Rhoda Grows Up

Rhonda Grows Up

This is a stand alone story with no ties to any of my other stories. I hope you enjoy it. As usual I ask you to please vote and leave comments. Thanks for reading and I hope you and yours are all safe.

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Here I am walking home in the dark, again. By myself, still. Quite possibly, forever. Way to go Rhoda she thought to herself, nice way to cheer yourself up.

She actually had nothing to bitch about today. It had gone well from the start. Her mom had a fruit smoothie waiting for her at breakfast. Her brother was running early so offered to drop her at school on his way to work. School was good, she had gotten an A on her algebra test and a B+ on a history quiz. Lunch was great in the fact that she had a table to herself and no one harassed her.

Her after school gymnastics practice had gone very well. Her new balance beam routine was coming along and it was going to be great. She had worked out long enough that she was the last one there. That meant no one left to tease her about her body in the shower. And that was probably the best thing that had happened to her today. For a gymnast she had an almost perfect body, an even five feet and 100 pounds. For a senior in high school it was a disaster.

Especially for a 19 year old senior. Her birthday was September 1, which would have made her one of the oldest in her class. But when she was 14 she got mono. No biggie, most teens get it, but she had complications, she got splenomegaly, which meant her spleen was twice the size it was supposed to be. She couldn't go to school and even had to be careful at home, a bump or a fall could have ruptured her spleen. Between the mono and the liver she missed four months of school and had to repeat eighth grade.

Another complication was that she had quit growing. The doctors weren't sure why but that was the only thing they could think of to explain it. They had talked about HGH treatments but her coach and her advisor for the National Gymnastics Team thought it might change her body so much she would not be competitive. They left it up to her of course, but what gym rat doesn't dream of the Olympics?

In the end she had just missed making the team. She was disappointed but had been State champion last year and probably would be again this year. She already had offers from some of the so called gymnastic colleges.

So another late practice explained walking home alone. Schoolwork, practice and competitions didn't leave much time for a social life so that explained being alone in that regard also. She would have liked a close friend but felt awkward around most people. They were all so tall and well, meaty. Big tall folks that didn't seem to even notice she was down there. It was pretty intimidating except for at the gym.

She would have also liked a boyfriend. She had gone out with a few boys in junior high. School dances and other school activities mostly. She had kissed a couple of the boys and one had even tried to feel her boobs but he had given up after he couldn't find them through her thick sweater. But when everyone else had kept growing and she had not she stopped getting asked out. She wasn't sure why, but it added to the feeling of not being noticed by the tall people.

She finally reached her house and let herself in. She plopped her backpack on the kitchen table and pulled out her homework. Her mom heard her and came in from the den.

"Hey Rho," she said giving her a hug, "how was your day? How was practice?"

Rho, she thought to herself. A short nickname for a short person. It actually was fitting, rho was a letter in the Greek alphabet. It also stood for 100, another fitting description. And Rho was better than her brother's name for her of Pix, for pixie.

"Actually both were pretty good. Balance beam is coming along," she replied. She went to the drawer for utensils as her mom pulled a plate of meatloaf, green beans and mashed potatoes she had been keeping warm for her from the oven.

"Thanks mom, where are the males this evening?" she asked.

"They are over at Ed's garage putting the finishing touches on the Homecoming float," her mom explained.

Her dad was a foreman at the local window and door plant and even though her brother was nearly 21 he still had the old school spirit, they had been bonding over the annual football Homecoming float for about 8 years now.

"Homecoming is this Friday, you going?" her mom asked.

Rho nodded, "Yep, command performance, all the athletes in school have to attend the big game. School spirit, show of force, united we can't lose, God bless America."

Her mom shook her head and smiled, "I think it's a good thing. You'll have fun."

"Oh yeah, standing on the sidelines freezing and trying to look interested, so much fun I can hardly stand it," was Rho's sarcastic response.

Friday night rolled around and Rho debated on what to wear. It was going to be 50 degrees by game time. Way to cold to stand outside in her team warm up pants and jacket. Her usual wardrobe consisted of thick leggings with a skirt or shorts and over sized thick heavy cardigan sweaters. She thought about it and decided that two pair of leggings and sweat pants with the school name on them along with her letter jacket over a sweater would keep her warm enough. A school stocking cap and her normal thick rimmed glasses and she was set.

Her mom was forever trying to get her to wear her contacts saying, you have such beautiful blue eyes, but they were such a pain to use. The only time she wore her contacts was for competing. Of course no guys that were boyfriend material went to gym meets, so no one that mattered ever saw her eyes.

She met up with her teammates in the Food Lion parking lot. They found their place in the parade lineup and walked the route waving and throwing candy to the kids. They made it to the football field and took their place on the sideline at about the twenty yard line. The home team had a pretty easy time of it and by the start of the fourth quarter were ahead 28--6.

Rho and the people around her were not really paying attention to the game anymore. The Booster Club ladies had come by with food and hot cocoa so they were concentrating on that instead of the game. Rho had turned from the field and was passing her empty cup to Maria Henderson when Maria's eyes got huge.

Suddenly something smacked into Rhoda hard, she found her body was being picked up and carried off the sidelines. She was wondering what had happened when the arms around her set her on the ground and turned her around.

"You alright little girl, I didn't break nothing did I?" asked a very concerned voice.

Her glasses had gone flying when she got hit and she was a little dazed. She looked up at the voice talking to her and found herself tilting her back as far as it would go. The face looking down at her seemed a long way away.

Then the face was smiling at her and saying, "Why you're not a little girl at all are ya, yer just kinda petite. Are you OK darlin'?" he asked again.

Maria was there then handing her her glasses. She put them on and the person talking to her came into focus. He was a football player, well of course he is her muddled brain told her. But she was still confused as to why he hit her. Just then an EMT came up to them.

"It's OK Grant, I've got her," he reassured the player.

"I'm really sorry for hitting you like that," he said turning toward the field. Then he stopped and turned back, "What's your name honey?"

"Rho," she answered.

"Row," he asked puzzled, "like row your boat?"

"No you idiot," she said, "short for Rhoda."

The player winked at her and trotted back onto the field. Rho turned to the EMT and asked him if he had seen what had happened.

"Sure did," he nodded, "Grant, Grant Anderson, the guy that hit you had just caught a pass and the safety knocked him out of bounds. Grant just had time to drop the ball and grab you and carry you with him or he would have creamed you. He saved you from getting seriously injured."

Rho thought that over and frowned, "Why is he so big?"

The EMT laughed and said, "Most tight ends are built like him only smaller. He's bigger, and better, than most. He's 6-4 and goes 240." Then he shined a light in her eyes and checked her for concussion. By the time he was finished her dad and brother were there. The EMT assured them she was fine.

Her brother grinned and said, "Hey Pix, Grant carried you as easily as he does a football." Her dad said that was enough of that and led her to his truck.

She went to bed as soon as they got home. Other than a bruise on her arm and a big one on her back she was none the worse for wear. She took it easy and was fine by Monday.

She got to her locker and the football player was there leaning on the wall. He gave her a huge smile and then just stood there looking like he wanted to say something but didn't know how to start.

Rho decided she'd start, "What do you want, why are you by my locker?"

"I-I um, just wanted to make sure you were OK, that I didn't damage you permanently," he said taken aback.

"I hurt myself worse than that every week in practice," she said.

"Well I just wanted to make sure, I'll leave you alone now," he nodded and started walking away. He got about twenty feet down the hall then turned and said, "You're really pretty, why haven't I ever seen you before?" then turned and kept walking.

Rho just stood there with her mouth open. A couple of people were smiling at her and a few were chuckling. Red faced she grabbed her books and headed for class. At lunch she searched around the cafeteria until she spotted him, naturally, at the football jock's table.

She walked up to him and tapped him on the shoulder, when he turned they were at eye level. "The reason you have never noticed me is because you never look down. What I was wondering was why I had never noticed a big ox like you stumbling around school," with that she turned and went to the food line. She could hear the other players giving him a hard time and laughing. Served him right for embarrassing her like that she thought.

She didn't have a very good practice that afternoon. She couldn't concentrate thinking about the football guy. Coach finally told her to go home before she hurt herself. Rhoda left without showering, she hadn't worked up much of a sweat. She had just hit the street and turned for home when she heard a horn behind her. She looked and there he was, of course in a F250 with a two inch lift kit.

He had the passenger window down and yelled, "Hop in, I'll give you a ride."

Rho just shook her head and started walking again. He followed her for half a block then shot ahead and pulled over. He jumped out and came around the truck and stood in the middle of the sidewalk. When she got up to him he just said, "Please?"

"Why," Rho asked, "why are you harassing me like this football player?"

He smiled and said, "First of all, my name is Grant, it means tall. Second of all, I'm not harassing you or stalking you, I just want to talk to you."

Rhoda replied, "Waiting for me outside school and following me is the definition of stalking you idiot. And why would you want to talk to me?"

"Well," he said, "isn't that what people do, they talk to each other to see if they like each other?"

"That's just ridiculous," Rhoda exclaimed, "look at us, how could we like each other. You're like a foot and a half taller than me."

"Well we might be a little different in size but I think if we talked some you'd find we're quite a bit alike really."

"Alike," Rhoda said incredulously, "how in the world could you ever think that? You have taken way to many hits to the head."

"Maybe so, but if you get in and let me take you for a soda I think I can convince you. What have you got to lose?"

"Besides my life you mean?" she asked, then added, "Why do you even care?"

Very seriously he replied, "Because you are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life."

Rhoda started to get mad, how dare he tease her and make fun of her. Then she looked at his face. There was no teasing look, no smirk, just a young man looking sincere and hopeful.

She turned toward his truck and said, "How do you expect me to get in that thing anyway?"

He rushed to the door and threw it open. He picked her up and before she could react deposited her on the seat.

"I've got a fold down two step ladder that I haven't had a need to install. I'll have it on the next time I pick you up."

"You seem awfully sure there is going to be a next time," Rhoda said.

"Course there's gonna be a next time, how could you not fall for my boyish charm."

Instead of taking her to a Starbuck's or McDonald's her took her to a large diner downtown. It had been a family favorite when she was a kid. It had been closed for a few years and she hadn't even known it had reopened. He parked in the back and rushed around to her door. He scooped her up and gently set her down. They walked to what she thought was the back door. Instead they found themselves in the kitchen.

An older man and two young men were running around the kitchen cooking and carrying things. Grant took her arm and told her to be careful, the floor was greasy and very slippery. The older man saw him and picked up a potato and threw it at them. Grant caught it easily then threw it back. Laughing he said,"Hey pop, what's up?" the man just shrugged and pointed out the door toward the busy seating area.

He guided her out of the kitchen and over to a booth. He asked her what she wanted and soon returned with two diet coke's. A woman came over that could only be his mother, they looked so much alike it was scary.

She smiled at Rhoda and holding out her hand said, "I see his stalking mission was a success. I'm Trudy."

Rhoda liked this woman instantly. She smiled and said, "More like a kidnapping. I tried to warn him my folks wouldn't pay to get me back."

Trudy laughed delightedly and punching her son's arm said, "Kiddo, I believe you have finally found your match," she turned to Rhoda and said, "no offense but it appears you have the same strange sense of humor our family has."

Rhoda replied, "I am not really known for my sense of humor. Your son seems to have some way of making me, I don't know, um, want to abuse him, maybe?"

That got another laugh as she turned to her son and told him he was doomed. She left them to wait on another table.

"Your family seems nice. How long have they owned this place?"

"My pop was a cook here when the Robertson's had it. When my brother got his signing money he bought it for them. I work here on weekends and during the off season."

"What signing bonus? You mean like a pro something?"

Grant laughed, "Yeah kinda like a pro. My brother is Harlan Anderson."

"Oh my god, I never made the connection. I know nothing about football but even I have heard of Hardhead Harlan. He is going to be one of the greatest linebackers to ever play football. I'm impressed."

"Don't be," he laughed, "I can cook and that man can't cook for beans."

Rhoda laughed and said, "OK, famous brother, family from here, why have I never seen you before?"

"Well," he said seriously, "until four years ago I was one grade behind you. Our class has 1100 students. You take gymnastics as seriously as I take football. I mean we both work at them year round. You don't have many friends and neither do I. Neither of us do anything to draw attention to ourselves. it's easy for people not to notice us."

"Wait a minute," Rhoda stopped him, "first of all, how do you know so much about me? Second, it's easy for me to disappear in a crowd, you are a crowd."

"Well, I looked in last year's yearbook and saw your picture with Kyle Baker at Snow Ball last year. I know him a little so I asked him about you."

"Kyle is a good guy, we've been neighbors since we were really little. We're buddy's and that's all we ever will be. Going to that dance together was the only way either of us would have gone. Boy is he going to get an earful tonight. Who doe's he think he is telling you private stuff about me," she fumed.

"What he is is a good guy that wants you to be happy. When I told him I liked you he opened up and was singing your praises nonstop. I finally had to threaten him to make him stop. He even confessed that the reason he wasn't with you was because he's gay. I think that was probably the first time he ever said that out loud. It took guts to admit that to a guy twice his size, don't be too hard on him."

"Wow, he actually said it out loud? Good for him, maybe now he can tell his folks and get on with living the life he deserves," Rhoda said.

"It's actually not that hard for a guy my size to disappear. The secret is to move slow, not wear flashy clothes, smile so you aren't a threat, just try to blend in. Keep your head down, don't make eye contact. If people don't notice you they don't call you a freak. People don't know how to handle guys my size, they don't know what to say, or how to act. If I want to be left alone most folks are happy to do it. The only people I am comfortable with are teammates."

"Holy shit," Rhoda said softly, "that is basically how I try to get by. When I complained to my brother one time about people trying to not see me he said it was because I intimidated most people. I told him he was full of it but listening to you that makes sense. Gymnasts are the only people that don't look at me like I'm a freak. It's even hard with them. The ones that aren't lesbians assume I am one and the lesbians think I'm straight. I can't seem to make any friends."

"I think your size adds to your beauty. It makes you unique. If you were six inches taller you would still be beautiful. The thing is, there are a lot of beautiful 5' 6" girls, none of them stand out. I mean look at the cheerleaders. They are all blond, same body shape, the same ability, the same intelligence -- or lack thereof, they even sound alike. They are completely interchangeable with one another."

"How can you even compare me to a cheerleader. Look at their thin legs, they have boobs, they don't wear glasses," she grabbed a handful of her hair, "they don't have hair the color of dishwater. Everyone likes them, they get dates, they're popular."

"Let's look at all of those attributes one by one. They have skinny legs, from the way you fill out those leggings you have well developed muscles. I know for a fact two of the cheerleaders have had boob jobs. The others spend a lot of money on bras that make them look bigger. Gina, Debbie and Shawna all wear contacts. Billie Jo refuses to do either and walks into walls. There is only one of them that does not dye their hair. And spend time and a lot of money trying to keep it looking natural. The reason everyone likes them, dates them and they are popular is they have the morals of alley cats. Most guys think they want a girl that's easy. To bring this lecture to a close I will reiterate, you are beautiful, they want to be, but fall short of true beauty."

"What you say does have merit. I just realized another way you blend in. You are very intelligent, very articulate, you have good grammar. You put on that down home aw shucks accent to further lull people don't you?" she said admiringly.

"Well shoot ma'am ya done figgered it out," he drawled, "I guess the jig is up ain't it."

"Oh my god," Rhoda laughed, "let me go get my boots on, it's getting deep in here. Question, you're a good looking guy, I can't believe one of those slutty cheerleaders hasn't tried you just out of curiosity. I mean you are in proportion. I mean to say none of your body parts got short changed did they?"

"Oh a couple have them have tried to get me in bed but I'm not willing to be someone's pet guinea pig. Sex should mean something more than that. And yes, I am proportioned correctly. So I'm curious about you. Are you proportioned correctly? What's it like to be able to curl up in a chair and read a book? Where do you go clothes shopping? Do you sleep in like a twin bed?"