CHAPTER 5: KATE
"Ewww!" Kate Sanders whined. "I amnottouching that disgusting thing!"
Gordo, as her lab partner, rolled his eyes. "Kate," he said. "It's just a baby piglet. In a way, it's a lot less disgusting than the octopus we had to dissect in eighth grade."
"I didn't touch that either!" Kate insisted, horrified to think that somebody could even imagine her doing such a thing.
"How did you get out of it?" Gordo wondered, positioning the piglet in the lab tray.
"I had Tudgeman do it for me."
Gordo rolled his eyes again. "Tudge…"
"And you're going to take care of this…this piglet thingy for me now, aren't you, Gordo sweetie?"
Gordo frowned as he positioned the knife. "It's David, remember? And why should I, Kate? Why should I let you keep sliding by? I mean, what's in it for me?"
Generally, Gordo would have let this slide. Kate was fully convinced in her own mind that she could wrap any man around her little finger, and while she could in fact do that with most guys, Gordo was not one of her adoring throng. However, through many years of dealing with Kate, he had learned that it was a lot less painful to simply let her have her way than to resist her insistent attempts to tie him in knots.
But now he felt different. Since learning that Nicole would be moving away to Minnesota, he found himself overwhelmed by the impression that the world was not a fair place. Gordo was mad as hell and not gonna take it anymore! He found himself acting out, surly and rude to his parents, his teachers, even his friends.
Even Nicole. With this dark cloud hanging over their heads, he couldn't enjoy the little time they had left together. Melancholy, frustration and irritability constantly dripped off him like rusty water from a broken faucet. Nicole was trying so hard not to give into despair, and he admired her strength of character in light of the fact that she was losing not only him, but also all her friends, her home, her town, her school—-almost everything that meant anything to her. When he thought about it logically, he realized she was giving up so much more than he was, yet handling it all so much better than he was. And it made him want to do better, to be more like her, to be stronger—for her.
Yet despite all his good intentions, most days he could not keep from going down the rabbit hole.
And as Gordo went down that rabbit hole, though his conversations with Nicole would always begin very positively with plans for how often they would call and email, how they might arrange a summer trip to see each other, inevitably—-though he'd promised himself he wouldn't—-he found himself steering the discussion to the hot topic they were still struggling with: should they have sex at least once before she had to leave?
No doubt about it, that bright blue package was burning a hole in his wallet. Sometimes he imagined he could smell the smoke. Nicole was still uncertain, but fueled by the urgency of the situation, Gordo couldn't prevent himself from spiraling downwards with a cascade of needy and anxious words, an airtight argument worthy of the Debate Club he had not joined. He'd absolutely convinced himself this was the right thing to do! Why couldn't she see it the same way?
Silence. And then she would cry. Quietly. And then he would feel bad. And take her in his arms, comfort her and kiss her, telling her how sorry he was. But then, as he comforted her and kissed her, eventually, slowly, he would find his hands traveling up under her shirt, and feel himself rise to the occasion, thinking once again about that bright blue package, wondering if now at last he was going to get the chance to open it up.
They would get so close, and Nicole, still in tears, finally seemed willing, but somehow…somehow…something always happened. A parent would walk by, or one of them would say a certain word that caused reason to kick in, and the moment was gone. And then Nicole would cry some more, and Gordo would stand up and run his hands through his hair, cursing himself, hating his life.
As far as he could figure, he was in a lose-lose situation.
And being in this situation, he certainly didn't need any ofKate'scrap. He had no inclination whatsoever to take care of this "piglet thingy" for her, so looked at her pointedly and repeated, in that surly tone that clung all too easily to his voice these days, "Really, Kate. Why should I let you keep sliding by? What's in it for me?"
Kate pulled herself up, not used to being challenged. After all, wasn't the pleasure of her company reward enough? Perhaps she should offer to allow him to take her out on a date. But then…ugh! No. This was Gordo. She'd known him too long and too well. She wasn't going to put herself throughthat, not even if he agreed to dissect an elephant for her.
But suddenly she had an idea. "You know Alexa Kennsington?"
Gordo eyed her suspiciously as he made the first cut. "Yeah. What about her?"
"Well, for some reason I totally cannot understand, she thinks you're cute. She didn't used to think so, she tells me, but somehow this past year, she says you seem more…mature, more self-assured. Whatever! But she likes that in a man. So it turns out she's actually willing to risk her reputation by going out with a dweeb like you. I could arrange it."
"Kate," Gordo said instantly, dryly. "I have no interest in going out with Alexa Kennsington."
"Why not?" Kate exclaimed. "What are you, gay? Every guy wants to go out with Alexa."
"In case you haven't noticed, Kate, I've been in a committed relationship with Nicole Hessler for the last year."
"Sure," Kate allowed, peeking into the lab tray and grimacing. "But now she's leaving. You need to jump right back in, Gordo. You need a girl like Alexa."
Gordo snorted derisively. "A girl like Alexa would tear me to shreds, wipe her hands and move on to the next victim. No thanks. What I need right now is to be left alone."
"Suit yourself," Kate said with a shrug. "But the offer stands."
Gordo slit open the piglet's stomach, more forcefully than he needed to, and formaldehyde oozed onto his latex gloves. Kate glanced at him briefly, then admired her perfect manicure.
"You know," Kate added thoughtfully, "I understand that Lizzie and Brad have been having some trouble lately."
The knife slipped, and Gordo cursed. "Crap! I've slit the intestines!"
Kate grimaced. "You really should be more careful, Gordo."
"What would you know about Lizzie?" Gordo demanded uneasily. "You don't move in the same circles as Lizzie and—and—this new boyfriend, this—-"
But Gordo couldn't remember his name. All Lizzie's boyfriends blended together in his mind. Ever since they'd entered high school, she seemed to be dating the same guy. They were all tall, blonde and incredibly good looking, and they all had trendy names that began with "Br." First it was Brett, then Brandon, or was it Brendon? Then Bryan, and who was it now? Britt? Or Brad? Gordo couldn't keep up.
"And besides!" he spit out suddenly, giving Kate the evil eye. "What makes you think I give a shit who Lizzie dates anyway?"
"Oh, you give a shit, Gordo," Kate said, nodding. "You're still carrying a torch."
"I am not!" Gordo shot back, now more aggravated than he had a right to be.
Kate pulled herself up on her chair and huffed. "Are you doubting my powers of observation? Gordo! I may not know much about Biology and Chemistry as subjects in school, but when it comes to interactions between the sexes, I see all and know all. I am the Alvin Einstein of Biology and Chemistry! Nothing escapes my powers."
Kate eyed Gordo, and for a moment her attitude seemed to soften. "Hey," she said quietly. "I know you're not interested in Alexa, but I thought I'd ask for her anyway. The poor, misguided girl. But Lizzie….oh, yeah, Lizzie. That's a different story altogether."
"Shut up, Kate," Gordo spit back vehemently.
"And by the way, all these pretty boys she's been going out with—"
"Kate…" he warned.
"And not only that, but when I look at you, Gordo, I can see that as much as you love Nicole, every now and then your eye still wanders to—"
"Shut up, Kate!" came flying from his mouth, a bit too loudly.
Everyone else in the class stopped what they were doing and looked at Gordo. Embarrassed, he sunk his head that much closer to the pig's now totally mutilated intestines.
"Oh my!" Kate said airily. "Hit a sensitive spot, have I?"
"Look," Gordo said. "You've made your point, you've got your deal. Just sit there looking pretty and keep your mouth shut, okay? I got this covered. No need for you to snap on the gloves. I wouldn't want you to break a nail or anything."
Kate grinned triumphantly, sarcastically. "Thanks, Gordo. You really are such a sweetheart, you know that?"
