Chapter Seven: Back to Reality

Author's Note: Ahh! It's the return of the lisp! Fun times. Oh, and just a note to Karita- forgive me for dissing cheerleaders. I love ya!

* * *

There was absolute silence in the clearing. Nini glared at Chris and Tina, each waiting for the other to make the next move. Finally, Tina started laughing. Chris looked at her in surprise. What in hell was she doing? Nina seemed to be thinking the same thing. Tina's laughter had thrown her off-guard.

Tina's laughs finally drifted off into an amused giggle. "Oh, Nina... you're quite funny."

The girl crossed her arms, indignant. "What?"

"I have to thank you. I've been in desperate need of a good laugh." She noticed Chris staring at her, a confused look on his face, and had to struggle not to laugh for real this time.

Nina took a threatening step forward. "I guess you don't get it, sweetheart. I'm going to tell your boyfriend you've been sleeping around."

Tina's face went deadly serious. "No. You don't get it Nina. You don't seem to understand who you're going up against. Me. I know hundreds of things about you that could get you thrown off the squad and even expelled. I guess you've forgotten about your big mouth telling everyone in the squad your juicy little secrets."

Nina hesitated, staring in shock. "You wouldn't."

"Wanna bet?"

The cheerleader narrowed her eyes. "I could kick you off the squad for this."

That brought on another laugh. "Go right ahead. I hate the squad. I hate the slutty skirts and the mindless cheers and the fake smiles and the way guys think you're easy just cause you're a cheerleader. I hate having to be ditzy and happy all the damn time! What if I want to be moody or angry? What if I want to be my own person?" She laughed again, bitterly. "Kick me off, please. I'd be grateful to you, for once in my life."

Nina opened her mouth for a comeback, but found none ready to escape her lips. So she closed her mouth, pressing her lips into a firm line. After a moment's hesitation, she turned and ran off, her body enveloped by the darkness of night.

For a bit longer silence reigned as they heard the retreating sounds of her car fade into the distance. Then Chris turned to Tina, shaking his head. "You amaze me."

She attempted a smile. "I try." A laugh turned into a half-sob. "I guess I can forget about winning the 'Most Spirited' award this year, huh?"

He hugged her tightly. "Don't worry, Tina. It'll be okay now. Who needs cheerleading when we have each other?"

She shook her head, pulling away. "No, Chris. We can't be together."

"What? But I thought..."

"I'm sorry, Chris. But now... I'll be nothing if I don't have Mike. You can't imagine what it's like. When I came here freshman year, I was nothing, no one. I was some country girl from a farm, not an already popular girl from the public grade school. I got called names too, just like Henry. Hell, we were best friends in freshman year. But I wasn't happy like he was. I wanted to be popular. I needed it."

"Tina..."

She held up a hand. "I'm not finished. Sophomore year I got all the best clothes, looked glamorous every day, giggled and gossiped with the rest of the girls, made the cheerleading squad, and found an admirer in Mike. That was the key. Once we were a couple, I was truly accepted. I got phone calls from guys I didn't even know asking me out. Girls who never talked to me suddenly were inviting me on shopping sprees and girls' night out. You don't know what that was like. I can't give that up, Chris... I'm sorry."

He silently climbed back into the driver's seat. "So am I."

Neither spoke again until they arrived back at Robert's. She paused before getting into her car. "Can we still be friends?"

His eyes remained focused on the steering wheel as he shrugged impassively. "Sure." Without another word, he sped out of the parking lot and headed back home.

* * *

The next two weeks went on without another encounter between the two. Chris avoided her like the plague, and whenever he happened to pass her in the hall, he made sure his eyes didn't meet hers. Soon, she stopped trying to talk to him.

Chris became practically inseparable from Henry. They hung out before school, during lunch, and after school. Uncle Harold even got him a job at The Rhythm. Chris would clean off the tables and wipe them off, while Henry limped along behind him, carrying a huge bin of dirty dishes. Before the club opened, they would take down all the chairs from the tabletops, only to replace them again at closing time.

And so they passed the days. The two spent weekends together at the local coffeehouse, discussing, and sometimes arguing, everything from art to love to theology. Sometimes, they stumbled upon the topic of Tina.

Henry gazed at Chris over his glasses. "Do you thill love her, Cwis?"

He didn't answer for a long time as he warmed his hands around the coffee cup, gazing into the steaming liquid. "Yeah, Henry. I do. And it's stupid, you know, because I had the chance to do something about it... and I blew it. And then I acted like it was her fault." He sighed. "She probably hates me now for the way I've treated her the past few weeks."

Henry reached over and grasped his wrist. "No. Thee loves you. I know it." He drew himself up self-righteously. "I know about these things." Chris couldn't help but smile at the near-sighted midget. "Don't give me that wook, Cwis. I do! Just because I'm thort and don't always talk wight doesn't mean I can't know about things like art and love. I bewieve in them with every fiber of my being. You thould too."

Now properly rebuked, Chris tried to hide another smile. "You're right, of course. I could use your advice more often." His expression was serious. "I mean that."

"Thanks." He took a sip of coffee. "It will work out, Cwis. Twust me."

* * *

The weeks passed by. Things didn't work out, or at least it seemed that way to Chris. In fact, things stayed pretty much the same. But then it was announced at school one day that tryouts for the Spring Play would be held after school Tuesday in the Student's Lounge.

At first, Chris dismissed the idea without a second thought. But as his life grew increasingly boring, he decided to sign up. After school Monday he headed to the office to put his name on the tryout list. As he was about to sign, he saw Tina's name scrawled in flowery writing at the top of the page. He paused, reconsidering his decision for a brief moment.

But he kept hearing Henry's confident lisp in his head, "It will work out, it will work out."

With a frown, he scribbled 'Christian McDeere' to the bottom of the list. Maybe, just maybe, this was God's way of making it work out.

If not, he could hope, couldn't he?

END CHAPTER SEVEN