by Ward, Alice
***
“Kennedy Nightingale, what the hell were you thinking?” Lauren demanded. “Donation day is just a few weeks away! We need Jackson and his friends to help out! I know that he was getting on your nerves and that you have some strange aversion to devastatingly handsome, kind, smart men, but couldn’t you have just played nice for a little while longer?”
“I’m sorry,” I replied, tears filling my eyes. “I don’t know what happened. He just kept pushing me to give him a chance and I kept trying to explain why I couldn’t. He wasn’t taking no for an answer and I just got so confused. I wanted to believe him, and to trust him, but I just couldn’t. I had to get out of there, Lauren. I’m not sure of much right now, but I’m certain that Jackson is more trouble than I need. Maybe the rest of the guys will still help out with the food drive.”
“We’ll know soon enough,” Lauren said and put her arm around my shoulder.
“Shit, I completely forgot that the meeting is tonight.”
“You have half an hour to pull yourself together before we head to the FLA office. Do you want to lie down and rest, or go get food and coffee?”
“Food and coffee.”
We walked downstairs to the dining hall and I took a seat at a small table while Lauren went to get us food. She returned a few minutes later with a giant plate of chicken nachos, an order of hot wings, and two large Cokes.
“You’re upset, you need comfort food,” she insisted. “We’ll get coffee on our way out.”
I didn’t argue, but instead took a giant bite of the nachos. “This does make me feel better.” We ate quickly and then went to the coffee bar. Lauren ordered a double caramel latte while I went with a soothing herbal tea.
“Okay, I think I can handle this,” I told Lauren as we walked to the FLA office. “Maybe it won’t be so bad. Like you said, some of the other guys are sure to show up. Maybe Jackson won’t tell them what I did today.”
“I bet he won’t,” Lauren assured me. “He seems like a classy guy. He may even show up tonight himself.”
“That’s not going to happen,” I scoffed, sure she was wrong.
“Take a look,” she replied, nodding toward the front of the building. The Sigma Chi brothers had just arrived, with Jackson leading the way.
“I can’t believe he’s here,” I said, gasping for air. My legs felt weak and my heart picked up speed. “I can’t go in there, Lauren. Just tell them that I’m sick.”
She grabbed me by the arm and pulled me to the side of the building. “You’ve got to pull yourself together,” she insisted. “If Jackson wants to help feed the kids, I’m not going to turn him away. And you can’t leave, you’re the one who’s supposed to explain how everything’s going to work. The kids are depending on us, Kennedy. Don’t let them down just because Jackson makes you uncomfortable.”
I knew she was right. “Okay, let’s go.” I took a deep breath and we entered the building through the side door. We stepped into the meeting room that FLA shares with other university clubs and found everyone seated and waiting.
“Hi everyone, thanks for coming.” Lauren beamed. “We have lots of exciting news, if everyone’s ready we’ll get started. Kennedy is going to explain how all of the drop-off locations will operate and then I’ll fill you all in on the latest developments.”
She moved to the side and I took her place in front of the group. I avoided meeting Jackson’s eyes. Instead, I looked directly at Becky as I explained the drop-off process.
“The locations will be the same as in previous years. We’ll have tables set up in each house’s dining hall, as well as in the freshman cafeteria and the student center. We’ll be there from ten in the morning until three in the afternoon and each site will be manned by six volunteers. There will also be students and teachers from our sponsored schools at each location. We’re renting a U-Haul, and people will collect from the drop-off sites throughout the day. At three, we’ll load the final batch of donations and haul it to the storage building we’ve leased. We’ll unload, but this year we’re going to wait until after finals week to sort everything. We completely understand that ‘dead week’ is a time to study, so if there are certain hours that you can or can’t work, please let us know a week before the event. Does anyone have any questions?”
A single fraternity brother raised his hand. “When will we find out which station we’re working?”
“Good question. We’ll send emails out a few days before the event,” I shared with the group. “Anything else?”
Everyone shook their heads and I turned things back over to Lauren. “Okay, now for the most exciting news. Thanks to an overwhelming number of monetary donations, we’ve been able to commit to three more schools this year. As of now, twenty-three hundred children will have guaranteed meals all summer.”
“We’re structuring things a bit differently this year,” she continued. “Instead of delivering two and a half months’ worth of food at once, we’ve set up accounts at some of the area grocery stores. Each student will have a weekly charge allowance, so we can be certain that they’ll have fresh milk, proteins, fruits, and vegetables through the duration of the break.”
The room broke out in noise; everyone was excited about how well the drive was going and loved the idea of setting up the charge accounts. I smiled at Lauren and then pulled her to the side.
“This went well, but I have to get out of here now,” I said apologetically. “I don’t want to be here when everyone starts mingling. I wasn’t expecting to see him again so soon and I’m just not ready.”
“I completely understand,” she assured me. “You did good, Kennedy. I’ll handle things from here. If anyone asks, I’ll say you’re coming down with a migraine.”
“Thank you, Lauren. I’ll see you in a little while,” I made my escape before Jackson could stop me.
CHAPTER 4
“Thanks for stopping by, Kennedy,” Sidra said as I stepped into her office at the Student Services Center. “I know you’re busy, but there’s something incredibly important I need to discuss with you.”
“Okay,” I answered nervously as I took a seat in a rigid plastic chair. I’d been on edge since early that morning when she’d called and asked me to meet with her. I was certain that it had something to do with Jackson and I didn’t want to face it.
“Look, I understand that you’ve had personal issues with Mr. Montgomery. And ordinarily, I’d have no problem assigning him to a different tutor. But I received a call from Jackson’s grandfather this morning, and he implied that if you don’t keep tutoring Jackson, he’ll pull the funding his family gives to the library every year.”
“What?” I gasped. “Bu… but that’s extortion!”
“He didn’t come right out and make the threat, but he made his point pretty clear. Kennedy, I have to ask, is there any way you could continue with Jackson through the end of the year? Did he ever make you physically uncomfortable or did your personalities just clash?”
I took a few moments to process everything she’d just said. I still can’t believe his grandfather would do that. “It’s just a personality clash, he didn’t try to force himself on me or anything. He seems determined to take me out on a date and he wouldn’t take no for an answer. It brought unnecessary distractions to our sessions and I felt it would be in his best interest to get help from someone else,” I explained.
“If I speak with him and explain that things have to remain professional between the two of you, will you agree to keep tutoring him?”
I thought about it for a moment and realized that I didn’t really have much of a choice. “I know that the library depends on the money from the Montgomery Foundation. I’ll give Jackson one last chance, but if he crosses the line again I’m done.”
“That’s more than fair,” Sidra agreed. “I’ll meet with Jackson and call you after. Have you filled his session times?”
“No.”
“Fantastic. If my meeting with him goes well, you can just pic
k back up with your usual schedule. And if he does anything that makes you uncomfortable, let me know immediately. The money is important, but the Montgomerys need to learn that their wealth doesn’t give them the right to treat people however they’d like.”
“Thank you, Sidra,” I said as I stood. “I’ll keep you updated on how things go.”
I left her office, cursing the day Jackson Montgomery III walked into my life.
***
“I can’t believe how well things are going!” Becky smiled as she slid another full box of food behind the donation table. It was two o’clock on the day of the food drive and we’d been busy since we’d set up the tables. Becky, Lewis, and I were manning the Lowell House drop-off site with Jackson and his fraternity brothers David and Forrest.
Things between Jackson and I had improved since we resumed our study sessions. When I showed up for our first session after meeting with Sidra, the first thing Jackson did was apologize to me for his grandfather’s phone call.
“I’m so sorry Kennedy, I had no idea he was going to do that,” he’d insisted. “I was venting to him because I care about you and I didn’t understand why you’d stormed out. If you really want to quit tutoring me, I won’t say anything to him about it. I’m sure I can get help from someone else.”
I’d accepted his apology and agreed to keep tutoring him. As he’d promised Sidra, Jackson kept a respectful distance between us and never once brought up the idea of us seeing each other romantically. He buckled down on his studies and we were both confident that he’d pass his finals with flying colors. He’d asked if we could work the donation day together as friends, and I’d quickly agreed.
“We’ve never had this many food donations before,” I told Lauren as I packed up another box. “I called around to the other locations and they’re all doing this well too. I hope that we can keep this momentum up at our future drives or we’re going to have some disappointed kids next year.”
I kept my voice low so that the kids helping us wouldn’t hear me. I glanced in their direction and saw that I was safe. All three of them were distracted, watching Jackson do tricks on one of the little boy’s skateboards.
I’d been shocked at how well Jackson interacted with the children. He’d introduced himself the moment they showed up and immediately produced three Snickers bars. That won the kids over and they hadn’t left his side all day.
Lewis caught me staring. “He really is good with them, isn’t he?” he asked.
“Yes, I didn’t expect that,” I confessed.
“Do you know how you feel about him, Kennedy?” he asked seriously.
“I’m not sure,” I replied, taken aback by the question. “Why do you ask? Don’t tell me that you think I need to loosen up too.”
He shook his head. “No, I just think you need to figure out what you want.”
“What’s the rush?”
“Kennedy, don’t tell me that you haven’t noticed,” he said critically.
“I really don’t know what you’re talking about. Why don’t you just fill me in and make this easier on the both of us?”
“Haven’t you been wondering why I’m here instead of Steve? You scheduled him to work this location, I was supposed to go to the freshman cafeteria.”
“You said that he had to meet with one of his professors and needed to be on the other side of campus,” I reminded him.
“It’s ‘dead week’, Kennedy. The professors aren’t even here. You know that.”
I was silent for a minute. “Then why did you and Steve switch?” I asked softly.
“Because Steve has feelings for you,” he replied in frustration.
I didn’t say anything. Couldn’t say anything. I shook my head. Did I hear him right? Steve has feelings… for me?
“So you told her,” I heard Becky say from behind me. I turned and stared at her too.
“Does everyone know this but me?” I said when I finally found my voice.
“Pretty much,” she nodded. “Honestly, Kennedy, I don’t know how you didn’t pick up on it.”
“If he has feelings for me, why hasn’t he said anything about it?”
“Because you’re notoriously afraid of relationships,” Lewis answered flatly. “But then you started acting like you might be open to the idea when Jackson came along. I think that when you broke things off with him, Steve got his hopes up that he would be able to take Jackson’s place.”
I was dumbfounded. Sure, Steve and I have a lot in common, but I’d never thought of him in a romantic way. I stared at Jackson for a few more minutes while I considered what my friends had just told me. As I watched, he took out his cell phone and programmed each of the kids’ phone numbers into it. I turned back to Lewis and Becky.
“I don’t think that Steve and me dating is a good idea,” I announced. “Do you think I should say something to him? Try to let him down easy?”
“No, that would hurt his pride,” Lewis insisted. “Just pretend that you’re still clueless and I’m sure he’ll move on eventually.”
“I’m sorry Lewis, it’s just…”
“You don’t have to apologize to me, I wouldn’t date Steve either,” Lewis said with a grin. “Really Kennedy, it’s your life. You should do what makes you happy, if you can figure out what that is.”
“I think that it’s becoming clearer to me,” I said with a smile.
The food donations kept pouring in and soon it was a quarter past three. The U-Haul showed up to load our final boxes and Jackson and I walked the teacher and school children to the parking lot.
“Thank you so much for everything,” Mrs. Foster told us, wrapping Jackson and me in a giant group hug. “The kids are actually looking forward to summer this year.”
“Are you really going to come play ball with us, Jackson?” Davie, one of the little boys, asked hopefully.
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I’m pretty good on the basketball court, I’ll teach you all kinds of tricks. When you go back to school in the fall, you’ll be the stars of your team.”
“We’ll see you soon!” Davie said with a smile. They all climbed into Mrs. Foster’s minivan and drove away.
“So you’re going to spend the summer playing basketball in the projects?” I asked Jackson suspiciously. “What happened to the new resort in Fiji?”
“I’m sure the resort will open just fine without me,” Jackson replied. “Kennedy, I have to thank you for today. I thought that I’d be helping the kids, but they’re the ones who helped me. I finally understand why my father does what he does. After hanging out with Davie, Paul, and Charlie, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for them. That’s the way my dad feels about everyone.”
“Those little boys really made an impact on you, didn’t they?” I asked and felt myself softening.
He nodded, a little smile playing on his lips. “I’m going to keep my promise to them too. I’ll teach them everything I know about sports and make sure they have everything they need when school starts in the fall. And I definitely know what our community projects are going to be at Sigma Chi next year if I’m elected House President.”
“Oh yeah? What’s that?”
“You’re already covering the food drives through FLA, so I think we should organize clothing drives. And not used, throw away clothes like people usually donate. I want to make sure they all have clothes they’ll be proud to wear.”
“That’s a fantastic idea,” I told him. “What’s the second project you’re thinking about?”
“The Big Brothers Big Sisters program,” he replied. “I’m going to propose that it be a joint project with the Delta Gamma sorority house. I’m going to sign up on my own as soon as finals are over.”
We stepped back into the dining hall and saw that the other volunteers had already finished loading the last of the donations into the truck.
“Do you want to ride to the sorting center with me?” Jackson asked hopefully.
I shook my head. “I’d love to, but
I’m actually not going to the sorting center tonight. One of my other students is still having trouble in Econ and she called this morning to beg me for more study sessions. My schedule’s pretty full so tonight was one of the only times I could meet with her. I’m taking two of Becky’s shifts when we start sorting after finals and she’s covering for me tonight.”
Jackson’s disappointment was obvious. “So I won’t see you again until Saturday?”
I nodded. “Our final tutoring session. You’ve really made amazing progress these last few months.”
“I had a good teacher,” he said with a smile. “Look Kennedy, I know this goes against Sidra’s rules, but I hate the idea that we’re not going to see each other after this weekend. I’d like to take you out, just as friends if you want, and get to know you better. Do you think that’s something you’d consider?”
Looking into his beautiful blue eyes, how could I say no? He’s so different than the person I imagined he’d be. I want to know him now. Want to be with him. “I’ll go out with you Jackson,” I told him and blushed, looking down at my feet. “On a real, actual date. I don’t like the idea of us not seeing each other anymore either,” I confessed.
A wide smile spread across his face. “Are you busy tomorrow night?”
I shook my head. “We have to wait until after finals,” I told him. “I have too much studying to get done and I want to wait until I’m officially no longer your tutor.”
“Okay… my last final is next Thursday at noon. When’s yours?”
“Friday at two-thirty.”
“So dinner next Friday night?”
“It’s a date,” I answered. It felt as though my face might burst from the smile I couldn’t contain.
***
Finals week flew by and before I knew it, I was in my room getting ready for my first date with Jackson. He hadn’t told me where we were going, just that I should dress up. I don’t own any fancy clothes, but Lauren had been more than happy to let me borrow a dress and a pair of heels. I’d tried on an elegant black cocktail dress first, but my pale skin had looked washed out against the dark fabric. I decided to be bold and went with a short, red satin shift that complimented my strawberry blonde hair. I let Lauren talk me in to wearing a pair of black peep-toe stilettos, but stopped her when she tried to apply my makeup.
