them away from me. He likes to act like he’s my dad.”
Scott leaned against the wall. From the corner of his eye, he caught his dad studying him. He replied defensively, “I do not.”
His dad stood, strolled over to Felicia, and placed his hand on her shoulder. “Scott’s not trying to be your dad.” He hesitated, fixing his attention on Scott. “He might get a bit protective, but it’s only because he cares.”
Scott pushed himself off the wall. This was a perfect time to leave. He looked at Felicia. “We better go if we want to get to The Parlor on time.”
A few minutes later, Scott and Felicia stepped outside. Felicia took a deep breath of warm summer air and smiled. “I’m so happy it’s summer. Patty’s having a slumber party this Friday.”
“Yeah?” Scott replied as they walked east toward the business center of town. They passed Felicia’s house, then Mrs. Morris’ house, and finally Mrs. Whitfield’s house. At the corner of the block, they waved at their two elderly neighbors who rested on folding chairs in Mrs. Whitfield’s lawn. A moment later, Scott and Felicia crossed Third Street. Children’s laughter pierced the air. The youngsters at the corner house were running through a sprinkler.
Felicia sighed. “Remember when we used to run through the sprinkler? It was so much fun until Derek moved here. Then your mom had to make you run through them.”
Scott grinned as he watched a young boy dash through the water. During the summer between third and fourth grade, Derek witnessed their summer activity and later mentioned only babies ran through sprinklers. After that, Scott only ran through them when Felicia complained to his mom, and then he conveniently placed the sprinklers in the backyard.
As Scott and Felicia walked past the yard, a powerful breeze blew a mist of water into their faces.
Felicia whined, “My hair’s going to frizz.”
“There’s nothing wrong with windblown hair.”
Felicia rolled her eyes. “You know nothing about us girls. We like to look nice when we go out for the evening, even if you don’t.” Scanning his attire, she said, “You could have at least worn your school clothes instead of your old gray T-shirt and your black jeans with little holes in them.”
Scott frowned. Compared to the outfit that he had worn this morning, these clothes were a big improvement. “They’re clean, and the holes are from battery acid.”
“Well, don’t be surprised when a girl doesn’t jump at the chance to go for a walk with you tonight.”
As they jaywalked across Oak Avenue, Scott thought about the girl in the park. No girl in this town could compare to her. He replied, “I’m not going to The Parlor to walk a girl home. I’m already walking with a girl.”
Felicia gave an exasperated sigh. “You know, sometimes the best thing to do is to ignore your sarcasm.”
Scott grinned as they cut through Second Street Park where he had played basketball this morning with Derek. Thinking about the difference between the parks in South Hillside and the park in North Hillside, Scott said, “I’m going to cut the grass growing through the cracks in the basketball court and along the restroom walls. I might plant some flowers too.”
Felicia nodded thoughtfully. “Why am I not surprised? You’re always doing some kind of yard work.”
When they hiked through the adjacent vacant lot, Felicia frowned. “Maybe you could replant and water the grass in this area. My shoes always get so dusty every time we pass through it.”
Scott’s eyes widened, wondering why he hadn’t thought of that idea. “Yeah, I could make it look like one large park.”
Felicia smiled. “You look like a little boy eager to start a new project.”
They reached Elm Avenue, turned east, and entered the business part of town. Crossing First Street, they headed north and strolled to the wooden bench in front of Orson’s Hardware Store. From here, Felicia would continue on alone to The Parlor, and Scott would enter a few minutes later. In South Hillside, whenever a boy and girl entered or exited the restaurant together, they were considered a couple.
Felicia placed her hand on Scott’s arm. She smiled sheepishly. “Do you have any money? I spent all my allowance on my new clothes.”
Scott shook his head. His neighbor could spend money faster than anyone he knew. “What do you owe me now? Five hundred dollars?”
“Very funny,” Felicia replied as she took the five-dollar bill he gave her. “Thanks, you’re the best.”
“Sure, now I am.”
Felicia laughed and gave him an appreciative hug.
Five minutes after Felicia disappeared into The Parlor, Scott entered the 1950s-style restaurant crowded with teenagers. The jukebox near the front door was playing Bryan Adam’s song “Everything I Do, I Do for You.” Felicia and her best friend, Patty, sat in a booth near the jukebox while Randy sat opposite from them. Although Felicia didn’t glance in his direction, Patty waved. Scott nodded and looked to his left, meeting Brett’s aloof expression. His friends’ area was two feet higher from the rest of The Parlor. Derek’s older brother, Justin, had helped Derek claim the most preferred area in the restaurant.
Instead of going straight to his friends’ table, Scott strolled to the counter near the cash register where Charlie, the husky dark-haired owner, stood. “Hi, Charlie, how’s everything working around here?”
The Vietnam veteran gave his lopsided grin. “Everything is in proper working order because of you. Thanks for repairing my freezer.” Charlie handed Scott a menu. “I owe you one. Get whatever you want. It’s on the house.”
Scott shook his head, looking at the scar on Charlie’s neck which he received from a Vietnamese in Saigon. “I don’t mind paying for my own food. I owe you more than you’ll ever owe me.”
Over at the sophomore area, Brett slicked back his chocolate-colored hair as he observed Scott walk over to Charlie. Scott was the smartest kid in their class but just the sight of that genius irritated Brett. He promised himself that one day, when Derek wasn’t around, he’d beat the crap out of Scott. Looking at his best buddy, Lance, who had taken a seat on the other side of the table in the corner position, Brett snarled, “Scott’s here.”
Karl and Lance casually turned sideways, looking behind them. While Karl observed Scott chatting effortlessly with Charlie, he scratched the side of his neck, wondering how someone as intelligent as Scott could be blindsided when it came to Derek taking the girls Scott liked. Karl turned and faced his friends. “I heard Margie likes Scott.”
Brett shook his head. “So what? I heard that Destiny likes Scott.”
At the end of the table, Derek, who had the best view inside the restaurant, rested his elbows on the table authoritatively. “You guys sure?”
Nodding, Karl glared at Derek. “Yeah, I have a reliable source.”
Lance crumpled up his napkins and threw it across the table. “It doesn’t take brain surgery to know that Scott’s not going to go for Margie, and when he doesn’t, I’m making a move for her.”
Matt
