work, again, doesn’t mean the people my age are going to be any different here. “I’ll ask Cole when he gets here what the other girls are wearing.” Having a debate over proper attire did help distract me from my nervousness.
“I doubt that boy would be rude and tell you to change.”
“I’ll tell him I want to be sure to fit in, which I do. He’ll be honest.”
Jon gave me another look of disapproval.
“Ah…Jon?” My face softened. “Thank you for letting me go but, if I need you to come and get me, will you?” He didn’t ask any questions. I’m sure my expression said it all.
“Of course, honey. If the evening doesn’t go the way you want it to, or if there is any funny business going on, just call me.”
I think Jon added the ‘funny business’ so I wouldn’t feel like such a loser. I was still puzzled that he was letting me go.
“Thanks.” I sighed still feeling pessimistic about the evening.
Cole and Luke came to pick me up at 7 o’clock sharp, but only Cole came to the door. Jon was impressed with his punctuality. He was still unimpressed with what I was wearing.
“Hi, Cole.”
“Ready to go?”
“Sure, but first, now be honest, is this what the girls wear here or should I change?”
“Pretty much. Do you have a sweatshirt?”
I smiled over at Jon taking my sweatshirt off the kitchen table. “Sorry to disappoint you.” Not really. “I’ll dress up for church tomorrow.”
Cole opened the door for me, scoring more points with Jon and we were out the door.
Jon walked us out and provided the parental warning. “Drive safely, Cole.”
Cole stopped short and I almost tripped over him.
“I’m not driving tonight, sir. Luke is. Do you want to meet him?” He pointed to the car. I envisioned that encounter and choked back the laughter.
“No, but I am going to take down the license plate number.”
I closed my eyes and willed myself invisible.
Jon made a show of writing down the license plate number and other details about the car while Cole opened the door and shut it for me. His manners were perfect, not that I really cared. I was praying for a lightning bolt to strike my head and take me out of my misery.
Evidently having changed his mind about meeting my company for the evening, Jon came to Luke’s window and asked for everyone’s first and last names.
I sat next to Luke in the front seat, dying a thousand deaths of embarrassment. Cole was in the back seat with a girl who had just finished giving Jon her first and last name. I was feeling like my ‘non-date’ was, in fact, a double date and that my understanding stepdad, who I thought was trying to let me have some fun, was instead effectively killing any opportunity I may have had of having friends.
Cole reviewed names, as though the last five minutes weren’t burned into my memory for eternity. “Tessa, you remember Luke?”
“How could I forget him?” They all laughed, even Luke.
“And this is Lauren…Lauren, this is Tessa.”
“Nice to meet you, Tessa.”
“You too, Lauren, and my friends call me Tess.” Not really a true statement, since I didn’t have any friends.
“Her dad calls her Tessa.”
“He’s my stepdad.” At this point I had to put some distance between Jon and myself. “And speaking of Jon, you put on a good show for him again, Cole. Bravo.”
“It really isn’t a show. I live with my Grandma, and she pretty much hounds me about having good manners. I guess some of it sunk in.”
“She’s still working on me,” Luke laughed.
“I wish her luck with that; quite a challenge,” I muttered. Luke was a good sport. He laughed louder than the rest of us. Maybe tonight wouldn’t be completely unbearable.
Cole did the rest of the talking in the car. Almost as though he was afraid to let Luke speak. Worried he would stick his foot in his mouth again, or both feet. Maybe Cole did all of Luke’s talking when they were around girls. That’s what I thought until we arrived at the bonfire.
Luke barely got out of the car and he was greeted by a fan club of girls, or harem; all pretty and petite, beautifully-styled hair, white teeth, fake tans and makeup. I can see why he has no concept of personal space. The girls that surrounded him had no concept of it either. As soon as he sat down, one of them plopped in his lap and two others flanked either side of him. I pretended not to notice, though I felt a stab of jealousy.
Cole and Lauren towed me around introducing me to everyone, except Luke’s entourage. It wasn’t long before I lost sight of him entirely in the sea of girls that surrounded him. I was busy trying to figure out if Lauren was Cole’s girlfriend. He didn’t seem too affectionate toward her. He put his arm around her and held her hand on and off, but he was doing the same to me. Weird. He seemed to be close to all the girls we met.
Soon I was tired of the same questions over and over. Where are you from? What grade are you in? What neighborhood do you live in now? I begged Cole and Lauren not to introduce me anymore. The last couple of people I met, Lauren introduced me including all my basic information. All I had to do was smile and nod.
“Have you ever played Frisbee football?” Lauren asked, noting I had met enough new people for one night and was obviously excited about playing.
“No, but I can throw and catch one if that helps.” My enthusiasm mirrored hers, but for a different reason. I had some nervous energy to burn off.
“That’s all you really need to do, and run of course. Cole, I’ll see who else wants to play. Be right back.”
Lauren came back with about a dozen teens. Most of them I had met, including Luke.
“Lauren and I are captains,” Cole announced. “Ladies first,” he added.
Please God, I thought. Don’t make me last pick!
“Luke, you’re on my team.” Lauren smiled as he walked over. That was an easy pick; he was the biggest guy there and looked very athletic.
“Tess, you’re on my team.” Cole gave me a wink. I’m sure he noticed the look of relief on my face.
Lauren and Cole went back and forth picking two more rounds. Then they stopped and talked between the two of them for a few minutes. “Ellie, Brendan, Sonya…you’re on my team.” Three other kids went to Lauren’s team and one kid stood alone – unpicked. That was cruel.
“What about that kid?” I whispered to Brendan, my newest teammate.
“That’s Wes. He likes to be
