Author's Notes: Thanks to Twilight Fantasy, jd, Alanna-Lianna, Pyromaniacal Llama and all the repeat reviewers for the great feedback! Like I said, Tamsin has quite a bit of growing up to do in the following chapters. I hope you'll stick around to find out what happens next!
Chapter Fifteen — Jealous GuyThe rest of Ronnie's weekend passed in a fog. In a way, he was sort of graceful to just suddenly find himself on the front lawn that Monday morning, his body rising and falling in the familiar rhythms of tai chi. At least a whole Sunday's worth of empty time had passed him by.
"'Morning, Sunshine!"
He managed a smile for his friends, who had stopped by to greet him. "Hey, Petey…Alan, Julius."
"We missed you yesterday, man," Big Julius said. "We were callin' to ask if you wanted to meet us at the Burg to shoot some hoops, but your mom said you were still in bed. How you feelin'?"
"Still not so good," Ronnie replied truthfully as he Strummed the Lute, "but I'll be all right."
"Good," Petey said. Just then, his face lit up with a grin. "Hey, there, sweetness! Good morning!"
Big Julius' and Alan's greetings were more sedate. "'Morning, Tamsin."
Ronnie forced himself to keep his movements fluid even as he heard her familiar brisk footsteps come up behind him. "Hi, you guys," he heard Tamsin reply.
They were no longer a couple, but the sound of her voice still sent chills up his spine. He found himself looking at her when he turned his body to parry and punch. "Hi."
She gave him a small smile. "Hi."
He turned again to execute a Double Lotus Swing. When he looked back, she was gone and Petey was scowling at him. "What's up with that?" the black boy demanded, gesturing toward Tamsin's rapidly retreating form. "Y'all actin' like you don't know each other. You two break up or somethin'?"
Ronnie kept his eyes down as he finished his exercise. Instead of feeling calmer, he was actually even tenser than when he had begun, probably because of the news he had to break to his friends. "Yes."
Three jaws fell to the ground. "It was Mikey, wasn't it?" Petey gasped dramatically.
"We're still friends," Ronnie added. "She just wants to be able to go out with other guys."
"Why would she want to go out with another guy when she already had you?" Alan asked, looking genuinely confused.
"I'm tellin' you, it's Mikey!" Petey said. He leveled Ronnie with a beady-eyed stare. "He hypnotized her into seein' him on the sly, didn't he?"
"No." Ronnie shook his head. "No! Petey, that's ridiculous. She didn't even mention him. I mean, fine, maybe Tamsin does like Mikey, but she wouldn't cheat on me like that." He sighed. "Anyway, it doesn't matter now, does it?"
Tamsin's heart was pounding as she walked into the school building. That was the first time she had seen or spoken to Ronnie since they had broken up. Although they had parted on the best of terms, it was like seeing a wholly different person. It was as if the world had shifted drastically, or a piece of her was missing, or something.
Perhaps she was supposed to feel strange, she reflected as she arrived at her locker. He was no longer her boyfriend, after all, and she had to get used to that.
"Hey, Tamsin," a soft voice said at her elbow. It was Michael, dressed as usual in beat-up cords, a rumpled oxford shirt and a tatty black sweater.
She gave him a polite smile. "Hi, Michael."
"I took a look at the Silhouette bulletin board and there's an announcement saying the next deadline for submissions is two weeks from now. I just thought you'd like to know."
"Oh. Thanks."
"Do you have anything ready to submit?"
"Yeah, I've got one or two pieces that just need reworking. I'm going to see if I can come up with more, though."
"I don't have anything yet," Michael admitted, "but my mom's friend's band will be playing at a club downtown this weekend. I was thinking of going to see them, maybe get inspired."
She nodded, bracing herself for the inevitable question.
"Would you like to come along?"
"I…" Tamsin swallowed. "I'll think about it, all right?"
* * *
"Tamsin!"Tamsin looked up to find Emma charge into Homeroom and flop breathlessly into her seat. "Julius just told me and Gerry!" the blonde girl exclaimed. "What happened? Why did you and Sunshine break up?"
"Ssshhh!" Blushing, Tamsin glanced around cautiously to see whether anyone had heard. Her eyes skittered back to Emma when Ronnie and Petey entered the classroom. "Didn't Julius tell you why?" she asked in a whisper.
"He said you have some crazy notion about wanting to go out with another guy!"
She frowned. "Why is that crazy? I do want to go out with another guy."
"Are you nuts?""Is there a problem, Miss Hoyt?" Mr. Magruder asked then. He was eyeing the two girls intently. Tamsin blushed when she realized that most of the class was looking at them, too.
Emma shook her head and gave the teacher her patented china-doll stare. "No, Mr. Magruder."
"I'm very glad to hear it. It means I will be able to get on with the important school announcements I have to give to the class, doesn't it?"
"Yes, sir." The blonde girl's cheeks turned pink as people around them tittered. She turned to Tamsin and gave her a mock-threatening glare. "You'd better tell me the whole story later!"
Unfortunately for Emma, the two girls didn't see each other again until lunchtime, so by then she was absolutely dying of curiosity. She drew more than her fair share of odd looks as she hovered over Tamsin and, as soon as the other girl was finished with her lunch, dragged her away to the seldom-used girls' room next to the auditorium. "All right!" Emma said as she hustled Tamsin inside. "Talk!"
She shrugged. "We broke up. There's nothing more to say about that."
"What do you mean, there's nothing more to say? Of course there's more! Like — why?"
"You know that already. I want to go out with someone else."
"Why do you want to go out with someone else when you already have Sunshine?" The blonde girl planted her fists on her hips. "Practically every other girl in this town would kill to go out with him!"
Tamsin's mouth twisted wryly as she remembered the Miranda episode earlier in the year. "Yeah, I know, but he's the only boy I've ever dated and I thought it was time for a change."
"But things were perfect the way they were!"
"Well, they aren't going to stay that way forever, are they?" Tamsin reached automatically for the charm on her bracelet, having developed the habit of playing with it when she was deep in thought, but stopped when she realized that she hadn't worn the bracelet today. "Emma, we're young, and we'll be off to college soon. Ronnie and I would have broken up sooner or later. Maybe you and Gerry will someday, too."
"No." The blonde girl shook her head resolutely. "Never. What Gerry and I have is forever."
"But how do you know that what Ronnie and I had is the same?"
"I just do," Emma insisted.
"Well, I don't. You've gone out with other boys besides Gerry, right?"
"Ye-es," Emma admitted. "A few before we started dating, and then one or two last year, before we got back together again."
"On the other hand, I've only gone out with Ronnie. I don't know as much as you do about relationships. I want to gain more experience before I can decide whether some guy is 'forever.'"
The blonde girl was silent for a moment. "I hope you ain't lookin' for the kind of 'experience' I'm thinkin' of right now," she said finally, smiling in spite of herself.
"Em-ma! Of course not — get your mind out of the gutter!" Tamsin crossed her arms and waited for her friend's giggles to subside. "But you do understand now, don't you?" she asked when Emma had finally calmed down.
Emma nodded slowly. "Yeah, I suppose so. I'm sorry, Tamsin. You ain't doin' anythin' wrong. I just…I guess I just feel bad for Sunshine and what y'all had together. You were such a great couple."
The dark-haired girl blushed. "Look, I'm not saying Ronnie isn't Mr. Right. I'm saying I don't know who Mr. Right is yet. I need to go out with more guys so I can recognize him when I see him."
* * *
Although they had agreed to remain friends, Ronnie avoided Tamsin for the next two days. He hoped she understood that he needed to get used to the idea of their no longer being together before he could start talking to her normally again; but just in case she thought he was angry, he decided to try and have a normal conversation with her that Wednesday. (Wednesday also happened to be Valentine's Day, but friends weren't supposed to care about that kind of thing.)
Fortunately for Ronnie, Michael stayed after class to talk to Mr. Graham about something, so Tamsin went to her locker alone.
Be cool, he told himself as he walked toward her. You're just friends now. But he could hardly hear himself over the pounding of his heart. "Hi, Tamsin," Ronnie said.
She smiled politely. "Hi, Ronnie," she replied as she shut her locker door.
He resisted the impulse to take her books and forced himself to lean nonchalantly against a neighboring locker instead. "How are you?" he asked.
"All right. How about you?"
"I'm doing fine, too." Ronnie watched Tamsin hug her books to herself, as if trying to put up a shield between them. He noticed that she wasn't wearing the bracelet he had given her. No wonder he didn't hear the familiar tinkle that usually accompanied her movements. "Do you have plans for Saturday? We're going to check out that new mall in Richmond. Maybe you want to come along. Emma, Cat and Sharon said they were going."
Her eyes widened and she blushed. "Oh…well, actually, yes, I do have plans."
She was glancing over his shoulder. Ronnie supposed she was looking for Michael. Well, if he wasn't still talking to Mr. Graham, the Titans were probably doing all they can to get in his way. Alan, Gerry and Blue had stationed themselves outside the classroom. Petey, who had been walking down the hall, almost automatically joined them. "You're going out?" Ronnie asked.
Tamsin nodded.
He forced a smile. "Anyone I know?" Why am I doing this to myself?
"I'm going out with Michael," she told him quietly. "His mother's friend is in a band and we're going to see them Saturday night."
"Ah. Well, have fun."
"Thank you. You, too." She looked down at her books, which she seemed to be clinging to for dear life, and then back up at him. "Um, I have to get going. I need to return some books to the library."
"Oh. Sorry I kept you."
"No, that's all right." Tamsin smiled and his heart skipped a beat. "It was nice talking to you again."
"Same here."
"See you around."
Ronnie watched her walk briskly down the hall, long ponytail swishing behind her.
Gerry wheeled up beside him a few moments later. "So, how did it go?" he asked as the other Titans joined them.
He shrugged. "It went."
* * *
Tamsin surveyed herself in the small mirror that hung over her dresser. She supposed she looked OK: not a strand of her dark hair was out of place, her lipstick was perfect, and her plum-colored sweater didn't make her look fat. She just wished someone were around to give a second opinion. Unfortunately, Tamsin thought as she tugged on her short black skirt, all of her girl friends were in Richmond.
A car pulled up just as she had finished putting on her mother's gold hoop earrings. Tamsin took a deep breath to control the pounding of her heart. Here goes nothing.
Uncle Jon was on the telephone when she entered the kitchen. He smiled when he saw her, and then gestured for Tamsin to answer the ringing doorbell.
Michael and his mother were standing on the porch. Tamsin smiled at them. "Hi."
Michael smiled back, a slow curling of his lips. "Hi, Tamsin."
"Hi, there," Annette said. "You look great. Don't worry, I'm only going to give you kids a ride. Now, why don't you get your coat while Michael and I go say hi to your uncle?"
"He's on the phone right now," Tamsin told the older woman.
"Well, I'll just wave to him so he knows what I look like. That way, if anything happens to you, he'll be able to pick me out of a police lineup."
She laughed. "In that case, he's in the kitchen. I'll show you the way."
Uncle Jon smiled and waved when Tamsin appeared with Michael and his mother. "We'll have her back here by midnight," Annette told him.
"All right," Uncle Jon said. He still held the telephone receiver to his ear. "Have fun, Tam."
"'Bye, Uncle Jon," Tamsin replied.
"Your mother says goodbye and have a nice time."
"Oh, well, tell her thanks."
As she left the house with the Cardinals, she overheard her uncle telling her mother that she was going out with Michael. "Didn't she tell you? She and Mr. Wonderful have broken up…yes, it's too bad, but they're young…you weren't expecting them to spend the rest of their lives together, were you?"
* * *
While Annette drove Michael and Tamsin downtown, Ronnie stayed home and washed his hair. He did it every day, of course, and only girls were supposed to wash their hair when they weren't going out; but this was the Seventies and he prided himself on being a liberated male.
Ronnie was pulling a TC Williams sweatshirt over his head when he heard the doorbell ring. A few minutes later, he heard his mother call for him. "You have visitors," she told him with a smile when he bounded downstairs.
Gerry, Blue, Petey, Big Julius, Alan and Rev were crowded in the Basses' small foyer. "Hi, Sunshine!" they chorused cheerfully.
"Hi," he replied, surprised. He'd gone to Richmond with them just that afternoon and they hadn't said anything about coming over. "What are you guys doing here?"
"Well, we were supposed to go over to Tamsin's and try to stalk her and her date," Blue told him, "but then we figured we'd do more good if we just came over here and kept you company tonight."
Ronnie smiled. "Well, I'm glad to see you guys. I had no idea what I was going to do with myself."
"I have a suggestion," Petey said with an evil little grin.
"No one wants to hear it," Rev broke in.
They passed by Col. Bass's study so Ronnie's friends could say hello to his father, then the boys went out back. Petey claimed the tire swing hanging from the single tree growing in the small backyard while the rest of the Titans gathered around the weathered picnic table set up nearby. "Still kind of cold, isn't it?" Alan remarked. "Even with it bein' nearly spring and all."
"We can go sit in the living room if you want," Ronnie said. It was much warmer now than it had been last week, but Alan was sitting all hunched over and hugging himself as if for warmth.
"No way, man," Big Julius told him. "We always sit out here when we come over."
"And besides," Gerry added in a low voice, "we brought friends."
Ronnie arched an eyebrow. "You brought friends?"
"We sure did," Petey chuckled. "The Millers are here."
Glancing over his shoulder to make sure that neither of Ronnie's parents was around, Alan unzipped his jacket and placed six cans of Miller Lite on the table before them. "Way to go, Alan!" Blue praised him.
"I live but to serve," the wiry blond boy replied grandly.
"Yeah, way to go, man," Gerry repeated. "There are seven of us and only six beers."
The smug smile disappeared from Alan's face as he counted. "Oh. Well, it's the thought that counts."
* * *
The band was playing in a club downtown. As she entered the basement-level club, Tamsin was taken aback at all the noise and the warmth generated by closely packed bodies. She looked apprehensively at the crowded dance floor and wondered how Michael expected to derive inspiration from such a place.
Michael leaned over and she just managed to hear him invite her to dance before he took her hand and drew her into the middle of the wilderness.
Tamsin stood still for a moment, taking it all in. All around them, colored lights flashed over dancers gyrating to the pulsing beat. The music throbbed through her entire body, making her blood race. And then she, too, began to dance.
Got a black magic woman…The rhythm drummed through the soles of her feet and she let it carry her away. She swiveled and swayed and sang along with the band as she watched moving arms and legs, swinging hair and strings of beads turn red, purple, blue and green under the lights.
Michael had taken her into a moving rainbow.
He smiled as he danced across from her and Tamsin smiled back. She understood what Michael saw now. With his height and broad shoulders, Ronnie had taken up her entire field of vision during the few times they had danced together. Michael, on the other hand, let the rest of the world in.
* * *
Rev solved the beer shortage by foregoing his share, leaving each of the remaining Titans with one can of beer each. Big Julius was the first to pop open his. "All right," he announced, raising his can a few inches off the table in a small salute. "Tonight we drink to Sunshine."
"Here, here," Gerry said as the rest of the boys raised their beers.
Petey took a sip of his and reached over to pat Ronnie on the back. "Cheer up, man. There are plenty of other girls in town. We'll find you one with enough sense not to dump you for some guy who looks like Rasputin's son."
Ronnie had to laugh at his friend's description of Michael, but the idea of going out with another girl didn't sound too good at the moment. "I don't really want to go out with anyone else right now," he said.
"Well, it ain't good for you to be alone, man!"
"I'm not alone. I've got you guys."
Petey shot him a repressive glare. "Sunshine, I told you I don't swing that way!"
"And we've already established that Sunshine doesn't swing that way, either," Rev broke in before the fruitcake jokes could begin. "He's just sayin' he isn't lonely because he's got us to keep him company."
"And besides, he's on the rebound," Gerry piped up. "It ain't good for him to be lookin' for another girlfriend so soon after breakin' up with Tamsin."
Ronnie shot Gerry a grateful look. The other boy had been in pretty much the same situation last year, when he and Emma had cooled it off for a while. "Thanks, bro."
"But if you want Tamsin back," Gerry said with a grin, "we can help you with that."
"We can lock her in a closet until she comes to her senses," Big Julius suggested.
"Let's lock her and Sunshine in a closet together she comes to her senses!" Petey cried, and the Titans laughed.
The boys' laughter carried across the backyard and into the house, where, unbeknownst to them, Col. and Mrs. Bass were standing at their living room window, watching their grinning son take another sip of beer. "I'm worried about them, Bill," Mrs. Bass fretted. "Not only is it illegal, it's highly dangerous. We can't send those boys home drunk!"
"Leave them be, Betty," Col. Bass told her. "They're young men. Besides, they're each having only one beer and that won't kill them." He silenced his wife with a finger to her lips when she made to protest. "If any of the boys look like they're in no condition to drive or face their parents, they can surely stay here for the night."
* * *
Annette pulled up outside 125 Gartner Street at ten minutes to midnight. She smiled at the pair sitting in the back of the van. "Well, I'm going to step outside for a smoke. Don't take too long now!" She blew her son a kiss, then stepped out of the van.
"Well," Michael said into the silence that ensued, "my ears feel all stuffed up."
"Mine, too," she admitted with a laugh. "It must have been all the noise in the club."
"Did you have a good time?"
"Yes, I had a lot of fun."
"Good." He smiled. "Then you wouldn't mind doing this again sometime?"
Tamsin smiled back and shook her head. "That would be great."
Michael fell silent again, and then began to draw closer. She gasped softly, her pulse beginning to race, but didn't move away.
His lips were soft, warm and dry, and they moved over Tamsin's with a gentleness that made her heart sing. He didn't try to force her lips to part, didn't even try to press any closer. It didn't mean that Ronnie hadn't done those things; Tamsin was just noting the fact that Michael was a pretty good kisser.
He was smiling when they pulled away. "You have witchcraft in your lips," he murmured.
She blushed. It had sure felt like he knew what he was doing, while she had never kissed anyone else but Ronnie up until that night. "Thank you," she replied, for want of anything else to say.
He chuckled. "Well, I suppose you should go on in. Your uncle must be waiting up for you."
"That's very likely. Good night."
"Good night."
* * *
Sharing those beers with his friends had been the best time Ronnie had had in recent memory. The Titans had laughed, made jokes and thought up all sorts of outrageous schemes to try and get him and Tamsin back together. They hadn't made any suggestions that were actually helpful, but the companionship had done him good.
He came to school that Monday resolving to get on with his life. The relationship with Tamsin was over, Ronnie told himself as he began his daily tai chi, but they were still friends. What was important was that there was no hate in the situation.
Tai chi helped restore his balance, just like in the old days. He poured all of his energy into performing the exercises perfectly, and came out of it feeling blessedly empty and calmer than he had been in ages.
Ronnie felt only the slightest twinge when he saw Tamsin walk by, when they exchanged polite good-morning nods, and when he watched her meet up with Michael by the front steps. She was free to go out with whomever she wished, he thought as he scooped up his books and jacket and made his way toward the TC Williams building. Judging from the sickeningly cheerful smile on her face, Tamsin was happy; and if she was happy, he was happy.
He was happy.
He concentrated on the laughs he had shared with the Titans that past weekend. It seemed to be working, because he was actually smiling as he stopped by his locker.
"Sunshine?" said a female voice at his elbow.
Ronnie turned to find Miranda Fleming standing beside him, smiling hesitantly. She didn't have that slightly predatory look she used to have on her face whenever he saw her; instead, she looked nervous. She was hugging her books to her chest the way Tamsin had last week. He gave her a small smile. "Hi, Miranda."
Miranda relaxed visibly at his friendly response. "How's it going?" she asked.
"Just fine."
"Listen, I heard about you and Tamsin," the redheaded girl said, her voice low. "I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry."
"It wasn't your fault."
"No, I—" She gave an embarrassed laugh. "I'm definitely sorry about the way I behaved long, long ago…in another life…but I also wanted to say I'm sorry about you two breaking up."
"Oh." Ronnie wasn't sure what to say to that, so he just shrugged philosophically.
"You two were a great couple. Really." She sounded like she meant it. "If you need someone to talk to—well, I know you've got the Titans to fall back on, but, you know, I'm here for you, too. As a friend."
He nodded. "Thanks."
* * *
Just as he did during his morning tai chi, Ronnie poured all his efforts into focusing on his classes. When he wasn't in class, the crowd of loud, laughing Titans made it easy to keep his mind off Tamsin. As a result, he spent the day in a fairly good mood.
The only serious damper on his spirits occurred during English class. Mr. Graham had assigned group work on their current reading, Albert Camus' Absurdity and Suicide. The students were allowed to pick their partners, so Ronnie worked with Gerry worked together in answering the thought-provoking questions about the essay.
He happened to look up while Gerry finished writing down their answer to the third question, and his eyes happened to wander over to the front row, where Tamsin was seated. Her head was bent and it looked like she was writing something. Michael was sitting next to her, watching her write.
Ronnie watched the dark-haired boy reached over to cup Tamsin's neck. He snorted back a laugh when she jerked, startled, and shoved Michael's hand away.
"What's so funny?" Gerry asked, still absorbed in his writing.
"Nothing, really," Ronnie replied. Michael had apparently tried to give Tamsin a neck rub, but didn't know that you weren't supposed to just grab her neck like that because she was really ticklish. Ronnie had tried the same thing before.
"You laughing at nothing now, Sunshine? Man, you must be really messed up. Maybe you shouldn't be reading this Camus stuff, since it's about suicide and all."
"No, man, I'm fine."
"If you say so. Come on, let's answer the question we skipped so we can hand this in."
Things took a sharp downward turn at the end of the period. Just as Ronnie was leaving the classroom, Ray blocked his way. "I heard about you and the Chink breaking up," he said, jerking his head toward where Tamsin was talking to Mr. Graham.
Ronnie scowled slightly. If the smirk on the stocky boy's face was any indication, Ray, unlike Miranda, wasn't planning to offer his condolences. "What about it?"
"Well, I told you to stick to your own kind, didn't I? Her kind obviously ain't no good. See, you were together just for a while and then she throws you over for—"
"She didn't 'throw me over.' Our breaking up was a mutual decision."
Ray sneered. "Sure it was."
It took tremendous willpower to keep from shoving Ray as he turned away. Ronnie had to content himself with glaring at his former teammate's retreating back before setting off toward the school weight room so that he could have a go on the punching bag.
He found Michael standing out in the hall, obviously waiting for Tamsin. Having wasted most of his willpower on Ray, Ronnie found himself stalking over to the dark-haired boy.
They stared each other down. Michael was a good six inches shorter than Ronnie, and maybe twenty pounds lighter. He knew how to defend himself, judging from the incident in the gym, but Ronnie was sure he'd still come off best in a one-on-one fight. It would be so easy to punch Michael's lights out before Tamsin came out of the classroom.
But it wasn't right. He wasn't like that jerk, Ray Budds, who got off on bullying people smaller than he was. And more importantly, Tamsin wouldn't like it if he roughed up her new boyfriend. Ronnie reluctantly unclenched his fists and contented himself with giving Michael his best gridiron glare. "If you break her heart, I break your legs. You dig?"
The dark-haired boy didn't flinch. "Yeah, I dig."