By 11:00 the pool was packed. It was a perfect end-of-summer day, with the temperature headed to the low 80s and not a cloud in the sky. For many of the teenage girls it was a chance to even out their tans. For the guys it was a chance to flirt with the many pretty girls.
I was put in charge of gofer duty. Anything the lifeguards or staff needed I was sent to fetch. I’d gotten everyone’s lunch orders when I saw Bill Rogers and company show up. They were all scruffy-looking guys, and you could see the crowd keep a watchful eye on them. They made no secret they wanted female company. When they found some prime lounge chairs, they chased off the hapless guys seated in them.
It wasn’t going to be long before they pissed someone off, and there’d be a fight or the staff would be forced to get involved. I hadn’t seen Bill since the night of the party. I could feel the hair go up on the back of my neck. This guy scared me. He was a complete wild card, and I knew he could become violent at the drop of a hat. I had no idea why I went up to him.
“Hey, Bill, how’s it going?”
It took him a minute to realize who I was.
“Dawson, it’s good to see you, man. I didn’t know you worked here. How was your summer?”
“I was sent away for the summer.”
“Oh yeah, I heard that somewhere. Hey, thanks for keeping us out of it.”
“No problem. I wanted to ask you a favor.”
Bill tipped his head forward so he could look over his sunglasses.
“What kind of favor?”
“You’re making our guests nervous. I was wondering if you’d do me a favor and leave.”
Bill and my eyes locked. Out of my peripheral vision, I saw two of his goons stand up on either side of me. I knew if I showed any fear, they’d jump me. Bill looked pissed.
“Listen, wuss, do you see all this prime trim that needs my attention?”
He pulled his sunglasses off and made a circular motion to indicate all the women close to them.
“Bill, I understand, but to be honest I’m not seeing anyone who’s interested. They seem nervous. Today is supposed to be a fun day for everyone. We both know at some point you or one of your guys is going to cause a confrontation.”
He chuckled, and not in a nice way.
“David, you have balls. I think our confrontation’s about to begin, with you getting your ass kicked.”
“Hang on, Bill. You do owe me a favor, and I’m calling it in now.”
He got up in my face. The next thing I knew he slugged me in the gut. I went down to one knee and doubled over. Bill grabbed me by the hair and pulled my head up. His face was a mask of pure evil.
“No one tells me what to do! Do you hear me?”
“Yes,” I choked out.
He seemed to make a decision. He jerked my hair back, which caused me to sprawl out on the pool deck. He got down close to my ear and spoke so only I could hear him.
“You’re lucky. I normally wouldn’t let something like this go, but I do owe you a favor. We’re even now, but keep an eye out. I may need to kick your ass just to make an example of you.”
He stormed out with his goons in in his wake. I got to my feet and several people gave me appreciative looks. None of them seemed to want to check on me. I think they were embarrassed because they were going to let me take a beating. I went to the office and collected myself. It was never good to get on any bully’s radar when you’re a nerd, especially a bully like Bill. I would have to be careful at school for the next couple of weeks.
Tuesday September 3
I CAME TO SCHOOL WITH my new haircut and wearing the first outfit Cindy had told me to wear. I had on a fitted black t-shirt and black jeans. The shirt was almost worse than going without one. It showed every bump, curve and ripple. The jeans were tight, and Cindy said they made my butt look cute. After a summer of farm work, I was no longer embarrassed about my body, so I wasn’t too worried. Jeff and Alan were out front. They started to give me a hard time. Jeff fired the first shot and nodded to Alan to turn around as I came up.
“Alan, do you know who the new guy is?”
Alan spun around and faced me.
“Hey, GQ, where’s the photo shoot? Is it true all models are gay?”
“Yes, we are, and I have to say I’m into nerdy little guys. What are you doing after school today?”
Alan started to back up and Jeff burst out laughing. “So what’s with the makeover? Did Tami get her wish and turn you into her little Ken doll?” Jeff asked.
I gave them a scowl.
“No, actually Cindy got her claws into me. Seriously guys, this isn’t too gay, is it?”
Talk about walking into it; I thought they’d have a stroke, they laughed so hard. I was ready to head home and change when Peggy came up. My back was to her and she saw my best friends crack up.
“Hey, guys, what’s so funny?” she asked.
I heard her gasp. I turned to her and saw she was slowly checking me out. I started to worry something was wrong, because I couldn’t read her expression. Her hand came to her mouth and I heard her whisper, “Oh, my.”
“Are you okay?” I asked.
She seemed to come back to herself, and she looked me in the eye and blushed. Peggy Pratt, my wet dream, had checked me out and blushed. To hell with what Jeff and Alan thought. If Peggy liked it, I would dress up like a GQ model every day of the week! Thank you, Cindy!
“No, I just never realized, uh, dang, Dawson, you’re a hottie.”
To their credit, Jeff and Alan shut up when they saw Peggy’s reaction. I think Tami had smacked Alan enough in the past few days to slow him down. They looked at me in that weird way they do when an older good-looking girl talks to me and I act like it happens all the time. I leaned in close so only Peggy could hear.
“Not too gay?”
She actually snorted. She seemed fascinated with my new haircut. She reached up and ran her fingers through my curls. Any time Peggy was touching me like this it was a very good thing. She leaned in a little closer.
“No. Seriously, I like the new look.”
Then she shocked me.
“A hard man is good to find,” she said in a breathy whisper.
My eyebrows went up. I’m sure the guys hadn’t heard her because they didn’t react. Peggy eyed me, and not as just a friend! Then she jerked as if she realized she’d said it aloud. I just winked at her and put my arm out.
“Madam, may I escort you to your locker?”
“Why sir, it would be my pleasure.”
She noticeably relaxed. I’m sure she was glad I hadn’t pressed the issue, but I was filing this away for future study. I made a significant step towards getting out of the ‘friends’ penalty box where so many nice guys find themselves. At least she looked at me with a little heat.
We giggled as we entered the building. Then things got a little weird. As we walked down the hall, the crowd seemed to part as we walked to Peggy’s locker. She stood a little taller, pushed her chest out, and put a little wiggle into her walk. I could tell she enjoyed the attention. When we got to her locker, she gave me a peck on the cheek.
“Thank you, kind sir. You can walk me to my locker anytime.”
I had a stupid grin on my face all the way to my first class.
AT LUNCH, I CAUGHT a nice-looking brunette checking me out. I remembered her from World History class. She must have been from one of the other middle schools who came to this high school, because I couldn’t remember her name. She seemed like someone I would like to go out with, so I walked up to her.
“Hi, my name’s David.”
“Hi, I’m Tina.”
The good news was she hadn’t run off screaming. She seemed nervous. Without my brother’s coaching, I would have just frozen up. When I saw her fidget, I felt liberated.
“I’d like you to go with me to have ice cream at Jerry’s on Friday after school,” I said.