Grape Bubblegum Read online

  The referees escorted Spencer and Aaron back to their respective sides. Spencer took off his helmet and threw it down. His face was squinched up tight. With fists balled up, he swung at imaginary people. Coach Finley walked over to Spencer and started talking to him, then pointed his arm, with clipboard in hand, towards the benches. Spencer shrugged it off and jogged back to the bench.

  “Aaron is such a jerk!” Shannan said as she took her seat.

  “Poor Spencer.” I unzipped my jacket halfway.

  For the rest of the game I couldn’t stop thinking about Spencer and how he was doing. When I got home, I’d check to see if he was online and find out what Aaron said to him.

  I stood around talking to other students after the game while I waited on my mother to finish closing up the concession stand. We won fourteen to six.

  I noticed Joel from a distance. He caught me looking at him and made his way over to where I was.

  “S’up, Bea? Where’s your girl?” He was talking about Shannan.

  “You just missed her. She left about ten minutes ago.” I twitched my eyebrows up and down at him. “Why haven’t you asked her to be your girlfriend?”

  He laughed. “Aw, man. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” He shook his head. “Every time I open my mouth to ask her, she looks at me with those big eyes, and I just get goofy, and it won’t come out.”

  I laughed at him.

  “Oh, Dorothy, if I only had the nerve.” He made his voice sound like The Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz.

  “You are such a cornball!” I pushed him. “How’s Spencer?”

  “He may have to sit out a couple of games for fighting.” Joel sounded annoyed.

  “I’ve never actually met Aaron, but from what I’ve seen, he’s not someone I would want to be around.”

  “Yeah, he has his ways. I’ve never had any beef with him, but he keeps his distance from me.” Joel threw up a peace sign to one of his basketball teammates and continued talking. “Spence is my boy and all, I didn’t want him to get into trouble, but he did the right thing. I would have swung on that punk too.”

  Joel left to talk to some of his friends just as Craig came strolling through.

  “Hey, Craig,” I yelled, not knowing which Craig was out tonight. When he saw me, he quickly handed one of his friends a pack of cigarettes before he came over to where I stood.

  “Hey,” he said as his eyes darted around nervously.

  The scent of smoke was strongly on his breath. “I didn’t know you smoked,” I said and crinkled my nose.

  His eyes narrowed. “I don’t.”

  I shrugged his response off. “We don’t get to talk much. How’s everything going so far? I know it can’t be easy being a new student and all trying to fit in.” I smiled.

  “What do you mean? I’m fitting in just fine.” He nodded towards his group.

  “Well, maybe we can hang out some time?”

  “Maybe,” he said and returned to his friends.

  I watched as his friend handed him a cigarette that he covered with his hands and slid into his front hoodie pocket. “I see he not only steals but lies,” I whispered to myself.

  After settling in at home, I flipped open my laptop, launched a browser window, and pulled up my chatlist. I was glad to see that Spencer was online.

  QueenBea: Spencer? R U there?…

  SuperStar43: Yup.

  QueenBea: How R U?

  SuperStar43: I’m ok, still mad.

  QueenBea: What did Aaron say to U? :(

  SuperStar43: A bunch of crap that ticked me off. I know how he is, and I knew he was going 2 try 2 start something with me. I really don’t want 2 go N2 it right now. I’m suspended 4 2 games.

  QueenBea: I’ve heard he’s a jerk. :(

  SuperStar43: Yeah, U haven’t met him, but he knows who U are.

  QueenBea: How?

  SuperStar43: Remember back when we were at the movies that night? Well, at one point, I can’t remember exactly, but Joel nudged me and said Aaron was a few rows behind us and he was staring @ us big time.

  QueenBea: ?!?!?

  SuperStar43: Aaron is close friends with Mitzie. Her dad is Aaron’s mom’s plastic surgeon and bff’s with her mother.

  QueenBea: Oh no, not another Barbie doll.

  SuperStar43: LOL!! Yeah, they look a lot alike.

  QueenBea: :) So what happened? Did he talk to Mitzie?

  SuperStar43: Yeah. He saw me talking to U, and Mitzie was looking sorta pissed during the movie. LOL! He called her that night, and I guess she gave him an earful about U.

  QueenBea: Wow, I feel so popular LOL!! I wonder what she told him.

  SuperStar43: Don’t worry about it. We’ll have to do the movie thing again. ;)

  QueenBea: :) Well, I’m going to sign off b4 my mother comes in here. G’nite Spence, sweet dreams :)

  SuperStar43: Cya Bea! Back at ya.

  I hit the log off. Sitting on the edge of my bed, I thought more about what Spencer said. Wow, you never knew who was watching you. I wondered what Mitzie could have possibly said to Aaron and what Aaron could have said to Spencer to set him off like that?

  Chapter 5

  IT WAS AN UNUSUALLY WARM, sunny day for mid-October, so I decided to ride my bike over to Shannan’s house. The leaves were still falling, and the tart-sweet smell of apples from a nearby orchard made my stomach rumble. My parents’ annual apple harvest weekend was coming up. That’s when they invited their friends to the local orchard and spent the evening picking apples and drinking hot cider around a bonfire.

  Shannan lived in the same beautiful community as Mitzie, right across the street from her. My father said they didn’t want to ruin the natural landscaping when they built the houses, so they built around the trees. A massive oak tree, with leaves of deep reds, greens, and golden tones, covered Shannan’s yard like a canopy. The neatly manicured yard, covered with fallen leaves, along with the decorative autumn wreath on the front door, could grace the cover of some home magazine. I remembered when my mother gave them the wreath as a Christmas gift. Actually, she’d given them four, one for each season.

  I parked my bike in the driveway and made my way up the long, curving sidewalk to the large, double French doors. On the side of each door were stained-glass panels that Shannan’s parents brought back from one of their vacations in Italy. I traced the swirly pattern on the pane with my finger before ringing the doorbell. Mr. Kirkpatrick answered the door.

  “Well, hello, Beatrice,” Mr. Kirkpatrick said with a smile.

  “Hi, Mr. Kirkpatrick.”

  The foyer was spectacular. He and his wife did an excellent job remodeling. The floors were beige and white marble, with large stone pillars on each side of the massive double winding stairwell. Black wrought iron made up the handrails. Massive oil paintings hung on either side of the walls. A huge floral arrangement sat atop a marble table in the middle of the foyer. Breathtaking.

  “How’s school coming along?”

  “Pretty good, no complaints so far. Homework hasn’t been too bad. I’m happy for that because studying for the spelling bee takes up more time than I thought.” I kicked off my shoes.

  “Oh yeah, the infamous spelling bee competition. That should be exciting. Shannan’s up in her room.” He stared at the framed art on the wall before adjusting it slightly. “Do you want something to drink?”

  “No, thanks. I’m fine.” I bounced up the stairs to Shannan’s room.

  Mr. Kirkpatrick headed back into his study. The sound of jazz flowed from the speakers in the ceiling throughout the house, very low and calming.

  I loved Shannan’s bedroom. It was larger than my parents’ room. She had her own bathroom and seating area with a large bay window complete with a window seat. The walls of her bedroom were pink as was the carpet. The duvet cover was a mixture of pink, greens, and purples. Her bedroom furniture was all white wicker. The dressers had glass tops, with various baby pictures of her underneath. Flat screen TV, Blu-ra
y DVD player, iPad and iPod lined one wall.

  “What’s up, girl?” Shannan threw a furry, purple pillow at me. She had on torn jeans and an oversized baby blue sweatshirt.

  “Not too much. I saw Craig at church today with Miss McGinnis. He said we should stop by some time and hang out.” I flung the pillow back at her.

  “Really?”

  “Yep,” I answered. “Let’s go see what he’s up to right now. We’re not doing anything else.”

  We decided to take the scenic route to Craig’s house and hopped on the bike trail, which went through a couple of subdivisions before ending in the park.

  “Have you talked to Spencer?” Shannan asked.

  “After the game, I chatted with him for a few minutes online.”

  “How’s he doing?” she asked, riding up beside me.

  “He said he was suspended for two games. He was still upset about it. But the weird thing was that Aaron knew who I was.” I swatted away some sort of flying bug that was in front of my face.

  “Thought you didn’t know him?”

  “I don’t, really. I’ve only seen him. Remember when we all met at the theater?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, he said Aaron was there that night as well. According to Joel, he was staring at us. He knows Mitzie because her father is his mother’s plastic surgeon.”

  “This sounds like a soap opera,” Shannan said. “I wonder what Mitzie told him?”

  “I don’t know, but I’m sure it was some big, ol’ lie. You know that girl hates my guts.”

  “Hmm. I’ll have to ask Joel. He knows a few guys that are friends with Aaron. I’m sure he could find out. I’ll call him when we get back.”

  When we arrived at Craig’s house, we noticed him out front leaning against a car talking to a man. This man, dressed in all black, pulled his key out from his leather jacket pocket. He unlocked the car door and retrieved a plastic bag that looked to have cans of something inside of it. He handed it to Craig. He thanked the man, who got into the car and pulled away.

  “Hey Craig,” Shannan said, stopping him as he went up the front steps.

  He quickly put the package onto the porch before turning around.

  “Wassup? What are you guys doing here?” He fidgeted with his belt loop as he approached us. He didn’t smile but sorta grimaced at us.

  “You smell like paint thinner,” Shannan said.

  Craig’s top lip had small beads of sweat across it. “Yeah, uh, I was helping my grandmother clean out the garage.”

  “Who’s your friend?” I asked.

  The muscles in Craig’s neck tensed. “What did you guys say you were doing over here?”

  “You told me earlier that we should stop by some time,” I answered. “We were just coming to see what you were up to.”

  “Well, I’m not feeling too well. I’ll see you around.” Craig went back up the stairs, scooped up the package, and disappeared into the house.

  “That was weird,” Shannan said. “He clearly doesn’t want to be bothered with us.”

  “But he’s the one who suggested we stop by.”

  “Doesn’t mean that he meant it.” She glanced up at his door. “It’s cool with me if he doesn’t want to be friends.”

  I sighed. “But he’s hanging around with some shady people.”

  “Come on, let’s go. I need a potty break,” she said. “You can’t make people want to be around you.”

  “I know,” I whined. “But I don’t want him getting into any trouble. I helped Tess.”

  I couldn’t stop thinking about Craig the entire ride back to Shannan’s house.

  “Mom, we’re back,” Shannan yelled as we walked through the back door.

  We went to her room, and I fell across her bed while she disappeared into the bathroom. When she returned, she flopped across the opposite end of the bed and picked up her cell phone.

  “Who are you calling?” I asked.

  “Joel,” she replied, pushing the speakerphone button.

  “Oh yeah, I forgot.” I sat up and moved closer to her. Joel’s voice mail came on.

  Beep. I’m sorry I can’t answer the phone right now. I’m currently being recruited by the Chicago Bulls. I’ll be available for interviews later, so say what ya gotta say and make it brief…Peace!…Beep.

  “Hey, Joel, it’s Shan. Call me when you get in.” Shannan flipped her phone shut.

  “Your future boyfriend is such a ham,” I said.

  Shannan grinned. “Yeah, he is.”

  Monday brought another temperature change. I guess the Indian summer was over. The skies were gray and cloudy, and a brisk autumn wind was blowing. The cold air chilled my cheeks as I walked out after the last bell.

  “Watch out, Bea!” came several voices behind me. Thump. A football slammed against my head.

  “Ouch, hey,” I yelled.

  “Oh, sorry, Bea,” Spencer said, picking up the football. He reached up and rubbed my head where the football hit.

  “Are you okay?” he asked. He had a sly grin on his face.

  I must have a hard head, because it didn’t hurt at all. But I still pouted and rubbed my head some more. “Yeah, I guess I’ll live.”

  “What’s going on out here?” came Mr. Floyd’s voice, walking up behind us. “Kane, no ball throwing here on the grounds. Is that clear?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Are you okay, Beatrice?” Mr. Floyd asked.

  “I’m fine, Mr. Floyd.”

  “Okay, you kids clear out of here,” Mr. Floyd fussed as he continued on his rounds around the school.

  “Do you forgive me?” Spencer asked, now making a pouty face at me. His green eyes appeared more vibrant than normal.

  I felt my cheeks blush. “Yeah, I think I can forgive you. This time.”

  “Thanks,” he said. “Hey, my get-together will be this Saturday at four. I hope you can make it.”

  “Sure.”

  “Well, I better get going before I’m late for practice.”

  Shannan finally came out of the building with Joel. They were both smiling. I wondered if Joel finally professed his undying love for her.

  “Wassup, QB?” Joel said as he walked towards me.

  “Hi, girl,” Shannan said. “Bebe, you’re not going to believe this. You’re the reason Aaron and Spencer got into a fight during the game.”

  “Me? What’d I do?”

  “Yep, it’s all your fault,” Joel said, laughing.

  “Who told you that?” I asked.

  “Actually, Spence told me the other night.” Joel leaned against the light pole and continued talking. “Aaron was there that night at the movies. Well, he called Mitzie, and she told him all sorts of lies. Man, I’m telling you, that girl can be evil. Mitzie told Aaron you were talking about his mother and calling her all sorts of names.”

  “Really?” I said. “That girl is the biggest liar.”

  “Told you she was a barracuda,” Shannan stated calmly. She pulled an emery board out of her book bag. Not looking up, she began to file her nails. “She has a mini-poster taped inside her locker that reads: Be #1 by any means necessary.”

  I thought back to the online chat with Spencer after the game. I remembered he said he didn’t want to talk about it.

  “That’s it,” I thought out loud. “I’m done. I don’t know why I try being nice to her.”

  “I wouldn’t worry about it, QB. Spence knows you didn’t say those things, and who cares about Mitzie and Aaron?” Joel said.

  “He’s right, Bebe. Sometimes you just gotta overlook people like that,” Shannan said.

  I nudged Shannan. “There’s that weird Craig.”

  Shannan stopped filing her nails and looked up as he approached, but didn’t acknowledge him and went back to her nails.

  “Hey, Craig,” I said. “We’re walking home. Do you wanna join us?”

  Craig nodded. “Sure.”

  Shannan rolled her eyes at me. “Let’s go. It’s getting co
ld out here.” She zipped her jacket, “See ya, Joel.”

  We headed down the sidewalk.

  “So, Craig, something that I’ve been wondering. Is the dog la—” I quickly corrected myself. “Is Miss McGinnis your grandmother?”

  “Yeah,” he replied but offered no further information. This was going to be tough.

  “Where did you live before?” Shannan asked.

  “I lived with my parents and sister in Virginia. But they’re now going through a divorce. It’s getting ugly. They thought it’d be best if I moved in with my grandmother until the dust settles.”

  “Where’s your sister?” Shannan asked.

  “They decided to let her stay with them,” Craig said.

  “What’s it like living with Miss McGinnis?” I asked.

  “It’s cool.”

  “Craig, we walk right by your house every day on the way to school. Do you want us to swing by and pick you up in the morning?” I asked.

  “Sure, that’ll be cool.”

  “Okay, we’ll be by around seven fifteen,” I said.

  “All right.” Craig headed in the house.

  “You’re not going to give up on him, are you?” asked Shannan.

  “Nope. For some strange reason, I think I can help him like I did Tess.”

  “He’s not Tess, and besides, he seems to have a lot more issues than she did,” Shannan said. “Too bad about his parents though. I hope they work it out.”

  “Do you think I should confront Mitzie about her lies?” I asked, switching the subject.

  “Honestly, I would just leave it alone. Like I said, her actions will come back and bite her in the butt, just watch and see. That girl has bad karma.”

  “I guess you’re right. Every time I think about it, I get mad all over again.”

  The next morning I woke up and started my usual procrastination. As I ran out the door, I grabbed a bagel and yelled goodbye to my parents. It was cool outside, but not too cold. The wind was brisk and felt good as I walked over to Shannan’s house. The trees were steadily losing their leaves, and the colors were beautiful. I remember one Sunday, Pastor Ray preached a message about God being an artist. Now I understood what he meant. Arriving at Shannan’s house, I went around to the back door and knocked. She came to the door still putting on her jacket.