Lady in Red Ch. 26

"Mike forgave me right after I gave him a big kiss this morning. He pretty much told me the same things Steve said to me. They both remind me of Dad, and now I know that's a good thing," explained Kate. "Mom and I had a talk and she's pretty much forgiven me, but I still have to face Dad when he gets back from golfing.

"Jordan, Gwen, Steve, and Charlie were great last night. Everyone said it was the best prom the school has ever had. My little brain fart shouldn't overshadow the really great time we had."

"I owe an apology to Kate's parents," insisted Mike as Kate finished speaking. "I didn't feel we should ride anywhere with that kid, but I was too worried about making Kate angry to say anything. I wimped out, even after I promised that I'd take good care of her."

"Okay, everybody's sorry. We'll deal with it," interrupted Jordan. "I've been dying to sing a song that Charlie and I have written. We finally have it cleaned up and ready for an audience. Charlie's going to play it on the piano while I sing it. I want honest opinions when I'm done. It's called 'Midnight Light' and it's the first song we've written together."

Charlie sat at the piano and began playing while Jordan stood next to him. When she finished singing, the room was silent and remained that way for almost thirty seconds.

"Jordan! That was beautiful! You'll have a huge hit with it. I can't believe how good that was," exclaimed Gwen. "I'm amazed at your talent."

Everyone else in the room immediately jumped into the conversation. Jordan and Charlie beamed as their song was declared a surefire hit.

"I'm glad that you liked it so much, Gwen. We wrote it for you. We're going to play it for Clyde and see if he'll use it in the movie. It's perfect for your character, and for your beautiful voice."

"You want me to sing it?" asked a stunned Gwen. "You just did such a wonderful job with it. It's your song and you should sing it."

"I'm trying to pay some of my debts. You and Steve have brought me back from the dead, career-wise and almost literally. Look how much you've done for me. There's no debate here. If Clyde likes it and agrees, you'll sing it in the movie. Besides, I have another new one for me," revealed Jordan with a big grin. "Charlie, let's do that one."

Once again Charlie began to play the piano as Jordan sang while standing next to him. The second tune had a faster beat and lyrics that were slightly more in the country and western vein. The results were the same.

"You guys have been hiding your talent from us," insisted Steve as Jordan finished. "That was really, really good. You're a great song writing team."

"I'd like to take credit for 'Half-Hearted' but that was actually written by Shelley Malloy. She gave me a CD Tuesday and asked me to listen to it. We cleaned up a few lyrics a little, but it's her song. Isn't it great?" asked Jordan to the group.

"Do you mean the Shelley Malloy that's in my History class?" wondered Tyler. "She wrote that? I knew she played some instruments, but I never knew she could write music. That was really good."

"This is the kind of stuff that'll drive my sisters crazy," chuckled Mike gleefully. "I'm sitting here listening to Jordan Quick sing two new songs before they're even recorded. I know they'll both be huge hits and I heard them before almost anyone else in the whole world!"

The group insisted that Jordan and Charlie do each of the songs a few more times. They enjoyed them more each time they heard them. They were still discussing the songs when the doorbell rang.

Paula went to answer it. She came back with Amber Stahl, who introduced a young man in his late twenties. "Hi, everyone. This is Dan Soden. He's a writer for 'Rolling Stone Magazine'. He flew in yesterday. He asked me to get him into the prom last night and to introduce him to you three. Dan's doing a story on Gwen and Steve with a fair amount of Jordan tossed in.

"Dan, this is Gwen Anderson, Steve Hammer, and Jordan Quick. That's Gwen's sister Kate and her cousin Stephanie. Kate would you introduce the two young men that I don't know?" requested Amber.

"That's Tyler Smith. He's famous for 'the catch' that won the state football title. He was Stephanie's date last night. This poor guy is Mike Hendricks, from Middletown. He was my date last night. Are you really from Rolling Stone? If you are, you just missed two brand new hit songs being sung by my amazing sister, Jordan Quick."

"Jordan is your sister? That never showed up in my research," worried the writer. "How could I miss that?"

"Just like you missed that Stephanie and I are Steve's sisters. We're all family, Mr. Soden. It's not always by blood, but by choice, and sometimes that's better."

Steve, Jordan, and Gwen were more than willing to go into Ted's home office with Amber and Dan for an interview. They invited Charlie to attend and spent a couple hours answering questions from the reporters.

"Why don't you two come with us tonight to Marsh's Landing?" invited Steve. "Mr. Marsh is throwing a party for a group of us while we watch the first show we recorded for CBC. The show's at nine, but the party starts at seven."

Dan quickly took Steve up on his suggestion. "Thanks! I'm anxious to see the show and your reactions to watching yourselves perform," admitted Dan. "Amber, would you mind attending the party with me?"

"If I must," relented Amber with a big smile. "Gwen and Steve have pretty much made my career and I'm not going to miss this opportunity. I can't wait."

When the interview was over, the group found Kate, Stephanie, Mike, and Tyler playing pool and drinking soda. "Mike asked his folks and they said he could go to the party with us," revealed Kate. "Dad came home and gave me a 'talking to'. I can go, but I'm going to be grounded for a couple weeks after tonight. That's pretty fair considering what a jerk I was."

"I just got a text from my father!" interrupted Tyler as he held up his phone. "Sara and that kid were in an accident this morning. They weren't hurt too bad, but the cops found liquor and some marijuana in the van. Sara's claiming she didn't know he had it with him, but her father is pretty mad."

Kate turned a deep shade of red and ran from the room in tears. "That's your cue, Mike," stated Steve. "Go talk to her and make her feel better. This is no big deal, but she'll think it is. Tell her she has to let you in the room or I'll come up there and break her door down."

Twenty minutes later Kate returned to the game room. Steve was preparing to shoot the cue ball when she took the pool stick from his hands and hugged him tightly.

"Have I ever told you that you're my hero? Thanks for taking care of me, even when I gave you such a hard time. I won't ever question you again."

The party room at Marsh's Landing was filled with friends of Jordan, Gwen, and Steve. Billy's father supplied a buffet meal and soft drinks for everyone. The big screen TV's were all tuned to CBC. The dining area was filled with people wanting to watch the show while dining, as well as get the opportunity to chat with the stars.

Gwen, Jordan, and Steve took time before the show to personally stop and speak to the customers in the dining area. They were repaying Billy's dad, as well as their fans, for their support.

They signed autographs, posed for pictures, and answered questions. Billy's parents beamed with pride that their restaurant was the unofficial headquarters for the most famous citizens of the Spartan Nation. One wall was now almost totally covered in photographs of events involving Steve, Gwen, Jordan. It had become something of a local tourist attraction. Billy and his dad were always looking for opportunities to add to the collection.

Everyone went quiet when the show began. Steve had never seen the final version and was surprised right from the start. He and Gwen started the show with a short comedy routine. They discussed various topics with Steve demonstrating an amazing lack of knowledge on every subject. Steve had to admit to himself that it was quite funny, even if he did come across as a total moron.

The program showcased Gwen and Steve dancing and singing. Then Jordan made her guest appearance. She looked beautiful and her singing was incredible. Then the sequence came up where Steve and Gwen sang 'Endless Love' followed by Steve and Jordan singing 'Just You and I', and finally with the two girls dueling in song with 'Does He Love You'. As the girls finished, the set went dark. The audience at Marsh's Landing applauded long and hard.

At the very end of the show, Steve and Gwen danced to 'The Lady in Red'. As the dance ended, Steve gave Gwen a gentle kiss and then the credits began to roll.

The three stars spent the next hour answering more questions about the program, signing more autographs and posing for even more pictures. Mike asked Paula to take one of him with Kate, Jordan, and Gwen to send to all his buddies. Then Kate took one of him with Steve to send to his sisters.

The next week at school was an experience for the kids. They were treated like stars, but with less awe. Classmates were eager to talk with them and describe their favorite songs and moments of the prom, and the Sunday TV show.

"I was the prom queen, and gave up my virginity, so I'd say I had a pretty good night. Billy admitted that he asked Steve about that thing that makes you scream so loud, and he did it for me," confided Charlotte to Gwen before math class. "I need to thank Steve for that one. Then I repaid the favor to Billy. By the way, I heard you're quite the little cock sucker, yourself!"

Charlotte broke into a hearty laugh when Gwen grinned and arched her eyebrows a couple times. "That isn't entirely true, Charlotte. There's nothing small about Steve's equipment. I guess that makes me a big cock sucker."

"Would you have ever dreamed that we'd be having this conversation?" laughed Charlotte. "We started the year as two nerd virgins, and now we're both cock suckers! It's not something we can put on a resume, but it's true and I'm not denying it, or apologizing for it. Imagine what everyone would say if they knew the valedictorian and salutatorian were so decadent."

"It seems like everyone does know it about me," admitted Gwen. "I was caught off guard by some questions the girls asked in the locker room. So I told a few secrets out of school, even though I actually was in school at the time, if that makes any sense."

"I heard about that. What you may not have heard, but probably suspect, is that every girl in the school is very jealous of you. It's Steve Hammer, for God's sake! What girl wouldn't blow him if she had the chance? It's also pretty obvious that none of the guys are disgusted with Steve for munching the Gwen Anderson carpet. Luckily, Billy seems to be a fast learner. He admires Steve and tries to emulate him. He certainly passed the oral test."

"This is a pretty bad conversation for two former nerds to be having, isn't it? I guess we're okay as long as our parents don't hear the rumors," reasoned Gwen.

"That's another thing! My mom was so cool. I told her that Billy and I were going to spend the night at his parents' lake cabin. She smiled and then sat me down and gave me some motherly advice. I couldn't believe my own mother was telling me a few positions, ways to enjoy sex, and how to please a man!"

"Your mom is the best," agreed Gwen. "My folks are great. They know that Steve and I have sex. Heck, I told the whole world on TV a couple weeks ago. I just hope that they don't hear these rumors about Steve and me enjoying oral sex so much. That would be embarrassing."

Wednesday evening, the senior class, along with Ms. Walker, was invited to a hospital guild dinner/dance. Most of the kids decided to skip the event. They felt it was for older people involved with the hospital. Steve, Gwen, Jordan and several of their friends did attend. Steve and Gwen sat with Jordan, Paula, Ted, Charlotte, Billy and Billy's parents.

Influential members of the community, as well as a large number of hospital staff were in attendance. Ms. Walker was asked to give a brief speech. She did a very good job of telling how the class came to the decision of raising money for the hospital. She also drew a very loud and long applause when she announced that the fund had topped the ten million dollar mark!

Gwen was taken by surprise when she was asked to speak, and as she walked to the dais, she gathered her thoughts. "I didn't plan on speaking and didn't prepare a statement. Let me say that I'm proud of our class, and of Ms. Walker for all we've accomplished. Jordan Quick has been a huge part of our success and I thank her from the bottom of my heart.

"Last year, we were just a school, like hundreds of other schools. Then Steve Hammer came to Sparta. Things started changing fast! He helped win football games and Sparta became the state champion. He dove into the frigid waters of Emerson River and saved those two adorable children. Then he fought and killed five armed suicide bombers and saved hundreds of lives while being badly wounded. He didn't stop there. His talent, courage, and character kept carrying him to greater heights and somehow, I was swept along with him. He's become the national symbol of what America can be, and how young men should conduct themselves. Personally, I believe that he's the reason we've done so well with this project.

"I rode to the hospital in the back of an ambulance with him, twice. The first time he had almost drowned saving those two children. The next time, he suffered two bullet wounds and actually had what should have been a killing shot deflected by a locket on his chest. He came very close to bleeding to death. A third time, I arrived just as he was unloaded from helicopter after enduring a severe beating, a bomb blast, and being stranded for several days in freezing weather. Each and every time, Dr. Laura Masters and the rest of the staff saved him for me, for all of us. You can rest assured that I have total confidence in this hospital and its amazing staff. After all, I keep bringing my boyfriend back!

"I'd also like to ask that when plans are drawn up, and decisions made about how to expand the hospital, every possible consideration be given to children, all children, regardless of social standing, insurance, or anything else. We'll be judged on how we treat our kids, as well we should be judged. Let's do our very best for them!"

Gwen received a thunderous applause as she finished her speech. After it began to die down, the toastmaster asked Steve to say a few words. He stood as Gwen approached the table, gave her a quick kiss and headed toward the microphone.

"Thanks a lot, Gwen! How am I supposed to follow that?" asked Steve as the audience chuckled. "Seriously, few people have as much reason as I do to support the hospital. Gwen has already pointed out that I've been treated a few times and have always received excellent care. The fact that I'm alive is a testament to that fact.

"I do dispute the suggestion that I made this fund drive a success. I came to Sparta alone and depressed. My parents had died and the only living relative I knew I had was kind enough to take me in. I thank Uncle Joe every chance I get for taking me under his roof.

"Then I went to the local mall one day to look for some school clothes. I saw Gwen Anderson, and fell in love with her at first sight. I finally worked up the courage to speak to her.

"She gave me purpose for my life. At first, it was just trying to get her to go out with me at least one time. It wasn't easy! I had to make a wager that if our football team won, she would go to a dance with me. I wanted that win that game even more than the state championship. It meant so much more to me.

"I loved my parents and they were good ones, or at least I think they were. But I was an only child, born to parents I believed had no siblings. Gwen's family welcomed me into their home. I fell in love with her, and her family. I had the opportunity to watch a hard working, honest man do his best to raise his kids. I saw a mother love her daughters and guide them to become intelligent, beautiful, accomplished women. I saw the women in Ted's life tease, and even torment him at times, but always with love and respect. I saw a real American family and hope to have my own someday. The Anderson Family will be my guide on how I want my family to be raised. Ted Anderson will be my role model as a husband and father. I know of no greater honor.

"I'm pretty sure that Jordan Quick will have nearly the same story. She was a bit of a problem child when she arrived in Sparta to live with the Andersons. They could have easily denied her the opportunity out of fear that their daughters would absorb some of Jordan's less desirable traits. But they accepted her, loved her, and made her a family member. Now she's much more than a beautiful and talented performer. She's honest, sincere, generous, and kind. The Andersons and I have come to love her dearly.

"I never told anyone this. When I dove into that river to look for those kids, I was thinking about Gwen. I feared that anything less than my very best effort for those children would cause her to think less of me. The morning I picked up the two handguns from the dead terrorist, I was unsure how to proceed. When I heard the shooting, all I could think about was Gwen in danger, possibly hurt, or even worse. That thought was all it took for me to enter that gym and engage those armed men.

"In short, it seems like everything I do now is driven by my desire for Gwen and her family to be safe, and to respect me as a man, and a family member. Their trust and faith in me has been the fuel that drives me. Gwen is the force behind me, as well as behind the fund drive. Her little disclaimer was sincere, but way off the mark. She's the most amazing woman I've ever known. She's the reason this drive has been so successful. She's utilized her beauty, brains, and talent to drive this endeavor to where it is today."

The audience clapped and cheered as Steve returned to his seat. Gwen stood and met him with a resounding kiss and a huge smile, even as she wiped away tears that rolled down her cheeks.

"I am always surprised at how strongly you feel about me and my family! Mom's crying like a baby and Dad had to blow his nose a couple times. You loved me at first sight? God, how I love you!" exclaimed Gwen as she wrapped her arms around Steve even tighter and kissed him long and hard as the applause continued.

When the din finally let up, Laura Masters was asked to speak. "I've never been a real good public speaker, but I don't think anyone could follow the speeches of those two kids very well. They just showed us why this fund drive is an incredible success. I've never met anyone even remotely like these two. I treated Steve three times after he came close to death while helping others. Gwen's jumped into a freezing water, disconnected live bombs, applied first aid to save Steve's life at least twice, and donated all proceeds from the clothing line that carries 'The Lady in Red' name, her TV show, and the movie she's about to star in. She's beautiful, voluptuous, strong, and extremely intelligent.

"Steve is, without doubt, the closest thing I've ever seen to a perfect male specimen. He combines strength, coordination, and rugged good looks with intelligence, empathy, courage, and honesty. In short, he's the whole package. As impressive as either of these kids is by themselves, when they are together, the results are absolutely phenomenal. We've had a front row seat as they expand and grow at an exponential rate. The Spartan Nation, as it's now known, is the home of the single most impressive couple this state has ever seen, and they're just getting started!"