Chapter 10
Jake's second week of school did not start well. During English class, Mrs. Greer took several opportunities to put him down even when he was correct. Jake was irritated and sat through the remainder of the class in silence. Jake took his time leaving stopping at her desk when everyone else was gone.
"What do you want Mr. Turner?" she asked curtly.
"I want a conference with you tomorrow afternoon at 2:30," he answered bluntly.
"For what reason, Mr. Turner?"
"I'll tell you then, Mrs. Greer," he said tersely.
He was feeling better by third period. The geometry pop quiz from Friday was returned and Jake scored 110%, including the bonus question. He aced his history quiz also. His teachers were beginning to take notice of him and he was called on more often. Chemistry was going to be his hardest subject; it was also the hardest the first time he was in high school. But he listened attentively and took lots of notes. At least Mr. McClelland was a good teacher and tried to help everyone keep up. It also helped that his lab partner, Scott Hughes, was a brainiac. He had rocket science written all over his nerdy self. Scott was leery of Jake. His status as a rich kid and football player did not bode well for their partnership.
Jake broke the ice by quipping, "I won't call you bookworm if you don't call me dumb jock."
Scott stuck out his hand, "It's a deal, at least until I find out how dumb a jock you are."
Jake laughed and shook Scott's proffered hand. Since chemistry was right before lunch, the lab partners gravitated to the lunchroom together. Scott was surprised and secretly pleased when Jake sat down with him to eat. Scott had naturally figured Jake would sit with the elite or the jocks, not some lowly nerd. Then the most amazing thing happened as people started coming to their table to sit. First, a redheaded goddess sat down. Jake introduced her as his sister but Scott was so flustered he missed her name. Then came two football jocks, including a black guy, and then two cheerleaders. Jake introduced him to each as his buddy and lab partner. After introductions were made and everyone was eating, Jake turned to Scott.
"So Bud, what do you know about computers?" Jake asked.
It turns out quite a lot. Scott's father was a computer technician for NASA. After explaining the difference between main frames and mini main frames Scott thought he would lose his audience but Jake listened assiduously and so did his sister. The lunch bell rang and everyone got up to go to his or her next class. Jake clapped Scott on the back and told him he would see him later. Everyone else, including Angie, shook hands with him.
Study hall was the last period of the day and Jake carried his gym bag with him so he could go straight to practice without going back to his locker. He gave Miss Doane a big smile and chatted with her for a few minutes then went looking for a book on computers. Rebecca Doane felt a warm flush on her neck as she talked to the self-assured young man. He certainly was handsome; too bad he was not older, she thought. Finally, the dismissal bell rang; Jake grabbed his bag and headed for the door. He stopped by the librarian's desk and told Miss Doane he thought she looked great today and he loved the skirt and blouse she wore. Rebecca blushed and thanked him; she had dressed with care that day for some reason and was flattered he had noticed.
As soon as he hit the gym, he sought out Coach Nelson.
"Got a second, Coach?" he asked.
"Sure, Turner; what's up?"
"I had a little run in with Mrs. Greer today. What's her problem?"
Coach replied, "Victoria Greer is a shrew, pure and simple. She is married to Bill Greer, the superintendent of schools. They were married ten years ago when he was principal here and she was just out of college. He is a bible-thumper and an ambitious weasel, but he is an excellent administrator. I don't know if she has always been so cold and heartless but in the three years I've been here, she has treated me like I was shit on her shoe. I try to avoid her and I suggest you do the same. She could bring your football playing to a halt."
"To late for that, I'm afraid. I have a meeting with her tomorrow at 2:30, I'll be late for practice but I need to get her off my back," Jake said.
"Well, I don't know what I can do; but let me know if I can help," Nelson said.
Jake thanked the coach for his time and advice and went to suit up. Practice this week would be preparation for the upcoming game with Orange Port, an inter-county rival. Orange Port, like JFK, was a program on the rise. Last year they won seven games, including a 35 - 10 drubbing of Kennedy. They had lost a lot of players to graduation from their offense but returned most of their defensive starters. Coach Nelson and his assistants worked the JFK team hard. No one wanted a repeat of last year's humiliation.
Jake was waiting outside wondering who his ride would be today. Debbie had been mysterious about it when she told him she would arrange to get him home. Just as he was thinking he might have to mooch a ride home, a silver Corvette pulled up and a very pretty girl stepped out. She looked at the gawking players, spotted Jake, and broke into a radiant smile.
"Come on, Jake honey, I'm in a hurry," she said.
Jake walked to the vet and, after getting a thorough kissing, slid into the seat. The girl slammed the car in gear and roared away from the gym. Out on the highway she extended her hand to Jake.
"Hi, Jake. I'm Melissa Thornton, a friend of Debbie and Angie. Debbie asked if I'd pick you up today. I agreed and thought it would be fun when she told me what I had to do. As soon as I tell the rest of the girls how good you kiss they will be fighting to pick you up."
Melissa was a sea change from her brother Chip; instead of having his superior attitude, she was vivacious and bubbly. They hit it off immediately and were soon laughing and joking around like old friends. Jake asked her if it was going to be as bad for her rep as it was good for his for them to be seen together. She laughed and told him that he had caught the attention of a number of her classmates already and word was out that he was hot stuff.
"Then I suppose it would be okay if I asked you for a date sometime," Jake said.
"I'd be offended if you didn't," she replied.
At home, Jake found Debbie and asked her about his traveling arrangements. Debbie laughed and told him that she had asked her Varsity Cheerleader teammates for their help and everyone not going steady had volunteered. They thought it would be great sport when she told them that they needed to act like they were hot for him in front of the team. Jake thanked her for her help, mentioned that he thought Melissa was great, and not at all like her brother. Debbie laughed ruefully and agreed. She told Jake that Melissa had introduced them and at first Chip had been as sweet and charming as his sister. She also told Jake that Melissa was really upset when she found out how her brother had treated Debbie. That was one reason she had volunteered to be the first to pick him up.
Helen gave Jake the items he had asked her to pick up for him. The birthday gift for Cindy was elegantly wrapped and the other items were exactly what he wanted. Since no one else was around, he pulled Helen to him and kissed her. Her lips parted and their tongues dueled for a minute. They were both panting when he broke the kiss.
"Cindy will love these. Do you want me to wrap the other gift?" Helen asked.
"No, only the necklace is for Cindy. Thanks, Mom, you are the greatest," Jake said, as he bound up the stairs.
Jake put on a nice shirt and pair of pants and called Cindy's house. Teresa Sorenson answered the phone and said yes when Jake asked if he could bring Cindy's gift over. Jake rode his bike over to the Sorensons' house. Cindy met him at the door; they were sitting on the porch swing when he produced her gift. She tore off the wrapping paper and opened the long slender velveteen box. Cindy gasped at the gold and ruby cross on the thick gold rope chain. She swept up her hair and Jake fastened the chain around her neck.
"Jake, it is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. I'll never take it off," she gushed.
Jake laughed and said, "I'm glad you like it. Look at the back of the cross."
Cindy fingered the cross and turned it over. The back was engraved C-I-N-D-Y down the long section and J-A K-E across the arm of the cross.
"Now I know I'll always be near your heart," he said.
She threw her arms around him and kissed his face all over, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"I love you Jake," Cindy said.
"I love you too, Angel, and I'll smile thinking of me between your beautiful breasts," he whispered into her ear.
"I'm going to love having you see me wearing nothing but this," she whispered back.
Then she ran into the house to show her parents.
On Tuesday, Rebecca Doane returned from lunch and opened her bottom desk drawer to put away her purse. She was dumbfounded to see a single yellow rose lying on top of a leather bound book. She pulled out the book; it was a beautiful early twentieth century edition of Shakespeare's sonnets. She opened the cover and on the fly leaf was written:
Gossamer filaments finer than silk,
Bind kindred spirits to their ilk.
JET 9/9/71
She put her hand on the inscription and sat back stunned.
At study hall she followed Jake back into the reference stacks.
"Jacob, I found the book and rose they are beautiful, thank you, but I can't take them. I'm a teacher and you are a student; it isn't proper." She said.
"A student didn't give them to a teacher, I gave them to you to thank you for talking to me. You are the first person I've found who doesn't think romance is old fashioned or dead."
She stared at his sincere expression a few seconds and gave him a beautiful smile.
"In that case, thank you, Jacob; they are wonderful and so are you," she said.
Rebecca looked around to see if they were alone then stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.
Jake felt good when he left study hall but his mood darkened as neared Mrs. Greer's room. He walked in and found her sitting at her desk, a combative frown on her face.
"Get on with it Mr. Turner, I don't have all day," she said.
"I do have all day", said Jake, "and we are going to stay here until we work this out."
"Work out what, Mr. Turner? You are just a moderately bright, arrogant jock but you'll get your passing grades and stay on the team if that's what's bothering you."
"I know I'll get better than passing grades and thanks for acknowledging I have some brains. But that's not the problem, your attitude is. From now on, I want you to treat me with the same respect that I show you. I'm not arrogant and I treat everyone with respect until they stop deserving it. You are close to not deserving it. Your position as a teacher might entitle you to respect but your conduct as a person doesn't."
Victoria Greer was speechless; no one had ever talked to her like this. "Get out you little..." she started to sputter.
Jake held up his hand and with a sharp look said, "There you go again. Lets start over. I can see that you are unhappy and you bring it to work with you; you don't get it here. I have an idea -- why don't we make school a place where you are happy? Treating everyone, especially me, with respect will get the students on your side and make it easier for you to find some happiness. Does that make sense?"
"Who was this strange young man?" she wondered. He had cut right to the heart of her problem and made her feel like it was the most natural thing in the world to do as he said. She was suddenly ashamed of the way she had acted. She dropped her eyes and nodded her head affirmatively.
"Good, that wasn't so hard was it?" Jake asked.
Another nod.
Jake continued, "I think we are going to become good friends. You are going to find out I'm a good student and I am highly motivated. I know you are an excellent teacher and inside your hard shell is a person I want to know. What do you think?"
She met his steady gaze and something inside her lurched. She could only nod once more.
Jake laughed, "Say 'Yes, Jacob'."
Still fixed in his gaze she whispered, "Yes, Jacob."
"Good. Its settled then. I don't expect you to change you teaching style, don't put up with any crap, just not so mean, okay? Jake asked.
"Yes, Jacob."
"See you tomorrow Mrs. Greer and, by the way, I think you looked very nice in the blouse and skirt you wore the first day of school; frilly things bring out your femininity."
"Thank you, Jacob," she said, and for the first time he saw her smile.
He walked out of the classroom and exhaled. That was too easy he thought.
During football practice, the team watched the game film from last year's fiasco. It was apparent the game could have even more lopsided if the Orange Port coach had not substituted liberally the second half. The returning players cringed. Jake watched intently and asked the coach to back the film up several times to check something he thought he saw. The coaching staff also pointed out some strengths and weaknesses of both teams. They went out onto the field and practiced again as if they were both teams.
After practice, Jake saw that he was not the only one wondering who his ride was today as most of the team was loitering around the door. They did not have long to wait as a brand new Fiat Spyder Convertible zoomed into the lot and parked twenty feet in front of the gawking players. Jake almost fainted as Cindy exited the hot little sports car. She looked like a pedophile's wet dream. Her school uniform skirt had been shortened until it was four inches above her knees. The top two buttons were undone on her shirt and she wore a pushup bra that gave her a lot of cleavage; the ruby cross rested on the upper slopes of her pushed-up milky white breasts. Her hair was in two pigtails that hung over her shoulders and she wore bobby sox and saddle shoes. Jake started walking towards her. He had only taken a couple of steps when she launched herself at him; wrapping her arms around his neck and her shapely legs around his waist, she mashed her lips to his.
"Oh, Jake", she said, "All I could think about all day was how wonderful you were last night."
He walked to the car with Cindy still wrapped around him and opened the passenger door. Cindy gracefully slid off him and into the seat. He walked to the driver's side and his teammates started applauding. He gave a small bow, got in, and drove out of the lot. When they were out on the highway they both started laughing hysterically. When he could finally catch his breath, Jake looked at her.
"What in the world was that?" he asked.
"Debbie called me last night and told me about your car pool. I decided it would be a good chance to show you the car Daddy got me. I went to your house and your sisters fixed my hair and uniform. I thought the rest up on the way over here. Was it to much?"
She looked pensive. Jake gave her a reassuring smile.
"No, it was just right; and you were hands down the sexiest and prettiest ride I've gotten. You were the first to get applause."
That made her smile. They discussed her new car on the way to Jake's house. She could not take it to school but her parents said she could take Jake on dates in it. Jake figured her dad probably got the car because it was not built to accommodate much hanky-panky. Jake tried but could not keep his eyes off her legs. She caught him looking, took his hand off the shifter, and put it on her warm thigh. Jake rode home with a grin plastered to his face.
Cindy came into the house with him to return what she had borrowed and to get back in her regulation uniform. Charles was talking to Helen when the teens walked into the kitchen. Jake's dad did a cartoon double take at Cindy. For her part, Cindy smiled sweetly at his parent, said hello and, with her little butt swaying provocatively, sashayed up the stairs to find Debbie and Angie. Jake and Charles watched her tight little ass until it disappeared from view.
"Down boys," Helen said dryly. "Close your mouths before you drool on your shirts."
Wednesday was uneventful except that Mrs. Greer did wear a frilly blouse with her usual calf length skirt. True to her word, she was civil to everyone and even a little deferential to Jake. He made sure he was the last to leave the room and stopped at her desk.
"You look fantastic today and you made class a pleasure," he said.
Her face reddened but she gave him a smile.
"Thank you, Jacob," She said.
He also stayed after study hall and talked with Miss Doane a few minutes. He asked her if she enjoyed the ballet and she said adored it. She had taken lessons for ten years until a knee injury ended her hopes of dancing professionally. Jake asked some other questions to find out what she liked to do. He asked her to come to the football game Friday and she said she might. She kissed his cheek again as he left.
Jake ran through the double line of cheerleaders and onto the field for warm-ups. He was regulating his breathing to stay calm and it was almost working. He and Ray limbered up together as they always did. Ray was very keyed up. This year he was the starting left halfback and most of the team's running plays had him getting the ball. Jake talked to him and got him to calm down some. They huddled around Coach Nelson and he told them it was their game to win or lose and that they were evenly matched with Orange Port. They lost the coin toss and Jake lined up for the kick off. The ref's whistle blew and it was on.
Orange Port returned the ball to their 40-yard line and Jake assumed his position in the middle of the defense. The ball was snapped and the offensive guard and tackle on the left side of the line cross blocked creating a huge hole for the running back. As Jake was moving towards the hole, he shed the block of the fullback and shot through the gap into the Orange Port backfield. The play was slow developing and the tailback had only taken two steps when Jake hit him. Jake made solid contact; his shoulder drilled the hapless player between the numbers. He wrapped his arms around the ball carrier and drove him into the turf. Jake helped his victim up and trotted back to his huddle.
Jake was, as they say in the big leagues, in the zone. It felt like everyone but him was moving at three-quarter speed. He roamed the center of the field and disrupted the Orange Port offense. Trouble was, the Kennedy offense was not moving the ball either. Orange Port had a good defense and Kennedy's offensive team was tight and mistake prone. The game was scoreless at the half. Jake had seven solo tackles and had forced a fumble. Coach Nelson was upbeat talking to them in the locker room. He told them that the jitters would die down in the second half and the offense would start to assert itself. He reminded the defense to keep up the pressure. Waiting on the sidelines for the second half to start, Jake glanced up into the stands. A lot of his friends had come out to see his first game. Cindy was there with her parents, sitting next to his family. Jody was sitting next to his sisters and Sara and little Christopher were sitting behind them. He waved and they waved back. He saw Miss Doane and made eye contact with her; she gave him a smile and small nod of her head. It made his day to see Mrs. Greer. She was setting with a dour looking older man and the school's principal. He was even happier when she smiled at him and waved.
Port Orange kicked off to start the second half. Coach had been correct and the offense finally showed some life. They did not score but did make three first downs. A good punt and fast coverage pinned Orange Port inside their 15-yard line. On their first play from scrimmage, the OP quarterback faked a pitch out and to everyone's surprise passed the ball back across the field to the other back. It was a perfectly thrown pass and a perfectly executed play. Jake turned and gave chase but had no hope of catching the speedy back. The Orange Port coach had made some terrific adjustments during half time.
Clearly rattled, the Kennedy offense went three and out and OP had the ball back. On their next offensive play, Jake fended off the fullback and was moving towards the ball carrier when his legs were cut out from under him. He bounced up and huddled with his team. The next play netted the same result; the fullback and left end were double teaming him on every play. Jake told the defensive end on that side to start moving toward the ball, as he was not being blocked. For his part, Jake just moved faster; he was hurtling around like a pachinko ball. The unblocked end and he made the next two tackles and Orange Port had to punt. The game seesawed back and forth scoreless until Ray Robinson broke free and made some nifty moves to score for Kennedy with four minutes left in the game. The extra point failed and Orange Port led 7-6.
Orange Port took the kickoff back to their thirty-five and started to run out the clock. Jake was being double- and triple-teamed and OP got a first down at the fifty with three minutes to play. Jake's teammates stepped up and stopped the offense on the next two plays and it was third and four at the Kennedy 45 at the two minute warning. Jake had been waiting for this situation. The opposing quarterback was well-schooled about varying his snap count but on third downs, he always used the same cadence and count. Jake told his left tackle to line up just off the center's right shoulder and keep his attention. Jake assumed his position and waited for the quarterback to move behind the center. As the snap count started, Jake began moving; he hit the center's left shoulder just as he snapped the ball. The quarterback had to reach down to get the ball and did not have a good grip on it as he straightened up. Jake batted the ball out of his hands and it bounced off his helmet right into Jake's arms. Jake sprinted untouched to the end zone.
Kennedy held off a desperate Orange Port for the final minute to win the game 12-7.
Jake and his teammates and even the coaches whooped it up in the locker room. Then Jake hurriedly showered and exited the locker room to see if anyone had waited to give him a ride home. He was pleasantly surprised to find everyone waiting for him. He was hugged, kissed, and slapped on the back by his family. Jack Sorenson said he could not believe how Jake had played so dominantly. Cindy gave him a kiss and held onto his arm. Jody and Sara congratulated and kissed him. Jake rode home with his parents on cloud nine.
That night he got much nicer congratulatory kisses from his sisters. Angie told him she had started her period and had a gyno appointment Monday so she could start on the pill. Debbie said she was hot from watching him play and grabbed his dick. He promised her they would get together soon and she left disappointed. At eleven-thirty, everyone was in bed but him. He was too keyed up from the game and was sitting at the nook table drinking a calming glass of milk. It was deja vu when Helen walked into the kitchen, except this time her gown was black. She got herself a diet coke and shocked Jake by sitting in his lap.
"What's the matter my hero, couldn't you sleep?" she asked.
Jake nuzzled her neck and explained what the problem was. She slipped her gown off her right shoulder and drew his head to her exposed breast.
"This always helped you go to sleep when you were a baby," she said softly.
Jake captured her nipple with his lips and ran his hand down to her ass. She was nude under the gown and Jake could feel the results of her exercise. He pulled his lips from her tit and sought her mouth. She eagerly returned his kiss and straddled his thigh. She moaned and rode his leg to a mild orgasm.
She whispered in his ear: "This is getting dangerous Jake, I'm having a hard time keeping away from you. You are going to have to work a lot harder to get me, though. I haven't even gotten close to cheating on Charles until you. The only other person to put the fire in me like you do was my father."
She slipped off his lap and went back to bed, leaving Jake to digest
what she just said.