A.N.: Okay, I know a few of you were looking forward to the football game, so here it is! Please review.
Rose Amongst Thorns
Chapter Nineteen
Fullback
Friday was an okay day; Monsieur Gilliard prompted a little argument with her during French because apparently she was confusing the other kids, working ahead of the class skill-level, and most of her math problems were incorrect when they went over their homework, but Mr Sears used her essay on Roanoke Colony theories as an example in History during class for future essays, which gave her a happy buzz for the rest of the day, which rendered the blows Hailey dealt her during training a little less painful.
After practice, Evan gave her a ride back to the McGowans'. The McGowans were exhibiting what Rose's dad would have called 'pre-weekend hysteria'—hyperactivity brought on by the fact that it was nearly the weekend. They were everywhere, loud, hyperactive on candy and snacks and Gatorade, and watching TV on full-blast downstairs and having a random water-fight in the backyard with the garden-hose. Rose stuck her head out of the kitchen door, avoiding the spray of the garden-hose. Ian and Caleb were running around with the garden-hose and a bucket full of water.
"Ian, your coach called and told me your suspension from ice-hockey due to excessive force has been lifted so, tomorrow, you're going to practice," Regina shouted, hanging up the phone, and Ian cheered outside. "Caleb, you have show-and-tell on Monday, so I expect you to be thinking about what you're going to take into school; please, honey, remember that body-parts and anything belonging to me or Rose does not count."
Caleb grinned and giggled, launching the whole bucket of water at Ian, and Rose shook her head as the doorbell rang; the girls were on the porch, trying not to smile too widely about being on the threshold of the McGowan house. Rose had just opened her mouth to say hi when a huge "Ow!" echoed down in the basement.
"Now what?" Regina groaned, as thumping footsteps echoed off the basement stairwell. Evan emerged, half-dragging Miller behind him, who was bleeding from the forehead.
"Doug hit Miller with a dart!"
"On purpose?" Rose asked, as Regina looked like she was praying to whatever gods existed for patience.
"Go grab the band-aids from the medicine cabinet upstairs," Rose told Evan, and he nodded and ran upstairs.
"It's like they all put E in their breakfast cereal this morning or something," Regina said weakly, and Rose laughed. "Seriously—how did you get my boys to behave last night?"
"Fear," Rose said honestly. She wasn't much, but when she was angry she could clear a room faster than anything. Regina laughed.
"Mom!" The kitchen door burst open and Sean emerged, grease-stained and shirtless. "Ian put a bucket on Caleb's head and now it's stuck."
"Hey, Doug, wanna play darts?" Evan shouted down the basement stairs.
"No-one's throwing any more darts around this house—Miller, come here, baby," Regina said, as Rose opened the first-aid kit; they patched Miller up and retrieved Caleb, who was bouncing off the walls—in every sense—with a bright-blue bucket stuck on his head; they managed to grease him up with cooking oil and wrenched him out of the bucket, and since he was already soaking wet just hosed the oil off him out in the backyard and sent him on his way. Finn and Sean joined the water-fight with contraband pump-action jet water-guns and Ian and Caleb's screams filled the neighbourhood. By the time John got home with Thai takeout, the big boys were in danger of being turned into the little ones' meals, as they were ravenous and had finished the water-fight by biting both Sean and Finn.
"Soda, Rose?" John asked.
"No, thank you," Rose smiled, "I'm good with my water, thanks." John refilled the boys' cups with full-fat, full-caffeine, extra-sugar soda and as Rose sat down at the packed kitchen table, Finn passed her the container of pad Thai noodles; their fingertips brushed against each other and Rose's entire body responded with a network of mini fireworks going off.
"So, what's everyone doing tonight after the game?" Regina asked, tucking her skirt under herself as she sat down next to her husband. At the end of the table, Caleb and Ian were fighting over the spring rolls, and Doug was shovelling down food with his head bent down toward his plate with the relish of a man consuming his last meal. Sean leaned back in his chair, blindly twiddling noodles around his fork and lifting them to his mouth while he read from a new paperback novel. Rose helped herself to pad Thai noodles, Thai curry, satay skewers, fried spring rolls, stuffed chicken wings, dumplings, garlic-fried shrimp and sweet-and-sour duck. She was remembered of her favourite Thai Thai takeout restaurant in Raleigh, and how she and Pogue used to fight over the last dumpling, and how they never got enough peanut sauce.
"Party," Doug said, noodles dripping from his lips as he lifted his head.
"Nice. Napkin, please," Regina said. Doug rolled his eyes as he handed him a napkin from across the table, never looking up from his book.
"Whose party?" John asked.
"It's Christian's," Evan said. "You know, he has it every year."
"Ah, yes, Christian Todd's party," John grinned lazily. "How could we have forgotten it's that time of year already. Wasn't it broken up by the police last year/"
"Yeah, but it's gonna be a lot smaller," Evan said. "He's only inviting seniors and juniors."
"Then why is Doug going?" Regina asked. Everyone looked down the table at Doug, who paused in his shovelling long enough to say, "I got connections." Regina arched an eyebrow.
"Mm. So, you're going to this party too, Rose," she said. "How're you getting there after the game?"
"Can we ride in your truck, Rose?" Caleb asked, from the other end of the table. "Like we did when we went to Jim's?"
"Maybe," Rose smiled. "Well, I was going to maybe get a ride with Jenna, but I guess it'd be easier for me to help drive everyone over to school."
"Well, we were going to ask Evan," John said.
"Yeah," Evan said. "I'll show you the way to Christian Todd's house, Rose," Evan said, giving her a friendly smiling.
"Okay, so, Rose, I guess we'll have to give you a mini-lecture about driving and parties," John said, heaving a sigh as he loosened his belt buckle onto another notch and helped himself to more pad Thai.
"Don't worry," Rose said quietly. "If anyone understands the consequences of drinking and driving, it's me." John and Regina exchanged a loaded look that Rose did not miss.
"Well, okay; drive safe tonight, then," John said easily. "Finn, are you going to this thing?"
"Yeah," Finn shrugged. "I, uh…kinda have a date." Rose glanced up, her forkful of Thai curry turning into an unappetising lump in her mouth.
"You do?" she asked, blinking at him, and wondering why she felt like something was hacking her heart into pieces with a dull blade, burning like ice.
"Yeah…uh…"
"Dude, you got another date with Kayla Bird?" Evan crowed.
"Apparently," Finn flushed, carefully avoiding Rose's eyes.
"It's about freakin' time, man!" Evan said gleefully. "What made you finally grow the balls to ask her out, anyway?" Finn shrugged and flushed.
"I told him to," Rose said coolly, suddenly not that interested in her dinner.
"Okay, so you didn't so much grow balls as ovaries," Evan said thoughtfully, which made Doug snort with laughter and spray rice all over Sean. Looking disgruntled, but never taking his eyes off his book, Sean wiped his face and shirt and tossed the used napkin into the open trashcan behind him over his shoulder, slam-dunk. Jenna had been impressed with Finn's level of concentration, but Sean was something else entirely.
Rose trained her focus on her dinner so she didn't look at Finn with her Harpy glare—the one that reduced six-foot-eight, biker Pogue to a blubbering mess dependent on Ben & Jerry's and his mommy.
So Finn had another date with Kayla. Even though he'd thought their first date a catastrophe and he'd ended his date-night making out with her, Rose, in his shed, the most private place he had to himself, the place he never let anyone visit, looking at artwork he never showed anybody else.
Why're you so upset by this? You're not his girlfriend, a little voice said, speaking reason in the back of her mind. Reason she hated to admit was true. She wasn't Finn's girlfriend, she wasn't his anything. They'd kissed a few times and had a few amazing talks, but they couldn't cuddle up under a blanket at a football game, or make-out at parties, or even hold hands during school.
So why did she suddenly want to poison Kayla Bird with super-super-hot garlic-oil sauce till she burned up from the inside out? Or maybe she could just run her over—her truck was one of those solid, all-American monsters that left foreign imports in shrapnel down the highway, the licence-plate cover barely damaged. She knew—it had happened, when her dad used to drive the truck. Some stupid kid had decided to overtake and hadn't estimated how fast her dad was going, cut in front and caused a horrendous accident; the guy hadn't died, but as far as she knew, he hadn't gotten back in the driver's seat again. She could 'waste' Kayla Bird, in Dean Winchester lingo, without leaving any evidence on her truck…but then, Finn might never forgive her, and she'd spent twenty-to-life agonising about the fact that Finn hated her for killing his quasi-girlfriend.
What are you, Bella Swan? Man up, girl! she heard Pogue encouraging. He was right. She wasn't some swooning, love-struck girl with a warped sense of self-preservation and a complete lack of self-confidence. She was shy, but she knew who she was despite B.S. from other people. This wasn't going to make her upset or angry…not even a teeny, tiny, little bit.
She ate slowly after that, avoiding any kind of contact with Finn, and devoted her time to the shoulder-slumping thought that tonight she was going to be designated driver and she would have to see Finn with another girl. So she couldn't spend time with Finn at this party and she couldn't drink too much, so what was she going to do? Stay at home on a Friday night and knit?
That sounds pretty good right about now, she thought, showering quickly after dinner and brushing her teeth meticulously. She towelled herself dry, wrapped up her hair, pulled on her robe and tiptoed across the hallway to her room. She shut the door quickly and locked it when she heard Finn saying, "Hey," at the threshold of his room.
Rose sighed heavily and went to her closet, frowning at Caleb when he froze, hands clamped around a packet of Fruit Gushers, eyes wide at being caught, hiding amongst her clothes in the closet. She expelled him from the room and locked the door again. She plucked the outfit she had put together from her closet and laid it out on the bed, putting her stereo on, listening to Kiss while she blow-dried her hair and put on her makeup. She put product in her hair to make it all soft and beachy, leaving it down in subtly wavy, slightly tousled locks around her shoulders, and a slightly off-centre parting. She created smoky eyes with nude and brown eyeshadow and a lashing of mascara, and put on a lick of natural lip-gloss. She dabbed her expensive Serge Lutens 'Bois de Violette' perfume at her wrists, behind her ears and at base of her throat.
She dressed in her favourite black 'Love' Agent Provocateur bra, the little black 'Lacey' thong from Victoria's Secret, the almost see-through black cotton t-shirt she loved, a pair of second-skin dark jeggings, a pair of studded sandals, and the embellished vest with faux-pearls, sequins, studs and beaded fringe she had bought earlier in the week at the mall. She grabbed her littlest purse and stowed her truck-keys, lip-gloss and her cell-phone inside, tucking her school I.D., insurance card and ATM-card and cash in one of the little zipper pouches, making sure she still had the emergency condom in the other.
Caleb and Ian were waiting downstairs, decked out in Baker High memorabilia stuff; John and Regina were trying to coerce Doug to pull his pants up so they couldn't see his underwear; Miller was sitting at the bottom of the stairs reading a book on Babe Ruth that she knew was for an English research assignment; Sean was shrugging on his leather biker jacket. Rose guessed football games were a family ordeal if one of the brothers was playing.
"Hey! You look great!" Regina grinned, taking in her outfit. "Very rock-chick of you. Caleb, Ian; are you two going in the truck with Rose?"
"Yeah!"
"Okay, well," John said, digging his battered wallet out of his pocket. "Rose, here you go; in case we get split up, here's money for your tickets."
"Oh, no, that's okay, I—"
"I insist," John said, pressing the cash into Rose's hand. "We'll all try and meet up once we get inside, okay."
"Okay," Rose nodded.
"And here," John added, pressing another few notes into her hand. "For snacks."
"Thanks," Rose flushed. John winked.
"Alright—let's haul ass, kids," he said, and Regina chided him for his language; Ian and Caleb ran for the truck, scrambling into the front-seat, while Miller, Doug and Sean piled into John's car.
"Where are the others?" Rose asked.
"Finn already left," Ian said. "Evan's probably still looking in the mirror." Rose rolled her eyes in amusement at Ian's succinct observations of his second-oldest brother, sure enough Evan came running out of the house, still running a hand through his hair; he vaulted into the bed of the truck, and Rose pulled out of the property, following John's Mercedes.
Though nothing compared to the turnout for high-school basketball games in her old hometown, the number of people crowding into the parking lots and trickling towards the ticket-booth like ants to their queen was enough that she and John did get separated, following him to Baker High. She parked in the junior parking-lot and made Caleb hold her hand so he didn't run around like a lunatic in the parking-lot or worse, run off completely; Ian kept close by, holding Caleb's other hand, and they made their way to the ticket-booth; she got a discount because she was a student and paid for their tickets, and hoisted Caleb onto her hip so he didn't get buffeted by the people swarming around. Her cell-phone buzzed, and John was calling her from over by the snack-bar; they all met up; Doug had already disappeared and Evan was talking to a cute-looking girl behind the snack-bar counter Regina whispered used to be his sweetheart in his freshman year of high-school. Sean was reading. John bought them all sodas and candies and nachos, and they made their way to the bleachers.
The football team, in their gold-on-maroon uniforms, was warming up on the pitch, the visiting opposing team doing the same on their side of the field; cheerleaders were already trying to encourage high spirits with little cheers in their gold-trimmed maroon uniforms, undermining every feminist who ever lived with their pointless prancing around.
Evan had disappeared shortly after they left the snack-bar; Rose saw him knuckle-knocking and laughing with his friends down by the cluster of cheerleaders flirting with him, and Rose had to shake her head and sigh in stifled exasperation. If Hailey was worried about their relationship, and Evan was supposedly sensitive to her paranoia, then why the hell was he down there flirting with those light-skirts?
"So, what number is Finn?" Rose asked, scanning the jersey numbers as the boys practiced their stretching, backs to them, giving her a very good view.
"Number twenty-seven," Regina said. "He's the fullback, whatever that means."
"I think it means he hits a lot of people," Rose said, scouting for number twenty-seven. She had seen Friday Night Lights the TV series; she knew Tim Riggins was the fullback, and wondered why artistic Finn had the most violent position on the team. Regina laughed.
"Yeah, that about sums it up," she chuckled, offering Rose the tray of nachos smothered in cheese and jalapeños. "So…did you know Finn had another date with Kayla Bird?"
"No," Rose said, careful not to get nacho cheese on her jeggings. "No, I didn't know that."
"He didn't tell you?" Regina asked, eyebrows flying up. "You two talk all the time, I wonder why…"
"Me too," Rose said honestly, though she had a pretty good idea. He hadn't wanted to let on that he was still dating another girl while making out with her. Bastard… Well, that wasn't entirely fair. She was just as much to blame for sneaking around the McGowans' house, kissing. But she had thought Finn and Kayla Bird were over. Like, no-more-dates over.
She tried not to dwell on the aching, searing feeling in her chest, like she was suffering from severe heartburn.
It was very evident the McGowans were one hugely popular family. Until the national anthem was sung by the best singer in the school choir, there was no end of people coming up to John and Regina for a chat, to talk about anything, which of their sons were playing, how much the 'little guy' had grown—why Sean hadn't gone off to college was apparently a sore subject, because despite the curious looks from the McGowans' friends, seeing him sitting there, reading till the start of the game, nobody mentioned it. Rose received more curious looks from the students than she ever had at school because she was sitting between Regina and Miller, with Sean sitting beside him.
Despite the chaos surrounding him, Miller sat defiantly straight-backed, his eyes focused on the football field instead of his feet. He caught Rose's eye from time to time, and they shared his soda and nachos, and her soda and her candy, and used their fact-question game to get him a little more relaxed about being in the centre of the disorganised bleachers.
When the commentator announced the beginning of the game would commence after the choir had sung the national anthem, everyone in the stadium stood, placed their hands over their hearts, and sang. This, this, was the same no matter what high-school game Rose went to. Standing with a united crowd, singing their national anthem, pledging their allegiance. Caleb got the words wrong; Ian tripped down a few steps of the bleachers, returning from the snack-bar with a fresh soda and an Airheads candy, and Sean had to dive to grab him when his yell echoed through the bleachers, making most of the people who saw it happen laugh; Sean returned Ian to his seat and the game began.
John had to explain to Regina and Rose the rules of the game of American football, because Regina was allergic to sports and Rose was a basketball girl. Sean had put away his book and, even if he wasn't the loudest supporter in the bleachers, he was the most attentive. Despite her resolution not to think about Finn, because he obviously didn't think much of her, Rose couldn't stop keeping track of number twenty-seven's whereabouts. Neither could the commentator; it seemed Finn was his favourite player; everyone applauded 'Fearless Finn' McGowan for his spectacular hits that crippled the other team, preventing any kind of offensive plays because Baker defence was so good, and dependent on Finn during the offence.
Rose had thought Finn a slighter guy in build compared to his older brothers, but that boy was an armoured tank on the football field. If he went after a guy, that player went down—hard. And Finn was fast. Those long legs of his ate up the astro-turf. And Rose could not stop staring at his butt in those shiny pants.
Baker High steam-rollered their way to victory in their first varsity football game, the final score 72-14. And it was all because of Finn and his superior tackling skills; he had blocked like the most ferocious, protective bulldog there was. Forget wildcats, when Finn was on the playing-field he was a pit-bull. He didn't let anyone past him, or get to his teammates. The final minutes of the game were dominated by another killer full-contact tackle from Finn, and another touchdown for Baker High.
Ian and Caleb had obviously overdosed on high-sugar sodas and candy from the snack-bar, and compounded by a decisive victory, saw them doing a sugar-induced Baker High victory-dance like two miniature lunatics. Miller caught Rose's eye and smiled. Although he had sat by Regina all game, he had sat with his back straight, chin up, and had watched the game instead of staring at his feet.
"Alright, are you and Evan off now?" Regina asked, while John tried to calm the boys down, failing dismally; Sean hoisted Caleb onto his shoulders and carried him off, tailed by Ian.
"Yeah, uh, if I can find him," Rose said, glancing around the bleachers.
"Hey, Rose," someone said, directly behind her, and Evan grinned at her, eyes sparkling. "Ready to go?"
"Yeah."
She parked her truck behind a dozen others outside the front yard of Christian Todd's tremendous stone mansion. Since the moment Evan had sat down in the truck-cab next to her, he had been silent—and coldly so. She had been forced to put on a Rammstein CD to cover the awkward, cool silence between them, the silence she really didn't want to breach because she had no idea what was making him act this way.
And she couldn't stop thinking about Finn. About Finn, with Kayla. About why Finn hadn't thought it her business to tell her he was going on another date with Kayla when he had told her he hadn't thought anything would come of their date. She wanted to know which of the brothers was worse—Evan, for being an uncontrollable flirt and realising what he was, or Finn, for leading girls on and then dumping them on their asses when the next one presented herself. It was harsh, but that was what she was feeling as she cut the engine and turned off the lights. For a second, there was silence; Evan didn't move to leave the truck. Then a few people breezed by the car, talking and laughing. Evan unhooked his seatbelt, sighed heavily, and turned toward her.
"I know this is going to sound lame, but I don't think we should walk in there together," Evan said.
"Come again?" Rose asked, nonplussed.
"Okay, look," Evan said, clearing his throat awkwardly. "It's like this; Hailey's been kind of freaking out the past few days and it's sort of all about you."
"You're blaming your relationship problems on me?" Rose stared, disbelieving. I don't believe this family, she thought, incredulous. Caleb and Miller were probably the only two sane boys in the whole family. Maybe Sean, too, but he didn't speak enough for her to make heads or tails of him.
"No!" Evan said quickly. "No, I mean—here's the thing; Hailey and I have been together for a year and you'd think that would be long enough for her to, you know, trust me, but ever since you got here, she's been acting like I'm public enemy number one."
"I don't see you decorated with cuts and bruises," Rose said coolly. She was the one Hailey took everything out on during cross-country training. She was the one tended by Miss Smith and her first-aid kit every single afternoon. She was the one who everyone gossiped about because she'd set Hailey Farmer, Queen Bitch, in her place.
"Look, okay Hailey's… She's used to being the best at everything, okay; best athlete, most popular, most beautiful. Now you've shown up and you're super talented with cross-country, and everyone loves you 'cause your so sweet, and you really are probably the most beautiful girl I've ever seen, so—like you said; Hailey has self-confidence issues now that you've showed up here and shown her up."
So Hailey was spoilt, and now she was throwing her dolls out of her stroller.
"So now you're blaming your girlfriend's neuroses on me?" Rose blurted, stunned. She couldn't help if Hailey got off being the prettiest, most popular, most talented. But, facts of life, you can't always be the best at everything. Rose was a good runner, but she was at a kindergartner's skill-level in math. And she was pretty? She had a nose, mouth and two eyes the same as everyone.
"Look, I know none of it's your fault," Evan said, sighing. "I just think it's pushed her over the edge, you know, you being here, and I think it'd be better for everyone if we didn't…I mean, if there wasn't a scene tonight."
"Perhaps you should've been thinking about that while you were flirting with those light-skirts at the game," Rose said, frowning.
"Light-skirts? What the hell're—?"
"Don't cuss," Rose said, frowning. She hated when people cussed. "Light-skirts are girls who don't need much coercing to lift their skirts up." I.e. Jane Austen for complete whores. Evan had shame enough to blush.
"Well, whatever, I just don't want there to be a huge scandal between you, me and Hailey because we just happened to walk in there together," he said. Rose shrugged, and gestured at the front-door.
"Well, go on, then," she said. She didn't have the patience to conceal her annoyance at these McGowan boys this evening. She just wanted to find Aimee and have shot of oestrogen before she had to go back into that asylum for idiotic, selfish teenage boys. She was surprised there weren't more inmates.
Evan stared at her, as if he hadn't expected her to act so brusquely. Well, she was tired of getting the short end of the McGowan stick. Then he kind of shook his head a little, maybe in disbelief or whatever, opened his door and hopped out of the truck. Rose sighed and shook her head after he'd slammed the door, and watched him walking with his shoulders hunched and his hands in the pockets of his suede car-jacket. She leaned her elbow against the ridge of the window and sighed again.
What was with these McGowan boys? Had Regina dropped them on their heads one too many times when they were kids? Could that explain their temperamental selfishness? She plucked her lip-gloss out of her bag and flipped her visor down, with the Velcro CD-holder and mirror she had attached to it, and meticulously, slowly, applied her lip-gloss. She saw amber light flood the front-lawn as Evan entered the house, and then it went dark again.
She wished Pogue was here.
There was nothing worse than flying solo at the biggest party of the year.
A.N.: I was having nostalgic memories of my sophomore year of high school in California (the last year I spent in the US before my family moved back to England…) Please review.
