Part V
Will arrived at the dorm after a slow and thought provoking walk back from the lake. He mulled the evenings events over and over in his head and was still confused about what he had done that was so wrong. He considered talking things over with Jake, he was hoping that might help him understand what she was feeling. He opened the door to his dorm room and was surprised to find her packing.
Jake stood at the side of her bed and randomly tossed her belongings into her travel bags. "Hey." She said acknowledging his presence. Will entered the room silently. He moved toward her bed and sat down disrupting her piles of clothes.
"So..." Will started dragging the word out with a questioning tone.
"So..." She responded.
"So..what's up Jake...you're freakin' me out?"
"I'm moving ."
"Huh?"
"I'm moving. I'm switching rooms."
"What? Where?" Will asked.
"I'm moving into Scout's room."
"Wow...that's uh..."
"That's uh...what?" she repeated his words. "He already knows about me."
"Your...moving in...to Scout's room?" Will was completely thrown off by Jake's sudden change in attitude. She seemed like a stranger to him.
"Yeah...what's the big deal?"
"No big deal...as long as Scout's cool with it." Will said attempting to play it cool and casual.
"Exactly...well I guess I'll see you later." Jake picked up her bags and headed toward the door leaving Will dumbfounded for a moment. He quickly collected his thoughts and went into action deciding that "cool and disinterested' didn't seem to be working.
"Jake, wait, at least let me help you with your stuff." Will got up off the bed and picked up the remaining items. He headed toward the now opened door. They both hesitated in the doorway. Will felt as though he had one last chance and he decided that he should at least try. He closed the door and leaned against it hoping to give her time to think more clearly about what she was doing. "You don't have to do this, you know."
"It's for the best."
"Is it?"
"I think so...yes."
"Best for whom? You? Me? Scout?" Will sulked.
"Will...I understand...." He interrupted her thoughts by placing both of his hands on either side of her face. He looked deeply into her eyes.
"Would you just drop it...You're not going anywhere...okay?" He gently stroked his thumb across her lips and lowered his hand to her chin. The knock from the other side of the door startled then both into reality.
"Actually Will, I am. I have to."
Will opened the dorm room door to find Scout standing bag and baggage on the other side. "Hey buddy," he smiled.
***********************************************************************
Will sat at his desk and sorted through the papers in his notebook. He watched Scout out of the corner of his eye as he rearranged the pictures and ornaments on the top of his dresser for the third time that day. "What do you think?" He said stepping back to admire his work and illicit Will's opinion.
"Whatever."
"Look Will, I'm sorry...I can tell that you're not really happy about this arrangement. We should have talked to you first."
"Yeah...well that would have been nice." Will said and Scout looked genuinely hurt. "I'm sorry Scout. That didn't come out right. It would have been nice if Jake had talked to me before she moved out and you moved in. Actually, it would be nice if she would bother to talk to me at all."
"I think she just needs a little space. It has to be tough on a girl living amidst all this testosterone."
Will grinned. "I guess I never thought about it like that."
"She just needs some time to sort things out. She was a little concerned about blowing her cover here. She was scared of getting caught."
"Maybe. It's just that...I don't know. It was just so sudden." Will let out a long cleansing sigh and returned his eyes to the open book on his desk.
"So, any thoughts on the Cotillion? Are you going?" Scout asked hoping a change in subject would alleviate the tension.
"I don't know. If I go at all it will probably just be a drop by solo thing."
"Could be fun." Scout said knowingly.
"Lots of chicks in taffeta." Will said chuckling.
"Oh yeah, I hadn't thought about that." Scout grinned broadly.
Will picked up his book and headed toward the door. "Well, I gotta get to work." Scout nodded. "So..." Will hesitated. "Did you decide to ask anyone?"
Scout shook his head and dropped his eyes to the floor. "Nah...I think I'm gonna skip it. Besides, the only person I had my eye on is going with someone else."
Will quickly became uncomfortable. He held up The Almanac of American History textbook, showing it to Scout. "Well, I'm history." He quickly and quietly walked out the door.
A few moments passed when Scout heard the faint knock on his new dorm room door. He opened it to find Jake standing on the other side. "Well...do you think he bought it?" She asked looking hopeful.
"Hard to say, he's confused and he's hurt. We'll have to wait and see I guess."
"Well it will work. It has to." She walked away from the door and back toward her newly acquired single.
***********************************************************************
Will wiped the empty counter with a damp rag. The shift had been long and not very profitable for a warm summer evening. The door bell jingled and Bella walked in. "My kingdom for a coffee." She said smiling.
"That's good because we just changed the price from a kingdom to a buck." He returned the smile.
"Sold." Bella seated herself on the corner stool and watched Will as he poured.
"What's up Will? You seem a little...I don't know, down." She said seeming concerned.
"I'm Ok." He lied.
"You know Bella, you're just the girl I needed to talk to. I have a 'what would you do' question." He set the cup of hot coffee down and leaned on the counter.
"Shoot." She offered.
"At school, there's this Cotillion tomorrow night and there's this girl I really like..."
Bella cut him off mid-sentence. "That's a no brainer. All right you go with someone else and then you ask HER to dance and when she's all putty in your arms...you ask her out." She smiled at him reassuringly.
"Well, that sounds good...but there's just one problem I can't really ask her to dance."
"Jake?" Bella asked knowingly. Will nodded in acknowledgement. "Yeah. It's not like the two of you can actually 'trip the light fantastic' dressed in matching tuxedos."
"No...but if I took someone else to the Cotillion as you suggested, a friend...a GIRL friend, maybe that GIRLfriend would eventually dance with Jake and maybe SHE could talk to her for me?" Will exaggerated a pouty smile and looked hopefully at Bella.
"Who did you plan to go with?"
"I could go with you...I mean, would you go with me?"
Bella looked up. "Wha..no, no way."
"Please? Why not?"
"Come on Will, get serious. I do not even go to Rawley."
"I do. We'll go, we'll dance, we'll have fun." He said hoping to entice her.
"What's up Will? You used to laugh at these people."
"I know...but who cares? You'll be there with me. With the right dress, a little soap and water, your hair up in one of those thingies. You'll be so hot." Will came around to the outside of the counter. He stopped for a second and looked at Bella's profile. God, she's beautiful. He thought to himself. There was something there, something he didn't recognize at first...a feeling in the pit of his stomach. He watched her as she dabbed at the grease marks on her face using the napkin dispenser as her mirror. He regretted having said 'soap and water' now feeling responsible for her self-consciousness. He appeared at her side. "Two townies...in the night...amidst a sea of privilege."
"Will..." she whined slightly through her smile.
"Twirling the night away."
"With four left feet." Bella added.
"Come on lets go there and show these people how to have a great time."
"Oh, like we know?"
"Ok, come on. Just do it as a favor to me. Ok?" He asked.
Bella blushed as she watched Will drop down on one knee in front of the stool. "Bella, would you go to the Cotillion with me?"
Bella wanted to go. She wanted to go with Will...as his date but she didn't have the courage to tell him the truth. She knew in reality she'd only be there as his friend...helping him and she was content with that. She hesitated slightly before answering. Then producing an ear to ear grin she said, "Ok, let's do it."
"Alright." Will smiled back at her.
***********************************************************************
Scout stumbled upon Will alone in the Common Room leafing through the pages of the phone book. "Renting a tux?"
"Yeah." Will answered.
"Cotillion or eloping?"
"Well, if the Cotillion goes well, maybe both." He grinned.
"So...you found a date?"
"Yeah, Bella."
"Good choice."
Will gave him a confused look. "So what about you? Do you rent or do you own?"
"Me? I'm still mooching off the parentals."
"No, I meant a tuxedo."
"Oh. I own."
"Naturally." Will nodded.
"You know what you should do Will?" Will looked up from the phone book. He was always a little cautious when Scout made suggestions. "You should do the dinner jacket thing, like Bogie in Casablanca. Very cool."
"You think?"
"And...I think I can help you out." Scout said with a sly smile.
Minutes later the two boys were back in their room. Will stood, glancing at his reflection in the floor length mirror as Scout sat perched on the edge of the single bed behind him watching him pose. "Well? What do you think?" Will asked straightening his lapels and turning once again to check his profile.
"A shoeless Cary Grant."
"I was thinking more of a gun-less James Bond" Will put his hands together in the shape of an imaginary gun and aimed it at his own reflection. Scout chuckled. "I really appreciate this, Scout. I won't wreck it, I swear."
"I trust you."
"Am I gonna make an ass out of myself?"
"Relax, it's a dance. Old fashioned, more rules, better clothes."
"You think I'll ever actually own one of these?"
"Yeah, I do." Scout paused for dramatic effect. "But, you might need these."
Will looked back over his shoulder and saw the pair of pants that Scout was holding up. They both laughed.
***********************************************************************
Will knocked once on the screen door of Bella's kitchen before opening it and walking in.
"Hello?" He called out.
"Be down in a sec..." Will sat down and waited at the table. Bella's house was familiar to him. He felt comfortable in it, more comfortable than he felt in his own house. He glanced at the wall leading from the kitchen to the hallway and let his eyes drift over the random array of framed photographs that hung there. Charlie and Bella. Grace and Bella. Bella, Grace and Charlie. He stood up and walked forward for a closer view. Grace splashing in a kiddy pool. Bella waiting for the bus on her first day of school. Bella and Will playing on the porch. He looked closer as that picture. He didn't remember the photo being taken...but he remembered the day. He smiled. Bella blowing out ten candles on her birthday cake with Will standing beside her. He smiled again. He allowed his fingers to gently scan over the picture. The familiar feeling in his stomach returned and he attributed it to slight nervousness he was feeling.
Bella hurried down the steps. "I'm sorry...long story, but I'm ready now." She said as she dropped a tube of red lipstick into her purse. Will looked up. Her blonde hair fell over her shoulders and draped down slightly obscuring the thin spaghetti straps of the white satiny dress she was wearing. Will's mouth unknowingly fell open.
"You look beautiful." He said sincerely.
"Yeah, I fix up Ok." She smiled.
"That's the understatement of the year." Will extended his bent elbow allowing himself to escort Bella out through the kitchen door and off toward Rawley Academy.
Rumsey Hall, named for one of Rawley's most prestigious alumni and benefactors, now resembled the ballroom from the Great Gatsby. The walls were draped in organdy fabric and fresh floral garlands enhanced the doorways. White glittering lights hung from the ceilings and the candelabras on the tables helped the room sparkle with a romantic glittery glow. Bella, still on Will's arm, entered the room. "They're all naked," she said under her breath.
"Nervous?" Will said, hearing her comment and smiling to himself.
"A little."
"Don't be, you're here with me." Will squeezed his arm into his side capturing Bella's hand silently offering his support. She smiled up at him. They mingled for a moment watching the parade of wealth and beauty pass by them.
Bella scanned the room. Will was still a 'townie' wasn't he? He couldn't have changed in this brief period of time, could he? She thought. Bella suddenly wondered if she would no longer fit into Will's new world. "Will? Is this what it's like? Is this what it's like to be you now?"
"Bella, this is not me."
"It's so different, it's like it's not even real."
"That's just because you don't fit in."
"What?" She said suddenly feeling awkward and embarrassed.
"That's a compliment" He reassured her. "There's not a guy here that's not looking at you. It's Ok that you don't fit in because..." He hesitated, "I don't fit in either." Their eyes locked on each other's. Scout's voice broke the trance.
"Am I interrupting something?" Scout asked.
Will stepped back and shook hands with Scout. "Changed your mind? Or, wanted to make sure that I didn't spill anything on your suit?"
"A little of both. Bella you are a vision." Bella blushed. "How about some punch?" Scout offered his arm to Bella and she reluctantly walked away with Scout toward the sterling silver punch bowls.
"You look nice." A voice from behind him said. Will spun around to see Jake, dressed in a crisp white tuxedo, standing behind him.
An uncomfortable silence expanded from between them. "Look..." They said in unison.
"Jake, I'm frustrated and confused that's all." Will started.
"I know, but you won't be for long. Remember that poem by Matthew Arnold, Self Dependence? The one that Finn talked about in class the other day. He was confused about what he was doing and where he belonged, right? He got his answers from traveling and watching the stars, remember?"
"Yeah..."
"Well, he could have done that in his own backyard." Jake looked into Will's eyes.
"Ok." He agreed trying to follow. The music swelled in the background and ended briefly as the dancers clapped and waited for the next melody to begin. The notes from the piano tinkled and the crooners voice echoed in the dimly lit room.
"....I won't stand in your way anymore..."
"Maybe you need to look in your own backyard." Jake said. Will looked at her. The strength of her words, the impact of her statement suddenly became clearer. It was all making sense to him. Jake smiled once more and then turned purposely brushing her hand against his own and walked toward the terrace. Will looked again toward the dance floor and saw Bella dancing with Scout. His arms wrapped awkwardly around her. Instinctively Will knew where he wanted to be.
"So, you really think so?" Scout asked Bella concentrating more on her words then on his dancing feet.
"Ow..."
"Sorry." Scout apologized as he again stepped on Bella's white sequined shoes. "I don't know what I was thinking coming here."
"Stop thinking, Scout. Sometimes you just have to throw caution to the wind. Take the leap while you're still young. I know that sounds so cliche." Bella chuckled.
"May I cut in?" Will asked tapping Scout on the shoulder. Scout backed up a step, smiling. Will held out his arms and easily folded Bella into them. It occurred to him that this was exactly where she belonged. Will and Bella listened to the music and swayed in silence for a few moments. Will leaned down slightly and whispered into her ear. "Do you remember the first time we danced together?" Bella nodded against the sleeve of his jacket. "On the porch...at your house. We were like, seven. Charlie was trying to teach us to waltz. Remember?"
"You've gotten much better since then." She responded. "Scout on the other hand..."
Will hugged Bella tighter to him. "Bella...do you ever pretend...about us?"
"Yeah."
"Resolve to be thyself and he who finds himself loses his misery." He whispered mostly to himself.
Bella slowed and looked up at him. "Will..."
"I think I've found myself with you." He smiled. Bella held her breath. "I've wanted to be with you from the first second I saw you."
"I was what...five?"
"Uh-huh. But I knew...and so did you." Will bent down and brushed Bella's lips with his own. They twirled themselves into the crowd of dancers not noticing anyone but each other.
Standing in the shadows on the other side of the room Jake watched and smiled.
***********************************************************************
Hamilton Fleming was Rawley's own answer to JFK, Jr. He couldn't decide which one of a dozen or more girls to ask to the Cotillion. He had a difficult time making choices and he thought this was an opportunity for him to make more than one Rawley Girl happy. Flanked on either side by a lovely escort Hamilton descended the steps that lead to the dance floor. Paige Bennett, the girl on Hamilton's left arm and Caroline Busse, the girl on Hamilton's right arm adorned him like smiling bookends dressed in nearly matching white taffeta dresses. "Hey, " Caroline said, "That cute guy over there is so checking you out."
"What? Where?" Hamilton questioned scanning the room.
"Not you, Hamilton. He's obviously looking at Paige." The girls giggled hysterically. Looking across the crowded dance floor Hamilton's eyes inadvertently locked with Jake's. When he felt his cheeks flush pink, he looked away.
"That's a little disconcerting." Hamilton said. "Will you excuse me, lay-dee's. I'll be right back." Hamilton excused himself politely and headed for the men's room
Scout kept a careful watch from behind an unusually large potted palm. He waited for the time to be right. When the door opened and closed Scout inhaled deeply and exhaled to build up his courage. He pushed open the door to the men's room and entered feeling confident. Three long purposeful steps took him toward his intended goal. He looked Hamilton Fleming in the eye and suddenly the feeling of panic overwhelmed him. Scout backed up and quickly walked toward each of the stalls, peering over the doors of all three. Confused by his antics Hamilton looked at Scout, "What are you doing?" He asked.
Taking a big breath, Scout replied, "Throwing caution to the wind." before grabbing both sides of Hamilton's face. He closed his eyes and pulled Hamilton's lips toward his own. He felt Hamilton's body tense against him at first and then pull away slightly. He thought he felt the sensations of Hamilton's mouth on his own but a millisecond later, Scout realized that Hamilton's clenched fist had connected with his face. Scout felt the bathroom floor as it harshly stopped his descent. He shook his now aching head to clear his thoughts and sat up. The bathroom door banged shut startling him. He brought the sleeve of his white jacket toward his face and wiped a long, dark red smudge across it.
"Damn." He said out loud as he looked at his own blood. The voice behind him was easily recognizable.
"Salt and soda water..it'll take that right out"
"Thanks." He said. Jake extended her hand to help him off the floor. "You know, all things considered...it didn't really go THAT badly." He tried to smile but the split in his lip prevented it.
"I suppose it could have been worse...he could have killed you." Jake said matter-of-factly as she dampened a paper towel in the sink and proceeded to bend over him.
"Hey, the music stopped." Scout noticed.
Jake looked toward the door as if it would somehow improve her hearing. "Yeah, I guess it did." She acknowledged. The voices outside the men's room door raised in pitch. "I wonder what's going on."
Dancers looked on as the stranger wrestled with the vocalist for control of the microphone. Some held their ears as the amplified squeal from the speakers got everyone's attention. She was an attractive woman in her mid-thirties She wore a tailored suit of pink tweed with an expensive looking black silk blouse beneath it. Her hair short red hair was perfectly coiffed and set with hairspray and her make up looked as though Kevyn Aucoin himself had applied it. She stood looking perfectly comfortable in the spotlight of center stage. She tapped her index finger against the microphone and again the shrill whine deafened the onlookers. "Sorry...sorry everyone." She hesitated briefly. "I'm sorry to interrupt your little dance...but I'm trying to find my daughter. Jacqueline honey, are you out there?" Monica put her hand over her brow to shield her eyes from the glare of the lights. "Jacqueline Pratt, I know you're out there somewhere." She said in a sing-songy voice.
"Oh my God!"
"What...Jake...who is that?" Jake opened the men's room door and headed out into the comfort of the masses.
"Jackie, sweetie?"
The crowd parted as Jake walked through like Moses. Her eyes stayed low and focused on the ground as her feet shuffled her closer to the edge of the stage. Jake looked up to see her mother staring down at her. "Mom!" She called out to get her attention. Monica Pratt's eyes came to rest on the young man standing in front of her. Her mouth fell open only after she recognized the emerald green eyes of her only daughter. "I thought I was going to have to call out the reserves." With the microphone still in her hand, "What's my beautiful girl doing dressed like a guy?" Her voice echoed. Monica tipped the
microphone away from her so as not to be heard.
"Mom, we need to talk." Jake said.
Will and Bella let go of each over long enough to let the happenings in front of them register completely. "Oh no." Will said as he watched the embarrassed look on Jake's face. Bella grabbed for his arm and squeezed it reassuringly.
"Wait, it might be Ok."
Scout stood in the back of the crowd, paper towel remnants still stuck to his bleeding lip, and watched from the safety of the darkness. When he spied Hamilton out of the corner of his eye he quickly blended into the crowd in front of him.
Monica stepped down off of the stage and stood in front of her nearly unrecognizable daughter. "Hi Mom." Jake whispered, her eyes still not meeting her mothers.
Monica reached out and pulled at her daughters bangs. "Your hair...it's so short." She said.
"Yeah well, it was getting in the way...of my life."
"It's fresh...I like it." Monica smiled approvingly. It bothered Jake that her mother seemed oblivious to the throngs of students looking on. "Honey, can I ask you something?"
"No." Jake stated not wanting to divulge the intimacies of her non-existent relationship with her mother in front of the Rawley student body.
Ignoring Jake she went on, "Are you embarrassed by me?"
Jake looked confused, "What? No..."
"Then why the charade?" Monica reached out unknowingly and first straightened and then patted down the lapels on the tuxedo that Jake was wearing. Jake shrugged her shoulders in response. "You are a most unusual girl."
"Yeah, that's what some people say."
"Come on then..." Monica said wrapping her arm around her daughters shoulder, her head held high, as she led Jake through the audience.
"Where are we going?"
"You're right, we do need to talk." Jake nodded her head in agreement.
"Talk" Jake mouthed the words. Monica strengthened her grip on Jake's shoulder as a sign of affection.
"Don't worry Jacqueline...I'm not going to embarrass you. I'll sit quietly and listen. I'll turn my cell phone off...promise."
When the music resumed, reality hit Jake like a brick. She looked around the room at the faces that surrounded her. Jake looked as though she was walking to face the firing squad instead of to the back of the hall. In some ways, she thought she might stand a better chance if she were. Jake saw Hamilton Fleming. His sapphire blue eyes stared through her. He absently stepped away from Paige and Caroline and continued to focus on Jake. "What the hell?" He said in her direction. Jake had no choice but to smile in response.
She saw Bella and Will holding hands as she passed. Will winked at her. He knew that ultimately this is what Jake wanted...he suspected that this wasn't the setting that she had originally planned...and he chuckled at that. Bella blew a small kiss off of her fingertips in a show of sisterly support. Scout poked his head out from behind a ficus tree. He held a plastic cup filled with ice to his swollen mouth and gave her a painful cock-eyed smile and a big 'thumbs-up' with his free hand.
Monica and Jake left the dance floor. "Can you direct us to the powder room?"
Jake laughed, "Would you believe I don't know where the girls room is?"
***********************************************************************
Will and Scout stood outside in the main foyer pacing like expectant fathers. Bella sat quietly in an overstuffed chair wondering what the nights events would hold in store for her sister. Finally, an hour passed and Jake and her mother emerged from the ladies room. They were both smiling. "We have a history of you not telling me what's going on in your life." Monica said as she passed the group.
"Mom..."
"Let me finish. I'm not going to start telling you what to do at this point. You've never needed me to before." Monica stopped walking and opened her arms wide to draw in her daughter. She hugged her. "I didn't realize how much I missed this...missed you...missed us." She reveled for a moment in the feeling that had been foreign to her for so long. "Honey, I'll meet you outside...the driver's waiting." She dabbed at her eyes with a linen handkerchief careful not to smudge her eyeliner. Jake smiled happily but cautiously. She watched her mother exit through the large wooden doors and then walked to where Bella, Scout and Will stood.
"Everything Ok?" Will asked.
"It's gonna be." Jake answered. "I heading back home to New York for a little while. My mother's going to be home for a few days before she has to go away on tour again."
"So we'll see you in the fall?" Scout asked.
"If they don't kick me out." Jake smiled and the group chuckled.
Bella stepped forward and hugged Jake. "I can't believe this is it...that you're leaving...that it's over."
"Who says it's over? My mother agreed to let me enroll at Rawley Girls for the fall semester. I promise you...I'll be back" Jake patted Bella's back and then withdrew from her embrace.
Will hugged her next. "Thank you" He whispered softly into her ear.
"For what?"
"For this. For Bella...for everything you've done."
"Well...when the tables were turned, you helped me too." She smiled.
"What are you gonna do now?"
"You'll be the first to know." She smiled back at him.
"Don't disappear on me." He said sincerely.
"Well, I guess I better go. If I don't go soon my Mom's gonna send out an APB. I'll see you when I see you." Jake smiled as she backed up to the doors that lead outside to the waiting car. She waved back at them, watching the faces of her newfound friends. For the first time she felt as though she belonged. She was sad to be leaving, but happy to know that it was only temporary. Still backing up she waved one more time. Without warning Hamilton came barreling through the door from the other side hitting Jake square in the back. Scout scurried for protection behind Will hoping his height would make make him invisible to Hamilton. "Oh..Owww!" She yelled quietly.
"Oh, dude...sorry. You alright?" He asked concerned.
"It's Ok. I'm tougher than I look."
"Yeah...I can see that. I've been meaning to talk to you...for a while now." He said.
"Really?"
"Really." He stared into her eyes just long enough for them both to feel that familiar tingling sensation. Hamilton put his arm around Jake's shoulder and guided her to the now open doors. "I'll walk out with you...if that's Ok."
"Sure, I'd like that."
"Jake, wait!" Bella called out. "What about Charlie?"
"We can take care of all of that when I get back." Jake answered.
"Who's Charlie?" Hamilton asked looking confused. Bella made a motion to Jake that she didn't want everyone to know about her father's infidelities...just yet.
"It's a secret." Jake answered him.
"Wait a minute. You have another secret other than this one?"
"Uh-huh"
Hamilton smirked..."This secret wouldn't happen to involve you being a lesbian...pretending to be a straight girl...pretending to be a guy? Because I could be into that."
"No..." She said playfully punching him in the arm.
"Grrrrrrr" They laughed as they walked out to Monica's car together.
"...when we dream, we don't worry whether the dream is worthy of us but whether we are worthy of the dream. If we can stay proud of who we are...then maybe our dreams, like the prince with the glass slipper, will come find us."
THE END
Will arrived at the dorm after a slow and thought provoking walk back from the lake. He mulled the evenings events over and over in his head and was still confused about what he had done that was so wrong. He considered talking things over with Jake, he was hoping that might help him understand what she was feeling. He opened the door to his dorm room and was surprised to find her packing.
Jake stood at the side of her bed and randomly tossed her belongings into her travel bags. "Hey." She said acknowledging his presence. Will entered the room silently. He moved toward her bed and sat down disrupting her piles of clothes.
"So..." Will started dragging the word out with a questioning tone.
"So..." She responded.
"So..what's up Jake...you're freakin' me out?"
"I'm moving ."
"Huh?"
"I'm moving. I'm switching rooms."
"What? Where?" Will asked.
"I'm moving into Scout's room."
"Wow...that's uh..."
"That's uh...what?" she repeated his words. "He already knows about me."
"Your...moving in...to Scout's room?" Will was completely thrown off by Jake's sudden change in attitude. She seemed like a stranger to him.
"Yeah...what's the big deal?"
"No big deal...as long as Scout's cool with it." Will said attempting to play it cool and casual.
"Exactly...well I guess I'll see you later." Jake picked up her bags and headed toward the door leaving Will dumbfounded for a moment. He quickly collected his thoughts and went into action deciding that "cool and disinterested' didn't seem to be working.
"Jake, wait, at least let me help you with your stuff." Will got up off the bed and picked up the remaining items. He headed toward the now opened door. They both hesitated in the doorway. Will felt as though he had one last chance and he decided that he should at least try. He closed the door and leaned against it hoping to give her time to think more clearly about what she was doing. "You don't have to do this, you know."
"It's for the best."
"Is it?"
"I think so...yes."
"Best for whom? You? Me? Scout?" Will sulked.
"Will...I understand...." He interrupted her thoughts by placing both of his hands on either side of her face. He looked deeply into her eyes.
"Would you just drop it...You're not going anywhere...okay?" He gently stroked his thumb across her lips and lowered his hand to her chin. The knock from the other side of the door startled then both into reality.
"Actually Will, I am. I have to."
Will opened the dorm room door to find Scout standing bag and baggage on the other side. "Hey buddy," he smiled.
***********************************************************************
Will sat at his desk and sorted through the papers in his notebook. He watched Scout out of the corner of his eye as he rearranged the pictures and ornaments on the top of his dresser for the third time that day. "What do you think?" He said stepping back to admire his work and illicit Will's opinion.
"Whatever."
"Look Will, I'm sorry...I can tell that you're not really happy about this arrangement. We should have talked to you first."
"Yeah...well that would have been nice." Will said and Scout looked genuinely hurt. "I'm sorry Scout. That didn't come out right. It would have been nice if Jake had talked to me before she moved out and you moved in. Actually, it would be nice if she would bother to talk to me at all."
"I think she just needs a little space. It has to be tough on a girl living amidst all this testosterone."
Will grinned. "I guess I never thought about it like that."
"She just needs some time to sort things out. She was a little concerned about blowing her cover here. She was scared of getting caught."
"Maybe. It's just that...I don't know. It was just so sudden." Will let out a long cleansing sigh and returned his eyes to the open book on his desk.
"So, any thoughts on the Cotillion? Are you going?" Scout asked hoping a change in subject would alleviate the tension.
"I don't know. If I go at all it will probably just be a drop by solo thing."
"Could be fun." Scout said knowingly.
"Lots of chicks in taffeta." Will said chuckling.
"Oh yeah, I hadn't thought about that." Scout grinned broadly.
Will picked up his book and headed toward the door. "Well, I gotta get to work." Scout nodded. "So..." Will hesitated. "Did you decide to ask anyone?"
Scout shook his head and dropped his eyes to the floor. "Nah...I think I'm gonna skip it. Besides, the only person I had my eye on is going with someone else."
Will quickly became uncomfortable. He held up The Almanac of American History textbook, showing it to Scout. "Well, I'm history." He quickly and quietly walked out the door.
A few moments passed when Scout heard the faint knock on his new dorm room door. He opened it to find Jake standing on the other side. "Well...do you think he bought it?" She asked looking hopeful.
"Hard to say, he's confused and he's hurt. We'll have to wait and see I guess."
"Well it will work. It has to." She walked away from the door and back toward her newly acquired single.
***********************************************************************
Will wiped the empty counter with a damp rag. The shift had been long and not very profitable for a warm summer evening. The door bell jingled and Bella walked in. "My kingdom for a coffee." She said smiling.
"That's good because we just changed the price from a kingdom to a buck." He returned the smile.
"Sold." Bella seated herself on the corner stool and watched Will as he poured.
"What's up Will? You seem a little...I don't know, down." She said seeming concerned.
"I'm Ok." He lied.
"You know Bella, you're just the girl I needed to talk to. I have a 'what would you do' question." He set the cup of hot coffee down and leaned on the counter.
"Shoot." She offered.
"At school, there's this Cotillion tomorrow night and there's this girl I really like..."
Bella cut him off mid-sentence. "That's a no brainer. All right you go with someone else and then you ask HER to dance and when she's all putty in your arms...you ask her out." She smiled at him reassuringly.
"Well, that sounds good...but there's just one problem I can't really ask her to dance."
"Jake?" Bella asked knowingly. Will nodded in acknowledgement. "Yeah. It's not like the two of you can actually 'trip the light fantastic' dressed in matching tuxedos."
"No...but if I took someone else to the Cotillion as you suggested, a friend...a GIRL friend, maybe that GIRLfriend would eventually dance with Jake and maybe SHE could talk to her for me?" Will exaggerated a pouty smile and looked hopefully at Bella.
"Who did you plan to go with?"
"I could go with you...I mean, would you go with me?"
Bella looked up. "Wha..no, no way."
"Please? Why not?"
"Come on Will, get serious. I do not even go to Rawley."
"I do. We'll go, we'll dance, we'll have fun." He said hoping to entice her.
"What's up Will? You used to laugh at these people."
"I know...but who cares? You'll be there with me. With the right dress, a little soap and water, your hair up in one of those thingies. You'll be so hot." Will came around to the outside of the counter. He stopped for a second and looked at Bella's profile. God, she's beautiful. He thought to himself. There was something there, something he didn't recognize at first...a feeling in the pit of his stomach. He watched her as she dabbed at the grease marks on her face using the napkin dispenser as her mirror. He regretted having said 'soap and water' now feeling responsible for her self-consciousness. He appeared at her side. "Two townies...in the night...amidst a sea of privilege."
"Will..." she whined slightly through her smile.
"Twirling the night away."
"With four left feet." Bella added.
"Come on lets go there and show these people how to have a great time."
"Oh, like we know?"
"Ok, come on. Just do it as a favor to me. Ok?" He asked.
Bella blushed as she watched Will drop down on one knee in front of the stool. "Bella, would you go to the Cotillion with me?"
Bella wanted to go. She wanted to go with Will...as his date but she didn't have the courage to tell him the truth. She knew in reality she'd only be there as his friend...helping him and she was content with that. She hesitated slightly before answering. Then producing an ear to ear grin she said, "Ok, let's do it."
"Alright." Will smiled back at her.
***********************************************************************
Scout stumbled upon Will alone in the Common Room leafing through the pages of the phone book. "Renting a tux?"
"Yeah." Will answered.
"Cotillion or eloping?"
"Well, if the Cotillion goes well, maybe both." He grinned.
"So...you found a date?"
"Yeah, Bella."
"Good choice."
Will gave him a confused look. "So what about you? Do you rent or do you own?"
"Me? I'm still mooching off the parentals."
"No, I meant a tuxedo."
"Oh. I own."
"Naturally." Will nodded.
"You know what you should do Will?" Will looked up from the phone book. He was always a little cautious when Scout made suggestions. "You should do the dinner jacket thing, like Bogie in Casablanca. Very cool."
"You think?"
"And...I think I can help you out." Scout said with a sly smile.
Minutes later the two boys were back in their room. Will stood, glancing at his reflection in the floor length mirror as Scout sat perched on the edge of the single bed behind him watching him pose. "Well? What do you think?" Will asked straightening his lapels and turning once again to check his profile.
"A shoeless Cary Grant."
"I was thinking more of a gun-less James Bond" Will put his hands together in the shape of an imaginary gun and aimed it at his own reflection. Scout chuckled. "I really appreciate this, Scout. I won't wreck it, I swear."
"I trust you."
"Am I gonna make an ass out of myself?"
"Relax, it's a dance. Old fashioned, more rules, better clothes."
"You think I'll ever actually own one of these?"
"Yeah, I do." Scout paused for dramatic effect. "But, you might need these."
Will looked back over his shoulder and saw the pair of pants that Scout was holding up. They both laughed.
***********************************************************************
Will knocked once on the screen door of Bella's kitchen before opening it and walking in.
"Hello?" He called out.
"Be down in a sec..." Will sat down and waited at the table. Bella's house was familiar to him. He felt comfortable in it, more comfortable than he felt in his own house. He glanced at the wall leading from the kitchen to the hallway and let his eyes drift over the random array of framed photographs that hung there. Charlie and Bella. Grace and Bella. Bella, Grace and Charlie. He stood up and walked forward for a closer view. Grace splashing in a kiddy pool. Bella waiting for the bus on her first day of school. Bella and Will playing on the porch. He looked closer as that picture. He didn't remember the photo being taken...but he remembered the day. He smiled. Bella blowing out ten candles on her birthday cake with Will standing beside her. He smiled again. He allowed his fingers to gently scan over the picture. The familiar feeling in his stomach returned and he attributed it to slight nervousness he was feeling.
Bella hurried down the steps. "I'm sorry...long story, but I'm ready now." She said as she dropped a tube of red lipstick into her purse. Will looked up. Her blonde hair fell over her shoulders and draped down slightly obscuring the thin spaghetti straps of the white satiny dress she was wearing. Will's mouth unknowingly fell open.
"You look beautiful." He said sincerely.
"Yeah, I fix up Ok." She smiled.
"That's the understatement of the year." Will extended his bent elbow allowing himself to escort Bella out through the kitchen door and off toward Rawley Academy.
Rumsey Hall, named for one of Rawley's most prestigious alumni and benefactors, now resembled the ballroom from the Great Gatsby. The walls were draped in organdy fabric and fresh floral garlands enhanced the doorways. White glittering lights hung from the ceilings and the candelabras on the tables helped the room sparkle with a romantic glittery glow. Bella, still on Will's arm, entered the room. "They're all naked," she said under her breath.
"Nervous?" Will said, hearing her comment and smiling to himself.
"A little."
"Don't be, you're here with me." Will squeezed his arm into his side capturing Bella's hand silently offering his support. She smiled up at him. They mingled for a moment watching the parade of wealth and beauty pass by them.
Bella scanned the room. Will was still a 'townie' wasn't he? He couldn't have changed in this brief period of time, could he? She thought. Bella suddenly wondered if she would no longer fit into Will's new world. "Will? Is this what it's like? Is this what it's like to be you now?"
"Bella, this is not me."
"It's so different, it's like it's not even real."
"That's just because you don't fit in."
"What?" She said suddenly feeling awkward and embarrassed.
"That's a compliment" He reassured her. "There's not a guy here that's not looking at you. It's Ok that you don't fit in because..." He hesitated, "I don't fit in either." Their eyes locked on each other's. Scout's voice broke the trance.
"Am I interrupting something?" Scout asked.
Will stepped back and shook hands with Scout. "Changed your mind? Or, wanted to make sure that I didn't spill anything on your suit?"
"A little of both. Bella you are a vision." Bella blushed. "How about some punch?" Scout offered his arm to Bella and she reluctantly walked away with Scout toward the sterling silver punch bowls.
"You look nice." A voice from behind him said. Will spun around to see Jake, dressed in a crisp white tuxedo, standing behind him.
An uncomfortable silence expanded from between them. "Look..." They said in unison.
"Jake, I'm frustrated and confused that's all." Will started.
"I know, but you won't be for long. Remember that poem by Matthew Arnold, Self Dependence? The one that Finn talked about in class the other day. He was confused about what he was doing and where he belonged, right? He got his answers from traveling and watching the stars, remember?"
"Yeah..."
"Well, he could have done that in his own backyard." Jake looked into Will's eyes.
"Ok." He agreed trying to follow. The music swelled in the background and ended briefly as the dancers clapped and waited for the next melody to begin. The notes from the piano tinkled and the crooners voice echoed in the dimly lit room.
"....I won't stand in your way anymore..."
"Maybe you need to look in your own backyard." Jake said. Will looked at her. The strength of her words, the impact of her statement suddenly became clearer. It was all making sense to him. Jake smiled once more and then turned purposely brushing her hand against his own and walked toward the terrace. Will looked again toward the dance floor and saw Bella dancing with Scout. His arms wrapped awkwardly around her. Instinctively Will knew where he wanted to be.
"So, you really think so?" Scout asked Bella concentrating more on her words then on his dancing feet.
"Ow..."
"Sorry." Scout apologized as he again stepped on Bella's white sequined shoes. "I don't know what I was thinking coming here."
"Stop thinking, Scout. Sometimes you just have to throw caution to the wind. Take the leap while you're still young. I know that sounds so cliche." Bella chuckled.
"May I cut in?" Will asked tapping Scout on the shoulder. Scout backed up a step, smiling. Will held out his arms and easily folded Bella into them. It occurred to him that this was exactly where she belonged. Will and Bella listened to the music and swayed in silence for a few moments. Will leaned down slightly and whispered into her ear. "Do you remember the first time we danced together?" Bella nodded against the sleeve of his jacket. "On the porch...at your house. We were like, seven. Charlie was trying to teach us to waltz. Remember?"
"You've gotten much better since then." She responded. "Scout on the other hand..."
Will hugged Bella tighter to him. "Bella...do you ever pretend...about us?"
"Yeah."
"Resolve to be thyself and he who finds himself loses his misery." He whispered mostly to himself.
Bella slowed and looked up at him. "Will..."
"I think I've found myself with you." He smiled. Bella held her breath. "I've wanted to be with you from the first second I saw you."
"I was what...five?"
"Uh-huh. But I knew...and so did you." Will bent down and brushed Bella's lips with his own. They twirled themselves into the crowd of dancers not noticing anyone but each other.
Standing in the shadows on the other side of the room Jake watched and smiled.
***********************************************************************
Hamilton Fleming was Rawley's own answer to JFK, Jr. He couldn't decide which one of a dozen or more girls to ask to the Cotillion. He had a difficult time making choices and he thought this was an opportunity for him to make more than one Rawley Girl happy. Flanked on either side by a lovely escort Hamilton descended the steps that lead to the dance floor. Paige Bennett, the girl on Hamilton's left arm and Caroline Busse, the girl on Hamilton's right arm adorned him like smiling bookends dressed in nearly matching white taffeta dresses. "Hey, " Caroline said, "That cute guy over there is so checking you out."
"What? Where?" Hamilton questioned scanning the room.
"Not you, Hamilton. He's obviously looking at Paige." The girls giggled hysterically. Looking across the crowded dance floor Hamilton's eyes inadvertently locked with Jake's. When he felt his cheeks flush pink, he looked away.
"That's a little disconcerting." Hamilton said. "Will you excuse me, lay-dee's. I'll be right back." Hamilton excused himself politely and headed for the men's room
Scout kept a careful watch from behind an unusually large potted palm. He waited for the time to be right. When the door opened and closed Scout inhaled deeply and exhaled to build up his courage. He pushed open the door to the men's room and entered feeling confident. Three long purposeful steps took him toward his intended goal. He looked Hamilton Fleming in the eye and suddenly the feeling of panic overwhelmed him. Scout backed up and quickly walked toward each of the stalls, peering over the doors of all three. Confused by his antics Hamilton looked at Scout, "What are you doing?" He asked.
Taking a big breath, Scout replied, "Throwing caution to the wind." before grabbing both sides of Hamilton's face. He closed his eyes and pulled Hamilton's lips toward his own. He felt Hamilton's body tense against him at first and then pull away slightly. He thought he felt the sensations of Hamilton's mouth on his own but a millisecond later, Scout realized that Hamilton's clenched fist had connected with his face. Scout felt the bathroom floor as it harshly stopped his descent. He shook his now aching head to clear his thoughts and sat up. The bathroom door banged shut startling him. He brought the sleeve of his white jacket toward his face and wiped a long, dark red smudge across it.
"Damn." He said out loud as he looked at his own blood. The voice behind him was easily recognizable.
"Salt and soda water..it'll take that right out"
"Thanks." He said. Jake extended her hand to help him off the floor. "You know, all things considered...it didn't really go THAT badly." He tried to smile but the split in his lip prevented it.
"I suppose it could have been worse...he could have killed you." Jake said matter-of-factly as she dampened a paper towel in the sink and proceeded to bend over him.
"Hey, the music stopped." Scout noticed.
Jake looked toward the door as if it would somehow improve her hearing. "Yeah, I guess it did." She acknowledged. The voices outside the men's room door raised in pitch. "I wonder what's going on."
Dancers looked on as the stranger wrestled with the vocalist for control of the microphone. Some held their ears as the amplified squeal from the speakers got everyone's attention. She was an attractive woman in her mid-thirties She wore a tailored suit of pink tweed with an expensive looking black silk blouse beneath it. Her hair short red hair was perfectly coiffed and set with hairspray and her make up looked as though Kevyn Aucoin himself had applied it. She stood looking perfectly comfortable in the spotlight of center stage. She tapped her index finger against the microphone and again the shrill whine deafened the onlookers. "Sorry...sorry everyone." She hesitated briefly. "I'm sorry to interrupt your little dance...but I'm trying to find my daughter. Jacqueline honey, are you out there?" Monica put her hand over her brow to shield her eyes from the glare of the lights. "Jacqueline Pratt, I know you're out there somewhere." She said in a sing-songy voice.
"Oh my God!"
"What...Jake...who is that?" Jake opened the men's room door and headed out into the comfort of the masses.
"Jackie, sweetie?"
The crowd parted as Jake walked through like Moses. Her eyes stayed low and focused on the ground as her feet shuffled her closer to the edge of the stage. Jake looked up to see her mother staring down at her. "Mom!" She called out to get her attention. Monica Pratt's eyes came to rest on the young man standing in front of her. Her mouth fell open only after she recognized the emerald green eyes of her only daughter. "I thought I was going to have to call out the reserves." With the microphone still in her hand, "What's my beautiful girl doing dressed like a guy?" Her voice echoed. Monica tipped the
microphone away from her so as not to be heard.
"Mom, we need to talk." Jake said.
Will and Bella let go of each over long enough to let the happenings in front of them register completely. "Oh no." Will said as he watched the embarrassed look on Jake's face. Bella grabbed for his arm and squeezed it reassuringly.
"Wait, it might be Ok."
Scout stood in the back of the crowd, paper towel remnants still stuck to his bleeding lip, and watched from the safety of the darkness. When he spied Hamilton out of the corner of his eye he quickly blended into the crowd in front of him.
Monica stepped down off of the stage and stood in front of her nearly unrecognizable daughter. "Hi Mom." Jake whispered, her eyes still not meeting her mothers.
Monica reached out and pulled at her daughters bangs. "Your hair...it's so short." She said.
"Yeah well, it was getting in the way...of my life."
"It's fresh...I like it." Monica smiled approvingly. It bothered Jake that her mother seemed oblivious to the throngs of students looking on. "Honey, can I ask you something?"
"No." Jake stated not wanting to divulge the intimacies of her non-existent relationship with her mother in front of the Rawley student body.
Ignoring Jake she went on, "Are you embarrassed by me?"
Jake looked confused, "What? No..."
"Then why the charade?" Monica reached out unknowingly and first straightened and then patted down the lapels on the tuxedo that Jake was wearing. Jake shrugged her shoulders in response. "You are a most unusual girl."
"Yeah, that's what some people say."
"Come on then..." Monica said wrapping her arm around her daughters shoulder, her head held high, as she led Jake through the audience.
"Where are we going?"
"You're right, we do need to talk." Jake nodded her head in agreement.
"Talk" Jake mouthed the words. Monica strengthened her grip on Jake's shoulder as a sign of affection.
"Don't worry Jacqueline...I'm not going to embarrass you. I'll sit quietly and listen. I'll turn my cell phone off...promise."
When the music resumed, reality hit Jake like a brick. She looked around the room at the faces that surrounded her. Jake looked as though she was walking to face the firing squad instead of to the back of the hall. In some ways, she thought she might stand a better chance if she were. Jake saw Hamilton Fleming. His sapphire blue eyes stared through her. He absently stepped away from Paige and Caroline and continued to focus on Jake. "What the hell?" He said in her direction. Jake had no choice but to smile in response.
She saw Bella and Will holding hands as she passed. Will winked at her. He knew that ultimately this is what Jake wanted...he suspected that this wasn't the setting that she had originally planned...and he chuckled at that. Bella blew a small kiss off of her fingertips in a show of sisterly support. Scout poked his head out from behind a ficus tree. He held a plastic cup filled with ice to his swollen mouth and gave her a painful cock-eyed smile and a big 'thumbs-up' with his free hand.
Monica and Jake left the dance floor. "Can you direct us to the powder room?"
Jake laughed, "Would you believe I don't know where the girls room is?"
***********************************************************************
Will and Scout stood outside in the main foyer pacing like expectant fathers. Bella sat quietly in an overstuffed chair wondering what the nights events would hold in store for her sister. Finally, an hour passed and Jake and her mother emerged from the ladies room. They were both smiling. "We have a history of you not telling me what's going on in your life." Monica said as she passed the group.
"Mom..."
"Let me finish. I'm not going to start telling you what to do at this point. You've never needed me to before." Monica stopped walking and opened her arms wide to draw in her daughter. She hugged her. "I didn't realize how much I missed this...missed you...missed us." She reveled for a moment in the feeling that had been foreign to her for so long. "Honey, I'll meet you outside...the driver's waiting." She dabbed at her eyes with a linen handkerchief careful not to smudge her eyeliner. Jake smiled happily but cautiously. She watched her mother exit through the large wooden doors and then walked to where Bella, Scout and Will stood.
"Everything Ok?" Will asked.
"It's gonna be." Jake answered. "I heading back home to New York for a little while. My mother's going to be home for a few days before she has to go away on tour again."
"So we'll see you in the fall?" Scout asked.
"If they don't kick me out." Jake smiled and the group chuckled.
Bella stepped forward and hugged Jake. "I can't believe this is it...that you're leaving...that it's over."
"Who says it's over? My mother agreed to let me enroll at Rawley Girls for the fall semester. I promise you...I'll be back" Jake patted Bella's back and then withdrew from her embrace.
Will hugged her next. "Thank you" He whispered softly into her ear.
"For what?"
"For this. For Bella...for everything you've done."
"Well...when the tables were turned, you helped me too." She smiled.
"What are you gonna do now?"
"You'll be the first to know." She smiled back at him.
"Don't disappear on me." He said sincerely.
"Well, I guess I better go. If I don't go soon my Mom's gonna send out an APB. I'll see you when I see you." Jake smiled as she backed up to the doors that lead outside to the waiting car. She waved back at them, watching the faces of her newfound friends. For the first time she felt as though she belonged. She was sad to be leaving, but happy to know that it was only temporary. Still backing up she waved one more time. Without warning Hamilton came barreling through the door from the other side hitting Jake square in the back. Scout scurried for protection behind Will hoping his height would make make him invisible to Hamilton. "Oh..Owww!" She yelled quietly.
"Oh, dude...sorry. You alright?" He asked concerned.
"It's Ok. I'm tougher than I look."
"Yeah...I can see that. I've been meaning to talk to you...for a while now." He said.
"Really?"
"Really." He stared into her eyes just long enough for them both to feel that familiar tingling sensation. Hamilton put his arm around Jake's shoulder and guided her to the now open doors. "I'll walk out with you...if that's Ok."
"Sure, I'd like that."
"Jake, wait!" Bella called out. "What about Charlie?"
"We can take care of all of that when I get back." Jake answered.
"Who's Charlie?" Hamilton asked looking confused. Bella made a motion to Jake that she didn't want everyone to know about her father's infidelities...just yet.
"It's a secret." Jake answered him.
"Wait a minute. You have another secret other than this one?"
"Uh-huh"
Hamilton smirked..."This secret wouldn't happen to involve you being a lesbian...pretending to be a straight girl...pretending to be a guy? Because I could be into that."
"No..." She said playfully punching him in the arm.
"Grrrrrrr" They laughed as they walked out to Monica's car together.
"...when we dream, we don't worry whether the dream is worthy of us but whether we are worthy of the dream. If we can stay proud of who we are...then maybe our dreams, like the prince with the glass slipper, will come find us."
THE END