As Told by Ginger copyright Viacom
Chapter 4: His Answer Due
Posted: 11 Apr 2008
"Chet, this isn't a gym. It's a book bag."
"Gym bag, book bag. What's the difference?"
Dodie sighed. Chet would always be… Chet. "Come on. Let's get to the game."
The Inter-League basketball tournament was being held in the community center as it always was at this time of year. Dodie wished that she had known that earlier. It would have saved her all that trouble tracking the place down. By the time she got there, the first half was almost over. Oh why hadn't she thought of asking Chet for a ride while she still had the chance?
However she was much relieved when she found that Chet had been on the bench the whole time, so she didn't miss any of his amazing plays.
She didn't find anything at all ironic in that.
When she sat down next to Macie and Courtney to enjoy the game, laying Chet's book bag in her lap, Courtney looked up and smiled. "Ah, I'm glad that you finally were able to join us, Dodie."
"What took you, Dodie?" Macie had a look of concern on her face. "We were starting to get worried."
"I had trouble finding the place."
"Why didn't you use the directions that I gave you?" Courtney asked.
"You mean these directions, Courtney?" Dodie showed the piece of paper that she pulled out of her pocket.
Out of Courtney's pocket.
"Oh now how did that get into there?" Dodie felt a tad bit annoyed with her just then. It wasn't the first that Courtney had forgotten to give her directions that she had promised to give her. But Dodie tried to a little patient with her. She just wasn't used to dealing with the terminally unpopular such as Dodie was all. So instead of exploding in Courtney's face, Dodie simply sighed. Just what was she going to do with the girl? "Would you do me a favor, Courtney?"
Courtney nodded.
"If I ever asked you for directions, could you have the decency to refuse?"
Courtney frowned thoughtfully. "If that's what you want, Dodie. But I don't understand-"
"It's a favor, Courtney. You don't need to understand it. Either you do it or you don't."
"Well, I suppose that's true. Up to a certain point of course."
Dodie sighed. "Of course."
"Now if you don't mind, we have a game to watch."
Dodie flashed embarrassment. "Oh, right. Of course."
The second half began well enough. Chet's team got ten dunks over the other guys, whoever they were, in the first seven minutes of play. Or so it seemed to Dodie. She didn't know all that much about basketball.
But then things turned sour for the home team. Even Dodie could tell that much. The truth was plain as night on the scoreboard. The Wolverines just kept getting 3-pointer after 3-pointer.
Even though Dodie wasn't that much of a basketball fan, though she did know about how many points putting the little ball into the little circle had, she still rooted her man ahead. As Chet's girlfriend what choice did she have?
"Do you think that the Porcupines would be able to pull an upset?" Courtney whispered into her ear.
Dodie nodded, hoping and praying that she was right. Even though she didn't see how. That was what they called faith, she supposed.
But as it turned out, they didn't. The Wolverines beat them 97 to 25. It wasn't even close. Fortunately for Dodie, she wasn't all that big of a basketball fan. Whatever the cause for the Porcupines' defeat, she was sure that it wasn't Chet's fault.
After the game she met Chet just outside the locker room. "You guys didn't do so well, did you?"
"No."
"So what are you planning on doing now?"
"Going home I guess." He started to leave.
"Wait!"
He did.
"Don't you want your books back first?"
"Oh, right. Thanks." He reached out to get them from Dodie.
But she didn't give them to him right away.
"What is it, Dodie?"
"Before I give these to you, I want you to promise me something."
"Be serious, Dodie." He tried to take the books away from her, but she pulled them away. "I really need those books."
"Promise first. Then you get your books."
"Fine then, Dodie. If it will get my books back, then I'll go to the stupid dance with you."
Dodie grinned. It was the answer that Dodie had been waiting for all day.