Chapter Twenty Three
My consciousness awakened and I felt a man's hand press hard against my mouth. All I could think about was James. I tried to scream, but nothing came out except my breath through my nose. My eyes snapped open to find Jackson standing over top of me. His hand was over my mouth and the second one raised a finger to his smiling lips. "Shhhh," he said. I nodded my head a little and he took his hand off of my mouth and whispered. "Let's go fishing."
I sat up and looked over at my sleeping roommate in her satin eye mask. I turned back to Jackson and whispered, "How did you get in here?"
He whispered back, "Silly girl, I've got a key."
I cocked my head in disbelief. "You're going to get fired if you get caught!"
"I won't get caught," Jackson whispered with confidence, "now get dressed and I'll meet you outside by the back door." I nodded my head again and the boy left my room. Hurriedly, I slipped on a pair of blue jean Capri pants, a sweater set and my regulation Ashford Academy saddle shoes. I combed my hair and put some toothpaste in my mouth. Quietly, I tip toed out of the room and scampered down the back staircase and met Jackson at the rear of Covington House.
"Come on," he said and grabbed my hand. Without reservation, I ran hand in hand with the boy across the yard and into a grove of trees that lined the school property where our pace slowed to a walk. He looked down at me happy I had agreed to come along. "I'll put the worm on the hook if you need me too."
I thought about the purpose of our rendezvous and asked, "Jackson, why are you taking me fishing?"
He looked at me with a crooked grin. "I knew that Owen coming to see Lacey today, so I wanted to be sure you had something else to do to keep your mind off of it all."
I smiled back at the boy as the sun began to rise over the edge of the trees. "That's very thoughtful of you, but I'm pretty sure it's against school rules to go running off into the woods to go fishing."
"Since when do you care about school rules?" Jackson asked with humor in his voice. "Besides, Saturday is visitation day, and most of the girls run wild around here all day so no one will really know where you've gone."
"That could be true." I grinned and nodded my head.
"I've got the truck parked along the driveway." Jackson pointed me through the thicket.
The two of us weaved through the trees to the road where the truck was waiting. Jackson opened the passenger door and I climbed in. I thought about how all night I had agonized about what I would say when I saw Owen with his arms wrapped around my roommate, but my worries were for nothing. Jackson had a much better plan. Once he was in the truck I thanked him for being so thoughtful.
"No problem, I've tried to imagine how hard things have been for you over the past month, so I wasn't about to have you suffer through another heartbreak. I still can't believe any guy would choose Lacey over you."
I blushed. "Well, you didn't, and being with you today will be a big help. I really appreciate it."
"Anything for a friend." Jackson looked towards me and winked.
I smiled as we pulled off of Ashford property and onto the highway. It was the first time I had been away from the school grounds in a month. The simple freedom felt exhilarating, and I rolled the window down and let the warm breeze race across my face as I imagined how great it would be to never go back.
Jackson turned down a narrow dirt road and pulled up to a clearing in the field that ran behind the academy. I asked, "Is this the river that runs between the school and the railroad tracks?"
"Yeah." Jackson said simply.
"What time does the train come through?" I asked and climbed out of the pick up truck.
Jackson looked at me with an adorable grin. "No way! We came here to go fishing, and you're gonna fish! I will not be held responsible for aiding and abetting an Ashford Academy fugitive!"
With no concern for her missing roommate Lacey finished primping her hair. She ran her slender hands across her red fitted dress to assure there were no wrinkles, and then she grabbed the Visitor Announcement card from her nightstand. She read the name one last time, Owen Jasper. She felt a tingle of excitement rush through her body as she headed out of her dorm room.
Quickly she walked across the common grounds in her red shoes and entered the main building. She eagerly waltzed into the Great Room in search of her suitor. She looked around the room through the crowd of happy people and found Owen sitting alone on a wooden bench holding a large bouquet of fresh flowers. For a moment she marveled at his male beauty. He had arrived dressed appropriately for a visit to Ashford, in dress slacks, a tie and a suit coat. As she walked towards him she was sure the light blue dress shirt he was wearing was the perfect compliment to his eyes.
Owen looked up and noticed the beautiful girl coming towards him. His once content face tensed with anger as he saw her. He stood up and marched towards her. The livid glare in his eyes defeated her near perfect smile.
"Owen!" The girl cheerfully greeted him. "It's so good to see you again."
Owen's eyes were filled with anger as he grabbed the debutants upper arm tightly and physically directed her into the hallway for privacy.
Clueless, Lacey clip clopped in her high heeled shoes and playfully questioned her visitor. "Are you mad? You seem mad. Is something bothering you?"
Owen pushed her into a corner in the nearly vacant hallway. Infuriated with her he growled low and pointed a stern finger into her chest. "Why did you tell Scout about the dance? Why did you tell her we were an item when we aren't?"
Lacey smiled back at the boy, attempting to exercise her charm. "Now Owen, you simply can not continue to deny the passion between the two of us."
Owen scolded her in a whisper, "There is nothing between us. There never was and there never will be! I love Scout and I've come her to tell her that."
Seductively, Lacey asked, "Owen, you could have any girl you want. What could you possibly want with an charity case like her?"
Owen's muscles tensed and he had to use restraint to control his temper. "Just shut up, Lacey! Don't you ever refer to her like that again! Scout Curtis has more poise and class than you, or gold digging girls like you will ever have."
"Owen…" Lacey reached her hand up to caress his face.
He grabbed it so she couldn't touch him. "No Lacey! You are not going to ruin this. I love Scout. I am going to fix this, and you are going to help me."
Lacey defiantly threw her hands onto her hips. "No, I won't!"
"Oh yes you will, or this postcard is going in the mail for anyone to see!" Owen reached into his pocket and held up a postcard for Lacey to read.
Mr. McGovern,
I am writing to tell you that I have learned first hand that your daughter has failed to uphold the celibate expectations of her trust fund. Please contact me to learn further details.
Owen Jasper
"You wouldn't?" Lacey slammed her foot down in disgust.
"Try me!" Owen challenged with an evil glare.
"He'll never believe you," Lacey hissed back at him.
"You think so? I'm like the son he wished he'd had." Owen said with a grin.
"Why would you do such a thing?"
"The way I see it, you ruined things for me with Scout, so I'll ruin things for you."
It was no secret amongst the upper social elites that Lacey stood to receive a sizable fortune from her trust fund if she remained a virgin until marriage. Owen put the stamped postcard safely away into the inside pocket of his sport coat. "Now, we are going to Covington House and you are going to go upstairs to your dorm room and bring Scout out."
"I can't. She's not there."
Not believing her, Owen pulled her out of the corner and down the hall to the exit door. "You are going to go in and get her, or this postcard is going in the mail today."
"Owen, I am not lying to you. I woke up this morning and she was gone. I have no way of knowing where she could be!"
"Well, for your sake, you better find her," Owen warned.
Jackson cast his fishing line into the water and turned to me. "How was your day yesterday."
"Long," I said without explanation as I fiddled with the hook and the worm.
"Because you were thinking about Owen?" The young man fished around for information.
I looked over at Jackson, who was standing a dozen feet away. "From time to time, but mostly it was just exhausting telling the attorneys the same thing over and over again."
"Attorneys?"
"Yeah," I said casually, "they came to town to take a deposition from me about that fight I told you about."
Three attorneys arrived early in the morning before breakfast to take a deposition for the trial of the State of Oklahoma versus James Young. The day had been exhausting, both emotionally and mentally and I wasn't interested in talking about any of the details to Jackson.
"Right," Jackson said slyly, "the one you lied to me about?"
I smiled and tried to hide my guilt. "I didn't lie to you about it."
"You're lying now!" Jackson yelled out in amusement.
I shook my head. "How do you know that?"
Jackson laughed again. "I didn't, I just thought I'd see how you'd respond then I'd know if you had been lying or not."
My mouth fell open and I laughed at the fact that he had baited me into telling the truth about the lie. I grabbed the worm I was struggling with and threw it at the boy. "Jackson, you are the worst!"
"You throw like a girl," Jackson laughed and cast his fishing line again.
"I sure hope so." I laughed back, and it felt good.
Owen made Lacey walk with him to search the entire grounds of Ashford Academy, twice. Then for hours the two of them sat on a wooden park bench outside of Covington House waiting for any sign of my return. Lacey passed the time talking with friends as they passed. Owen spent his time ignoring Lacey, and beating himself up for not being honest with me about having to attend the Debutantes Ball.
Finally, Lacey threw her head backwards in disgust and complained. "Ugh! We have been sitting here for long enough. Why don't we go eat lunch together, I'm famished."
Owen looked at Lacey's pout and then at his Rolex watch. "You're right, we should probably head over there to look for Scout."
Lacey grinned at the idea of having an attractive lunch date to flaunt to the other girls. She grabbed Owen by the hand and tried to pull him along. "Come on, I'll show you to the dining hall."
Owen pulled his hand free from her affections. "I'll manage without the escort, thanks." Owen began walking in the direction of the main building with Lacey uncomfortably close by his side. Owen shoved his hands into the pockets of his slacks to help emphasize the fact that he was not at Ashford to be friendly with Lacey in any way. "You left the flowers for Scout in the room on her night stand, right?"
"Yes," Lacey replied with annoyance.
"With the note from me?" Owen sought assurance.
Lacey acted appalled at the young man's distrust in her. "Why don't you just race up there and check?"
Owen exhaled with hostility and kept quiet the rest of the walk. Once inside the dining hall he looked in all four corners for his missing girlfriend with no luck. "I don't think she's here yet."
"I'm sure she'll show up," Lacey noted, "Let's go get some lunch together."
Owen looked suspiciously at Lacey and then took one last, failed look around the room. He silently motioned for Lacey to lead the way to the lunch line. Lacey filled her tray and promptly chose a high profile location for the two of them to sit and eat their lunch. Owen appreciated the location because he could monitor everyone who came and left the meal.
The anti-couple sat at a the table and Lacey began the chatter. "Are you going to the Carolinas again this summer."
Owen shot the girl a look of contempt. "Under the circumstances, I don't think that is appropriate conversation right now."
Lacey curled her lip in repulsion. "You don't have to get so upset. I was just asking because our families have gone there every summer for as long as I can remember. It would only be normal for you all to go again."
Owen rested his arms against the edge of the table and leaned in close to Lacey. "Rest assured that what happened last year between you and I in the Carolinas will never happen again. And, if my family goes this year I am asking for Scout to come along. So don't get your hopes up that I will even be talking to you when we are there."
"Owen, please don't be so dramatic!" Lacey chided with a grand grin.
I pitter-pattered up the shoreline in my bare feet. The sun was warm and I was enjoying the freedom of being in the solitude of nature and the friendship of Jackson. I picked my head up in time to see Jackson return from the truck with a picnic basket in his hand. I picked up my pace and met him as he set the basket down in the soft green grass.
"Lunch is served!" He said to me with a grin.
"What have you got in there?" I asked slyly and tried to charm the information out of him before he lifted the lid.
"Ah, Ah." He pushed me back a little and spread a blanket on the ground for the two of us to share. Then he gestured toward the blanket. "Would you care to join me for lunch?"
"I would love to," I responded politely and sat down on the picnic blanket next to him.
Jackson pulled peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, a bag of chips and a bottle of strawberry wine from the basket. He joked, "Gourmet, I know you're impressed."
"It all looks good, but I can't drink that wine. If I go back drunk, I'll get expelled for sure!"
Jackson looked at me as if I had missed the easiest part of a riddle. "Scout, you left school before wake up with the janitor to go fishing. I don't think a few sips of wine are what are going to get you expelled. Besides, it's the only thing I had at my house in a bottle I could bring."
The reasoning made me chuckle as Jackson pulled the cork from the bottle. "Would you like the first sip?"
I was apprehensive. "I've never had wine."
"That's okay, just take a few sips to acquire the taste first, then the rest of it will slide right down."
I raised the bottle to my lips and took a first sip. The flavor bit my taste buds and I immediately pulled the bottle away and forced the liquid down my throat. My face crinkled in repulsion and Jackson laughed at me. I shook off the taste and scolded him. "Don't laugh at me."
He laughed harder and he grabbed the bottle from my grasp and took a large sip. When he was done he looked over at me with his trusting round eyes. "I'm sorry Scout. I considered buying some sodas, but none of the stores were open that early. Besides, most girls I know like to drink this kind of wine."
"I'll be fine." I grabbed a sandwich and took a few bites. Looking across the water I thought about how easy it had been to keep Owen from my mind even though Jackson and I hadn't caught a single fish. Then my thirst caught up to me again and I eyed the wine. One thing I wanted more than anything was a big drink of something, so I grabbed the bottle, held my breath and took a big swig.
Jackson watched in amusement. He clapped his hands a few times and whistled to encourage me to drink up. Bravely, I took two more big swigs and even thought the taste was awful, my thirst was quenched, at least for the moment. "That-a-girl." Jackson praised me.
"You didn't leave me with too many options, cause I was sure thirsty and I wasn't about to ask you to take me back to Ashford."
"Yeah, we'll let those richie riches have their time there. I think we are doing just fine all by our lonesome. Don't you?"
I looked across the water and thought of Owen. It was hard to imagine that he and Lacey may have been hiding in the shadows of the Academy buildings sharing a kiss, touching each other and laughing in joy that I was out of their lives for the day.
Owen and Lacey returned to the bench after the last of the girls had finished their lunch. After hours in the hot sun Lacey's aggravation grew as she waited for my return. Even having Owen by her side was becoming less enchanting for her. She moaned, "Waiting here for her is ridicules. What is so special about her anyway?"
Owen, resting comfortably on the bench with his shirtsleeves rolled up, paused a minute then an uncontrollable smile lit up his face as his answer came to mind. "She's not you."
"What's that suppose to mean?" Lacey sat up straight and slammed her hands onto her hips.
Owen gazed off into the distance so his memories would be more vivid as he spoke. "It was the first day of school in September. I walked into my European History classroom with a couple of my buddies. We were horsing around and being loud. Everyone in the room was paying attention to us, but her. She sat in the front row of the classroom with her nose in a book."
Lacey interrupted, "How is that special?"
"It's different. She's different." Owen said simply then continued with his recollection. "After that day, I tried everyday to get to our classroom before she did. I watched her walk in and hoped she would look at me so I could smile at her when she walked by, but she never looked. She just kept her head low and avoided looking or talking to anyone. Unlike most of the girls in Tulsa, she never paid me any mind. Then one day, a few weeks later, I was working at the cemetery where our family plot is and I noticed a nasty storm rolling in. I barely had my tools packed up when the rain began to pour. I was soaked when I climbed into my truck and headed back towards the work shed. Before I got there I noticed this girl running along the cemetery road, trapped in the cold downpour. I pulled over to offer her a ride to shelter and when she looked up I saw those blue eyes look back at me I knew right away who she was. My heart about jumped out of my chest when her sad eyes met mine. For me, it was love at first sight."
Ignoring the last part of what Owen had said Lacey questioned, "Wait, if she wasn't interested in you what was she doing at the cemetery in a rain storm?"
"It's a complicated story, but that's where her parents are buried." Owen stated.
Lacey rudely laughed out loud and raised her eyebrows at the fresh information. "Do you mean to tell me that she's a charity case and an orphan?"
Owen turned from his relaxed position on the bench to confront the debutant. "What did you just call her?"
Seeing the displeasure on the boys face Lacey dropped the smile from her lips and jumped from the bench. "I'm going to go see if she is in our room."
Owen grabbed the girl's hand to keep her from fleeing and stood to intimidate her. His voice was low and threatening. "Don't you ever refer to Scout as a charity case again! That could be no further from the truth. Scout and her family fend for themselves, they all pitch in and they make due with what they have."
"Owen! She's poor!" Lacey said with extreme disgust in her voice. "You are in the elite social class in Tulsa. What are people going to think when they hear you think you love a poor, orphaned girl from the wrong side of the tracks?"
"Lacey, I'm not like you. I really don't care what anyone thinks," Owen replied, "Scout is perfect for me in ways you'll never understand, and I love her."
Jackson and I stood by the side of the river with our lines cast into the water. I was dressed in my camisole and Capri pants because it was hot in the sun and I had taken my sweater off just after lunch. After I shed a layer Jackson asked my permission for him to take his shirt off because of the heat. Growing up with boys I had no problem with his request, so now he stood a few feet away from me in just a belt and his blue jeans. From time to time I peeked over at his muscular and trim physique.
Thirsty, I leaned over to pick up the wine bottle and felt my head swirl just a bit from over consumption of alcohol and the heat. I put the bottle to my lips and took the last drop from the bottle. "All gone," I declared and tossed the bottle backwards towards the picnic basket. Jackson looked at me and for the second time it seemed out of place to me that he was a maintenance man at the school. "Jackson, can I ask you something."
"Shoot," he said.
"If you're not super smart, how'd you get out of high school early?"
The young man reeled in his line. "Football," he simply said then cast his line back out again and didn't elaborate as a way of making me dig for more information.
"Football? I suffered through your wine, stood by the side of a fishless river all day, let you disrobe yourself in front of me, and all you're going to tell me is, football?"
Jackson looked over at me and cocked his head back a little. "I hated school and to make matters worse, I wasn't that good at it. See, the public high school around here is kind of small and they have always had a pretty good tradition of having a winning football season till just a few years ago. So this coach, he knows I am a pretty strong guy and his team needed a guy with some muscle, so he asked me to join the team my freshman year. I told him no, and he didn't even make it to playoffs. Next year, he asked, I told him no and they missed the playoffs again. So in my junior year, it all happens again, but the team makes the playoffs, and loses. So right about then the coach is ready to kill me. He doesn't have anyone else in the school who is big enough to be a decent center and make the big plays. During the holiday break, I meet the coach down at the local diner. He tells me he wants nothing more than to take the team to the state championship and he'll do whatever it takes. Then he asks me again to join his team." Jackson paused a moment to reel in his line again. "I finally realize I am the one holding all the cards. So I say to him, I heard about this job opening up at Ashford Academy in a year and to get it I need to have a high school diploma." Jackson casts his line again and looks over at me to deliver a side note to the story. "Now keep in mind. I am not particularly bright when it comes to schoolwork and graduating from school probably isn't going to happen for me anytime soon, and the coach knows this. He thinks a few minutes and says, 'If you help me win the state championship I'll personally see to it that you get your diploma and graduate a semester early."
"Could he do that?" My eyes widened in disbelief.
"Sure! This is rural Oklahoma, nobody cares what goes on around here. Besides a state championship is something people around here can hang their hat on. It's well worth giving a guy like me a diploma for that kind of school notoriety."
"I take it you're school won the state championship?"
"Damn straight!" Jackson boasted, "and I hold the school record for the most quarterback sacks."
I shook my head and laughed at the boy who had bargained his way out of high school. Then I grew a little jealous that there had been a way Sodapop could have done that. I know if he had he would have made Ponyboy proud.
Suddenly, a tug at my line changed the subject. "Jackson, I got a bite!"
"Reel it in." He secured his pole on the shore and came over to see if I needed any help.
I reeled the line in a few feet then the tug on the line grew in intensity. Jackson watched in suspense as he gave directions. "Let the line out then reel it in some more."
The tug on the line grew stronger, my footing was a little tipsy from the wine and my gleefully giggling made it hard for me to concentrate. Seeing I needed assistance Jackson nestled behind me and wrapped his arms around me to help hold the pole and reel in the catch. His excitement could be heard in his words. "Let the line out. Okay now, wind the line and lean back. Let the line out some more, now reel it in and lean back!"
The two of us laughed and tugged and tugged and laughed then, snap! The line broke as we were leaning back and the two of us fell onto the picnic blanket behind me. I landed next to Jackson and the effects of the alcohol kicked in and I found it hard to control my silly giggle. Jackson lay next to me with his arm trapped under my back. The two of us laughed out loud for a minute then he rolled his half naked body up beside me and gazed into my eyes. "You know what, Scout?"
"What?" On accident, I spoke louder than I had to.
Jackson beamed at me. "I don't think we are going to catch any fish today."
My silliness continued as I responded, "You know what? I think you're right!"
The two of us laughed some more then the look on the young man's face grew more serious and he leaned in towards me and spoke, "I'm still hoping to leave here with a catch though." In his next move he pressed his body against mine, leaned in and kissed me.
In the first second, I froze and thought of Owen. I didn't want to betray him. My second thought was of Lacey and how I had no doubt already been betrayed. So I puckered my lips and kissed him back. I inhaled the scent of his musky cologne. My head swirled some more and without removing his lips from mine Jackson kissed my lips a second, third, and fourth time. He pulled his head back from mine and smiled, hoping I would do the same in response. I did.
My devotee ran his fingers through my short hair. "I really like you, Scout."
"I really like you too." I giggled with drunkenness.
The news made Jackson grin and seemingly gave him unspoken permission to continue with his romantic behavior. He lifted his body up a little and rested it more squarely on top of mine. Too much wine had loosened my inhabitations. I took my fingers and ran them up his muscular, naked chest and held onto his neck. Jackson leaned back down and kissed me again, French style.
After dinner Owen walked back to Covington House one last time. He sent Lacey into find me, but again, she came out alone.
"You better not be lying to me Lacey McGovern!" Owen warned her. Then he looked up at my window and out of frustration he yelled my name. "Scout?"
"Shhh!" Lacey scolded, "knock that off, you look and sound like a fool!" Owen yelled two more times and Lacey scolded him again. "She isn't up there, and if Miss Lemon hears you you're going to get Scout in trouble for going missing in the first place."
Owen ceased his hollering because he knew Lacey was right. Owen looked at the setting sun and knew he had run out of time. There was no doubt he needed to leave for home. Distraught, he felt tears welling up in his eyes and he looked to the girl who may have ruined his life. "Lacey, you better be sure Scout sees the flowers and knows that I came here to see her. The first thing I am going to do when I get home is write to her and tell her that I was here for her. You better not mess up, or I'll be dropping this postcard to your dad in the Tulsa outgoing mail!"
"Don't worry, Owen." Lacey flashed a bright smile. "I'll tell her all about it."
Apprehensively, Owen took a few steps backwards to determine if he could trust the girl, then he turned on his heels and headed to his Chevrolet that was parked near the main building.
Jackson pulled his truck to the side of the road that led to the academy. He looked up and down the road to be sure we were alone then he lead over and kissed me. I kissed him back and felt a warm rush of emotion. It was nice to be needed. It was also nice to know that Jackson wasn't disappointed that we didn't go any further than fooling around with our shirts off. If he had, I would have felt like an idiot for falling for him in the first place.
I ended the kiss quickly while we were still unseen. I didn't want to get caught for any of the sins I had committed. I bid Jackson one last goodbye and jumped out of the cab of the truck. Quickly, I crossed the road and ran deep into the woods that lined the school until I couldn't see the road any longer. My first moment alone in the dark woods held the euphoria of first love, but the feeling waned with every step I took that lead me back to Covington House.
I couldn't stop my mind from recalling all of the words I had read in Owen's letters to me. "I need you, I want you, I miss you, I love you." A week ago those words meant everything to me. They were the reasons I worked hard and endured the agony of my situation. Now, they were my agony because the memory of his words was only leading me to further confusion and guilt. How could he have said and written those words knowing what he had done and the secret he was keeping from me. Did he really think he would never be caught?
The image of him smiling and holding Lacey's hand in the photo made my stomach turn sour. Knowing when I walked from this woods he may still be there, loving her, giving her the affection I thought he once held for me only tempted me to flee back into Jackson's protecting arms.
Back on the road Jackson watched as I disappeared into the woods. When he knew I was out of sight and our secret was safe he put the truck into gear and let it idle for a moment while the blue and white Chevy Camaro drove past. The young blond haired man waved in a friendly way as he passed the maintenance truck. Jackson waved back and did a u-turn once the road was clear. As night fell the two boys headed for their homes.