Kyle looked in Seth’s direction and winked. “She sure did, didn’t she, Seth?”
“Real subtle, Kyle.”
Sarah didn’t want to know what Seth and this Gina girl had done at the party or how the boys knew of it. “And I thought Friday night’s football game was the highlight of the weekend.”
“Far from it,” Kyle said. “You should have seen Seth and Gina.”
“Sarah’s not interested in my social life. Right?”
“Well, I don’t know.” An odd sense of enjoyment came from making him uncomfortable. “Who knows, I might learn something.”
Kyle looked at Seth with admiration. “Oh, you’d learn something all right.”
“That’s enough. Anyway, I don’t think Gina’s coming to the party. Her boyfriend’s back in town.”
“And the plot thickens.”
“You have no idea.”
“I could venture a guess.”
“You should come to the party and see for yourself.”
“Is that an invitation? Maybe I’ll take the boyfriend so you can have Gina to yourself.” She gave her back a mental pat.
“Now you’ve got my attention.”
“We could double date.”
“You couldn’t keep up.”
“Try me.”
“That’s tempting, Sarah.”
She shook with anger. “Are you tempted by me, or are we still talking about Gina?”
Matt, Johnny, and Kyle hung on their every word.
“Maybe I’ll take you both on.”
“I don’t like to share.”
“Oh, you’re good.”
“You have no idea.” Where’s that bell?
“Maybe you’ll show me sometime.”
“I know those moves, Seth Mathis, and they’re not going to work on me. Is that all you have? I must admit, I’m a little disappointed.”
“You want to see moves? I’ll show you moves. I’ll make you so crazy, you won’t know your own name.”
“Promises, promises,” she sang.
“You name the place and time and I’ll be there. Come on, put up or shut up.”
Johnny separated them with his hand. “Guys, this is getting way out of hand. Let’s call a truce, okay?”
They responded, “Stay out of this.”
Johnny withdrew. “Okay, but keep it down. You don’t want the whole school to hear you. Especially you, Sarah.”
Seth leaned across the table. Sarah met his stare. How is this going to end? Seth looked more than willing to push this and, even scarier, follow through with his threats. Sarah, on the other hand, blew smoke.
“Yeah, Sarah,” Seth whispered. “You don’t want everyone to find out what a bad girl you really are, do you? You sure fooled me. It’s a wonder we haven’t hooked up before.”
“If we had, I don’t remember. You mustn’t have been that good.”
“Oh, you’d remember.”
The other boys, their mouths gaping, leaned into the table too.
Sarah laughed to prolong the moment, trying to think of a clever comeback.
“Stalling for time?” Seth asked. “Can’t think of anything to say? Scared?”
“You wish. I was just thinking. If you’re as good as you say you are, why would Gina go back to her boyfriend?”
The boys looked for Seth’s rebuttal, but the bell rang before he had a chance to defend himself. Sarah smiled, victorious.
“This isn’t over,” Seth said. “Not by a long shot.”
“Bring it on,” she said before sauntering out of the cafeteria, fighting the urge to look back to see their reaction. She was, after all, too cool for that; at least she pretended to be.
Seth had made her so mad; their entire conversation had made her mad. She wondered what happened at those parties and why it bothered her so much. Why could boys brag about their exploits? Apparently, there were some girls—this Gina girl for one—who had no problem hooking up with random boys.
No wonder Seth didn’t date girls at school. Why would he? He was having too much fun.
SETH
Seth watched in stunned amusement as Sarah pranced out of the cafeteria. Wow! I may have met my match. In the hopes of recovering from the hit to his ego, he ditched his afternoon classes to escape Madison High and the auburn beauty with piercing blue eyes.
He stopped at the liquor store and then headed to the lake, where he chugged a beer down; it was even more potent because he hadn’t eaten lunch. Instead Sarah had chewed him up and spit him out.
He daydreamed about the past couple of weeks, starting with Sarah dropping the bag of groceries and ending with lunch today. He hated to admit it, and maybe if he hadn’t felt a little drunk he wouldn’t have, but he liked Sarah. He now understood Derrick’s feelings for Pat.
Something else turned his stomach into mush. Seth didn’t know how Sarah felt about him.
CAKE
SARAH
The rest of the week passed uneventfully, but only because Sarah had a dentist appointment on Wednesday and missed Home Ec.
Thank goodness!
After her verbal clash with Seth on Tuesday, she looked forward to leaving school early, even if it meant going to the dentist. I’d much rather fight the pain of a dental exam than argue with him. After all, the dentist gave her Novocain. Sarah didn’t have anything to ease the discomfort of her affliction with Seth.
TGIF took on an entirely new meaning that week. With only Home Ec standing between her and the weekend, Sarah promised to avoid a confrontation with her nemesis, even arriving late to class to do so. Seth and Corin already sat at the workstation, so she said a quick hello, dismissing Seth’s smug smile.
“And how are you today?” he asked.
She twisted her lip, a nervous habit often warranting scolding from her mother. “Just dandy.”
Seth’s head snapped back as if she had slapped him. This gave her great delight, and she longed to know what she had done to cause such a reaction so she could do it again.
Corin chimed in. “I can’t wait to start baking. Aren’t you excited, Seth?”
“Thrilled to pieces,” he answered in a Julia Child impression.
Sarah turned to hide a smile. Five minutes hasn’t passed, and he’s already getting to me.
Mrs. Holcomb clapped her hands to silence the class. “Each table should have the following items: recipe card, flour, sugar…”
Corin dutifully checked to see if their table complied, and they began mixing the ingredients.
Seth chuckled. “Sarah, would you like to crack the eggs? After all, you are the expert.”
“Ha, ha, ha!” She cracked the eggs into the bowl.
“I’m proud of you.” He added the flour, sugar, and butter.
“Okay, we’re ready for the mixer.” Corin turned the mixer on and placed it in the bowl.
Sarah screamed “No,” but it was too late.
Cake batter erupted from the bowl, spitting droplets all over Sarah and Seth. Corin somehow came away unscathed.
Mrs. Holcomb snatched the buzzing mixer out of Corin’s hand and turned it off. “Lesson number one. Don’t turn on the mixer until it’s in the bowl. Seth and Sarah, go get cleaned up.”
Seth turned to meet Sarah in the hallway. “That’s one way to get out of class. I guess we owe Corin.” He licked cake batter off his hands. “Mmm, tastes good.”
Sarah dabbed at the cake batter on her face. “What a mess!”
They went into their respective bathrooms. After cleaning her clothes and hair as best she could, Sarah walked out of the lavatory to find Seth propped against the opposite wall.
He pointed to her chest, his eyebrows raised. “Uh, it looks like you missed some on your shirt. You might want to start wearing armor. Your chest’s a magnet for disaster, first a dozen eggs and now cake batter.”
Sarah looked down to see a dollop of batter on her left breast. “I can take care of my chest just fine.” She decided a joke might temper her humiliation.
“Well, it certainly doesn’t take much batter to cover my boobs.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself.”
“Don’t feel sorry for me. You know, we small girls can’t help it. It’s a shame our inadequacies are out there for all to see. Boys have it easy. Their…uh…stuff…” Sarah pointed below Seth’s belt buckle. “Safely tucked away from scrutiny.”
“Here we go again.”
“That’s right.” Sarah stood on her tiptoes and stared into his face. “Girls should make guys drop their pants to…to see how they measure up.”
“You know, you could run for student body president with that platform.”
“I just might. Would you like to volunteer to be my poster boy?”
“I’d make you proud. Are you taking the pictures?”
“Oh, you’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
“No, you’d like it!”
“In your dreams.”
“Sarah, you know I was just being funny. I would never say anything so hurtful to you. Even I’m not that cruel.”
She stepped away from him. “No? You could have fooled me.”
Seth threw his arms up in surrender. “Let’s call a truce, okay? It’s going to be a long quarter if you and I keep this up. What do you say, please?” He put his hands together in the praying position and batted his eyelashes.
Sarah succumbed. “Let’s not overdo it. Okay, we’ll call a truce.” They shook hands, holding their grasp a little too long. “We should be getting back to class.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” Seth turned and headed down the hall. “Are you going to the football game tonight?”
Sarah smiled, grateful for his attempt at a normal conversation. “Katie, Miranda, Diane, and I are going. I guess you’ll be there to watch Derrick, huh?”
“No, I have to work.”
“Too bad.”
They arrived at the classroom. Seth paused at the door and looked down at her face.
“You have cake batter on your cheek.” He cupped her face in his hand and gently removed it. “There, that’s better.”
Sarah blushed and her knees gave way. “Thank you.” How could he be fighting with me one minute and so nice the next?
Corin and Mrs. Holcomb had cleaned their station, and Mrs. Holcomb helped with the second batch of cake batter. Corin apologized again and inspected Seth for any cake batter he had missed, eager to remove it for him. He seemed annoyed at her blatant fondling.
Sarah threw him an apologetic look. “Corin, you got it all.”
Seth smiled and mouthed a thank-you for her intercession.
It’s nice to get along with him for a change.
SETH
Seth relaxed now that he and Sarah had called a truce. How long would it last? He could only guess.
This evening’s football game had become tempting when he’d discovered Sarah planned to attend. Even though he had to work, his shift ended at eight o’clock, allowing plenty of time to make the second half. Would Sarah suspect anything if he showed up at the game? Probably not. From what he could tell, she seemed clueless about his interest in her.
His mood lifted even more when he arrived home to find his father’s truck parked in the street. Dad greeted him with a bear hug.
Seth returned the embrace. “This is a surprise.”
“My delivery didn’t take as long as I thought, and I decided not to stop so I could get home. I missed my family.” He glanced at Mom, who sat in the kitchen grinning sheepishly. “So, how’s school? Have you been behaving?”
“Of course.”
“You do have a knack for finding trouble.”
“My real problem is I always get caught.”
While Seth looked like his mother, he possessed his father’s restless personality. Being a truck driver suited Dad; he had found a balance, leading a nomadic life on the road to come home to a loving wife and family.
Dad sat in his favorite chair. “Keith and I are going to Derrick’s game tonight. Want to come along?”
“I have to work ’til eight. Maybe I’ll come after.”
“That’d be great. We’ll stand by the bleachers so you can find us.”
“Sounds good to me.”
When Seth arrived at the garage there wasn’t much work scheduled.
Joe came out of the office. “Slow night.”
“Everyone’s at the game.”
“Is your brother playing?”
“Yeah. Derrick’s being scouted by a couple colleges.”
“Why don’t you take off and catch the game? I can take care of things here.”
“Actually, my dad came home today, and he’s at the game.”
Joe flicked his hand dismissively. “Go, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Joe.”
“No problem, kid.”
THE GAME
SETH
Dad and Keith stood by the fence talking to Johnny, Kyle, and Matt.
Seth snuck up behind Keith and jabbed his ribs. “Check out those cheerleaders.”
Keith rolled his eyes toward Dad. “What cheerleaders?”
Dad looked over at the young girls. “There’s something wrong with you, son.” He turned to Seth. “Joe let you out early?”
“Yeah, business was slow. Everybody’s here.”
“I told your buddies you might make the second half.”
Seth nodded to Johnny, Kyle, and Matt.
“Seth.” Corin flitted toward him, shaking her pom-poms.
“Hey, Corin.”
“I can’t believe you’re here. Isn’t this exciting? The first game of the season.” She looked to Dad, inviting an introduction.
“Oh, Dad, I’d like you to meet Corin.”
Dad shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Corin.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Mathis.” She turned to Seth. “Me and my friends are going to the diner after the game.” She looked at Johnny, Kyle, and Matt. “Want to meet us there?”
Johnny, Matt, and Kyle nodded their heads like three bobbleheads on steroids.
Seth’s head remained fixed, but his friends didn’t pick up on his cue.
“Save us a seat,” Matt said.
“Sure will. Well, gotta go.”
“Pretty girl,” Dad said.
“I guess so.”
The announcer asked everyone to stand for “The Star-Spangled Banner.” While everyone else’s attention turned to the flag, Seth searched the crowd for Sarah or one of her friends. No luck. The announcer redirected the crowd to center field to introduce the players.
Dad shouted, “That’s my son!” when they announced Derrick’s name.
Johnny, Matt, and Kyle stayed with them for the first quarter.
Kyle walked backward toward the bleachers. “You better be there.”
“I will, I will,” he said, yet he spent the second quarter trying to come up with a way to get out of going.
The band, blasting their instruments as they marched onto the field for the half-time show, broke through his preoccupation.
“Keith, Dad, do you want something to eat?”
“I do,” Keith answered.
“What about you, Dad?”
“I’ll take a Coke.” He reached into his pocket for money.
Seth waved his hand in protest. “My treat.”
“Thanks, son.”
Alone in the line of people waiting to place their orders, Seth returned to his previous preoccupation. Finding Sarah.
He’d almost given up when he overheard a girl in the back of the line say, “Isn’t that Seth Mathis?”
“Shh!” Sarah said.
“I was just going to say hello.”
“Don’t!”
“Why not?”
“Just don’t, that’s all.”
Sarah’s pleas must have fallen upon deaf ears. The girl called, “Hey, Seth.”
Seth turned, acted surprised, and waved. It was Katie. He left the line to join them.
“Hey, Katie,
Sarah.”
“I thought you weren’t coming to the game,” Sarah said.
“My father came home and brought my younger brother to the game. My boss let me leave early and, well, here I am.” Why can’t I stop rambling?
“That’s nice.”
“Yeah, my dad’s excited to see Derrick play, and this is Keith’s first high school football game.”
“And you? Are you enjoying the game?”
Seth refused to take the bait. “I am, especially since I ran into you two.”
“Oh, please!”
“No, really. Would you like to meet my dad?”
Sarah looked puzzled by his request. “Sure.”
After treating the girls to snacks and ordering his own, Seth escorted Sarah and Katie to meet his father. “Dad, I’d like you to meet Sarah Matthews. And, oh, this is Katie.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Mathis,” they chimed together.
His father smiled. “Nice to meet you too.”
Sarah looked at the scoreboard. “Derrick’s having a good game.”
“Yes, he is. How do you know Seth?”
“We’re in the same Home Ec class. Seth and Corin are my baking buddies.”
“Corin? Isn’t that the girl you were talking to earlier?” Dad asked.
Seth’s shoulders slumped. “Um, yeah.”
“Are you girls joining Corin and her friends at the diner after the game too?”
“No, sir. We went to the diner before the game.” Sarah winked at his father. “Anyway, Corin wants Seth to herself, if you know what I mean.”
“I gathered as much.”
Good God, Dad, just shut up, will you? “Corin can be possessive. You know, Sarah, you could chaperone.”
“That wouldn’t be any fun for you,” Sarah said. “You know what they say. Three’s a crowd.”
“We’ll be in a crowd already.”
“No, we’re going to a party. I’m surprised Derrick didn’t tell you about it.”
“Derrick thought I had to work, remember?”
Dad interjected, “It looks like there are lots of things going on after the game.”
Seth sighed.
Sarah elbowed Katie. “We better get back to our seats before halftime is over. I hope you enjoy the rest of the game, Mr. Mathis. Seth, I guess I’ll see you at school next week.”
Then & Now Page 3
