by Charley Lynn
“Your mom’s brothers are both in the military?”
“Jack is my mom’s brother. Bear is a family friend, but we’ve always called him Uncle Bear. We actually see him more than we see Jack, especially since he started working with NATO.”
“Isn’t NATO based in Europe?”
“Yeah, in Belgium. But he flies all over and, interestingly, he often needs to refuel in Des Moines.”
They stopped outside Rosemary’s classroom. Mike’s eyes twinkled as he opened the door for her. “Hey look, Rosemary, we had a conversation at school without you biting my head off.”
Rosemary rolled her eyes. “I think you can handle yourself.” She ducked into her class without looking back while Mike grinned at the back of her head.
Rosemary frowned at the paper and then back at Patty. “I’m so hopeless at math. I can’t believe I flunked the first quiz. I studied all summer!”
“Rosemary, I think you sabotage yourself. Mickey said you do just fine, but you overthink and make mistakes.”
“I’ve always been terrible at math. I don’t want to be stressed out about flunking this class. I don’t feel right about using the fund again, and I know Mike is busy with football, but is there another tutor? I’ll pay for it myself this time.”
“I can find someone. Coordinating your schedules might be challenging. Could you do evening, after supper?”
Rosemary nodded. “That’s about the only open time I have.”
“Okay, but you won’t have to pay for it. There aren’t any limits to how much you can use the fund and, honestly, not enough students take advantage of the opportunity, so there’s plenty of available funding.”
“Just let me know if you find someone. It doesn’t matter who you choose or where we meet, just let me know the time and place. Starting next week, I could meet any time after six forty-five, Monday through Thursday. I have to go to the church the next few nights to get my classes set up, so I’ll be running around like a crazy woman for a few days.”
Chapter 18
Rosemary knocked on Patty’s door. When the door opened, Miranda jumped into Rosemary’s arms. “Roma!”
“Hello, sweet girl.”
“Hi.” Mike held the door open.
“Hi. Your mom arranged a math tutor. I’m supposed to meet them here for the first session.”
“I know.” Mike grinned. “I’m your tutor.”
“You’re my tutor?”
“Yeah, I’m your tutor.”
“Oh.” Rosemary looked back at Mike over Miranda’s head.
“You sound surprised.”
“I thought you’d be too busy with football. You don’t have to bother with this, seriously.”
“This is fun. I like teaching and it will look good on my resume someday.”
“Okay.”
“Just head into the dining room.” Mike pointed to French doors across the room. “I’ll take Miranda to Mom.”
Rosemary brought out the quiz she’d just flunked. “I’m so irritated with myself. I flunked my first quiz.”
“Can I see it?” Rosemary nodded and handed him the paper. “Look at this, Rosemary.” He pointed out a small error. “It’s the same thing, three different times.” He showed her what he meant and by the time they’d re-worked all three problems she’d missed, she was nodding with understanding. “Rosemary, this isn’t as much an issue with your math skills as it is your confidence. I think you believe you’ll get it wrong and you do.”
“I’ve always been terrified of math. You could be right.”
“We’ll get you through the class but I hope you try to learn to trust yourself. Math is just like every other skill. It takes practice and confidence. Like…dance.”
“Good comparison.”
Mike grinned. “I thought that might work for you. Now, show me your homework and we’ll work some of the problems.”
When they finished, Rosemary smiled shyly. “You’re a good teacher.”
Mike smiled. “Thanks. Must be in the genes.”
“Yeah, your mom’s a good teacher.”
“My dad was, too.”
“What subject did your dad teach?”
“Middle school math.”
“So, you got a double dose of teaching genes and math genes.”
“I guess so.”
“Thanks for helping me. I know you’re busy.”
“I am, but like I already said, this is fun. Do you have a couple of hours on Sunday? We could plan to meet on Sunday and Wednesday.”
“Sunday, I could meet at twelve-thirty. I have to teach a class at three o’clock, and I like to be there a few minutes early, but I can meet until two-thirty. Would that work?”
“Sure. What class do you teach on Sunday afternoon?”
“Hip-hop dancing for ages ten - fourteen. Six girls and four boys overrun with adolescent hormones. I don’t know if they’ll learn any dance steps; they’re pretty busy trying to flirt with each other.”
“Do you need a bouncer? I could come and stand in the doorway and look mean.”
“I’m sure that would encourage the creative process,” Rosemary said drily.
“Well, let me know if you want me to help.” Mike grinned. “I’m sure the boys would settle down.”
“The boys might settle down. But the girls wouldn’t; they’d be all twittering about you.”
Mike grinned and leaned back in his chair. “Because I’m so hot, right?”
Rosemary blushed and stuttered; she quickly started gathering up her papers, tongue-tied and embarrassed to meet his eyes.
Mike hid his grin and changed the subject. “How many classes do you teach?”
Rosemary’s face was still pink, but she took a deep breath. “Four classes on Saturday. I teach a stretch and move class at the nursing home three times a week. On Friday night, and twice a week during the day, I use my study hall time and it counts as community service.”
“You’re busier than I am.” Mike grinned slyly. “When do you have time for a social life--to date?”
“Date?” Rosemary blushed. “I don’t date.”
“What about that guy who sent you the flowers last summer?”
“We never dated. He’s a nice guy, but he moved back to Atlanta last month to start seminary. He’s only about three years older, but he’s a lot farther ahead of me in school. Maybe a few years from now, but I’m not willing to get into a long-distance relationship while I’m in high school.”
Mike nodded. “I wondered about it. Cruz said the guy thought you’d make a wonderful wife.”
“I’m seventeen! I’m too young to be a wife!”
Mike chuckled. “I think I said something like that to Cruz.”
Rosemary fiddled with her pencil. “Besides, I’m sure he would have eventually thought about it and decided I’m not the kind of girl he wants to be seen with.”
“Why not?” Mike was confused.
“I’m not…I mean, I’m not, you know…” She finally blurted out what she was thinking. “I’m too tall, too big, too serious and too homely. I work a lot, and I don’t have time to make a guy my priority.”
“Rosemary, you may be busy, but I don’t know where you got the idea you’re too serious or too tall or any of the rest of that. My mom told me you have a lot of demands on your time, but none of the rest of that is true.”
She rolled her eyes. “Trust me, it’s all true.”
“No, it’s not. You’re tall, but you’re definitely not too big and definitely not homely,”
Rosemary’s nose wrinkled as she frowned. “Did you forget your contacts today?”
“I have perfect eyesight.”
Shrugging, she picked up her backpack. “Gotta go. Thanks for your help.” She jumped out of the chair. Mike couldn’t stop himself from watching her dance her way to the door.
“How did it go with Rosemary?” Patty sat down.
“Fine. She’s really just math-phobic, and doesn’t trust that she can do it.”
>
“Like you’ve said.” Patty watched his face. “What else is on your mind?”
Mike sighed and closed his calculus book. “Remember the day this summer when I came home from baseball and told you about the girl I was interested in but I didn’t know her name?” Patty nodded, but Mike didn’t say any more for a few minutes while he doodled on his paper. Finally, he continued. “It was Rosemary. For months, I’ve felt like I’m being pushed or guided to her. Does that make me sound nuts?”
“No.” Patty smiled gently. “I think it sounds like she’s important to you. She’s a nice girl, kind and loving. I don’t think she socializes much with kids her own age, so she may not handle things the way you’re used to. Being patient with her might help.”
“We just had a conversation about…well, it gave me some insight into how she sees herself. She told me she’s too tall, too big and too homely.” Mike shook his head. “I was at the church the day she got a big bunch of orchids and roses from some guy Cruz introduced her to, but she just blew that off. Cruz treats her like she’s precious, except they’re in the friend zone because he’s hung up on somebody else. Uncle Vince gave me a big lecture about how she’s a great catch. But she’s convinced she’s unattractive.”
“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that all of those guys are older. Rosemary doesn’t fit the high school mold of petite and perky; she’s serious, she doesn’t care about parties or shopping. She’s goal-oriented and she’s a very hard worker. On top of that, it can’t be easy for a girl to be six feet tall.” Patty gently pushed a lock of hair off Mike’s forehead. “Rosemary knows that life isn’t always kind or easy, just like you do. I hope you can convince her to trust you, because she’s wonderful. Do I need to bring up Amy again?”
“No, I broke it off with her the night we went to the fair. But since you did bring it up, she’s acting crazy. She told her friends I’m going to buy her a promise ring and she sat with me at lunch the other day and acted all lovey-dovey. She also did the application for the two of us to be on Homecoming Court. She signed my name on it and when I confronted her about that, she said it was practice for when we are married.”
“That’s strange. I can see her trying to make sure you’re on the Homecoming Court, but that comment about signing your name isn’t right. It worries me a little.”
“Yeah, I don’t know what she’s thinking.”
Chapter 19
“Hey. Freak-girl.” Rosemary straightened up and looked around the door of her locker. Mike’s girlfriend glared at her. The look in Amy’s eyes was pure mean girl. “Stay away from my boyfriend.” Rosemary looked back in her locker briefly before she shut the door and twirled the padlock. When she didn’t answer, Amy’s eyes narrowed. “I heard my boyfriend has been talking to you.”
“I wasn’t aware that anyone’s boyfriend has been talking to me. Maybe you’re paranoid.” Rosemary zipped the pocket on her backpack, casually not looking at the girl.
Amy advanced a step. “I told you. Stay away from my boyfriend.”
Rosemary laughed at Amy. “Sure. Because you’re so important to me.”
Amy sneered. “You’re not only a fat cow, but you’re plain as a mud fence and you dress like an old man. I know my boyfriend. I don’t know why he’d talk to you, but you don’t have any chance with him. Even if you weren’t a complete dog, I’m the hottest girl in school.”
“Well, good for you.” Rosemary hitched her backpack onto her shoulder and walked away, feeling Amy staring daggers at her back. She ignored the pang of despair she felt, because she’d briefly forgotten that guys like Mike didn’t like girls like her. Guys like Mike liked the cute little girls who made them look big and strong. A six foot tall big girl with nothing to add to his popularity cred wouldn’t be on Mike’s radar and a little of his attention wasn’t enough to overcome inevitable embarrassment. She wished she’d never asked for math tutoring and she wished it wasn’t Mike doing the tutoring. But she couldn’t get out of it because she didn’t want to disappoint Patty.
Rosemary obsessed about the conversation with Amy all day Monday. She had trouble paying attention in class and when she moved through the halls to her classes, she kept her eyes down and her face blank, even more than usual.
When she sat down at lunch, Mike was at his usual table with the girlfriend hanging all over him. She sat with her back to him so she wouldn’t be tempted to look their way, but she kept hearing the girl’s annoying chirping voice and her silly giggle. She made up her mind she’d find somewhere else to go for lunch tomorrow.
She made sure she had everything she needed from her locker before she went home that day so she could stay away from her locker the next day. Mike had started to show up at her locker in the morning and she didn’t want to see him.
When she got home, she put on a leotard, turned up the music and danced her frustrations away. When Connor texted her that dinner was ready, she asked him to tell their mom that she was in the middle of a choreography project and needed to stay with it; it would be impossible to hide her mood from her mother.
Rosemary successfully avoided Mike the next day, skipping lunch to make sure. Wednesday was a light class day for her, so she spent her free periods in the library. She was dreading going to tutoring that night, but she didn’t have a choice.
“Hi.”
“Hi.” Rosemary walked past him with her head down, avoiding his warm caramel eyes. She pulled out her math notebook, still not making eye contact. She wanted him to sit on the other side of the table where she hopefully wouldn’t be able to smell the light woodsy scent that he wore. Maybe if he came home from football practice without showering before their tutoring sessions, she could concentrate on math.
“Are you okay?” Mike sat down next to her, his woodsy scent assaulting her nose.
“Yeah, I’ve just had a lot to do today.” She frowned lightly, putting several pieces of paper in front of them. Without looking at him, she pushed the papers towards him. “I’ve worked on my homework. I’ve checked some I need help on.”
Mike frowned, but she was very obviously avoiding eye contact. “Okay, let’s get started.” He studied the first page of her homework. “Let’s look at this one.” He pointed out a better way to set up the equation which made the solution easier to get. She willed herself to concentrate on the work and once she did, the time went fast. Mike stretched after forty-five minutes. “I’m getting some water. Do you want some?”
“Sure.” She looked at a spot on the wall when he handed her the water. Murmuring her thanks, she studied the glass before she drank the water. Mike drank his glass and went for another.
He sat down next to her again and cleared his throat. “I don’t think I’ve seen you at school all week. Have you been sick?”
“No, I’ve been there. Just busy. I started the research for my semester project in American Government.”
“Skipping lunch to do that? I usually see you at lunch.”
“I grabbed a protein bar. The Commons can get overwhelming at lunch.”
“Oh, I see.”
Rosemary kept her eyes down. “I saw your name on the Homecoming court list.”
Mike groaned softly. “I didn’t want that. My ex-girlfriend filled out an application for both of us and told me afterwards. I don’t think I can get out of it now.”
“She’s your ex-girlfriend?”
“Amy and I broke up in July. Remember the night we were all at the Quad-County Fair?”
“Yeah.”
“We broke up that night.”
Rosemary frowned. Either Mike wasn’t telling the truth, or the girlfriend wasn’t telling the truth.
“What’s the frown about?”
“Nothing. Just thinking.” Maybe the girl was lying. But, she wasn’t sure and she wasn’t one hundred percent who to believe. She took a deep breath. “Can we finish?”
“Sure.” When they were done, Rosemary quietly thanked Mike for his help and packed up her bag. She looked ove
r her shoulder as she went out the door and saw him frowning at the scratch paper they’d been using.
Friday there was a pep rally. Rosemary had never gone to a pep rally at Roosevelt and she wasn’t happy that, according to Connor, attendance at pep rallies at Central Marion was mandatory. She packed her laptop into her messenger bag at her locker just before the pep rally. She rounded the corner into the main hall and tried not to grimace when she saw all the cheerleaders, in their cute little skirts and sweaters, putting up signs.
“Hey, freak girl.” Amy yelled out. The other cheerleaders tittered. Rosemary ignored Amy and kept walking. Amy moved closer and yelled again. “Freak girl, where do you buy your clothes? The farm supply store?” The hall was full of people and, as far as Rosemary could tell, everyone was laughing. “As fat as you are, I suppose it’s hard to find decent clothes to fit. You’re an elephant.”
A look crossed Amy’s face like she’d had the best idea ever. “Hey, girls! “Give me an E! The other cheerleaders yelled “E!” Give me an “L!” Now half the hallway was yelling.
Amy yelled, “Give me an E!” The crowd repeated the letter. Rosemary’s face flushed, but she didn’t break stride. The sounds of the impromptu cheer spelling out ‘elephant,’ followed her down the hall, through the Commons and out the door. She didn’t care if attendance was mandatory, she wasn’t staying. She was able to get out of the parking lot before the tears started. This bullying was worse than anything she’d endured since elementary school.
Rosemary was in the studio, almost ready to leave for her Friday night class at the nursing home when Connor knocked on her door. “Rosie?”
“Hey, C.T., how are you?”
“I’m more concerned with how you are.”
“I’m fine. Gonna be late if I don’t hurry.”
