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Message-ID: <51995asstr$1127110207@assm.asstr-mirror.org>
From: "Jim C" <jimc_author@hotmail.com>
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Subject: {ASSM} Lucky Stiff by JiMC (13 of 46)--MF, FF, mc, md, magic, romance
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Date: Mon, 19 Sep 2005 02:10:07 -0400
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This story is copyright (c) 2003-2005.  All rights are
reserved by the author, including that of publication.
Posting on-line is only allowed when permission is explicitly
granted by the author, and then only for the complete story,
including this disclaimer.  Contact the author at
<jimc-author at excite dot com> for more information,
referring to this story ("Lucky Tickets 2: Lucky Stiff").

I explicitly grant permission to post this story to
StoriesOnline.net and asstr-mirror.org.

The following is a work of fiction and is just a fantasy.
Any resemblance to any person, living or dead, is purely
coincidental and entirely unintentional.  There may be
references to people in a historical context, but they are
not really characters in this story.

This is a story that describes sexually explicit situations
in a fictional universe that only vaguely seems similar to
the one we live in.  Most of the characters in this story are
under aged.  However, the target audience is adults (people
over the age of eighteen) with broad minds.

* * *

This is a sequel to the story "Lucky Tickets," and as such,
you may want to read that story first to get a better
introduction to the characters present in both stories.  Like
a lot of sequels, it's not really meant to be read out of
order.

* * *

Chapter 13--Party Planning

        I've lived long enough to have learned,
        The closer you get to the fire
        The more you get burned,
        But that won't happen to us--
        Because it's always been a matter of trust.
                -- A Matter of Trust (Billy Joel)


    On Tuesday, Kristen took a day off from school to meet
her parents in Chicago.  She told me it was something to do
with her inheritance, which was going to be fully hers in
just a few weeks.

    I would miss Kristen, but Patty picked me up in the
morning.  I didn't give Patty a chance to stop her car when I
came running out of the house.

    "You look happy today, for a guy whose love of his life
is a hundred miles away," Patty observed.

    I thought about this already.  "Kristen's trip to Austria
made me realize that there are other things to life than
having to have Kris with me every minute of every day," I
explained.  "Today, I have the opportunity to maybe talk to
you or Sherry in the lunchroom.  I can also work on one of my
pet projects that I most definitely can not work on at
Kristen's place."

    "Pet project?" Patty asked.

    "It's a surprise for Kristen," I said.  "So, of course, I
cannot work on it over there."

    "Is it something for her birthday?"

    "Hopefully," I said, hoping that I could get it finished
in time for a party.

    "That sounds cool.  Have you given any thought to
throwing Kristen a party?"

    I sighed.  "What kind of a party do you give a
millionaire who has everything?"

    Patty stopped dead at an intersection and looked at me
sternly.  "Don't you ever think that of Kristen!  Until she
met you, she told me she only had one other boyfriend in her
life.  She was lonely when she met you, you know."

    "She has me now," I pointed out, a bit sheepishly.

    "I don't know much about that other boyfriend, but he
made a hell of an impression on her," Patty said, once again
driving.  "He must be a tough act to follow."

    "I met that guy," I said, not knowing how much Patty knew
about Kristen and her brother.

    "I'm surprised she told you who it was.  You've met him?"

    "I met him a couple of months ago," I said.  "He's a
great guy, actually.  They still like each other very much."

    "You don't seem very jealous of him," Patty said,
narrowing her eyes.

    "I'm not.  We actually got along nicely.  He doesn't live
around here any more."

    "I've never seen her dating," Patty said.  "Of course,
until this year, we didn't move through the same crowds."

    I didn't add much and Patty continued to drive.

    Patty said, "I know for a fact that Kristen really enjoys
the simple things.  Your fish-hook necklace really impressed
her, you know.  She also told me about the watch chain she
made for you.  That's Kristen's style.  She doesn't spend
money just to impress people, and she isn't impressed by
money, either."

    I nodded.  Patty pointed out something that I was
avoiding trying to think about.  "So, what do you think I
should do for a birthday party?"

    "I'm not sure, Jim," Patty said, pulling into the school
parking lot.  "I suggest you trust your instincts.  Almost
everything you do for Kristen screams to her how much you
love her.  You come up with great ideas and you instinctively
do the one thing that only you can do best."

    "Thanks for the vote of confidence," I said, smiling.

    Camille was waiting at the front of the school in her
regular spot.  She smiled as Patty and I approached.  "Poor
baby.  No Kristen today?"

    "Nope.  I got a ride with this ravishing red head
instead," I said with a grin.

    Camille giggled in response.  "He's got a girl in every
port!"

    "Cut that out, you two!" Despite her protest, Patty was
giggling as well.

    "I think Jim is a real Romeo.  How many other tenth
graders have a bunch of senior co-eds who are willing to do
things for him?" Camille asked.

    Patty smiled.  "I was just telling Romeo here that he has
great romantic ideas.  We were talking about what we could do
for Kristen's eighteenth birthday."

    I noticed the plural "we" in Patty's sentence.  Somehow,
I felt better that Patty seemed willing to sign up to help
out in whatever way she could.

    "I would really like to do something on a grandiose
scale," I said.  "Something that Kristen herself can't do.  I
just don't have any idea what I can do."

    "Well, count me in if you need any help," Camille offered.

    I moved over and kissed Camille on the cheek, a move that
was noticed by a few students.

    "Thank you, Romeo!" Camille quipped.

    I sighed, bade farewell to the two seniors, and headed
for home room.  I heard the name "Romeo" being repeated
behind me.  I wondered which nickname was worse: Oogie or
Romeo?

* * *

    Lunch period consisted of Sherry and Patty offering me
ideas on what we could possibly do for Kristen's eighteenth
birthday.  Sherry seemed pleased as punch to be included in
the deliberations.  There were now three people who were
willing to help me plan something.

    "How about renting a hall and inviting, like, lots of
people?" Sherry suggested.

    I pointed out how much that sort of thing would cost.
Unlike Kristen, spending money was a bit more difficult for
me.  I wanted extravagance, but I did have financial
limitations.

    "And what would you do for entertainment?" Patty pointed
out.  "A rock band costs money!"

    I was thinking along the same lines, but now Patty's
remark hit home.  Maybe a rock band would cost money, but
there was already a band full of people who loved Kristen and
might be able to provide at least a few song numbers.  With a
proper sound system, it shouldn't be too difficult to find a
student deejay to play songs, either.  How much could that
cost?

    Suddenly, ideas were starting to come to mind.

    "Jim, are you there?" Patty asked, noticing my
distraction.

    "Patty, you're a genius!"

    "Huh?  Me?  That's Camille's department," Patty said.

    "A rock band!" I exclaimed, more possibilities coming to
me now.  "That's a fucking great idea!  Now, we just need a
venue."

    "What rock band?" Sherry asked.

    "Sherry, I'm the conductor of a kick-ass jazz band," I
said.  "There's no reason we can't play rock and roll!"

    "You still need a location... or are you thinking about
using the school?" Patty asked.

    "Hmmm," I said, thinking.  "Actually, the school might be
a good idea," I said.  "I think we should consider that only
as a last resort.  I'm in good with Mr. Yank and Mr. Proilet,
but I don't want to wear out my welcome just yet."

    "So, where will you hold the party?" Sherry asked.

    I smiled, the final piece of the puzzle finally fitting
into place.  "The big problem is money, right?"

    The two girls nodded their heads.

    "So we find somebody with money!"

    "Who?  Kristen?" Sherry asked.

    "No. Kristen's not a possibility," I said, smiling
broader now.  "Her parents, on the other hand..."

    "Ooh," Patty said.  "Her parents would help out in a
second!"

    "Cool!" Sherry said.

    The subject changed, and the two girls were talking about
something or other while my mind was working logistics.

* * *

    I entered the school's front office, having gotten an
office pass from the substitute teacher in English class.

    I smiled at the receptionist.  "Is Mr. Yank available?"

    "Mr. Crittenhouse," the receptionist recognized me,
smiling.  "I hope this visit isn't as disruptive as the one
earlier this week."

    "I just need some information," I answered, also smiling.
"I'm trying to put together a birthday party for Kristen
Swift, and I wondered if Mr. Yank has her father's business
phone number."

    The receptionist said, "A birthday party?"

    "Her eighteenth," I answered.  "I figured her father
might be planning something, and I was working on some ideas
of my own, but I want to talk to him somewhere where I know
that Kris won't be around..."

    The receptionist looked toward Mr. Yank's office, whose
door was closed.  "He's in there with Ms. Tomago right now,
and I don't think this is an opportune time for
anybody--especially you--to interrupt him.  Let me see if I
can get that information for you." She left toward the back
of the office.

    A few minutes passed and another secretary came out.
"Are you James... sorry... Jim Crittenhouse?"

    "Yes."

    "I have the information you requested," she said, handing
me two pieces of paper.

    The first was a library pass, and the second was a piece
of memo pad with the phone number for Swift Holdings, where
Kristen's father was the founder and chairman.

    "Thank you, ma'am," I said politely.

    I took my cue from the hall pass and left for the
library, which was just a few doors down the hall.  I showed
my pass to the librarian, who took it without really looking
at it.

    I was surprised to see Camille sitting at one of the
desks.

    "Hi, Cammy!  Do you live here?"

    Camille looked up from her book and smiled.  "What are
you doing here?  Don't you have English?"

    "Ms. Taylor is out today," I explained.  "The substitute
gave me a front office pass, and when I was in the front
office, the receptionist gave me a library pass for the rest
of the period."

    "Why the front office pass?"

    "I needed Kristen's father's business number.  I need
help planning Kristen's birthday party, and I figured that he
might be planning something as well.  I can let him worry
about renting a hall or whatever he wants to do, and get
whatever family or friends that he'd like to get.  I wanted
to see what I could contribute."

    Camille looked impressed.  "That's a great idea, Jim!"

    "Kristen doesn't have much family," I said.  "There's her
brother Will, and he's at college.  I bet we could have him
come out here to celebrate his sister's eighteenth birthday."

    This brought a thoughtful look from Camille.  "Is that a
good idea?  What is the relationship between Will and
Kristen?"

    "Will worships the ground Kristen walks on," I said.  "I
met him in Boston last year."

    "If you say so," Camille shrugged.  "I remember..."

    I knew what Camille was going to say.  "It's not like
that.  They really do love one another, Cammy."

    "I'll take your word for it, Jim."

    "Anyway, I think I can get the people from the jazz band
to play a special set for Kristen," I said.  "I'll need to
ask them privately tomorrow.  Maybe I will be able to get Amy
to distract Kris for a bit tomorrow."

    Camille smiled as she heard me thinking aloud.

    "Enough about Kristen," I said, finally winding down.
"What are you reading?"

    "Dostoevsky," Camille answered.  "_Crime and Punishment_.
A classic."

    "An assignment for school?"

    "Nah.  Light reading."

    I wasn't familiar with the work, and her dismissive
comment would only make sense to me a few years later when I
actually was assigned to read the book.  She was doing some
heady reading for a high school senior.

    "Kris seemed a little jealous on Friday when we talked
for a couple of hours.  Since she's out of town, would you
like to talk some more this afternoon?"

    Camille thought for a bit.  "No. I need to take my mother
to the doctor's today.  Annual physical."

    "Oh, well.  I thought I'd try.  People expect to see me
with a blonde, you know."

    "I'm not your Goddess, Jim," Camille pointed out.  "I
mean, I love you and..." Camille paused, apparently shocked
at what she just said.

    "What?"

    "I mean... I love... shit!" Camille looked upset.

    I was very concerned.  "What's wrong, Camille?"

    Camille looked at me, saying nothing for a couple of
minutes.  Finally, she said, quietly, "Fuck.  I'll take you
home today.  Come with me to the doctor's office."

    "With your mother?"

    Camille sighed and nodded.

    "Sure."

    There were only a few more minutes left of school.

    "Let's go now," Camille said.

    "Now?  The bell hasn't rung!"

    "Won't matter," Camille said.  "Perk of being in the
Honor Society."

    "What?" I asked.

    Camille didn't answer.  Instead, she dragged me out of
the library, leaving her book on the table.  The librarian
saw us but said nothing.

    We were alone in the parking lot, and Camille went
straight to her car and said, "Come on, get in."

    Once inside the car, Camille said, "Jim, something
happened after our conversation the other day."

    "What?" I asked.

    "Remember how I said that I was drawn to you?"

    "Yeah..." I said, confused.

    "It's stronger now.  Sometimes when I'm with you, it gets
really strong.  Like just now in the library."

    "You're drawn to me?"

    "Jim, I've never, ever loved anybody," Camille said,
starting her car.  There were tears in her eyes.  "Not
romantically.  I've fucked, sucked, licked and done whatever
with countless people--some who I can't even remember--but I
never loved anybody."

    "How about Patty?" I asked.

    "Patty likes me, but I think she pities me.  That's not
love," Camille said, starting to sob.

    I didn't think Patty's relationship with Camille was
based on pity, but I said nothing.  Luckily, Lake Shore Point
wasn't far away.  Camille pulled in and parked the car.  She
turned to me and said, "Jim, what I feel for you, I've felt
for nobody else.  I know you don't love me and... for some
reason, I don't care."

    "You love me?" I asked, stupidly.  "Why?"

    "I don't know!  I know you didn't do anything," Camille
said.  "I felt it strongly when we were here last week, and
it got stronger when I kissed you last week.  I'm..."
Camille's voice faltered and was replaced by sobs.

    I didn't know what to do with this.  Girls were falling
in love with me, and there was no explanation about what was
happening.  Back in September, Patty told me that Kristen
loved me, and then a couple of weeks later, Sherry told me
the same thing.  Now I was hearing it from Camille.  What was
happening to me?

    Another more interesting question was, if Camille felt
this way last week, was it a good idea that we were back here
at Lake Shore Point?  I liked Camille as a friend.  She
helped heal a rift between Kristen and me and she was one of
the smartest people I knew.  I knew about her reputation,
although I was taken aback that both Kristen and Patty seemed
to know that she was bisexual.

    "Camille, it's probably not a good idea for us to be
here..."

    "It's OK," Camille answered, sniffing.  "I'm not about to
rape you, you know.  I'm quite capable of controlling my
actions.  I think it's those damned tickets.  It's the only
explanation."

    Deep inside me, despite my concern about my friend, a
soothing thought came into my mind.  "Calm down, Camille," I
said.

    Camille nodded and started to take deep breaths.

    I saw my friend start to calm down.  "Kiss me," I said.

    "Huh?" Camille said, confused.

    Nevertheless, she moved closer to me, her lips pursed.

    As our lips met, I kissed Camille.  I felt her tongue
touch my lips, but I knew instinctively that this was not the
time for that.  I kept my lips closed, and Camille noticed
and stopped.

    We continued kissing for a minute and finally, Camille
broke away from it.

    "What did you do?" Camille asked, amazed.

    "I just kissed you," I answered.

    "That feels much better," Camille said.  "It's as if this
hungry need that was there is now gone!"

    I smiled.  "I'm happy that Doctor Jim was able to help!"

    The two of us sat in silence for a few minutes.

    "Jim?" Camille asked.

    "What, Camille?" I asked softly.

    "How did you know what to do?"

    I shrugged.  The idea just popped into my head, and I
wasn't particularly sure that I knew the answer to that
question.

    "I haven't felt this calm in years," Camille said.  "Not
since Debbie..."

    "Forget about Debbie for now," I said soothingly.

    Camille closed her eyes.  When she opened them, I saw a
new expression on her face.  "What did you do?"

    I shrugged again.  "I kissed my friend."

    "Jim... I love you!  Not like Kristen does, but like a
friend!  I have never had a real friend."

    "Patty loves you," I said.  "So does Lynette."

    "Perhaps, but I never really trusted their love."

    "I think that's what you were missing, Camille.  Trust."

    "Huh?"

    "Remember last week when I asked you to trust me?" I
said, only now understanding things as I was saying them.
"You did.  I think that was the first time you really trusted
somebody.  I could have made you a slave with the tickets,
just as your sister did.  I didn't do it.  You trusted me,
and I passed your test."

    "Trust?"

    "Trust," I repeated.  "When I asked you about Patty
before, you said she pitied you.  She loves you!  You just
never trusted her motives!"

    "It can't be that simple!" Camille's eyes were wide with
amazement.

    "Do you really love me?" I asked.

    "I think... no... I know I love you."

    "It's not a romantic love, though.  Right?"

    Camille thought about it.  "No. A few minutes ago, I
could have sworn it was, but now... no, it's not romantic!"

    I smiled.  "Do you feel as mixed up as you were before?"

    Camille actually smiled.  "No, Jim!  I feel wonderful!"

    "You need to learn to trust people, Camille," I said.
"People such as Patty and me love you and want to help you."

    The cheerleader nodded her head slowly.  "It's not going
to be easy, you know."

    "It never is, but trust pays off handsomely in the end,
Cammy."

    "May I have another kiss, Jim?"

    "Of course, if you use the right word?"

    "Which one?"

    "What's the most important thing for you right now?"

    "Trust?" Camille asked, not sure where I was going.

    "It's something that I learned the hard way myself,
Cammy.  What are we?"

    "Friends!" Camille said happily.

    "Friends!" I repeated.

    The two of us kissed once more.  This time, there was no
tongue trying to probe my lips.  Instead, we shared an
intimate kiss as two close and very dear friends.

    When we finally broke it off, I looked at the clock on
Camille's dashboard.  "What time is your mother's
appointment?"

    "Five," Camille answered.  There were about forty-five
minutes to go.

    "Think you can drop me off at my house first?"

    "No problem," Camille grinned.  "You only live a couple
of blocks from me."

    Camille started up her engine and pulled out of the
parking lot.

    When we got to my driveway, Camille kissed me briefly and
then said, "I'm going to need to have a long talk with Patty
tonight.  Thank you, Jim!"

    "Thank you, friend!"

* * *

    At home, I thought about what just transpired between
Camille and me.

    I didn't tell Camille everything that I realized, but I
knew that she was intelligent enough to put in the missing
pieces herself.

    Camille's public life was a lie for a good many years.
She was not the nymphomaniac whore that her sister turned her
into.  She was not really the person she showed to all her
so-called friends.

    A lot of this she would have to discover herself.  For
now, she needed to trust some people.  Like Patty, life had
not been easy for Camille.

    It wasn't an easy lesson for me, and I was just now
learning it, even though I'd experienced this for months.

    I somehow earned Patty's trust before she could tell me
about the experience that traumatized her.  I needed to earn
Kristen's trust before she fell in love with me.  I showed
Sherry that I trusted her when I gave her that note that I
had written to Kristen.  Camille needed to learn to trust
somebody to understand that she had friends.

    Trust was a powerful thing.

    Could it somehow be the secret of the tickets?

* * *

    The next morning started out as a day that could only be
described as "raw." It was dark, dismal, and cold.  It felt
as if it would rain or snow any minute.  I looked out the
front window and scowled.  I hated this sort of weather.
Unfortunately, we got a lot of it living in the Midwest.

    There was a knock on our door, and when I opened it, I
was greeted by the loveliest blonde Goddess who ever walked
the face of the earth.  I could swear that I could hear birds
chirping behind her as though it were the first spring day in
a scene out of the movie "_Bambi_."

    One smile from Kristen could probably melt a tornado away!

    "What are you gawking at?" Kristen asked, amused at my
reaction to seeing her.

    I didn't answer, but merely sighed.  "How was Chicago?"

    "Busy," Kristen answered.  "Lots of things that I needed
to hear.  Nothing is official until I'm eighteen, but my
mother is starting to put things in motion."

    My response was a shrug.  Money matters never bothered
me.  I mean, if one has no money, then there's very little to
bother somebody.

    "Where's your case?" Kristen asked, a little put off that
I didn't invite her inside, nor was I ready to go out with
her to drive to the school.

    "Oh!" I said.  I turned and found my attach� case.
"Thanks for reminding me.  I have homework to hand in."

    "Are you ready to leave?" Kristen asked.

    "Sure," I said, moving out.

    Kristen yelled "good-bye" to my mother and Merry, and I
inwardly chided myself for not having invited Kristen inside
the house.

    In the Camaro, Kristen pulled onto the main street and
headed toward the high school.  She asked, "Did you miss me?"

    "Of course," I answered.

    "So, what did you do while I was gone?"

    "I talked a bit with Camille again."

    Kristen did not respond to that statement.  I knew that
she still harbored a little bit of jealousy from last week.

    I decided it was time to get that out in the open.
"Camille loves me," I said, flatly.

    "I see," Kristen said, an edge coming to her voice.

    "Not that way, Kris!" I said quickly.  "I mean, she
finally told me that she loves me like a friend.  In fact,
she specifically said that she didn't like me romantically."

    Kristen shook her head.  "She's always been a friend..."

    "No, Kris!" I said.  "You don't get it.  Up until just
recently, Camille never trusted anybody--and I mean that she
trusted nobody!  You can be a friend to people, but you'll
never feel that you have a friend until you learn to trust
that person."

    "Patty loved her as a friend," Kristen pointed out.

    "And Camille never trusted that love.  Camille thought
that Patty actually pitied her.  Camille never told Patty
much about her previous sex life, even though it was common
knowledge around the school, apparently.  And Patty never
told her about her..." I paused, wondering how much I should
say.  "Well, something that happened to Patty a couple of
years ago."

    "That asshole that raped her?" Kristen asked.

    "Exactly," I smiled.  "Patty told you, but she never told
Camille.  Camille put some of the pieces together, but Patty
never confided in Camille."

    "And that's all that happened?  Camille has learned to
trust people?"

    "Yes, Kristen," I said, softly.  "After all, you never
fell in love with me until I earned your trust."

    Kristen parked in the school lot and turned off the
ignition.  She sat silently for a minute or so and then
finally turned to me and said, "What you've said makes sense,
Jim.  How did you get so smart?"

    I blushed at the compliment.  "I'm not that smart.  I
only realized why you started loving me after I was talking
with Camille.  As I was telling Camille, it occurred to me
that it was the same between Patty and me, and you and me.
Our friendships were based on trust."

    Warm lips met mine and I received one of Kristen's
erection special kisses.  After we broke the kiss, Kristen
snickered at me and said, "Try walking with that into school!"

    I was disappointed when I got to the school entrance and
didn't see Patty or Camille.  Kristen went to her homeroom,
which was on the second floor, and for one of the first times
during that school year, I found myself alone before home
room.  It was a strange feeling.

    Suddenly, I saw Sherry near the entrance.  My smile
brightened considerably and I walked toward her.

    Sherry noticed me and waited for me to join her.  It was
close to the start of class, but there were still a couple of
minutes.

    "Hi, Jim.  Is Kristen still in Chicago?"

    I shook my head.  "Kris already left for homeroom.  I
thought I'd be out here by myself, but I found you.  Can I
walk you to class?"

    "Certainly," Sherry answered, her cheeks dimpling as she
smiled.

    We walked together toward our home rooms, which were a
few doors down from each other.  I left Sherry at her door,
and then headed for my own home room.

    At lunch, I found out that both Patty and Camille were
both absent from school that day.

    Seventh period, and after a run across the school, I was
able to get Amy to agree to distract Kristen for a bit before
the start of jazz band.

    Most of the band agreed to help out with entertainment
for Kristen's party, and I told them that I'd alert them
about information as I got it by relaying it through Mr.
Proilet.

    Everybody in the band noticed Amy and Kristen arrive
late.  I smiled at the pair, and Amy blushed at me, and
silently approached her piano.

    We started working on the material that I put together
for the Spring Concert.

* * *

    The next morning, I found Patty and Camille at their
customary spot in front of the school.  They were talking
animatedly with each other.

    When they noticed me, Camille came over to me with a
determined look in her eyes and kissed me right on the mouth.
I kissed back, happy that the kiss wasn't as passionate as
the first one we shared on Wednesday.

    Once I broke for air, Patty kissed me the same.

    I was quite breathless afterward, and Kristen just
shrugged her shoulders and showed her friends what a real
kiss was.  It made my blood rush into the very organ that
Kristen obviously targeted.

    Looking up after Kristen's kiss, I noticed that I was the
center of attention of quite a lot of students, many of whom
I didn't know very well.  I ended up feeling my face turn red
as some good-natured cat calls came our way.

* * *

    I was able to reach Kristen's father on Friday by taking
some time off from third period music class (with permission)
and calling him from the pay phone outside the front office.

    A secretary answered, and told me that Kristen's father
was very busy, but when I mentioned that I wanted to talk
about Kristen, he came on the line almost immediately.

    "Hi, Jim!"

    "Hello, Mr. Swift."

    "Call me Daniel, son."

    I winced at the "son" designation.  I was still more than
a bit surprised at his announcement to my principal that I
was his "future son-in-law."

    "Um, Daniel, this isn't an emergency.  If you are busy..."

    "I always have time for you.  What's on your mind?"

    "I was thinking of planning something for Kristen's
birthday, and wondered if you made any plans and if we could
somehow work together..."

    "I left most of that to Charley," Mr. Swift answered,
referring to his wife.

    "Do you know what she'll be doing?"

    "Why don't you give her a call?" Mr. Swift suggested.  "I
think the hall we rented can fit a hundred people or so
easily."

    "I didn't know Kristen's family was that large!"

    "It's not," Mr. Swift said.  "We do have some friends.  I
think we were going to have about two dozen..."

    "Do you think I could bring some of our friends?  I have
people in the band who could play a set..."

    "That's a great idea!  I think Charley was trying to
arrange for a deejay or something."

    "There are kids in my band who can do that.  And we play
jazz as well as rock and roll, if that's your preference..."

    I heard a hearty laugh on the other end.  "We're not that
old, sonny." There was more laughter and then he added, "That
would be thoughtful.  Do you know any Henry Mancini?  That's
Charley's favorite."

    "Our band knows '_Pink Panther_' by heart.  We could add
'_Moon River_' if you want."

    "Whatever you want, Jim."

    "Well, thank you, Mr. Swift... Daniel.  I'll call Mrs.
Swift right now."

    "Thank you for calling me, Jim," Mr. Swift answered.  "I
think Charley was going to call you tonight about the party.
Inviting the jazz band would be a great idea.  Where did you
ever get that nickname from, anyway?"

    This was the first that I realized that Kristen's parents
were at the Christmas concert last month.  "It's a nickname
they came up after a recording session I did last year."

    "You have a lot of talent, son," Mr. Swift said, his
voice without any indication that he was just humoring me.
"I've known many musicians, and I must say that you are quite
extraordinary."

    I was at a loss for words.  "Um, thank you..."

    "I'm not trying to embarrass you, son.  Thank you for
calling!"

    "Thank you, too."

    I hung up, and then got the information that I needed
from Mrs. Swift.  She seemed quite pleased with the idea of
including Kristen's friends from school as well as the band.
I wrote down the basic information on a sheet of paper from
my notebook, and got off the phone quickly.

    As I headed back past the office, the receptionist smiled
at me, giving me a wave.  I smiled back and grinned on my way
back to my music class.

    After the class, I handed Mr. Proilet the information,
and he said that he'd pass the information along.  I also
personally invited Mr. Proilet to the party, and he said that
he'd make room in his schedule.

    Patty was at lunch during fourth period, and she told
Kristen, Sherry, and myself that she and Camille spent the
day together, just talking.

    It was amazing how much more animated Patty was.  She was
positively beaming at us, as if a set of flood-gates were
suddenly thrown open.  I was happy for her, and for Camille.
They were always best friends, but never really trusted each
other enough to be really open with one another.  Having done
so, I wondered how my two best friends would change, since
change would be inevitable.

    I looked longingly at Kristen near the end of lunch, and
she raised her eyebrows.  There was curiosity in her eyes as
to why I seemed so sad when Patty was feeling so bubbly and
happy.

    The moment that passed between Kristen and me seemed to
last an hour.  Somehow, our thoughts were shared in that
brief moment without a word being spoken.  I was feeling a
sense of loss.  Although I was happy that Patty and Camille
finally found a real focus to their lives, I felt a sadness
that I wasn't a part of it.

    I didn't know it then, but I couldn't have been more
wrong.

--
jimc_author@hotmail.com

JiMC is only a pseudonym.  Respect my privacy and I'll respect yours.

_________________________________________________________________
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-- 
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reserved by its author unless explicitly indicated.
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