Copyright © 2020 James Russell Stoakes
All rights reserved.
http://JamesStoakes.com
The library was not Sarah’s first choice of location for studying, but after yesterday, she was hesitant to sit in the cafeteria. She wanted to get her homework done so she could go directly to Alice’s after school since she didn’t have to work today. “Algebra first,” she said to herself as she took a seat at the back, sat, and fished her notepad and textbook out of her backpack from the floor.
When she looked up, she was surprised to see who was standing there.
“We seem to have the same study period,” Robbie said. “Mind if I join you?”
“Sure,” Sarah responded a little startled. “I really do need to get this done, though, so I’m not sure how good of company I will be,” she tried to explain.
“Got it,” Robbie said and seated himself across from her. She watched as he fiddled with his backpack and pulled out his textbook. “I have plenty to do too. Study first, get to know each other later,” he said with a playful tone.
“Get to know each other?” Sarah’s inner voice asked. “Is he for real?” Shaking off her shock, Sarah attacked her assignment, odd-numbered problems, 21-99. It was repetitive, with a few minor changes thrown in to reinforce earlier lessons, and she soon lost herself in it.
Robbie pretended to read for a while, but then he watched her work. He had heard that she was smart, but now he could see for himself why. He watched as she copied the problem and meticulously did each step, no shortcuts, no matter how trivial the step was, she wrote them out longhand. While she wrote, Robbie noticed the relaxed grip she had on her pen. “Who uses a pen to do math?” he asked himself. He noticed how the light played on the fine hairs on her arm, and he noted the light freckles on her cheek.
“You are staring,” Sarah said without looking up from her work.
“I noticed the pen,” he stammered and tried to make it seem more innocent than it felt to him.
Finishing the last problem, Sarah put down her pen and looked up and met Robbie’s gaze. “My pen?” she asked.
Laughing, Robbie elaborated. “I’ve never seen anyone do math with a pen.”
“I don’t like the way a pencil scratches the paper,” Sarah replied quickly.
“I never noticed that before, but I guess they do scratch,” he said as he stared.
Sarah caught him looking from one eye to the other. “Do my eyes bother you?” she asked.
“Sorry,” he said. “They don’t bother me at all. Just the opposite, I think they are very attractive, and I was trying to decide which color I liked more. Do they bother you?” he asked.
“Smooth,” Sarah laughed. “Sometimes, they do. You have probably heard people call me Freak before.”
“Jealousy is an ugly trait,” Robbie said.
The comment caught Sarah off guard. “You think they are jealous?” she asked.
“Clearly,” Robbie affirmed. “I’ve heard Mary call you Freak before, and it was pretty obvious that she was jealous.”
“What does she have to be jealous of?” Sarah asked seriously. “She’s pretty; her family is well off. She’s popular.”
“She’s not nearly as pretty as you are,” Robbie said without thinking. He blushed profusely as soon as he heard his own words. He stammered a moment until he realized Sarah was grinning at him.
“You have always been a bit transparent,” Sarah said, “but I never expected you to blurt that out.” She gently laughed at him. “Do you mean it?”
With the situation seemingly diffused, Robbie tried to recover. “I do,” he said quietly. “I’ve always thought you were pretty.”
Sarah closed her books and began packing them away. Robbie watched with growing concern.
“Are you leaving?” he asked.
Zipping her backpack shut, Sarah sat up and smiled. “I wanted to give you my undivided attention,” she said.
Relaxing, Robbie sat back. He heartily laughed when he heard her next statement.
“Tell me more about how pretty I am,” she said, batting her eyelashes and teasing him.
Rushing up the steps after parking her mother’s car, Sarah let herself into Alice’s home. “Alice!” she called excitedly.
“What’s wrong!?” Alice asked as she rushed into the kitchen.
“Nothing is wrong,” Sarah assured Alice once she realized that she had frightened her. “Sorry I’m late, I had the most amazing day, and I wanted to share it with you.”
The two sat in their usual spots in the living room. Alice still preferred her large leather recliner despite the fact it did not face the television, or maybe because it didn’t.
“He sounds sincere,” Alice said. “I wonder if I know him. What is Robbies’ last name?” she asked and took a sip of her tea.
“Kelly,” Sarah responded.
Alice, caught in mid-sip, choked a bit and recovered. “Robbie,” she said. “A nickname for Robert?” she asked.
“Yeah, that’s right,” Sarah said, sitting forward now curious.
“Do you know his middle name?” Alice asked.
Sarah laughed. “Yeah, a true Irish name. I almost like it more than his first name. Liam,” she admitted with a grin.
“You’re something else,” Alice said and leaned back in her chair. She chuckled.
“What!” Sarah asked, confused. “Do you know him? Is there something wrong with him?”
“No, nothing like that,” Alice said. “He comes from a good family. I’ve known them for a while. We used to attend the same church.”
“That’s it?” Sarah asked. “That’s all you’re going to tell me?” She held her hands out like she was expecting to receive something.
“That’s all I have,” Alice lied.
Sarah stared at her a few moments in silence. “Okay,” she relented. “I’ll figure it out on my own.”
“There’s nothing more to figure out,” Alice insisted.
“If you say so,” Sarah laughed. “I still think you are holding out on me, though.” She got up and walked towards the kitchen. “How hungry are you?”
“Not bad,” Alice said. “What are you making?”
“I brought some beef and green peppers,” Sarah answered. “I’ll make a stirfry for us and serve it over some minute rice.”
“You are starting to like to cook it seems,” Alice said, rising to observe Sarah’s cooking.
“I am,” she confirmed as she retrieved the cutting board and a knife. “You have given me the confidence I never dreamed I’d have in the kitchen before I met you.”
“You’ve been a pleasure to teach,” Alice responded with a genuine smile.
Returning to the same spot in the library as the day before, Sarah spread out the material she had to study. She hoped that Robbie would show up and join her. She had questions for that boy. Alice was hiding something; she was sure of it. She jumped when a voice from behind her interrupted her thoughts.
“May I join you, Sarah?” Robbie asked.
Sarah stepped out of the way and revealed the second chair she had been setting up for him. “I was hoping you would,” she replied as she moved around to her chair and sat.
“Really?” Robbie asked in mock disbelief.
“Really, really,” she replied playfully before starting in on him. “Do you know my friend Alice White?” she asked as Robbie took his seat.
“The name doesn’t ring a bell,” he responded as he dug into his backpack. “Does she go to school here?”
“No,” Sarah said. “She used to go to the same church as your family, though.”
“I haven’t been to church since I was six or seven years old,” Robbie said, concerned. “I hope you are not going to hold that against me.”
“No, nothing like that,” Sarah laughed. “When I told Alice about our date, she seemed to recognize your name, and I got a distinct feeling that she wasn’t telling me everything she knew.
“Weird,” Robbie said. “I wonder. I hope we’re not hiding bodies in the basement, although that might explain some of the odd smells that drift up from down there.”
“Stop it!” Sarah laughed a little too loud.
“Shhhhhh,” the librarian reminded them to be quiet.
They both blushed and acknowledged the librarian before continuing quietly. “I think you should come to the house on Friday and have dinner with my family,” Robbie whispered. “I’m sure my parents would love to eat you…I mean, meet you,” he joked.
“Oh my god! Stop it!” Sarah whispered back. She thought for a moment before responding again. Robbie waited. “I’ll go with a couple of conditions,” Sarah answered with a grin forming on her face. “I need to be home, in one piece, alive, by nine.”
“I think we can work that out,” Robbie said. “My mother’s cooking is pretty good. I think you will enjoy it.”
“What will she be making?” Sarah asked.
“No idea,” Robbie laughed. “I’ll tell her you are coming when I get home tonight.”
“Robbie!” Sarah said excitedly. “What if she says no?”
“She won’t,” he assured her. “She’s been asking when I was going to get a girlfriend.”
“So I’m your girlfriend now?” Sarah asked.
“Let’s not rush things,” Robbie said in a serious tone as he stared into her eyes. “We haven’t even held hands yet,” he said with a mischievous grin.
Slowly, Sarah’s hand snaked across the table and took Robbies. Her eyes never left his as she did. “What about now?”
“Well,” Robbie started. Sarah’s grip tightened on his hand. “I think you’re a keeper,” he said quickly. “Would you be my girlfriend?”
“Yes,” was all Sarah could manage. She felt as though she was going to pass out at that moment, but she quickly recovered. “I need to get some studying done,” she said as she released his hand.