A/N: I don't own the lyrics in this chapter.
'RIIIIING! RRRRRINGGGG! RRRRIIIINNNNGGGG!'
Indiana Jones groped blindly for the alarm clock on his bedside table. After a minute, his fingers curled around the metal object and he was able to shut it off.
"Good morning, Marion," he mumbled. When the only reply was silence, he assumed she was still asleep.
Indy rolled over and reached out to wake her. His arm bounced off the mattress beside him. Indy threw the covers off himself and hopped out of bed. He retrieved his best suit from the closet, took off his pajamas, and put on the suit and his favorite tie. He combed his hair and balanced his tortoise-shell glasses on his nose before leaving the bedroom. He whistled merrily as he entered the kitchen, where Marion was cooking breakfast. This morning's menu: blueberry pancakes and scrambled eggs. Indy kissed his wife on the cheek, then continued whistling.
"Dr. Jones, you are as giddy as a schoolboy this morning." Marion grinned.
Indy couldn't help himself. He loved the first day of a new semester: the crispness of the fall air and the crunch of leaves under his feet as he walked across campus, the smell of chalk and the way it felt in his fingertips, and the genuine pleasure he derived from teaching a new batch of students about the ancient world.
"And I'm not the only one going back to school." Indy said cheerfully, pouring himself a cup of coffee.
After weeks of shouting matches, Mutt had (grudgingly) agreed to finish high school and earn his diploma. Indy had tried to get Mutt accepted at the few private schools he hadn't already quit or been kicked out of, but was told by each one that there were no available spots and he should've applied earlier. So Mutt was going to attend Rydell High, the local public school. Indy personally felt a private school would've offered a better education, but a high school diploma was a high school diploma.
Indy sat down at the table with his coffee, preparing to read over his syllabus and opening lecture and revise them if necessary. He realized he'd left his briefcase in the bedroom and went to retrieve it. Once he had, he decided to check if Mutt was up. He hoped he wasn't going to try playing sick to get out of going to school; Indy was in a good mood and didn't want anything to spoil it. He was just about to knock on the door to his son's room when he saw the bathroom door open. Mutt stepped out of it, clad in a bathrobe, his curly hair dripping wet. Several days' worth of stubble covered his face.
"I was just about to wake you up," Indy said by way of a morning greeting.
"I don't need you to wake me up; I'm not a little kid," Mutt retorted.
Indy got a better look at the kid and realized Mutt was wearing his bathrobe. Hadn't he told the kid to ask permission before borrowing his stuff? Well, Indy supposed he could deal with that later. His son making a good first impression on his teachers was a more immediate matter. Indy jerked his thumb in the direction of the bathroom and said, "How 'bout you go back in there and shave, huh?"
"Forget it," said Mutt.
"If you won't shave on your own, I'd be glad to help you," Indy said calmly.
"But girls dig a little scruff on a man," Mutt protested.
"I don't care what the girls 'dig.' You look like you haven't washed your face in a week." Indy checked his watch. He wasn't sure what time the kid had to be at school, but his gut told him they were cutting it close. "Hurry up and shave and put some clothes on. Breakfast is almost ready."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." said Mutt, going into his room and slamming the door.
"And make sure I get my robe back," Indy called through the door.
Indy returned to the kitchen and pored over the lecture he'd written the previous night until Marion set a plate in front of him. Indy put his briefcase and papers aside, devoting his full attention to his breakfast. The sound of footsteps across the floor, followed by the lid being taken off the cookie jar brought him out of his reverie.
"Mutt, stop foraging!" Marion scolded. "Sit down and eat something."
Indy looked up from his plate. Mutt was leaning against the counter, clean-shaven again (thank God for small favors). He was dressed in his leather jacket, blue jeans, a gray T-shirt with a navy blue collar, and boots.
"You're not wearing that," Indy said firmly.
"Yeah, I am," Mutt shot back defiantly, dropping into a chair across from his dad.
"No, you're not," Indy argued.
In a further act of rebellion, Mutt extracted his tan cap from his back pocket. He put it on his head and tilted it to what he felt was a rakish angle.
"Marion, tell him he can't go to school looking like a hood." Indy thought Mutt might listen if both parents presented a united front.
"Mom, tell him I shaved, so I get to wear what I want." Mutt countered.
"Don't even try to put me in the middle of this, you two," Marion said sternly. She set a plate on the table in front of Mutt. "Here's your breakfast, sweetheart."
"Thanks, Mom," said Mutt, reaching across the table for the butter dish and syrup.
He spread a huge chunk of butter over his pancakes, then poured half the bottle of syrup over them.
Indy still didn't like the kid's outfit, but he didn't want to spoil his own good mood by arguing with Mutt, so he decided to change the subject. "Do you want me to drop you off at school?" he asked, watching his son pick up his silverware and dig into his food.
Mutt shook his head. He moved his fork from his right hand to his left, reached into his jacket pocket, and retrieved his motorcycle keys. He held them up so his dad could see.
"Son, I don't think--" Indy started.
"Only squares get dropped off," Mutt interrupted. "Besides," he added through a mouthful of eggs and pancake, "Mom said I could take the bike."
Indy glanced at Marion. "Did you?" he inquired, wanting to make sure Mutt wasn't trying to pull a fast one.
"Yes," she answered, putting her coffee mug in the sink. "And you know better than to talk with your mouth full, young man."
"Sorry."
"Before you go, I'd like to say a couple of things," said Marion in a firm sort of voice.
"Mom, I'm eating," said Mutt.
"I can see that. Just listen to me, all right?" said Marion. "First of all, I expect you to behave yourself this year. If I get even one call from your principal, you're grounded, no motorcycle. And I know you've never gone to a coed school before, but don't get too distracted by the girls."
"I'll try, Mom." he promised.
Mutt glanced at the clock. 7:45. School didn't start until 8:15, but he still had to register for classes so he probably ought to leave soon. He dropped his knife and fork on his plate and stood up from the table. Indy followed suit; he had an early class that morning. Marion picked up a brown paper bag that was sitting on the counter and handed it to their son.
"Here's your lunch." she said. She kissed him on the cheek. "I love you, Mutt."
"Love you too, Mom," said Mutt, returning the kiss.
As Mutt tucked the bag into the inside pocket of his jacket, Marion handed a second paper bag to Indy. "And there's yours." She stood looking at the men in her life for a moment, smiling. "Have a good day at school."
"We will," both Henrys said together.
Indy kissed his wife on the lips and whispered, "I love you, honey," before leaving the kitchen with Mutt.
Once in the driveway, father and son went their seperate ways. Indy headed for the car; Mutt hopped on his motorcycle. He roared out of the driveway before Indy even had a chance to unlock the car door. Less than ten minutes of riding later, Mutt spotted the high school, an imposing three-story brick building. A brick-and-concrete sign on the lawn read "Rydell High School, Home of the Rangers." He idled into the parking lot. The students milling around stared as the greaser eased his bike into the nearest parking space.
Mutt dropped the kickstand and slowly climbed down from the Harley. He swallowed hard and began walking toward the front steps, his body tingling unpleasantly and his stomach quivering from nervousness. He climbed the front steps and went through the front door of the school. He stood for a moment, looking around for the main office. He spotted it about 10 feet down the hall on his left. Mutt entered the office and stood in front of a short counter.
"How may I help you?" asked the grandmotherly, bespectacled secretary.
"I'm starting here today and I still need to register for classes," Mutt explained.
The secretary produced a stack of forms and a pencil from underneath the counter. "There you are, dear."
He picked up the pencil and started to fill out the forms. He put his first name down as "Mutt" out of pure habit and had to erase his last name after writing "Williams" in the blank instead of "Jones." He kept forgetting his mom had changed it after the wedding. Mutt quickly got bored with the registration forms and began humming "Hound Dog" to keep himself somewhat entertained. He thought he was humming under his breath, so he was more than a little startled to hear to someone put words to the tune:
"Well, you ain't never caught a rabbit; you ain't no friend of mine," sang a soft female voice to his right.
Mutt jumped slightly and turned his head to see the girl who was singing. She had a round face with a slightly square jaw, a slightly upturned nose, shapely lips, and long eyelashes that framed a pair of almost shockingly blue eyes; her shoulder-length caramel blond hair was loose, curled, and ratted. The girl wore a canary yellow dress that belted at the waist, accenting her hourglass figure, and white high-heeled shoes to match the belt. The heels did little to disguise the fact she was two heads shorter than him. In Mutt's opinion, she wasn't movie-star gorgeous, but cute in that girl-next-door sort of way.
Why do I get the feeling I've seen her before? he thought as he slid his registration card toward the secretary.
"This is a temporary schedule for you," said the secretary, handing him a yellow sheet of paper. She passed a white sheet to the girl and said, "Here's yours, Johanna, dear."
Mutt suddenly realized where he'd seen the girl, Johanna, before: Arnie's Diner. She was a waitress there and she and Mutt had become pretty friendly with each other over the summer. Mutt had spent most of his waking hours at Arnie's for several weeks when the air conditioner at the Joneses' house had broken down.
He watched as Johanna tucked the schedule into one of her notebooks and left the office. Mutt noticed a brown paper bag and a small white pocketbook lying on the counter. Figuring the items belonged to the girl named Johanna, he scooped them up and hurried down the hall. He quickly spotted the back of a yellow dress and called, "Johanna!"
The girl turned around. "Yes?" she said.
Mutt held up the paper bag and pocketbook. "You forgot your stuff in the office."
"Thanks a lot," she said gratefully. She studied Mutt carefully as he passed over her things. "Wait a minute. Don't I know you from somewhere?" She thought for a moment, then said, "Your name's Mutt. You're a regular at Arnie's, right?"
Mutt nodded. "Yeah. You've got a real good memory."
"Thanks," said Johanna. She checked her watch. "We'd better get going or we'll be late for class."
For the first time, Mutt checked his schedule. 1st period: Biology; 2nd period: Senior English; 3rd period: Gym; 4th period: study hall/lunch; 5th period: Geometry; 6th period: Auto Mechanics. Not bad, overall. He quickly scanned the second and third columns on the sheet, which listed teachers' names and room numbers.
"Hey, Johanna, do you know where Room 203 is?" Mutt inquired.
"Up those stairs," she began, pointing toward a doorway several feet down the hall, "make a left and it's the second door on the left."
"Could you say that again, please?" Mutt requested. His brain was not used to functioning at this hour of the morning.
"I'll just show you." said Johanna, starting to lead the way.
Mutt walked alongside her, doing his best to keep his long legs moving at a pace the considerably smaller Johanna would find comfortable. The stairway was narrow, so he had to climb up behind her.
"So do you have lunch 4th period?" Mutt wanted to know.
"Everybody does," said Johanna as they emerged onto the landing. "Why?"
Trying to play it cool, Mutt shrugged. "No reason. I just need someone to show me where the cafeteria is."
"Greasers don't eat in the cafeteria, at least not if we can help it," Johanna explained. "Walk up to the DX on the corner when the study hall bell rings. I always have lunch there with my friends; I could introduce you around."
"Sounds great." They were now outside Mutt's biology classroom. "See ya later, alligator." He offered her a grin and a wink before disappearing into Room 203.
Maybe school won't be too bad after all, he thought as he showed the teacher his registration card.
THE END
