Chapter 16

For the rest of the week, the story of my fight with the guys from Jake's crew flew around school. It actually managed to displace the previous gossip of my dating Zoe and Vicki.

Every morning, I met the team for our run. By the middle of the week the group included half the cheerleaders, several of the players from varsity, and even a few kids from the basketball team. They said they had heard of our workouts, and wanted to be in better shape when their season started. Only two of the cheerleaders made it to our afternoon workout, but everyone else from the morning joined us for that as well.

I was particularly happy that we had been able to slightly increase the pace of our morning run by the end of the week. It wasn't much, but seeing that kind of improvement so quickly really encouraged everyone.

Saturday afternoon rolled around and it was time for our first study sessions. We had all agreed to meet at the library and I was there as soon as I got out of work. There wasn't much prep that I could do for it. Since I had never run a study session before I wasn't clear on what to expect. I figured for this first time it would be more organization than anything else. I had managed to discover that two of the players, and three of the girls on the JV cheerleading squad, including Zoe, were doing really well in their classes. I had also talked to Vicki, since she excelled in all of her classes. They all agreed to help tutor the other students.

First, I found out what classes everyone had. Most of us had some of the same classes so it was easy to go over those subjects en masse. For the rest, we made a list of what everyone had, and figured out which tutor was best with which subject. Just like at school, we set periods of study, and after a set amount of time, switched around to other subjects. Sometimes, like going over stuff for English, most everyone was studying together. Everyone had the same class, and most even had the same teacher.

The time seemed pretty productive for the most part. The person of all of us who seemed to have the most trouble was Josh. He was having trouble with every single class, and struggled with a lot of the concepts. I don't think it was that he was incapable of learning the material. He was just putting a ton of pressure on himself. If he didn't get the concepts down right away, he just gave up. He was pretty defeatist when it came to his school work.

I tried to stay near him throughout the study session and keep him calm and focused, but wasn't having much luck. Amanda had something to do this first time, but I was determined I would pull her aside early next week and talk to her about him. She generally did okay in her classes, and I thought maybe she would have more luck in motivating him.

I pulled him aside at the end of the study session.

"Josh, you seemed to get really frustrated and just give up. What's going on, man?"

"I don't know. I am not as smart as you guys, and I can't understand everything."

"Bullshit. You are plenty smart. The few times I could get you to focus, and get past the first attempt at a problem; you got it and were fine with that concept. You just kept getting hung up, when you didn't understand it right away. You have to ease up and give yourself time to study the material, and really understand it."

"I know, but I don't have the time. If I don't get my grades up, I will fall below the academic threshold and coach will bench me. I really need to do good this year and get on Varsity. I need the full three years there for scouts to notice me. I will never be a 'brainiac, ' like some of you guys. Football is my only way to a better life."

"That's not true. You can do anything you put your mind to. I know it's a cliché, but slow and steady really does win the race. By freaking out and giving up, you are actually making it take longer to learn the stuff you don't know. How will that get you prepared for class?"

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I will think about it."

With that he turned and walked away. I got the distinct impression that he was blowing me off. This made me even more determined to talk to Amanda on Monday. If I couldn't convince him, then it was time to bring out the big guns. I noticed Zoe and Vicki looking at me and just shrugged at them. Nothing I could do about it right then.

Vicki went back with us to Zoe's house. We all sat at the kitchen table and finished up the homework we'd been assigned over the weekend, just enjoying being around each other. Eventually that was done, and we decided to watch some TV. This was, of course, 'code' for sitting in the recliner and making out. Mrs. Bell clearly knew the code, as she seemed to find stuff in other rooms of the house to keep busy. It was nice that she let us have privacy like that. I would have to remember to thank her.

It was a really pleasant afternoon with the girls. We watched some of the movie we found on TV, but generally just messed around. It still got my motor running to see the girls making out with each other as their hands roamed freely.

I was the luckiest guy ever.

While I might wish to stay there with them forever, night eventually snuck up on us. Vicki said she needed to go home. After Vicki got picked up, Mrs. Bell surprised me again.

"Zoe, please go to your room for a little while. I need to talk to Cas in private."

Her tone was serious enough that Zoe didn't argue. She didn't sound angry, however, just serious. I looked at Zoe with a questioning glace, but she gave me an 'I don't know' look back and headed upstairs, throwing looks over her shoulder at us.

I was a little nervous when Mrs. Bell led me to the kitchen table and told me to sit down. She just looked at her hands for a few minutes before finally meeting my questioning eyes.

"I have noticed some strange things about you, Cas, and I wanted to talk to you about them."

"Like what?"

"It's hard to describe. Like for instance, the fact that you're dating my daughter, and Vicki. Now I know it wasn't your idea, but I am strangely okay with it, at least emotionally. But when I try and think of it logically, I know I shouldn't be okay with it. I know I should be bothered, but still find myself accepting it in spite of that."

"Or, how often you stay with my daughter here, or she sneaks out in the middle of the night to go to your house."

I had just about the worst poker face ever, and the surprise on my face said it all. She actually laughed at me.

"Cas, I was a teenager, once ... and I am not an idiot. I may not have noticed the first time, but I did figure it out. But the weird thing is, that also doesn't upset me. You are a teenage boy, dating my teenage daughter, and we have only known you for a short while. Yet I trust you implicitly. Ohh, I know you two are fooling around. I have no illusions I could keep two teenagers from messing around anymore then I could stop the Sun from coming up. But I trust you to treat her fairly and act responsibly with her. Again, logically, I shouldn't trust you to that level."

"I'm not the only one. I have noticed it with your Principal and with the Coach. Even Dr. Snider mentioned the unusual way you drew her in."

"It isn't just adults. You have pulled a lot of kids into your circle of friends extremely quickly. Which considering the nature of high school students in general, and the fact that you are the 'new' student, again seems at odds with the norm."

"And yet it doesn't seem to be everyone. Your mother and that police officer have darn near the opposite reaction to you. They have an almost instant dislike and mistrust."

She stopped talking and just looked at me. I think she was trying to gauge my reaction.

"I don't know what to say to that."

"Think about adults you have come in contact with. Looking at those interactions with what I have just described, can you see how unusual that is?"

"Honestly, no. But that may be because I have usually isolated myself from others ... adults included. The reactions I am getting, I guess, seem normal to me. They are all I know."

"So I take it you have no thoughts on why people respond to you like they do?"

"No, ma'am."

"Well, I guess there is nothing to do about it. I mean, I still trust you so there is that. But I would like for you to do me a favor. Be aware of people's reactions. Pay attention! Zoe may not have mentioned it, and I can't imagine it coming up in conversation, but I am a researcher by profession. I have a lot of curiosity, and you are full of unanswered questions. So I will want to revisit this conversation."

"Hey, if you can figure out why I am so weird, more power to you ... and please let me in on it."

She just smiled at me, and dismissed me with a wave of her hand. I did not need to be told twice. I bolted upstairs.

We were hanging out in Zoe's room listening to some music when there was a fairly loud pounding on the door, followed by Mrs. Bell's call for us to come downstairs.