Forty Days of the Weasel Ch. 02

"No, it wasn't me. I just thought you were nice, you know?, and then you went and broke Nan's heart!"

"I did?"

"Well she liked you, didn't you ever think of that?"

"I liked her, too!"

"Well you never asked her out again, and then I, then there's Lisa Fein!"

"I don't have her number. She's got mine, but I don't have hers, there's a lot of Helprins and Helperins. She ran off real quick in English, too."

"She what?"

"You know we have English third period; poof, she left almost before the bell stopped ringin'. I got to the hall and she was gone. You too."

"Me?"

"Well, when I didn't see her I looked for you, but you weren't there like you usually are."

"We were in the girls' room, looking out at you through the crack in the door."

"I didn't see you."

"You weren't supposed to. We were hiding."

"Well how am I--"

"You didn't call, like ever! She was so hurt and mad at you."

"Jeez, is she still hurt? I never wanted... she's great! How can I fix it? Do you have her number?"

"She made me promise to never be nice to you ever again."

"But I--"

"You should have asked her for her 'phone number, you nitwit."

"It all... oh damn."

"I know, I see it now, I'm sorry, Glenn." Wheels were turning in Jackie's head.

"Is there any hope at all with her?"

"I don't think so, I told you what she wanted me to promise."

"Please tell me her address? Or maybe her dad's name, or whoever it is in the 'phone book? Wow, my neck really aches."

"So she can yell at you?"

"Well, no."

"Just give it up, Glenn. Maybe it was fate, and you and Nan are never fated to be together."

"Maybe." He thought about it a second. "Nah, Fate made me too stupid to get her number? I don't believe it." He thought again. Did Jackie want him not to go back to Nan for some reason?

"Could be," she insisted.

"Can I have your number, Jackie?"

"What a bozo! Why should I give you my number?"

"'Cause I can call you up on it and ask you out!"

"You want to break my heart now?"

"I didn't break her heart, I tried to find her and she hid in the bathroom! All I did was not ask for a number! C'mon. Go out with me, Jackie? Or at least let me call you up!"

Jackie replied with seven rapid-fire digits.

"Thank you."

"I'm not sayin' it again."

"You don't need to," he said, and rattled them right back to her. "If Nan can't forgive me for such a silly thing, maybe I need someone like you, I can tell you're loyal."

"Loyal?" Jackie wrinkled her nose. "Like a dog?"

"You were loyal to your friend and you tried to help her hate me. You even hit me on the head!"

"I see. I guess I'm loyal. Well. Okay, you can call me. But you better treat me good!"

"I really never meant to hurt anybody. Honest. I'll call."

"You better!" Jackie bounced up, caramel hair flouncing. She smoothed down her kick pleats. "Tonight about six-thirty, once Wheel of Fortune starts. Okay?"

"I'm honored, Jackie."

"Honored!" Jackie laughed and went off down the hall, but she turned and waved at him before she turned the corner out of his sight.

________________

"That ain't the story I heard!" Jackie told the receiver. "I heard you were both practically naked in there."

"That's crazy," responded Glenn. "That's all out of proportion."

"Nobody goes in a closet with someone for nothin'."

"It's a big storage room, not a closet. It's never dark, even."

"And you had to find a dodgeball, I suppose?"

"I told you, we talked! Well, I did try to kiss her."

"I bet."

"I was so upset when I couldn't call Nan. She was sympathetic."

"Uh huh."

"I know it was bad. Nan will never forgive me, I guess, and I have to face it that it's over; but I hope you can."

"You hope I can forgive you?"

"Can we be friends, do you think? I always thought you were a really nice person. You won't hold it against me, will you?"

"You're so fulla shit!"

"Yeah, you're right!"

They both laughed.

"Seriously, Glenn: what did you do in there?"

"I really hate that kinda question. I don't think I wanna answer, Jackie."

"You said you kissed her!"

"I said I tried to, I never said she did it. I don't like it when people tell other people what they did. And they lie about it sometimes too. I ain't sayin anything about any girl I ever speak to, what she did or what I did."

"I know you kissed Nan."

"You ain't gonna hear that from me. I never told a soul anything but we went sailin'."

"If we were going out, wouldn't I have a right to know?"

"Not according to the way I see it. Wouldn't you hate it if I went around-- like say we broke up-- if I went around saying I broke up with her, but she let me touch her or she has really pink nipples--!"

Jackie snorted a laugh.

"Wouldn't it creep you out if someone said that sorta stuff about you, though?"

"A'course! So you ain't sayin'."

"Sorry, nope. I ain't."

"That's sweet."

A silence fell, but they'd done a number of those already. They were still both quite comfortable.

"You ever hear Oblong?"

"The group Oblong?" inquired Jackie. "No."

"They're doing that dance over at Hampden Friday. Wanna go hear 'em?"

"With you?"

"Wanna?"

"...Okay. What kinda dance is it?"

"They do club stuff, dance stuff, sometimes 'way distorted and spacy, sometimes hot and driving but very controlled. They're okay."

"What do I wear, though?"

"Wear cool club clothes, but not the very coolest, 'cause it's only Hampden."

"What do you mean, cool club clothes?"

They planned how they were going to get there and when. They may have both been weasels, but Jackie was curious as well as flattered.