Nickwen Street

"Guess they're as surprised as we are at how you clean up," Nick said to Mary.

"They're applauding for you, you dope!" Mary rejoined.

"Yeah, I know," Nick admitted. "Just trying to be modest."

"Some things never change," said George. He, Miles and Stan were right behind them, dressed to varying degrees of success as Cinderella's mice.

"Wonder if Polly'll eat her heart out when she sees you two?" Miles said.

"Oh, we're not..." Nick had been walking arm in arm with Mary, but now he drew back from her. "I mean, it's just a costume."

"Unh!" Mary looked furious.

"Aw, come on, Mary," Stan said. "You know we're all just pals and you know who he has eyes for!"

"Just pals," Mary repeated. She gave Nick a hard look, looking for some hint that he had told the guys what they'd done the other night. Nick, to his credit, understood and shook his head furtively.

Mary was mollified, but still hurt. "I intend to have a lovely time tonight, but we need to talk, Nick."

All at once, Nick was his old self. "Yeah, of course," he said. "Sure, we can talk, I mean, if you want..."

"Oh, now look what you did!" Miles said. "You don't want him to forget how to play, do you?"

"I haven't forgotten anything!" Nick said, though in truth he felt his confidence giving way to the horror he'd been keeping at bay all week.

"Why don't you give us an early treat, then?" called out one of the guys from the thick of the small but growing crowd.

Nick looked around to see everyone but Mary looking hopefully at him. The current record ended, and no one moved to put another one on. He grinned and resolved to forget about his friend for the moment. "Yeah, all right," he said, and to joyous applause he took a seat at the piano.

The lounge was rocking hard when Polly and Maggie arrived a bit thereafter. "Looks like he started early," Polly said. "We won't get anywhere near the piano now."

"Oh, I think you could get us there," Maggie said.

"What do you mean?" Polly asked.

But it was too noisy for Maggie to hear. Or maybe she just didn't want to answer Polly. Either way, they were both swept up in the music, even from the far side of the room. As they danced and clapped, Polly got a hint as to what her friend had meant, for the star of the show looked up from the piano to scan the crowd, and his eyes locked on hers. Polly smiled back at him -- who knew the quiet little boy from French class had such a hidden talent!

Nick grinned and kept his gaze on Polly. If her costume wasn't as sexy as he'd always imagined, she also didn't have Ronnie on her arm. The time was now or never. Nick looked back down at the keys and pumped harder and faster than ever. He played until his fingers were sore and he feared he might just start a riot in the enthralled audience. With a final flourish - BAM - it was over.

"Thank you!" he said to the thunderous applause. As he stood up, he welcomed the pats on his arms and his back, and wasn't all that surprised when the crowd parted to let him through as he stepped up to Polly.

Polly was as surprised as she was flattered when she realized he was coming to her. Putting on her most diplomatic smile, she said, "Frankie, that was marvellous!"

"It's Nick, but thank you," he said. Vaguely aware that the cheers had died down, he gazed into her eyes. "And I've always thought you were pretty marvellous, too." He leaned in to kiss her.

Nick was equally aware of two things at once. One, a whoop of surprise from his fans and friends behind him as they realized what he was up to, brought even greater joy.

The other brought his joy to a fast end. Polly leaned back and pushed him away. "Excuse me?" she snapped. "Don't you know who I am?"

"Of course I do!" Nick said. "You're Polly Johnson!"

"Exactly!" Polly retorted. "What makes you think Polly Johnson would bother with a drip like you, just because you can play some rock and roll on the piano?"

"A what?" Nick was stunned. "A drip? I'm a drip, to you? Don't you know what I gave up for you?"

"Everyone knows that now, you jerk," declared Mary. "Enjoy the rest of your party." She pushed and shoved her way through the crowd to the lounge door.

"Mary, wait!" All at once, Nick saw everything. He didn't give Polly the satisfaction of returning her haughty look as he went after his friend. "You don't understand, Mary! Remember that night last weekend?"

"Leave me alone!" Mary said over her shoulder from the doorway, where she turned to run down the hall. Nick, standing dejectedly in the doorway a moment after her, opted to follow her order. But just as he was about to turn back inside and accept that his awful bargain had been in vain, he saw an arm reach out and grab Mary's shoulder.

"Well, lookie lookie here!" came a male voice that easily drowned out Mary's shriek before he clamped his other hand over her mouth. It was Ronnie. He was drunk, but Mary's wriggling was no match for his grip nevertheless.

"Ronnie?" Polly had heard his jeering, and rushed up behind Nick. "Ronnie, you leave that girl alone!"

"Your new boyfriend's best friend?" Ronnie said. "No, I don't think I'll be leaving her be."

"She said no, you asshole!" Nick stepped purposely toward his nemesis, still doing his best to ignore Polly.

"I'd watch what you call me if I were you," Ronnie said. He tightened his grip on Mary's mouth and Nick could only just hear her wincing in pain behind his hand.

"Ronnie, stop!" Polly came after Nick. "You're better than this."

"Am I?" Ronnie taunted, as two of his buddies stepped up to block Nick and Polly's way. "Polly, get lost, this is men's business. Nick, I'll see you outside if you're not too big a wimp."

Nick tried to fight his way through the blockade and Polly did her best to squeeze around them while they were focused on Nick, but neither of them could get past Ronnie's friends. When they all heard the outside door at the end of the hall swing shut, they stood aside for Nick. "Have fun gettin' your ass handed to you, pal," one of them said with a smug grin. Nick ignored him.

They tried to block Polly again, but she wasn't to be deterred, and stepped on the nearer man's feet with her work boot. While he was hopping back in pain and surprise, she slipped by the other guy and caught up with Nick. "I'm so sorry, Nick!" she said. "I never imagined Ronnie would pull something like this!"

Nick ignored her.

Outside, Ronnie was nowhere to be seen. Figuring he must have taken Mary behind the dorms, Nick rushed around behind the building. There he found Ronnie, pinning Mary against a parked car on the side of the road, one hand still clamped over her mouth.

"Let her go!" Nick rushed at Ronnie, but promptly found himself on the wrong end of a kick in the torso that knocked him windless on the grass.

"Ronnie, please!" Polly crouched down to help Nick to his feet, but Nick shrugged her off and got up on his own. "Look, whatever you want to do to me..." she said.

Ronnie laughed. "You think I want people saying I violated Polly the Pure? Besides, Nick just showed what he thinks of you. No, ma'am, I want to hurt him!"

"You can't hurt me any more than I already hurt myself tonight!" Nick griped. "I already hurt her, and I gave up something I can never get back, all for nothing." He tore off his costume cape and rolled his sleeves up. "You want to beat the tar out of me, have at. But leave Mary alone."

"You think I'll let that stop me?" He yanked Mary's dress up and clawed at her, drawing howls of pain and humiliation that were all drowned out with his iron grip over her mouth.

With Ronnie's hand busy where it didn't belong, Nick saw his chance. He leapt at Ronnie and, though he was no match for the quarterback, he managed to get his hand off Mary's mouth. She let out a bloodcurdling scream that couldn't be missed by anyone who might be out and about on the block.

Ronnie knew it, too. "Shut up, you bitch!" He wriggled Nick off his back and then lunged at Mary. With Polly standing beside them and trying in vain to get Ronnie under control, Mary's only path of escape was between the cars. Blind with fear and disgust, she didn't see the car coming.

Nick, who'd landed beside the parked car, did see the fast-approaching headlights. "Mary, look out!"

Mary came to a standstill, bewildered and still focused only on Ronnie, who had kicked Polly away and was once again coming after her. She showed no sign of awareness of the car bearing down from behind her.

Nick had a split-second to act, and nothing to live for. Right, he thought, if I'm damned, at least I can go a hero. He leapt to his feet and shoved Mary out of the way with every ounce of strength he had left. The car missed her by inches, and Nick caught the impact full force.

"Ronnie got expelled, Polly married a banker somewhere, and Mary graduated and had just the life you think she had," Cameron said. "And they named the street after Nick. I guess it used to be called just High Street or something like that. They say every Halloween, if you're listening very closely, you can hear some wild piano playing off in the distance!"

"Well, that was...detailed," Clara said, her face as red as Robbie had ever seen it.

"You had me until you got to the guy in the trench coat," Sam said. "Fun story, though."

"It's all true, I'm telling you!" Cameron insisted.

"I believe it," Sandra said. "It'd be just like Claxton to give the white male all the credit. It's Mary who risked her life, and they probably just called her a slut and left it at that."

"Sandra, come on!" Martin said. "It's only a story, and it's no time for politics. Who's ready to head to Poirier?"

A chorus of "Me"s later, Sandra turned back into her room and slammed the door in disgust. Most of the others headed for the stairway, but Robbie stayed put.

Patty, the last of the gang out the door, turned to see Robbie still looking lost in thought. "You coming to the party, Robbie?" she asked.

"I haven't got a real costume," Robbie said.

"Oh, so what!" She came over and hugged Robbie. "Don't you take it all too seriously too, come on!"

"Well, I would like to dance with you in that getup," Robbie admitted.

Patty laughed. "That's the spirit! Come on!" She offered him her arm and he hooked his hand through it. "Just don't dump me for the prettiest gal at the party."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll be her." Even Robbie had to burst into laughter at how trite he sounded.

Patty laughed too, but she also added, "Thank you, Rob. By the way, do you know who Nicholas Wendover really was?"

"Yeah," Robbie said. "A Civil War hero. The street was already named after him in the fifties. I've seen pictures. But I wanted to see what Cameron would come up with."

"I'm glad you did," Patty said. "It was quite a story, wasn't it?"

"You can say that again." At the bottom of the stairs, Robbie held the outside door open for Patty, and she stepped out into the night.

Robbie stepped out after her, but they'd only taken three steps together before he stopped in his tracks. "Wait," he said. "Do you hear that?"

"The music from Poirier?" Patty said. "Sure." It was only two blocks.

"No, I hear that," Robbie said. "But there's something coming from the other way." He held his hand up to his ear. "Listen."

Patty did listen. Then she gaped at Robbie, and wasn't surprised to find his eyes were as wide as hers.

From somewhere, out in the night, they could both hear faint strains of boogie-woogie piano.