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Chapter 3
September, 1998
"This is the
Tropical Storm 1998 Wrap-up from the Weather Channel…
"By about ten
p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19, 1998, minimal Tropical Storm Hermine,
with top winds of forty-five miles per hour, passed over Cocodrie,
LA about seventy miles southwest of New Orleans. It drifted north-northeast
with wind gusts of forty miles per hour, passing within fifty
miles of New Orleans. The National Hurricane Center in Miami
downgraded Hermine to a tropical depression the next morning
as the disorganized center spun farther from the warm, nurturing
waters of the Gulf of Mexico…"
~*~*~
The AP, Sept. 26
- NEW ORLEANS - The Tulane Green Wave won its home opener in
the Superdome tonight, defeating Navy 42 to 24. It was a costly
victory, as senior starting quarterback Shaun King broke his
hand during the game. The Green Wave is now 3-0 for the season,
after beating Cincinnati 52-34 and SMU 31-21 on the road. Only
19,000 were in attendance, as a hurricane neared the Gulf coast…
~*~*~
"Welcome back
to Tropical Storm 1998 Wrap-up from the Weather Channel…
"On September
21, Hurricane Georges began ravishing the Caribbean, killing
over six hundred, before sweeping over the Florida Keys and entering
the Gulf of Mexico. Georges made final landfall as a Category
2 storm, with winds of 105 miles per hour and a storm surge of
ten feet, near Biloxi, MS on September 28. In New Orleans, 14,000
took shelter in the Superdome. About one million people lost
power on the Gulf Coast…"
~*~*~
October, 1998
Emma could feel
the excitement as she walked into her drafting class. Tommy Bertram
waved her over.
"Em, we gotta
a model posing today, right?"
Emma smiled at her
classmate. Tommy, like many of the non-art major guys who had
signed up for the class, was interested in only one thing: models.
Nude models. "That's right, Tom."
"Righteous!"
Tom turned to his fellows, all high-fiving.
Emma made her way
to her table, setting out her charcoal and paper, shaking her
head. The instructor entered only a moment later.
"Class,"
the instructor said, "today we will be doing quick studies
of the human form. As I mentioned last class, we will be using
charcoal. I am not looking for any detail work. Instead, I want
you the see the lines and curves, the light and the shadow."
"Yeah,"
Emma heard Tom whisper with glee.
"Be quick!
Dash off what you see in as few lines as possible. I expect at
least a dozen… Oh, here is our model now."
The class turned.
A slim young man wearing a terry cloth robe came into the classroom
from a back door. His graceful manner of movement gave Emma the
impression that he could be a dancer of some kind, perhaps ballet.
A couple of groans could be heard. Emma glanced around, but the
sounds ceased.
Unperturbed, the
model climbed up on a low platform in the middle of the room.
The students surrounded the platform.
"All right,
no talking," the instructor demanded. "You have one
hour. Begin."
With that the young
man's robe hit the floor. He was, of course, nude.
"Aw, shit!"
mumbled Tommy. This was not his idea of a nude model.
Emma grinned and
got down to work.
~*~*~
"Excellent
presentation, Mr. Darcy. Your team's presentation was a first-rate
job."
William and the
other members of his project team thanked the management professor
and took their seats. The professor glanced at the wall clock.
"No time for
any more presentations today. The remaining teams will give their
presentations Friday. That is all. Dismissed."
William spent a
few minutes talking to his teammates and some of the other members
of the class. One of them asked how William's team came up with
their plan of dealing with the hypothetical hostile takeover
case study that was the assignment for the class. As the other
student's team had already given their presentation, William
walked out with him, outlining his team's thought process.
The two men strolled
thought the high-tech corridors of Goldring/Woldenberg Hall,
the home of the A.B. Freeman School - the graduate and undergraduate
business programs at Tulane University. They were descending
the stairs when William heard his name called out. Turning around,
he saw John Waguespack waving at him. William frowned.
John caught up with
them. "You got a minute, Will?"
William turned to
his companion. "Thanks for the insight, Will," said
the other man. "Wish you'd had been on our team."
"It wasn't
just me. It was a team effort," Will insisted.
His fellow MBA candidate
grinned. "Yeah… well, somebody got it out of 'em. Good
job. See ya." He waved at Will and John and continued down
the stairs.
William turned to
the undergraduate. "What's up, John?"
"I need your
help, bro," John said. "I'm taking Intermediate Accounting.
It's a real bitch."
"Yeah, I remember,"
William said, not comfortable with being referred to as John's
fraternity brother, even though it was true. "What can I
do?"
"It's the professor
- that Arab."
"Dr. Solomon
is not an Arab - he's Egyptian-American, and he's damned good."
"Yeah, maybe,
but I can't understand half of what he says!"
William nodded.
"His accent does take some getting used to. Hang in there,
you'll catch on. And everything he teaches is right in the textbook.
What's the problem?"
"I'm a little
behind, and there's this test on Friday."
"Talk to Dr.
Solomon."
John laughed. "I'd
rather go walkin' through the Iberville Housing Project wearing
a KKK shirt. C'mon, dude, cut me some slack. You took him; you've
got some of his old tests, right?"
William did, but
he wouldn't admit it. He sighed. "I think some of his stuff's
in the house's test files. Go check there. I think Henry's in
charge of it."
"Henry's pissed
at me."
"What did you
do now?"
"I blew off
the Active Work Day last weekend - me and Tommy. Henry was in
charge."
William shook his
head. "Stupid, John."
"Yeah, I know.
Can you help me out?"
William didn't want
to save Waguespack's bacon, but the guy was a fraternity brother.
"Go talk to Chuck. He'll smooth things over. You'll have
to make up the work day, though."
John grinned. "Yeah,
I know. You'll give Chuck a call? Tell him I'm coming?"
Shit. I walked
right into that one.
"Yeah, no problem."
John slapped the
other man on the shoulder. "Thanks, bro! Catch you later!"
John ran back up the stairs.
William watched
him go before checking his watch. He had several hours before
his next class. Sighing, he pulled his cell phone and dialed
Chuck's number. I'm gonna need a Camellia Grill pecan waffle
after this one, he thought as Chuck answered. "Chuck?
Will. Listen buddy, John Waguespack's in a jam…"
~*~*~
William caught the
streetcar right in front of the school on St. Charles and rode
upriver to the Riverbend neighborhood, where St. Charles and
Carrolton intersected. Jumping off, he was right in front of
a little white clapboard lunch counter named The Camellia Grill.
Crossing the street, he entered the light pink and white walled
diner to find only one stool open at the double-U shaped counter.
Easing down he glanced at his neighbor.
"Lizzy Boudreaux?"
Lizzy turned towards
him. "Will Darcy!"
Will gave her a
short laugh. "Small world. How's things at Loyola?"
"Good, good.
And you? You're at… err… business school, right?"
"Yeah."
Before he could say anything else, a tall black waiter in a white
jacket on the inside of the counter placed a menu and receipt
ticket in front of him.
"Get 'cha somethin'
ta drink?" he asked Will as he filled a water glass.
"Don't need
the menu. Pecan waffle and a Coke."
"Right, my
man," the waiter said as he wrote the order on the ticket.
"Coke comin' up." He turned to Lizzy. "Food's
almost done. Refill the coffee?"
"Yes, please,"
she said.
The waiter turned
to get the coffee pot and yelled Will's order to one of the two
line cooks at the flat grills along the back wall. The cook poured
some batter into one of the waffle machines as he kept an eye
on three hamburgers and a Western omelet on his grill. The waiter
refilled Lizzy's coffee and placed a glass of cola before Will.
In a bit of showmanship the Camellia Grill was known for, the
waiter extracted a paper-covered straw from a bowl behind the
counter and, with a twist of his fingers, presented the straw
to Will, half of the paper wrapper suddenly missing. It was a
performance regulars had been enjoying for generations, but it
tickled the young children and tourists. Will pulled the straw
out of the wrapper, which remained in the waiter's hand, and
placed it in his drink. The waiter nodded, disposed of the wrapper
and moved on to his other customers.
Having nothing else
to say, Lizzy ventured, "You often get the waffle?"
"Yeah, sometimes
I get it for desert," Will admitted. "But I like the
burgers, too."
"Yeah, cheeseburger's
great."
"Good fries,
too. Not as good as Fat Harry's, though, huh?"
Lizzy looked at
Will. "What? What do you mean?"
"Oh. Weren't
you with Emma and Mari at Fat Harry's having cheese fries?"
Lizzy's eyes grew
big. "That was almost two months ago!"
"Really?"
Will became embarrassed. "Umm... I guess it was. Funny what
you remember sometimes." What the hell made me remember
her and cheese fries?
"Yeah, funny."
What is this? Is this guy some kinda stalker?
Further conversation
was interrupted by the arrival of Lizzy's order: cheeseburger,
dressed, with french fries. Lizzy eyed the fries, then Will.
"Don't mind
me," Will said as he turned slightly on his stool.
Lizzy reached for
the ketchup as Will recalled that night at Fat Harry's. He had
told his buddies that Emma's friends were too young, but he saw
how the curly-haired girl enjoyed the cheese fries at the table.
He would not know her name until the AI party two weeks later,
but he would never forget the sight. He could see her clearly
from across the bar. Backlit from the streetlight outside, she
picked up each fry, oozing with melted cheese, and delicately
placed it in her mouth, sucking on her fingers.
No wonder he remembered
- it was downright erotic.
"Want some?"
Will was jolted
out of his thoughts. "Huh?"
Lizzy indicated
her plate. "The fries - you want some? The way you were
staring at them, you must be hungry."
"I don't want
to take your food." Will was mortified; he didn't realize
he had been staring at her fries again.
"It's all right
- I've got more than I can eat." She picked up her burger.
"Okay, but
only if you have a bite of my waffle."
Lizzy nodded with
a small smile, and Will grabbed a couple of fries. By the time
he popped them into his mouth, his waffle arrived. Will smiled
as the smell of fresh hot waffle with the aroma of toasted pecans
rose from the plate. Syrup and butter were placed before him.
Fixing the waffle the way he liked it - heavy on butter and light
on syrup - he prepared to dig in before he remembered his manners.
"You first,"
he offered to Lizzy.
"No, it's okay…"
"C'mon, I gotta
return the favor. You ever have the pecan waffle?"
Lizzy shook her
head. Will gave her a smile, which showed his dimples. Once again
Lizzy felt a rush of pleasure at the sight of those two indentions.
Giving up, she picked up her knife and fork and cut a bite out
of the most syrupy part. Lizzy liked syrup.
"Oh, wow,"
she said after she tasted it. "That's good!"
"Ain't it?
Best thing in the house."
"Thank you,"
she said as she returned to her burger. The two ate their food
in silence.
Finishing at the
same time, they both got up, grabbed their tickets, and stood
in line at the cash register at the door. Paying the bill, they
both returned to their stools, now occupied by others and left
their tips for the waiter. "Thanks, cap!" he cried
as they left.
"So,"
Will said as he looked about, "you going back to campus?"
"Umm…
yeah."
"You want to
jump on the streetcar, or did you bring your car?"
"I walked.
It's not that far."
Will looked up.
It was a fine October day, in the low 80's, with no humidly to
speak of. "I'll walk back with you."
Lizzy eyed him,
wondering what his game was. "I can get back on my own;
I know where school is."
"It's a nice
day, Boudreaux - I don't mind." Will thought using her last
name would make her more comfortable. I'm not trying to pick
you up, lady - just trying to be nice.
"All right,
Darcy, come on," she answered in the same manner. The two
crossed Carrollton and walked on the sidewalk along St. Charles,
the green streetcars rolling past. They walked mainly in silence,
each thinking about the other. The only sounds were the rumbling
of the streetcars, the noise of the car traffic and the click
of Lizzy's heels.
Lizzy could not
understand what Will was about. He seemed harmless, but anyone
with those dimples could prove to be very dangerous. He
was too darn good-looking for his own good. She had enjoyed their
conversation - debate, more like - on the porch of the AI house,
but that was over a month ago, and she had not seen him since,
either around campus or at the fraternity house. She had not
known he was at Fat Harry's in August, and was surprised that
he remembered. Maybe, she considered, I'm reading too
much into this? Maybe he's just a nice guy with a great memory?
Will was trying
not to stare at the very pretty girl beside him. He had been
caught before, and he wasn't going to make that mistake again.
But it was difficult. Not many girls looked as nice in a trim
t-shirt and well fitting jeans. Too many girls are into that
silly baggy-pants urban look, he considered. I don't get
it. What's nicer than a gorgeous ass in a snug pair of jeans?
His eyes traveled down. Like that one. He closed his eyes
momentarily. Stop it, Will! She too young for you!
Soon they were before
the main entrance to Tulane. Will glanced at the imposing grey
buildings. "I guess this is my stop. I must say I enjoyed
the company."
Lizzy looked at
the red brick buildings of Loyola right next door. "Do you
think I can safely see my way back home all by myself, kind sir?"
she said breathlessly. She did give him a grin to show it was
all in good fun.
Will took the jibe
in the manner it was intended. "I think even you could find
your way to Loyola from here, Boudreaux." He returned the
grin.
Can't say he
can't dish it out as well as take it. "See you around, Darcy." She waved
and continued down the street.
Will tried not to
watch her as he turned to stroll to the business school building
a block and a half away.
~*~*~
It was a bye-week
for the Green Wave, so what better way was there to pass a good
time on a hot Saturday night in September than to go bowling?
Bowling New Orleans style at the Mid-City Lanes Rock 'N Bowl
on Carrollton, that is.
At least that was
the argument Mari gave to Lizzy as she talked her into accompanying
her to the joint. Lizzy thought it may have something more to
do with certain Alpha Iotas that might be there, but she was
willing to tag along. But she was not willing to ride in Mari's
rusty Corolla again. They took Lizzy's Civic.
Arguably one of
the most unusual clubs in New Orleans (or anywhere, for that
matter), Mid-City Lanes threw a New Orleans party like no one
else. Where else could you find college students, local working
folks, seniors and trendy club-goers dancing and going for the
7-10 split at the same time? The place was a combination dance
hall and bowling emporium. This unlikely live music venue attracted
all kinds. Locals of all ages came to Cajun two-step on the large,
wooden dance floor. Tourists generally stood at the protruding
half-circle bar eyeing the dancers. Some patrons just came to
bowl with great background music, not the usual repetitious drone
heard in more traditional alleys. Rock 'N Bowl focused on regional
roots styles, from Cajun and Zydeco to swing and rockabilly,
blues, rock and R&B.
Lizzy pulled into
the parking lot of a strip shopping center that had seen better
days. Already the lot was mostly full with cars, trucks and SUVs
as the crowd streamed towards the door. Entering, they paid the
cover charge and walked up the stairs to the bowling alley. A
downstairs performance space, cheekily named Bowl Me Under, hosted
special events and local acts during busy times such as Mardi
Gras and Jazz Fest.
Making their way
through the Saturday evening crowd, rock and blues music blaring,
the girls saw a large group of AIs and Emma as she waved her
arms.
"Lizzy! Mari!
Over here!" Chuck was seated next to her, waving as well.
To his left was John Waguespack.
"Hi, everybody!"
said Mari as she hugged Emma. Her eyes were on John.
After exchanging
greetings, Cathy Moreland grabbed their hands. "C'mon, let's
get your bowling shoes."
Lizzy was hesitant.
"Uhh… I don't bowl."
"Scared, Boudreaux?"
asked a deep voice behind her. She turned around and saw Will
Darcy.
Lizzy's eyes flashed
at the challenge - she wasn't used to being teased. She usually
dished it out; it was a new experience for her to be on the receiving
end.
"Are you bowling?"
she demanded.
Will grinned and
pointed at his shoes. She saw the ugly two-tone things on his
feet. With a snort, she followed the other girls to the counter.
Minutes later, they were back with the god-awful footwear.
"Okay,"
said Emma, "it's just for fun. Girls versus guys. Y'all
have your balls? They're over there," she pointed.
"I hope you
mean bowling balls, Em," quipped Chuck.
"Chuuuck!"
cried Emma was she swatted him.
As the now laughing
girls left to select them, Chuck starting writing on the score
sheet. This was no high-tech bowling palace with automatic scoring
machines. This was an old score-sheet-and-pencil kind of alley.
Chuck was interrupted
by Will's muttered oath, "Aw, crap!" He looked at his
friend's pained expression and then turned in the direction of
his stare. He blanched.
"Sorry, dude,"
he whispered.
"What's wrong?"
asked Emma. All she could see were two tall, fashionably dressed
women, walking through the crowd towards them. One of them, a
redhead, was waving at Chuck. "Who are they?"
"My sister,"
moaned Chuck.
"Why didn't
you tell me she was coming?" demanded Will in a low voice.
"It's news
to me, man!"
Emma looked blankly
at both men as the newcomers joined them.
"Hey, Charles!
Surprise!" cried the redhead.
"Hi, Carrie.
I didn't know you were in town." He got up and hugged her,
her eyes never leaving William's body. "How did you find
us?"
"I called the
AI house. William! It's so good to see you again," she cooed.
"Carrie,"
he said in a neutral voice.
Carrie gestured
to her companion, a tall light-skinned black woman. "Everybody,
let me introduce my friend Ellie Elliot. She's on the Golden
Girls with me." Both were dressed in tight tops and hip-hugging
jeans, exposing their well-defined abs. "Ellie, this is
my brother, Charles, his friend, William, and… Emma?"
Emma picked up on
Carrie's vibe right away. "Hi, Carrie. I'm with Chuck."
She stepped next to Chuck with a grin.
Carrie's smile grew
frosty. "Well, Emma, I'm glad to see you." She turned
to her brother as the other girls returned. "This is certainly
news, Chuck. Does Mom know you're dating again?"
"I don't tell
her everything, Carrie."
"Of course
you don't." She turned to the others. "Henry, Cathy,
umm… John, right?" she named some of the other AIs
before she turned to the two girls from Loyola. "And…
oh, I don't know y'all, either."
Lizzy and Mari introduced
themselves. Ellie acknowledged the greetings and stood around,
bored.
"Where are
you staying, Carrie?" asked her brother.
"Ellie's from
New Orleans - we're staying at her folks. So, William, are you
ready to hear some blues?"
"We're bowling,
Carrie."
Carrie and Ellie
looked on with astonishment. The boys would rather bowl than
listen to music - with them? "Oh, my god…"
Ellie groaned.
Chuck stood up.
"Ladies first!"
Carrie and Ellie
shared a look - if you can't beat them... "Wait -
do you mind if we joined you?" Carrie asked.
Chuck shrugged.
"Shoes are that-a-way," he pointed.
As the two dancers
scurried towards the counter, Mari sided up to John. "What's
up with her?"
"Chuck's sister
from LSU? Word is she's hot for Darcy," John grinned.
Lizzy flashed an
impertinent smile at William, who just shrugged.
Mari asked, "Golden
Girl? What's that?"
Lizzy chimed in.
"LSU dance squad. Very competitive." She turned to
William again. "Looks like you're the hunted tonight."
"Hey,"
said Cathy. "Are we bowling or what?"
"Go get it
started, Cathy," said Will. Cathy gave Henry a kiss, retrieved
her ball and took her stance. As the game commenced, Will moved
close to Lizzy.
"Looks can
be deceiving, Boudreaux," he murmured.
"Oh, I don't
know," she returned as she watched Carrie and Ellie rent
their shoes. "It looks like she's loaded for bear."
"Maybe so,
but that won't help to catch a coyote, will it?"
Lizzy looked at
him, giggling. "So that's how to see yourself, Darcy? As
a coyote?"
He smiled at her.
"You tell me, Boudreaux."
She looked at him
closely and shook her head. "No, defiantly not a coyote.
A big, bad timber wolf, maybe. Poor Carrie."
"She should
be used to disappointment." William saw the two returning.
"I think you're up."
She turned to see
Mari make a 7-10 split. High-fiving her teammate, Lizzy took
her turn, and promptly rolled a gutter ball. Her second ball
knocked down four pins.
"You've played
before," she said to Mari as she took her seat.
"We do more
than gig frogs in Mississippi, darlin'," she drawled. They
watched Carrie make a valiant attempt, scoring seven pins. Ellie
put two in the gutter.
It was now the men's
turn. John was first. "Now we'll show y'all how it's done,"
he bragged. He eyed the lane before hurling a mighty roll - right
into the gutter.
"Yeah - that's
how's it's done!" laughed Mari as the girls hooted. John
retrieved his ball and rolled and easier ball that got seven
pins.
Lizzy found that
Carrie had taken the seat next to her. They sat quietly until
it was Will's turn. He confidently took his position and rolled
a strike. Carrie cheered almost as loudly as the men. As he prepared
to bowl his second ball, Lizzy noticed Carrie eying Will's tight
jeans hungrily. She couldn't blame her - Will did have a world-class
ass. He threw another strike.
"No fair!"
cried Mari. "He's a ringer!"
"All's fair
in love, war and bowling, Mari," laughed Chuck. Will accepted
high-fives from his teammates.
"Will's a natural
athlete, Mari," added Emma.
"You got that
right," agreed Chuck as he got up to bowl. "I remember
the first time I took him bowling. He never touched a ball before
in his life and he bowls a 205. Pissed me right off! Never bowled
against him again." He then proceeded to show why. While
Will's form was flawless, Chuck's was not. Only the force of
his throws allowed him to score at all. He returned to the scorer's
table, sat next to Emma and marked his six pins.
"Okay, the
guys are up by ten pins in the first frame. Bowl on!"
As the contest continued
hunger made its appearance. This was no ordinary bowling alley
when it came to the food - no pizza at all. The kitchen offered
po'boys as well as the Cajun standards of gumbo, jambalaya and
alligator sausage. The female bartenders were an entertainment
all by themselves.
Munching on half
of an oyster loaf she was sharing with Mari, Lizzy found herself
sitting next to Carrie Bingley again. They watched the bowling,
waiting for their turns. Lizzy decided to make some conversation.
"So what are
you studying at LSU?" she asked the redhead.
Carrie looked at
her as if she had grown two heads. "Political science."
Remembering her manners, she added, "And you?"
"Journalism."
Carrie thought of
something to say. "And where did you say you were from?"
"Chackbay.
I went to school at E.D. White."
Carrie thought for
a moment. Her eyebrows went up. "Do you know Ashley Robichaux?"
Lizzy nodded, surprised
at the warmth in Carrie's voice. "Yes, she was a couple
of years ahead of me in high school."
"I know Ashley
real well! She's one of my best friends! She's one of the captains
on the Golden Girls!" Carrie smiled at her companion. It
was as if Lizzy had passed some test and was deemed worthy of
having a conversation with her. Carrie leaned back. "So,
how did you meet up with these guys, since you're attending Loyola?"
Lizzy was amused
at Carrie's change of demeanor, but decided to go along. "My
roomie, Mari, knows Emma." She pointed to where Mari was
sitting next to John.
Carrie laughed.
"And Emma knows everybody." Her gaze fell on
Emma and Chuck. Her look became thoughtful. "I didn't know
Chuck was dating Emma. How long has that been going on?"
"Maybe a month."
Lizzy didn't know if Carrie knew about Jennifer.
"Mom'll love
that…" Carrie mumbled.
"Pardon me?"
It was automatic - Lizzy had overheard Carrie's comment and was
confused.
"Oh! Umm…"
Carrie sat flustered. "Look - I've got nothing against Emma.
It's just…" she whispered in Lizzy's ear, "not
everyone's tolerant, you know? Different generation… different
expectations…"
"I see,"
Lizzy whispered back. "Your mom wouldn't be too fired up
about having a Jew in the family, huh?"
"Is it that
serious?" Carrie's eyes grew wide.
"No, no. They
just started dating."
"Good. Chuck
falls in love at the drop of a hat. He was dating this one girl…
never mind. I hope you're right. I don't need any more crap from
Mom right now," she sighed.
Their attention
was drawn to the ball return as Will prepared to bowl again.
Carrie leaned in. "He's gorgeous, isn't he?"
"He's best
friends with your brother, so you must have known him for a while."
"Ever since
Chuck pledged AI."
And you've been
chasing him ever since.
"Any family rivalry with you at LSU and Chuck at Tulane?"
"Not since
we kick their ass every year."
"Not in baseball."
Carrie gave Lizzy
a pitying look. "Baseball doesn't count."
"Why is a Baton
Rouge boy at Tulane, anyhow?"
"He said it
was because Tulane had a better business program, but that's
just talk. Getting out from under Mommy-dear's wings - that's
the reason."
"Your mother
sounds like something else."
"You have no
idea."
"So how do
you deal with her?"
Carrie grinned.
"I just smile and listen and say 'Yes, Mother,' and do what
the hell I want." Her attention went back to her brother
and his date.
Emma was giggling,
watching Chuck add up the score. "Hey, stop it! I can't
write if you keep tickling me!" he cried.
"Just trying
to win, Chuck! All's fair in love, war and bowling, you said!"
"Well, you
can do all you want, we're still kicking your asses!"
Emma looked at the
scorecard. It was ugly. "Okay, that's enough!" She
stood up. "Bowling's over! Let's go dance!"
~*~*~
The crowd was grooving
to a rock & blues band. Mari was swaying to the sounds when
John leaned close.
"Having a good
time, Mari?"
"Yeah,"
she shouted over the music. "The band's great."
"Wanna go take
the edge off?"
"What?"
John pantomimed
taking a hit on a joint.
"Ummm…
no thanks, John. I don't do that. It's bad for my throat."
"What is?"
"The smoke.
You go ahead if you want, it's cool."
Before he could
answer, Emma parted the crowd and grabbed John with one hand,
her other one in Chuck's. "C'mon, let's get this party going!
Dance!" She released him and began two-stepping with Chuck.
The other couples joined right in. Carrie saw her chance and
grabbed William for herself. A new pledge, Pat Patel, claimed
Elizabeth.
Lizzy was amused
at Carrie's determined pursuit of Darcy. She could see William
was not happy with the situation, but he was being a good sport.
Lizzy actually felt a little sorry for Carrie, as the girl couldn't
see that William just wasn't into her. Lizzy wondered how Darcy
was going to get out of this.
Chuck whispered
in Emma's ear. She looked at William and Carrie and grinned.
She nodded and moved towards Carrie.
"Time to change
partners!" she cried. Before Carrie could react, Emma cut
in and danced away with Will. Chuck began dancing with his sister
in the opposite direction. As Carrie tried to break away, Chuck
exchanged partners with Patel; now she was with Pat and Chuck
was with Lizzy. Emma was with John and William was nowhere to
be seen.
"That was pretty
slick, Chuck," said Lizzy.
"I'll deny
it to my dying day, Lizzy," he said. A minute later, partners
were exchanged again, and Lizzy found herself with William. "Well,
hello there, Boudreaux," said Darcy. He looked around and
saw Carrie on the other side of the floor with Henry.
Lizzy saw where
he was looking. "Shall we drift over there, Darcy?"
William blanched
for a moment. "I'm fine right here, if you don't mind."
Lizzy laughed. "I
can handle you, as long as we aren't bowling. You don't scare
me."
"Somehow I
get the impression you don't get scared easily."
"Nope. But
I think you're a bit wary of a certain redhead."
William shook his
head. "If she weren't Chuck's sister, I would have blown
her off. She's not a bad person - she just tries too hard. I
wish her well, really."
The song ended and
the crowd cheered. "Thanks for the assist, Boudreaux. If
you ever need the favor returned, let me know."
Lizzy caught the
finality in William's voice. "You're leaving?"
"Yeah, I got
family business early tomorrow. Good night, Elizabeth."
Lizzy was faintly
disappointed that William was leaving. "See you around,
Darcy." She watched him leave, waving at his friends. Her
observation was disturbed by Mari jostling her.
"Hey, Lizzy.
Where's William going?"
"Home. Said
it wanted to make it an early night."
"Loser. Hey,
have you seen John?"
~*~*~
John Waguespack
looked at the amount of weed he had just scored. "What the
fuck is this, man?"
Greg Wickham looked
across the front seat of his red Camero, remembering that his
Glock nine-millimeter was under the driver's seat, within easy
reach. "That, dude, is your merchandise."
"You told me
I'd get a discount!"
Greg looked around
the parking lot of the Rock N Bowl, making sure that there weren't
any guards or cops prowling around. "Look, JW, I said I
would do something with the price, IF there was an increase in
my market share. So far, I ain't seen shit." He leaned closer.
"Where's all the customers you promised, dude?"
"I'm workin'
on it, man, but it takes time…"
Greg's hand whipped
across John's windpipe. "I ain't got time, fucker! I make
a business proposition, I expect to see some sugar. I need more
than your brain-dead roommate! You come through, or things get
ugly."
John gasped as Greg
tightened his hand on his throat. "Be… be cool, man…"
Greg, satisfied
that he had gotten his point across, changed tactics. He released
his hold. "It's all copasetic, dude. Here…" Greg
tossed a little baggie to him. "On the house, for my main
man."
John picked up the
bag. "Wh… (cough) What is it?" he asked as he
rubbed his throat.
"Just a little
coke." Little was right. It was so cut there was hardly
anything in it.
"Th…Thanks."
"Forgetaboutit.
Go back in there to your woman."
John grimaced. "She
ain't my woman, yet."
Greg frowned. Was
this asshole such a fuck-up that he couldn't get laid? "She
puttin' the freeze on you, dude? I got somethin' for that."
John glanced at
Greg. "I don't need that shit."
"Whatever.
You need it, I got it. You get the word out. You'll be everybody's
friend."
John nodded as he
opened the door. "See ya' around, Greg."
Greg started up
the car and smiled a smile that didn't reach his eyes. He pointed
two fingers at him. "Damn right, you will." With that
he sped out of the parking lot, leaving a frightened John Waguespack
in his dust.
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