have told someone. Hell, probably all of his guy friends.
The real culprit was actually innocent. The day
before, Coach Swane had recognized Tommy immediately, as the quasi town
celebrity that he was, but not Margarette, because they had been mostly in the
shadows. The coach wasn’t a man to spread rumors or keep up with fresh gossip.
He figured Tommy had been with his girlfriend, whom he believed to be Sharon. The
following day, thinking he was actually doing her a favor, he called Sharon in
his office to apologize for yelling the day before, and also to warn her that
Tommy should be more careful, that he wasn’t supposed to be in the school
grounds. The coach was a nice guy and would give Tommy a pass, but any other
teacher would have gotten him in deep trouble.
Really, he thought he was just gaining brownie
points with the hot young cheerleader.
At first Sharon dismissed his words as a prank; as
if the coach was trying to get her to admit to something she didn’t do. But
when she corrected him and explained it wasn’t them, the coach joked
sarcastically, “Sure it wasn’t you. Tell Tommy he has an identical twin that he
didn’t know about and he’s fooling around with random cheerleaders under the
bleachers. Now, you don’t have to look at me like that… you know me; I’m not
one to say anything.”
Sharon was not the brightest cheerleader, but when
it came to gossip, especially concerning what was hers, she was certainly
capable of putting two and two together.
***
Margarette tries to ignore everyone all day. At
lunch she sits alone, writing in her notebook. She fills the notebook pages
scribbling questions for Paulie about the book he lent her. Then she tears
pages out letting the frilly bits inside the binding spirals fall to the floor.
All eyes follow her and jaws drop as she crosses the yard and hands Paulie back
his book with the notes tucked inside. Alice and Julie, watching from a
distance, almost fall to the floor. They now sit at the table where Sharon
normally sits, except that Sharon’s seat is empty today.
The school is electric. The boy and the book had
created a third tale that was too much for everyone to resist. Tales of sexual
awakening and prostitution fill the halls spiraling out of proportion, but
somehow the teachers don’t say anything. Either they didn’t hear the gossip at
all or they didn’t know it is about Margarette.
Teachers always know more than they let on. The
great Tommy & Sharon affair was ruined. Even the coach finally found
out, but then he was more worried that the situation would detract from the next
game than what he cared about sexual scandals between students.
Because everyone is talking about it, even Margarette
eventually hears about the coach inquisition between whispers in hallways. Her
heart lightens at the thought that Tommy had not been the one to tell. Still,
she had thought that the coach didn’t see anything. What did he tell Sharon? Margarette
would have done anything to have been there when he had that conversation with
Sharon about what he thought he saw beneath the bleachers, and yet at the same
time she was mortified. Did he really know? Or did he just say that he saw them
kissing, and Sharon escalated the incident to harm Margarette’s already wounded
image?
All of this because of
one little drink. When would the stories about sexual scandals between students
ever end?
Paulie is standing outside school when Margarette
walks past the office finally on the way home. She’s upset, and for a moment
pretends to ignore him even as he walks straight towards her. Sometimes the
simplest things he does add to her frustration. But she slows down as she
reconsiders; he fills a void in her life with his awkward friendship. He consistently
shows interest in her; and besides, none of this is his fault. It’s his
interest in her that lifts her spirits a little today; otherwise she would have
been completely crushed by the terrible day she’s
The real culprit was actually innocent. The day
before, Coach Swane had recognized Tommy immediately, as the quasi town
celebrity that he was, but not Margarette, because they had been mostly in the
shadows. The coach wasn’t a man to spread rumors or keep up with fresh gossip.
He figured Tommy had been with his girlfriend, whom he believed to be Sharon. The
following day, thinking he was actually doing her a favor, he called Sharon in
his office to apologize for yelling the day before, and also to warn her that
Tommy should be more careful, that he wasn’t supposed to be in the school
grounds. The coach was a nice guy and would give Tommy a pass, but any other
teacher would have gotten him in deep trouble.
Really, he thought he was just gaining brownie
points with the hot young cheerleader.
At first Sharon dismissed his words as a prank; as
if the coach was trying to get her to admit to something she didn’t do. But
when she corrected him and explained it wasn’t them, the coach joked
sarcastically, “Sure it wasn’t you. Tell Tommy he has an identical twin that he
didn’t know about and he’s fooling around with random cheerleaders under the
bleachers. Now, you don’t have to look at me like that… you know me; I’m not
one to say anything.”
Sharon was not the brightest cheerleader, but when
it came to gossip, especially concerning what was hers, she was certainly
capable of putting two and two together.
***
Margarette tries to ignore everyone all day. At
lunch she sits alone, writing in her notebook. She fills the notebook pages
scribbling questions for Paulie about the book he lent her. Then she tears
pages out letting the frilly bits inside the binding spirals fall to the floor.
All eyes follow her and jaws drop as she crosses the yard and hands Paulie back
his book with the notes tucked inside. Alice and Julie, watching from a
distance, almost fall to the floor. They now sit at the table where Sharon
normally sits, except that Sharon’s seat is empty today.
The school is electric. The boy and the book had
created a third tale that was too much for everyone to resist. Tales of sexual
awakening and prostitution fill the halls spiraling out of proportion, but
somehow the teachers don’t say anything. Either they didn’t hear the gossip at
all or they didn’t know it is about Margarette.
Teachers always know more than they let on. The
great Tommy & Sharon affair was ruined. Even the coach finally found
out, but then he was more worried that the situation would detract from the next
game than what he cared about sexual scandals between students.
Because everyone is talking about it, even Margarette
eventually hears about the coach inquisition between whispers in hallways. Her
heart lightens at the thought that Tommy had not been the one to tell. Still,
she had thought that the coach didn’t see anything. What did he tell Sharon? Margarette
would have done anything to have been there when he had that conversation with
Sharon about what he thought he saw beneath the bleachers, and yet at the same
time she was mortified. Did he really know? Or did he just say that he saw them
kissing, and Sharon escalated the incident to harm Margarette’s already wounded
image?
All of this because of
one little drink. When would the stories about sexual scandals between students
ever end?
Paulie is standing outside school when Margarette
walks past the office finally on the way home. She’s upset, and for a moment
pretends to ignore him even as he walks straight towards her. Sometimes the
simplest things he does add to her frustration. But she slows down as she
reconsiders; he fills a void in her life with his awkward friendship. He consistently
shows interest in her; and besides, none of this is his fault. It’s his
interest in her that lifts her spirits a little today; otherwise she would have
been completely crushed by the terrible day she’s
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