* * *
I spent the evening depressed, eating Ben & Jerry's ice cream and watching TV. It seemed like every channel had some kind of love story on, which only made me feel worse. I ended up turning off the TV and listening to CDs, trying to choose music that wouldn't make me sad.
Around midnight my phone rang. I ran for it, answering with "Rob?"
"No, sorry." said the voice "It's Josie."
I sat on my couch. "Hi." I said with a sigh.
"How are you doing?" she asked.
"Shitty." I replied honestly. "I suppose Rob filled you in?"
"A little bit. He said you had a fight and he left angry."
"That about sums it up."
"Not entirely. What was this fight about?"
I gave her a brief synopsis. "It was really stupid, Josie, and I feel awful. I don't want to fight with him and I certainly don't want to break up. But you know when you fight with someone, horrible things tend to escape from your mouth and can't be taken back."
"I think things will be fine. He doesn't want to break up either."
"Really?" This made me feel better.
"He told me, and don't mention to him that I told you this, but he told me that he feels so strongly about you that it scares him. I told you that Rob has never had a serious relationship before. You are the first girl to make him reevaluate himself. He wants to be a better person for and because of you."
"I would have gone to the game today..."
"I know. He knows that. He was just hurt. But he understands. The thing is, though, he wants you to understand his side. How important it is for him to be on a baseball team again--"
"I do." I interjected.
"--and I don't exactly agree with the choice he made to get on that team, but I'm happy if he is. Caroline, I like you. I think you are wonderful for my brother. And, with the little time I have spent with you, I think he is wonderful for you as well. Given this, I hope you will give him a chance."
"Of course I will." I said.
"And I hope you are OK with him going to the Prom with Tracie." she paused. "It's all part of who everyone thinks he is, not who he really is."
"I figured that would happen."
"So, are you OK?" she asked again.
"Yes, thank you. I'm much better."
"Good. Can I tell you what happened then?"
"Sure. Where?"
"At Rob's party. I was asked to the Prom by the most popular boy in school." She sounded genuinely excited, much like a teenager. "I'm sure you find that silly, but if you knew how hard it has been for me with the popular kids...."
"Rob has told me some." I said, knowing full well how hard it has been.
"I feel like I deserve all of this. I know that sounds selfish--"
"You do. You totally deserve it, Josie. No one deserves it more. The only thing better than you being accepted into the In-Crowd would be you being named Prom Queen."
"Well, that will never happen. Not with Kristen, Kirsten and Gibby being there."
"I wouldn't count it out. Stranger things have happened."
With a short laugh, Josie replied, "Don't I know it."
* * *
Rob and I made up the next afternoon. We apologized to each other and then he gave me four long stem daisies. "One for each week I've known you." he explained.
"Very romantic." I said, putting them in a vase.
"I consulted Josie...I'm not real good at the romance stuff."
I kissed his lips softly. "You are better than you think."
He leaned down and kissed me passionately, leaning me against the wall and pressing his body against mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck as his traveled down to rest on my hips. His lips left mine and kissed a line from my cheek down to my shoulder, all the while sending tingles up and down my body. "I love you." he whispered. He looked into my eyes. "I mean it. It scares me...but I do, I love you."
Tears welled up in my eyes. "I love you." I said, kissing him again. I took his hand, and walked him to the stairs.
He looked up at the entrance to my bedroom, and then back at me. "Are you sure?" he asked.
"Yes."
"You don't think it's too soon?"
I shook my head. "No." I stepped up onto the first step, pulling him with me. "Do you?"
"No."
I smiled and walked up the stairs. Rob followed closely behind.
* * *
If I thought it was hard to keep my distance at school before, it was torture now. Everytime I saw Rob I wanted to touch him, or talk to him. I was hating this assignment more and more. I didn't know how strong I had to be!
Plus, everybody was crazed. With Prom being only six days away, it was all anyone could talk about. Girls were complaining because they had to return dresses due to the new theme, and some were upset because they had to buy new outfits all-together. The guys seemed to just be going with the flow. The Prom Committee was revised to include Josie, who was now all smiles all the time. I noticed Guy stopping in the halls when he saw her to stare even when she didn't notice, but he never seemed to be affectionate, or show her that he liked her as more than a friend. It gave credibility to my theory that he developed interest in her due to Rob's stories and had to be the one to claim her as his own.
I heard Josie telling Rob that she was staying after school to help with the decorations, so I decided to hang around and observe her with Mr. Coulson. The last that I had seen of them was the day she picked the Prom theme and by the way they had been looking at each other, I was pretty sure that there was a mutual attraction between Josie and her English teacher. What I wasn't sure of was whether they had acted on it. Mr. Coulson seemed like a decent person...not someone who would let himself get involved with a student. However, anything is possible. Sometimes even decent people slip.
They were in the Drama Building painting the background when I found them. They were laughing and wiping paint on each other, oblivious to the world. I could see that Josie was trying not to look at him too often or for too long when she did. She seemed to glow in his presence; she lost her insecurities. Her shoulders were straighter, her posture better, she talked more and generally seemed to be more comfortable and at ease than I have ever seen her.
As for Mr. Coulson, he seemed to be as laid back as he was in class, but he smiled more. I caught him watching Josie mix her orange paint, studying her profile. He looked away as soon as she turned to face him.
"What?" She asked, dipping her brush into the can.
"Pardon?" He asked, feigning innocence.
"You were looking at me...am I doing something wrong?"
"No, no, not at all. Everything you've done is great." I felt myself start to smirk at the double meaning. "I...just thought you had a different color in mind, that's all."
"Is this wrong?" she stepped toward him with a smile, holding the loaded paint brush at his chin level. "Am I not supposed to use orange in the sunset?"
"It's good...it's fine," he said, backing up, his hand behind his back, brush searching for his paint can.
"It better be." She smiled wider, retracting her hand slightly. He relaxed, and she made her move, quickly dabbing the brush on his forehead.
She laughed at the expression on his face and stepped away from him, but he was quicker, brushing her cheek with his yellow brush.
"They are totally flirting." I whispered to myself. I felt around in my bag for the tape recorder, backing away from the door, still looking at Josie and Mr. Coulson painting each other more than the sunset backdrop.
As I pulled it out I bumped into someone. "Sorry." I said, turning around.
"You better be." It was Gibby. She was surprisingly alone.
"Really, why?" I asked acidicly.
"You just better watch your step, freak-girl. There may be only two weeks left of school, but I can make sure that they are absolute torture for you."
"I'm scared now." I said, deadpan.
"You should be. You have no friends, no one can back you up. You are totally alone all the time and a total loser."
"Let me clue you in to something, Gabby: I don't care about your threats." I stepped closer, looking her right in the eyes. "I am not scared of you or any of your friends. I am not concerned about what people think of me. I know who I am and could care less whether you think I am a 'loser' or not. I don't need yours or anyone else's approval to feel better about myself. So get the hell alway from me because being this close to a such a vacant person is making me sick to my stomach." I walked past her, deliberately brushing my shoulder roughly against hers as I passed.
"My name is Gibby, stupid, not Gabby!" She said loudly.
"I don't care." I said, not losing my stride, and walking out the door and into the windy afternoon. I got in my car and headed to the Trib office to transcribe my notes.
This discovery of mine of the impending relationship between Josie and her teacher could prove to be very destructive. I wanted to go back and delete anything that I had previously written about my suspicions. I knew now that there was something there between them and as long as it didn't get out before Josie's assignment was done they had nothing to worry about. I wasn't going to be the one to expose them.
As far as I could see, nothing had happened beyond some innocent flirting, and from conversations with Josie, I knew that she hadn't even faced her feelings for him yet. I could see that they were falling in love with each other...if they weren't in love already. I know what a person looks like when they're in love; I see it every day on my own face. To me, this was a non-story. Not one that I was going to write anyway. I would leave that to someone else.
When I got to the Trib office, though, there was a crisis with my weekly column that I had to fix and I forgot to delete my notes. In fact, I didn't think of them once until it was too late.
* * *
I walked up the steps to Rob's parents' house on Saturday afternoon with the intention of helping Rob get ready for the Prom. His mother answered the door.
"Hi, I'm Caroline, I'm here to see Rob." I introduced myself.
"Hi Caroline, it's nice to meet you, finally. I have heard a lot about you. I'm Rob's mom, Maureen."
I smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Geller." I shook her hand.
"Call me Maureen, please." She opened the door wider to let me in. "Rob is up in his room. Up the stairs, to your right."
"Thanks." I felt a little like Rob actually was a teenager I was so nervous going to his room with his parents home.
I knocked on the door and went in when I heard him say so. Rob had failed to mention to me that he was going to the Prom as Tom Cruise in Risky Business. He was dressed in a white dress shirt and boxers and socks.
"Hi baby." He said, pulling me into a kiss. He drew me into his room and pressed me against the now closed door.
"Hi." I managed to say between kisses. "Your parents are downstairs."
"They're going to their pot-luck dinner soon."
"Well, you don't look like you need much help getting ready."
He smiled deviously. "This is just the dress rehearsal. I'll need you to help me get ready again."
"Why?" I asked, pretty much knowing the answer before he said it.
"Hmmm...let me show you." He said, pulling me toward his bed.
* * *
I left Rob's house at seven o'clock to insure that I would miss Josie. She was having Guy meet her there and then they would be picking Tracie up. As I walked out, Rob kissed my cheek. "I love you." he said.
I turned to face him. "I love you too." I smiled.
"I'll behave myself," he said.
"I know you will." I kissed his lips softly. "Call me when you get home."
"How about I just come over?"
"Call me on my cell phone. I might go out and have some drinks with Janeane."
We said our good-byes and I walked to the corner where I had parked my car, out of sight of Rob's house. There was little traffic and I made it home in less than 20 minutes. I ran up the three flights of stairs, and got in the shower. By 7:45 I was in my Titanic dress, my long red wig was in place and my make-up was as close to perfect as I could get it.
I picked my beaded handbag up from the counter, made sure the "spy camera" was in it and walked out the door. I was on my way to the second, and hopefully last, Senior Prom of my life.
* * *