Bayview Heights Trilogy (66 page)

Looking bored, Dan shrugged. “It’s cool.
Doesn’t matter what you think of me.”

“So,” she said, opening her notebook and
ignoring his comment. From the things he’d told her, she sensed his
surliness was a cover for deep feelings. “Where do we begin?”

“Probably with the questions we hammered out
in class yesterday.” He shook his head. “You in never-never land
again or what?”

Julia’s chin came up. True, she vagued out
sometimes, imagining her Broadway debut or her Tony award. But she
didn’t think it was that obvious. “I was here, Caruso. Every single
day this week.” She gave him a condescending look that she’d copied
from Liz Taylor’s old movies. “Which is more than I can say for
you.” He stared at her. “You know,” she said, getting more
irritated, “if we’re going to do this, you’ve got to be here.”

Something fluttered in his chocolate-colored
eyes. A sadness. Now she felt bad. Problem was, Julia played so
many roles, on and off the stage, she often got carried away. She
hadn’t meant to hurt him She tried a Drew Barrymore smile. He
opened his notebook and didn’t respond.

“You wanna go first or should I?” he asked,
staring down.

“Let’s do each question together. Since they
go from easy to hard.”

Ten minutes later, they got to hard. “So Ms.
Actress, what’s your greatest fear?”

Julia bit her lip. Ms. Caufield had said they
shouldn’t agree to do this assignment unless they planned to be
honest. They’d have a chance to edit out anything too private, but
part of the purpose of interviewing each other and presenting your
partner to the class was to reveal things about yourself that
others didn’t know.

“Jules?” Her head came up at the nickname
only her closest friends used. “A tough one?”

She nodded. “You?”

“Nah, it’s easy for me.” His long hair fell
onto his forehead. It was squeaky clean and looked soft as silk.
“I’m afraid they’re gonna take my little brother away from me and
my ma.”

“Why would they do that?”

“She leaves us alone. A lot.”

“I’m sorry.”

He shrugged. “Your turn.”

Watching closely for his reaction, she said
softly, “I’m afraid for people to see the real me.”

“That why you assume so many roles?”

“In the plays, you mean?”

“In real life.”

His comment hit a nerve because she knew it
was true.

“Who
is
the real you?” he asked
gently.

“You got it on paper.” Her reply was
flippant, accompanied by a toss of her bangs off her face.

“Nope. This is surface stuff.”

After a very long pause she sighed. “I guess
I don’t know who the real me is.” She peered up at him from under
thick lashes. “And if I did, maybe I wouldn’t like her.”

Just then Ashley walked by on her way back
from the washroom and slapped Julia on the back. Julia was glad for
the interruption and turned to say something to her friend,
effectively cutting off Dan’s reply to her revelation.

Ashley spoke briefly to Julia, then sat back
down, tugging at the short denim dress she wore. She covered her
stomach with both hands.

“All right, we’re on number twelve,” Ashley’s
partner, Teresa Lanahan, said. “What are your secret goals in
life?” she asked. “Even though they might not come true.”

My only goal right now is not to be
pregnant
, Ashley thought.
Please, God, don’t let that
be
. “None of what I want’s secret.”

“Let me guess. You want to marry Evan, have a
dozen kids and live in Pleasantville, U.S.A.”

Teresa’s tone irritated Ashley. “Why would
you say it like that?”

Teresa shrugged. “Like what?”

“So disapproving. What if I do want that?”
She indicated the drab sweats Teresa wore every day like a uniform.
“Not everybody wants to play for the WBA.”

Teresa’s face tensed. “I’d be satisfied with
a basketball scholarship so I can play in college.”

For a moment Ashley was intrigued. What would
it be like to have aspirations that had nothing to do with guys?
Her mother and three sisters never had any dreams of their own, and
Ashley had inherited the Emerson homemaking gene. “Won’t you get a
scholarship?”

“I should.”

“Where do you want to go?”

“University of Connecticut. They got a great
women’s basketball program.”

Ashley smiled thinly. Would she even be going
to college? Her gaze strayed to Ms. Caufield, who was interviewing
with Madison Kendrick—or Mad Maddie as the kids called her because
of her tall, wild-eyed appearance and odd behavior. Would Ms. C be
disappointed in Ashley if she got married and never went to
college? Hell, if she was pregnant, she wouldn’t even graduate high
school with her class.

Scanning the room to keep back the tears,
Ashley caught Shondra’s eye. Her friend grinned, then turned back
to her own partner.

Shondra yawned and Mary Kay Sorensen frowned.
“Sorry,” Shondra said. “I was up late finishing college
applications.”

Mary Kay gave her a meek smile back. “Where
are you applying?”

Harvard. Yale. Radcliffe
, Shondra
thought. “Oh, just some nearby schools.” She fussed with the white
blouse she wore with a midcalf beige skirt. “How about you?”

“State schools.” Mary Kay’s thin shoulders
sagged, her drab blue dress way too big for her. “My parents can’t
afford more.”

“What about scholarships?”

“I’m not smart enough. Not like you. You do
everything.”

“You’re editor of the yearbook, Mary
Kay.”

“Only because you couldn’t be that
and
the literary-magazine editor.

“You’re good,” Shondra said kindly. “I’m glad
you got it.” She glanced down at her notes. “We’re on number
fourteen...which parent are you most like?”

Mary Kay’s lips curved in a pretty smile.
“That’s easy. My mom. We do everything together.”

Shondra stared at the freckle-faced redhead.
Did she have any idea how lucky she was to have a mother for a best
friend? Shondra’s mother was the policeman of her life, and the
jailer.

You have a reputation to uphold. You have
to be the best. Because of your heritage. Be proud of it.

Ironically what the Jacobs’ ethnic pride had
done to their oldest child was to make her wish she was anything
but African-American.

“If I could have your attention please.”

All eyes turned toward Ms. Caufield. She
looked pretty today in a hot-pink tunic and slinky black pants with
high sandals. They made her an almost average height. Chunky gold
adorned her ears, wrists and throat.

“You’ve done very well for the past—” she
glanced at the clock “—hour.”

There were murmurs around the room; they all
knew the true test of a good class was how fast the time flew.

“Let me remind you that what you’ve shared is
private. Keep it to yourselves until your partner decides if she or
he wants it written up in the interview.”

The kids stared at her in silence.

“I’d like to see nods of agreement, verbal
promises.” That wrung a smile out of them. And some noise.

“All right.” Ms. Caufield held up a typed
sheet. “This is the schedule for the volunteer placements.”
“Representatives from all four organizations will be here Monday
during class to talk about what positions are available. We have
enough study buddies and elementary-school helpers, but the day
care, and the teen clinic—” she almost stumbled over that and
Shondra knew why “—have several positions open.”

“I hope I didn’t get the clinic,” Shondra
heard from behind her. It was Erica. Shondra gave her a sympathetic
look.

The teacher finished, “I tried to honor your
requests, but if there’s a problem with your placement, I’ll see
what I can do.”

Sighing, Shondra waited for the papers. She’d
asked to work at a medical facility, so she’d most likely get the
clinic. Where that creep who dumped Ms. Caufield worked. Damn, that
was all Shondra needed. It was going to be a long semester.

o0o

KURT HADN’T BEEN in Hotshots in more than a
year. Before the breakup, he’d come to the bar often with Zoe and
filled in on the teachers’ team in the weekly volleyball games when
staff members had meetings or were away on vacations. The drone of
the TV monitors broadcasting a football game, the smell of popcorn
and beer and the rumble of voices around the courts in the back
were soothingly familiar; at the same time he found the memories
painful. Would he ever become immune to all he’d given up?

“You okay, buddy?” Mitch asked from beside
him. His brother had taken off his sweats and was stretching his
leg muscles. Nearing fifty, Mitch was still in great shape.

“Just fine.” Kurt had tried to hide his
depression from Mitch. Knowing his presence in their house was
causing problems between the couple, he’d forced himself to put on
a front.

“Bullshit. You don’t fool me. You’re dying
inside.”

So much for fronts. Kurt removed the fleece
jacket that he’d thrown over khaki gym shorts and a forest- green
T-shirt.

Do you have any idea what that color does
to your eyes?
Zoe had asked him once.

He’d tugged her close and peered down at her.
You like?

I like.

Show me.

He willed the memories away. It was bad
enough they haunted him at night and drove him from his bedroom to
prowl the house like some ghost searching for solace. Four times
now, because he was already up, he’d gotten to Camille before
Cassie awoke, given the baby a bottle and rocked her back to
sleep.

“I’m fine, big brother.” He glanced around
the huge converted warehouse with its long mahogany bar, seating
area and volleyball courts in the back. “I’m just not sure this is
a good idea.

Mitch’s direct gaze zeroed in on him. “I
wasn’t leaving you by yourself tonight.”

“I could have watched the girls.”

“That’s what baby-sitters are for.” Mitch
settled on a stool. “A little exercise will do you good. Zoe and
Cassie are meeting with Seth and Alex and the superintendent about
the At Risk program, so they won’t be here. And we need
players.”

“It’s just that I’m trying to stay out of her
life.”

“Do you really think it’s possible?”

“I don’t know. I—”

“Hey, handsome, watch out.”

Reflexively Kurt turned to see a ball flying
his way. He caught it and smiled at the woman who called out to
him. She jogged over. “Hi, Kurt.”

“Have we met?” he asked, tossing back the
ball. The woman was pretty—long blond hair, long limbs and wide
eyes. She resembled Elizabeth.

“Yes, last year. I’m Barbara Sherman, school
psychologist.”

They exchanged pleasantries and then were
summoned to the court.

It was fun, and Kurt lost himself in the
play. He let go of his worries and regrets and allowed the sport to
absorb him. His team won the first game by two, and as he headed to
the bar with Mitch and Barbara for a beer break, he was
smiling.

His smile died faster than a flash of
lightning when he caught sight of Cassie, Seth, Alex and Zoe
approaching the bar.

Damn it!

Cassie spotted him first. Her head whipped
around to her husband and she gave him a
what-the-hell-is-he-doing-here look. Mitch drew in a deep breath.
His eyes narrowed on his wife.

“What are you doing here?” Mitch directed his
question to Cassie.

“I could ask him the same thing.” Her tone
was frigid as she nodded to Kurt.

Mitch set his beer down carefully and
straightened, ready to do battle. “You had a meeting with the
superintendent. We obviously didn’t expect you to show up
here.”

“It was canceled,” Seth said easily. He
stepped in front of Cassie. “Finn’s son is sick, and he had to go
home as soon as we got there.” Seth extended his hand to shake with
Kurt, who was trying unsuccessfully to fade into the background.
“Hi, Kurt.”

Kurt smiled at Seth. “Hi, everybody. Looks
like you don’t need me to fill in anymore. I’ll just take off.” He
placed his beer on the bar and turned to leave.

Cassie’s gaze leveled on him.

Seth shot a look at Mitch.

Alex placed his hands on Zoe’s shoulders.

And Zoe said, “No, don’t leave, Kurt. We need
all the players we can get.”

“Zoe...” Cassie said.

“Cass...” Mitch said.

“New game,” someone yelled.

“Come on, Zoe, let’s warm up.” Alex tugged on
her hand.

She smiled at Kurt. “Stay. I’ll be upset if
you leave just because I showed up to play.”

He nodded.

Cassie stood rooted to the spot as Zoe and
Alex headed for the court. “Excuse me,” she said, and with a glare
at her husband, she strode toward the door. Mitch was a few steps
behind her. Kurt watched as his brother caught up to his wife.
Cassie’s face was flaming as she turned to him. Gently encircling
her neck, Mitch drew her off to the side.

They were arguing. Over him. God, he never
meant to cause trouble.

Seth touched his arm. “Come on, Kurt. Let’s
play.” Torn, Kurt pushed away from the bar and followed the
principal out to the court.

Cassie would have been happy to know that he
was suffering for showing up here. He had to watch Zoe in her navy
nylon gym shorts and Teachers Have Class T-shirt stretch and move
that compact curvy body as she volleyed and reached for a ball. He
also had to watch Alex Ransom’s inability to keep his hands off
her.

As a ball came to Kurt and he hit it gently
to Seth, who spiked it over the net, Kurt recalled a conversation
he and Zoe had had about the young vice principal…

“He’s hot for you.”

“He’s a boy.”

“How old?”

“Around thirty-two.”

“Eight years’ difference. You and I are five
years apart.”

“Kurt, he was my student. True, he’s grown
up. Linebacker shoulders. Great hair. I—”