High School Again? Ugh! Ch. 06

"They're from my cousin Denise's college," Jake offered. "They're in a dance club that decided to throw a fund raiser for a local charity and did a show with traditional Irish dances for St. Patrick 's Day. My cousin is in the club and my parents insisted we go to support her." I'd met Denise during the Christmas break. She was a nice kid. Her college was only two towns over.

"We bumped into Jake at the party afterward," one of the girls said, smiling at him. "Denise brought him along."

"The party was pretty bad," the other sister said. "Jake mentioned that he was going to another one and invited us along. We decided to join him despite it being a high school party." I smiled, guessing that she was the older of the two sisters. I had a feeling that she wasn't particularly thrilled about having to come to a 'high school' party, but it was obvious that Jake and her sister were hitting it off.

"I told Bridgette that I knew the perfect guy for her," Jake grinned.

"Even if you are only a 'high school kid'," Patty put in with a laugh. I'm sure based on the way she said it that her sister has said something like that before I arrived. Bridgette actually blushed slightly.

"Well?" I smiled at Bridgette. "Do you think you can stand me for a couple of hours while we chaperone these two?"

"Hey!" Patty cried, but then burst out laughing. Jake joined in. Bridgette gave me an odd look, but she also seemed to relax. I wasn't what she had expected, but I guess that was a good thing. She continued to look at me for a few moments and then smiled slowly.

"It might be bearable," she replied.

"Ut oh!" Jake said, looking back and forth between us. "I think John has finally met someone with the same twisted sense of humor. This could be bad."

I frowned. I already knew someone with the same sense of humor as me. Tara. She was the woman for me. Yet, I couldn't deny my attraction to Bridgette. Patty was actually the prettier of the two, but I liked Bridgette and it wasn't just because she was the better endowed.

I was suddenly in the mood to have some fun so I finished the beer Jake had handed me and smiled at Bridgette. She was built very slim despite being big up top. The outfit she was wearing showed off her long legs very nicely. Her red hair was dark and thick. In short, she was hot.

"Are you done staring?" Bridgette asked pointedly. I could tell from her tone that she was clearly used to getting attention.

"Can you blame me?" I asked in reply, surprising her and making Jake and Patty laugh. I decided to have some fun with her. "So, what's wrong with you?"

"Pardon?" she asked.

"You're beautiful and you're here instead of out with a guy," I explained. "What's your issue?"

"Boys bore me," she sighed in reply. "The college ones aren't much better than the ones in high school." She was smiling, but I was pretty sure she was only half kidding.

"Well then," I grinned. "This is your lucky day."

"How's that?" she asked.

"I'm an older man stuck in a high school kid's body," I replied. It was completely surreal to finally say it out loud. The fact that they would think I was only hitting on Bridgette didn't matter. I still heard the words and I realized that despite everything, I really believed it.

"Don't worry Grandpa," Bridgette laughed, taking my arm. "I'll take care of you."

"Hmm, that sounds interesting," I grinned. She let go and slapped my shoulder, but she didn't stop laughing. "By the way, what's with the outfits? You didn't have time to change before coming to the party?"

"St. Patrick's Day is one of our favorite holidays."

"I would never have guessed," I deadpanned. She rolled her eyes, but didn't comment. I noticed that her sister and Jake were no longer paying attention to us. They were in their own little world. I wasn't the only one to notice.

"Well John," Bridgette smiled, taking my arm again. "Why don't we give Jake and Patty some time to themselves?"

There was something about her that was very likable. I can't explain it. There just was. Oh, I don't mean anything abnormal or godlike. Bridgette wasn't one of the Greek goddesses who haunted me last fall. I was sure of that. She was just a girl. Okay, a cute girl, a nicely built girl, but a very human one just the same.

It felt good to have her on my arm. You have to understand that I hadn't had much interaction with any women for the last six months. I guess it was odd after what happened with Connie, Ms. Valente, Tiffany and Tara in such a short timeframe. Oh yeah, let's not forget Aphrodite and her three handmaidens either. Of course, all of that was a long time ago and a lot had changed since then.

Connie and Angelo hit it off just like I hoped. He still visited often. Angelo and I kept in touch and remained friends despite our age difference. I went into the city once a month to visit him. I liked the way he smiled when he talked about Mrs. Cognetta.

Ms. Valente and Coach Bo dated for a while. They seemed to have fun even though it didn't last. I sometimes caught myself looking at her and thinking of stopping by her place, but it would be a mistake. She was a teacher and I was a student no matter how old I felt inside. Besides, I was pretty sure she had recently started dating someone else.

Tiffany had Brad and they were happy. Good for them. Aphrodite and the Graces were beyond reach, but that was really beside the point. I couldn't deny how amazing our lust filled encounter felt. On the other hand, I'd never forgive them for what happened. I think maybe they were trying to help in their own way, but they hadn't stopped what happened to Tara.

Tara. She was the love of my life. I knew that. However, I couldn't have her. Not yet anyway. Not until the gods were through with me. Until then she had Ronny and I had...well, Bridgette, at least for tonight.

"I could use another beer," I smiled.

"Me too," she said, finishing the one she was holding in her hand.

The next hour went by surprisingly fast. Bridgette was even more fun than I hoped and the cops didn't show. I guess either the neighbors were very cool on this street or the police were being kind because it was St. Patrick's Day.

Bridgette was drinking seriously, but that was about all she was doing that way. She kept telling me how St. Patty's Day was one of her favorite holidays. She also took to teasing me by rubbing her rather large breasts against my arm now and again. I knew what she was doing. She knew I knew too. The drunker she got the more obvious she became, not that I minded.

A little while later I was in the middle of telling her a funny story. She was resting her hand on my arm and laughing. Every time she laughed, she's lean forward, letting her breasts once more rub up against my shoulder. It was getting to me and she knew it. I was thinking about inviting her outside for some fresh air and whatever else might happen when something made me turn toward the front door.

Tara and Ronny were just coming in. She saw me and the world stood still for a moment, at least that's what it felt like to me. Tara smiled slowly and nodded in greeting. I nodded back. I noticed that she'd dyed her hair green in honor of the holiday. That was so Tara.

"John?" Bridgette asked, noticing where I was looking and squeezing my arm somewhat possessively. My heart skipped a beat as Tara noticed her, but instead of looking upset or angry, Tara just grinned as if she were happy for me. That bothered me more than I can say.

"I'll be right back," I asked, lifting her hand off of my arm. Bridgette didn't look happy, but she didn't stop me from walking away. I moved toward Tara at first, but realize that it would be a mistake to try and talk to her right now. Instead, I walked outside. It was cold, but that helped. I'm not sure how long I was there before I felt a presence behind me. I knew who it was before I turned around.

"Tara," I said as I faced her.

"Johnny," she replied. I felt my heart tighten. "What's wrong?" She knew me too well. I don't know how considering how little time we had together, but I didn't doubt it.

"Well, I'm drunk for one thing," I said, stalling.

"I can see that," she grinned briefly before getting more serious. "But you seemed to be having a good time before I arrived."

"You know," I said slowly, ignoring her comment. "I think this is the first conversation we've had since that talk we had after returning from Las Vegas. How are you?"

"Better," she answered. "I don't really remember much of what happened in Vegas."

I frowned. I remember her telling me that she remembered it all right after it happened. Was she lying to me now? Or was she lying to herself? Or did she really forget it all? I guess that made sense. I can understand her wanting to block out what happened with Hera and her priests.

"So you've forgotten what happened between us?" I asked, my voice not quite catching.

"No," she said slowly. "That I remember. I'll never forget that."

And there it was. The opening I needed. Now was the time to tell Tara how I felt. Now was the time for us to reconnect. It was THE moment. I knew that, but I couldn't do it. I loved her too much. The gods weren't done with me yet and I wouldn't drag her into it.

"Me either," I said, but then added, "I need to get back inside."

"The redhead is very attractive," Tara offered. "I'm happy you found someone." I knew she meant it. It didn't help. In fact, it made things worse.

"And Ronny is a great guy," I said, turning to leave. Tara stopped me by placing her hand on my arm. I looked down at it. Bridgette had touched the same arm a number of times in the last hour. I remembered how good I thought it felt. It was nothing compared to what I felt right now.

"Johnny," she said, pulling my eyes to hers with a word. "You're better off without me."

I looked deep and felt my heart begin to beat again. Tara wanted me to move on. She was happy that I found someone. She seemed happy with Ronny. She thought I'd be better off without her, but now that I was looking into her eyes, the widows of her soul, I saw the truth. She was just as tortured over us as I was. I should have felt terrible, but instead I felt elated and oddly renewed.

"No I'm not," I smiled, placing my hand over hers. "Enjoy your time with Ronny, but remember you're my prom date."

"He's already asked me to go with him," Tara said, looking at me oddly.

"You said yes to me first," I reminded her. My smile turned into a grin as I added, "And I'm going to hold you to it!"

"This is crazy," she said, shaking her head, but there was suddenly a lightness to her tone that I hadn't realized was missing before I looked into her eyes.

"Definitely," I agreed readily enough. "I've had six month to accept that I'm certifiably insane. If you have any brains at all, you'll go running and never come back."

"It's not lack of brains that's stopping me," Tara said, shaking her head. I took her chin in mine and made her look at me again.

"I know," I said seriously. "You know I feel the same way. I wish I didn't because then I wouldn't hesitate in taking you in my arms right now, but I do. I can't do it to you."

"Johnny," Tara sighed. "You have it all backwards." The door opened and a couple came outside. They saw us and frowned. I didn't blame them. Tara was Ronny's girl and I was clearly hanging with Bridgette tonight. I ignored them and focused on Tara.

"How's that?" I asked. She took my hand from her chin and moved it to my side, but she gave it a warm squeeze before letting go.

"We need to talk," she said. "It's time."

"I'm not so sure," I said slowly, remembering my insanity and honestly frightened at how she would react. I hadn't forgotten the dream I had in Vegas.

"I am," she said with a finality that surprised me. She was a strong woman. I loved that about her, but then again I loved everything about her. I could be strong too, for her.

"Okay," I said, swallowing hard. "I'll go first." Just then the door opened again and Ronny came out. He saw us and frowned. We weren't doing anything wrong, although we were standing very close.

"Not now," she said. "Tomorrow."

"You're kidding? I finally get up the nerve, or stupidity depending how you look at it, to tell you and you want to wait?" I asked in frustration. She just laughed in a way that was all Tara. It was impossible for me not to join her.

"You're drunk," she said as Ronny began moving toward us. "And it wouldn't be fair to Ronny or the redhead."

"Bridgette," I offered, more because I didn't want our time together than for any other reason. Tara understood.

"Bridgette," she corrected. She glanced Ronny's way and added quickly before he arrived, "One more thing Johnny."

"Yes?" I asked.

"I never said that I agreed to go with Ronny to the prom, only that he asked."

That one fact and the way she said it was enough to get me through another six months of waiting, but I wouldn't have to wait that long. We'd talk tomorrow and everything would be okay. Well, either that or I'll have lost my reason for living. So be it. It was better than going on like this.

"Hey," Ronny said as he walked up, putting his arm around Tara possessively. Instead of being angry, I felt bad for him, but not too bad. I didn't really know Ronny in my past life, but I did know that he was one of the guys who hit it big. He changed his name and joined a band that made millions.

"Hello," I said, but I was looking at Tara when I added, "I'll see you later." I was cold and in a better mood then I'd been in a long time despite the uncertainty of how Tara and my conversation would go tomorrow.

"There you are!" Jake said went I went back inside. "I don't know what you did, but Bridgette is pissed! You blew it with her bad. She's talking to Bobby and Kyle over there."

"Great," I said as if I was disappointed, but honestly I could care less. I went to the keg and poured another drink. I bumped into a guy I knew and we bullshitted for a while. People came and went, but I noticed that Ronny and Tara never came back inside.

I didn't actually drink much of the beer I took because suddenly there was no point in staying at the party anymore. All I wanted to do was go home, go to sleep and see what happened tomorrow, but I had to wait. First, it was still a little early to be going home. I did not want to catch my parents doing what they were probably doing. And second, I was too drunk to drive.

I wandered around the party for a while saying hello to the few people I knew while I waited impatiently for the time to pass and me to sober up. I smiled briefly when I saw that Jake was still doing well with Patty. I was happy for him and it felt oddly comforting to watch them. I had no idea if they were meant for each other. I had no idea if they even dated after today, which was the way it was supposed to be.

Bridgette seemed to be enjoying herself with Kyle and Bobby, but I caught her looking my way once or twice. Her expression was unreadable. I left it at that. I was sure we could have had a great time tonight. We had some obvious chemistry and she was smoking hot and in a mood, but in the end she wasn't Tara.

I passed a short line of girls waiting for the bathroom and grinned. Some things never changed. Of course, my humor was tempered by the realization that I had to go as well. I wasn't willing to wait just yet. The party wasn't as packed as it was when I arrived, but it was still pretty tight. I decided to step outside for a bit.

I went out the back door. The first thing I noticed was that it was colder than I remembered. That didn't help with my need to go to the bathroom. The second was that there was no one out here anymore. I was just about to turn around and go back in when some guy came around from the side of the building. He was zipping up his zipper when he saw me.

"Ah! That feels better! I hate waiting on lines," he grinned as he passed me and went inside.

"Why not?" I said with a shrug and moved to the side of the building. The house abutted a small patch of woods. I went into it a short way and found a tree to use because despite being drunk, I didn't want to pee on someone's house. I unzipped and sighed in relief.

"You know, that tree is someone's home too."

I should have been shocked to hear a woman's voice so close, but somehow I wasn't. I realized that ever since my conversation with Tara, I was expecting something like this to happen. I wasn't sure why. I had yet to see who was standing behind me, but I knew what she was if not who. I could feel her presence and that narrowed down the list considerable.

"I'll be with you in a moment," I said, finishing what I started. I meant no disrespect, but stopping wasn't really an option. I needed relief. Besides, I had the feeling I'd need to be able to focus on the conversation I was about to have.

"Men," the voice sighed.

I turned around after I finished zipping my zipper. That was when I received my first surprise. There wasn't a woman behind me. There was a girl. She looked to be about my sister Cindy's age. Of course, that was the only thing she had in common with my little sister. She was wearing what was essentially a sleeveless shirt that tied at the waste and barely covered her hips. If she were human she'd be freezing, but clearly she wasn't. She was a beautiful child. I wasn't surprised. I'd met enough of her sisters to see the family resemblance.

"How can I help you?" I asked, not meaning to sound as flippant as it came out. The girl actually smiled. I noticed that her eyes were far older than her form. No surprise there.

"You can't," she replied.

"Did the Fates send you?" I asked.

"Yes and no," she grinned.

"That's not particularly helpful," I grumbled. That's when I received my second surprise. The small wisp of a girl suddenly had me pinned against a tree with a sharp blade against my throat. She was no longer smiling.

"I've never had much use for men in general and I don't like you," she said. I was very careful to remain motionless. This one was clearly a bit bipolar and I could tell from her eyes that she'd have no problem killing me where I stood. "Keep your judgments to yourself. I couldn't care less about what you think about me, but while I'm here you'll show me some respect."

"I meant no disrespect," I said carefully.

"Of course you did," she said, stepping back and suddenly grinning again. "You're a man and I'm in the form of a young girl. It's your nature to be an ass. You can't help it."

I had no idea how to respond to that so I opted to remain quiet. The one good thing about the last few moments was that having a knife to your throat is very sobering. I felt surprisingly clear headed.

"The Fates didn't send me," she said as if offended by the very thought, but then she relented and added, "However, they did ask me to speak with you. It seems that things are coming to a head. I guess they had to change eventually. It's too bad really. I prefer them the way they are."

"Pardon?" I asked in confusion.

"You're not particularly perceptive, are you?" she asked in reply. "Doesn't it seem a bit odd that you've only been visited by female gods?"

"I guess," I frowned, not sure what she was talking about.

"You guess," she snorted, shaking her head. "I don't have the patience for this!"

"For what?" I asked, still just as confused as I was at the start of the conversation.

"Men!" she snapped again. Her eyes were dark and honestly, more than a little frightening. I decided that the smartest thing I could do was shut up and let her talk. Suddenly she was smiling again as she added, "At least you're one of the smarter ones." It was then that I remembered that the gods could read my mind.

"It saves time," she said. "Now stop thinking so hard and listen. I need to be gone. The hunt calls to me."