in the ‘Vette with me up to McDonald’s to get a sundae. I know how much you love those things.”

“So nice of you to point that out,” she said. “And what would I get if I win?”

“That’d be up to you, Redhot. Think about it, okay? You can give me your answer when I get to your house this afternoon.”

She sighed. “Okay, I’ll think about it.”

On the ride home with her mother, she kept waffling about whether she should take him up on it or not. She certainly wasn’t worried about losing. She just wondered why he was willing to risk it. Of course, if she did bet with him, it should at least ensure that he would do his best and pass when he took the exam.

And she knew exactly what she wanted him to do when he lost.

***

Wade arrived a little after four, and Jeana ushered him into the dining room where she had her notes spread out on the table.

“Okay, give me a synopsis of the story so I can see if you really read all of it,” she said when they sat down.

“Hold on a second,” Wade said. “You gotta give me your answer about the bet first. And then you gotta tell me what the hell a synopsis is.”

Jeana sighed. “Fine, I’ll bet with you. At least it should make you try to pass.”

A huge smile spread across his face, and he held out his hand. “Gotta shake on it, Redhot.”

She arched her eyebrow. “Don’t you want to know what I want if I win?”

“Don’t make no difference to me, ‘cause I’m not gonna lose. Now shake on it.”

She shook his hand and said, “Well, I’m going to tell you anyway. If I win, you have to show me the poem you wrote last fall that Mrs. Langston liked so much.”

She expected him to balk or at least protest a little, but he didn’t seem upset by it at all. In fact, she could see a trace of a smile—a real one and not a smirk—touching the corners of his mouth for a moment. Then he laughed and tugged on a lock of her hair.

“No problem, Redhot. But I don’t know why you wanna read about how much I love the ‘Vette.”

Jeana knew better, but she just folded her arms and leaned back in her chair. “A synopsis is a short summary of everything that happens in a book. So let’s hear it.”

He struggled through an overview of the story, and although he only described what happened and didn’t offer any insight into the events, she could tell he’d read all of it.

“Okay,” she said, “you told me what happens, now tell me what you thought about it.”

“It was okay,” he replied. “Course, if Charlie had just kicked everybody’s ass that made fun of him, he could’ve stayed stupid and saved himself a lot of trouble.”

“Well, thank you for that Neanderthal analysis, Wade. Now let’s see if we can look at it from a walking upright perspective.” She took a sheet of notes from the binder in front of her and held it where he could look at it. “These are the things she’ll probably ask about on the test, and there’s likely to be an essay question about whether or not you think Charlie was better off for having been smart for even a little while. What would your answer be?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. At least he got laid.”

Jeana looked at the ceiling and sighed. “Well, I wouldn’t recommend phrasing it that way, but it’s actually a legitimate point that he was better off in some ways for the experience.”

“I got it right, huh?” He grinned and elbowed her jokingly. “Yep, you’ll be riding beside me in the ‘Vette come this time next Friday night.”

She scoffed. “I don’t think so. Your answer is way too simplistic for Mrs. Langston to accept. And you’ll also have to explain why you think he could make love to Fay but not Alice.”

“That’s easy,” he said. “He couldn’t do it with Alice because he loved her and was afraid of screwing up. It was just sex with Fay, so it didn’t matter.”

Jeana couldn’t help looking surprised. “That’s right. So why do you think it was so important for him to finally consummate his relationship with Alice?”

He frowned. “Consummate? You mean jump her bones?”

Jeana rolled her eyes. “Yes, but can we please be a little less crude?”

He thought for a moment, then he looked at her with nothing but seriousness. “It was because nothing he did with anybody else meant anything to him, and he knew it would be different with her because she was the only girl he loved. The only girl he’d ever love.”

There he was again—the Wade she’d grown up with. He was still in there somewhere. Before she even thought about what she was doing, she grabbed his hand and squeezed it in both of hers.

“Wade, that was the perfect answer! And it proves you’re not as shallow as you pretend to be either. I hope you find somebody you feel that way about someday.”

He looked at their hands a few seconds, and she heard him swallow before he raised his head to look at her again. “Jeana, I—”

The unmistakable roar of a Mustang pulling into her driveway made her let go of his hand and jump up.

“Mickey’s here! I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She handed him the sheet of notes and headed for the door. “Read those while I’m gone, and don’t come out there.”

She hurried outside before Mickey made it to the front door, hoping to keep several walls separating him from Wade. He was just coming up the porch steps when she went out.

“Hey, baby,” he said. “Tell Strickland not to park in my spot anymore or I might just run over that little piece of fiberglass he drives.”

She took his hand and led him over to the swing. “What are you doing here so early, Mickey? What happened to basketball practice?”

“Coach’s wife went into labor. Lucky for us, huh?” He sat in the swing and pulled her down to his lap. “I don’t have to be at the library until six, so I can kiss you for at least thirty minutes.”

She put her arms around his neck and gave him a nice long kiss, but she wrinkled her nose when it ended. “Um, Mickey, you came here straight from practice, didn’t you? Don’t you think you should go take a shower before meeting Gerta?”

He shook his head. “I’m hoping it will keep her from sitting so close to me.”

“Well, it should work,” she said with a little laugh. “But you know I can’t leave Wade in there by himself that long.”

“Why not?” he asked with a scowl in the direction of the house. “He’s alone with his favorite person.”

She laughed again. “You’re right, but if we don’t finish studying before suppertime, Mama’s liable to invite him to eat with us. You don’t want that, do you?”

He grimaced. “Not unless she serves him some cyanide soup.”

She put her hands on his cheeks and kissed him again. “Then go on so I can get finished with him.”

“Okay,” he said morosely. “But leave your window unlatched again tonight.”

She gave him a wry smile. “Only if you promise to take a shower before you come back.”

“Hey, I got a better idea,” he said, his dimples fully engaged. “You can climb out your window when I get here and go take a shower with me at my house.”

“Mickey, you’re turning into such a reprobate.”

“I sure hope that means shower buddy,” he said, bending her backward beside him to kiss her one last time.

They heard a door slam, then Wade was there glaring at both of them. “Your folks know he’s out here groping you for all the neighbors to see, Jeana?”

“I told you not to come out here,” she said, pushing Mickey away so she could sit up.

“Guess I don’t take orders too good,” Wade said. “Get lost, Yankee-boy. She’s on my time now.”

Mickey stood up from the swing and walked over to face Wade. “Why don’t we see if you can make me leave, Strickland?”

Wade took a step toward him, but Jeana was between them in a second.

“Stop it! I’m sick of all this macho posturing from both of you.” She pushed Wade in the chest and said, “Go back in the house and wait for me. I’ll be there in a minute.” To Mickey she said, “Go to the library, Mickey. I’ll talk to you later like we agreed.”

Wade sneered. “Yeah, go teach your German girlfriend some math. Me and Jeana got some book stuff to talk about, and I gotta make sure I get it right so I can win the bet she made with me.”

Jeana’s heart lurched into her throat at the thought of what Mickey would do when he found out she’d even considered going anywhere with Wade in the Corvette, even though she’d never really expected to do it. Suddenly, she realized that was why Wade had wanted to bet with her in the first place. He didn’t care anything about winning, he just wanted to taunt Mickey with it.

“What’s he talking about, Jeana?” Mickey asked, still glaring at Wade. “What bet?”

If looks could kill, Wade would have been a dead man when Jeana turned her gaze on him.

“There is no bet,” she said. “Any bet I’d ever make would only be with someone I considered a friend, and that’s definitely not you, Wade Strickland.”

His arrogant expression quickly gave way to anger. “Tell me something I don’t already know, Jeana!” To Mickey he said, “Move that piece of shit you drive outta my way, then you can finish your little make-out session.”

“No problem,” Mickey said. “Anything to get rid of you.” He pulled Jeana with him by the hand and pushed Wade aside with his shoulder as he walked past him.

Jeana had a lot more to say to Wade before he left, but she wanted to get Mickey out of there before Wade said something else to provoke a fight. When they reached the Mustang and Mickey got in, he rolled down the window and motioned for Jeana to lean down.

“I’ll pull into Billy Joe’s driveway until Strickland leaves and then come back,” he said.

“No, go do your tutoring, Mickey. I’ll talk to you later.” She kissed him and added, “And don’t forget that shower.”

Wade was just getting into his car, but he paused to sneer when the Mustang’s engine roared to life and Mickey backed out of the driveway. Jeana waved at Mickey as he drove off, then she walked over to the Corvette and opened the driver’s side door.

“I’m not finished with you yet, Wade.”

“Oh, I think you are,” he said. “I know all I need to know.”

“I should’ve known the only reason you wanted me to bet with you was so you could start something with Mickey.”

“Wrong. I don’t do a damn thing because of him.”

She folded her arms across her chest. “Then why did you tell him about it? You knew I…” She trailed off as something occurred to her. “Oh, I get it. You had to do something to make me call off the bet, because you didn’t want to show me your poem when you lost.”

“Trust me, Jeana,” he said. “You wouldn’t have liked it anyway. In fact, you’d probably get bored halfway through and go make out with Yankee-boy instead.”

For a second she thought he was just offended because she’d had the nerve to leave the great Wade Strickland alone in favor of anybody else, but then she realized his eyes looked more hurt than angry underneath the arrogance that was always there. He’d obviously been about to say something personal to her right before Mickey had arrived, but she had just cut him off and run out without even letting him finish his sentence. She’d probably ruined the only chance she’d ever get to find out why he had changed so much since they were kids, and she was ashamed of herself for being so inconsiderate.

“I don’t blame you for being mad at me, Wade. It was rude of me to run out on you like that, and I’m truly sorry.”

Her apology clearly caught him off guard, and she could see him struggle to hide whatever it was he was feeling. He stared at his hands on the Corvette’s steering wheel and didn’t say anything for a few seconds.

“You don’t need to be sorry for nothing, Jeana. You just reminded me what a waste of time it is to sit around talking about love and stupid shit like that when I got a lot more important stuff to do.”

“It’s not a waste of time, Wade. And we’ve still got a lot to talk about. We’re not finished yet.”

He scoffed. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure we are, Jeana. But don’t worry. If I don’t make good enough to pass with this test, I’ll do the stupid extra credit thing she wants me to do. You won’t get stuck with me no more.”

He looked up at her, and Jeana suddenly knew what Mrs. Langston wanted him to do.

“She wants you to write another poem, doesn’t she?”

He didn’t seem surprised at all that she had guessed. “Yeah. More sappy shit that don’t mean a damn thing.”

“Then I guess that will be another one you’ll have to let me read someday,” she said. “And don’t think I won’t figure out a way to make you show them to me. I’ve always been smarter than you, Wade Strickland.”

He laughed. “Yeah, but that ain’t saying much. Hey, maybe I’ll write something dedicated to good ol’ Charlie. All about how being dumb as dirt is a helluva lot better than falling in love.”

He reached for the handle to close the door, but Jeana put a hand on his arm to stop him.

“I really am sorry I ran out on you before, Wade. If you want to come back inside and talk some more—about the book or the test or anything else—it’s okay with me.”

“I don’t think your boyfriend would like that,” he said. “And you know I’ll tell him.”

She shrugged. “I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it, and I’m not really worried about it anyway. Mickey might not trust you one bit, but he knows he can trust me completely.”

He stared at her a few seconds before shaking his head with a rueful smile. “Nah, I guess I’ve yanked his chain enough for a while. Wouldn’t want to make his head explode or nothing. Coach Carter might need him on second string next year.”

“How thoughtful, Wade,” she said. “There may be hope for you after all.”

“Don’t count on it,” he said. “He’ll be lucky if he makes it through spring training without needing a body cast.”

Jeana rolled her eyes. “Then I guess I should get my magic marker ready for signing.”

“Smart girl,” he said with a wink before closing the car door. He started the engine but he rolled down the window before backing up. “On second thought, I’ll take a rain check on that talk you wanted us to have, okay?”

“Okay,” she said, giving him a wary look. “When did you have in mind?”

He only shrugged and winked at her again before backing the Corvette down the driveway. After a brief right angle turn, the car flew down the street with tires squealing.

“Someday, Redhot,” Wade said as he pointed the car toward Kali-Oka Road. “It ain’t time yet, but someday we’re gonna have us one helluva heart-to-heart talk. Just me and you.”

 

~~~

 

For the whole story behind Jeana and these three boys, read True Blue Forever.