7:45 AM

   The school day began as every other, with kids arriving via foot, skateboard, bicycle and parent's cars. Friends greeted friends as everybody made their way to their lockers and homerooms. All who shared a class with her were pleasantly surprised to see Stacy among the crowd, apparently healthy, and showing little signs of having a nearly catastrophic accident the previous week.
   Jeff, as expected, was drawing the exact opposite kind of attention. As he walked past the Principal's office, something caught his eye. He stood at the door, looking inside for a few moments. There was now an array of small television monitors that wasn't there before. Each one of them appeared to show a different section of the school's hallways from a bird's eye view. He looked up, and sure enough, there were now video cameras hanging from the ceiling. A hand tapped him on the shoulder from behind. To his surprise, it was Cindy, who pointed towards one of the cameras.
   "Rumor has it that you are the main reason they installed those things," she informed him.
   "So what do you think of them?" He asked, rhetorically.
   "Hell, I don't care one way or the other. See you in sociology," She disappeared down the hall.
   Already, this was turning into an interesting day. Apparently surveillance equipment had been installed while he was away, mainly for his benefit, and Cindy Toliver actually spoke to him without him speaking to her first.

   Stacy was making her way through the halls, when she ran into Rhonda.
   "Hiya Rhon."
   Rhonda looked left and right, then held her friend's arms. "Just giving you a heads-up...Cindy knows, Dana doesn't."
   "Gotcha. See you in sociology."
   With that, the two girls parted in separate directions towards their lockers. As Stacy approached her's, she could see Jeff heading for his, approaching from the opposite direction. The two of them arrived at their lockers and this time, there was a slight variation from his usual 'Heya Stace.'
   "Heya Angel."
   "Jeff, assume the Brooklyn position," Commanded Stacy.
   "Huh?" he was completely confused.
   She took his left arm and placed it on his locker. "Here, now cross your left leg over your right, and put your right hand on your hip." She guided his hand into that position. She then grabbed a couple of books from her locker, turned around and spoke to him as she held them in her folded arms. "Now we look like a couple."
   Jeff was humored. "Why do I suddenly feel like a complete dork?"
   "Actually, you look kind of dorky to me as well," She mused. "Just take my word for it that this is making an impression on everyone who walks by and sees us like this. We now look like a poster from a fifties B movie."
   "Suddenly, I feel like I should be wearing a leather jacket and have greasy black hair." He now started to talk with a goofy New York accent. "So uh, Betty Lou, what say you and I blow dis joint and head for da malt shop?"
   She chuckled and followed his lead. "Gee Ambrose, won't dat make da homeroom teacha mead?"
   Suddenly, an all too familiar voice came out of nowhere. "Hey Stacy," they both spun around to see Gavin looking at them suspiciously. Obviously his wounds had healed. "Is this clown bothering you?"
   Stacy couldn't help but chuckle at the fact that he was wearing the sort of mock leather jacket that Jeff was just joking about. Jeff noticed that one of the school's newly installed video cameras was just over Gavin's shoulder pointing right at all three of them. He decided to take advantage of the situation by making a reference to the incident in phys-ed the previous week.
   "No Mr. Marshall, I'm just admiring her artistry."
   Gavin was suddenly enraged. "You little..." He punched Jeff in the face hard, smashing him against the locker, actually making a slight dent in it. Jeff fell to the ground.
   Stacy gasped. "Gavin are you nuts!?" She knelt down to see if Jeff was seriously hurt. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a handkerchief and wiped away a drop of blood near the corner of his mouth. "Jeff, do you need to go to the nurse's office?"
   Still a bit dazed, he looked up and noticed that Gavin was now gone. "Stace, do me a favor. Go to the principal's office and ask him to take a look at what that camera just recorded." He nodded towards the camera. "If I do it, it'll make me look like a snitch."
   "Are you sure you're alright?"
   Jeff slowly picked himself up off the ground. "I'll be fine. It's not like this is the first time this has happened. You better get going. I don't know how long that camera retains stuff before it starts recording over itself."
   She kissed him, then headed down the hall towards the office. On her way, she thought about the fact that there were other students passing by who surely saw what Gavin just did to Jeff, and yet, none of them even blinked. Could this possibly have been that common an incident? What on earth could be the source of all this hatred towards her new boyfriend?

8:15 AM

   Principal Lazarus' secretary entered Gavin's homeroom and whispered something in the teacher's ear.
   "Mr. Marshall," he spoke loudly, because Gavin was sitting near the back of the room. "Would you please go with Miss Swindon. Apparently the Principal needs to see you about something."
   Gavin rolled his eyes and obeyed. He suspected that Jeff had snitched on him, and figured he would just deny the whole thing. This, of course, would be his undoing. They entered the office to find the principal seated behind his desk, looking with disgust at a monitor. Gavin sat down on a chair facing the desk, and Mr. Lazarus wasted no time.
   "Gavin, you are expelled. Do you know why you are expelled?"
   "No."
   "Well it's a combination of assault and vandalism."
   "I haven't vandalized anything." He protested.
   "When you slammed Jeff Feingold into that locker, you put a dent in it." The principal shook his head. "I was wondering what was causing all those dents."
   "Well he started it," This was a major error.
   "Oh did he?" The principal swung the monitor that was on his desk around, so it was now facing Gavin. The whole scene of him socking Jeff in the face was now replayed right in front of him. "I don't see him hitting you first."
   Gavin was now scrambling to save face. "He was calling me names."
   Suddenly a voice came from behind him. "He never called you anything." It was Stacy, who was standing behind the door when it opened, so he hadn't noticed her when he walked in. "All I remember is him saying something I didn't understand about 'my artistry'."
   "That is a completely moot point anyway," said the principal. "Even if he did insult you, it doesn't give you the right to physically assault him, or anybody."
   "He's also the reason I had to wear a neck brace a week ago!" Gavin was digging himself deeper into a hole.
   The principal was not impressed. "If I recall correctly, you told us that you accidentally tripped and fell in the restroom."
   "But..." Gavin was now in a no-win situation. He either had to admit that he was lying the previous week, or lying now. He just slumped his shoulders, and said no more.
   "One or both of your parents will be here to pick you up shortly." The principal removed the CD from the computer tray. "I will let them keep this little souvenir as a reminder of why their son will be sitting at home for at least the next two weeks." He turned to Stacy. "You are free to go, Miss Kessler. We've informed your homeroom teacher of why you are late today."
   "Before I do sir, I'd like to ask one question of Gavin."
   Mr. Lazarus nodded.
   Stacy turned to Gavin. "Did you really think that beating the crap out of someone half your size for no reason was going to make a good impression on me?"
   Gavin didn't answer. He just sat there gnashing his teeth. Stacy left the room and returned to her class.

9:30 AM

   In between first and second periods, Stacy and Jeff both headed back to their lockers to switch books.
   "Are you still bleeding?"
   "Naw. I've taken alot worse than that and lived to tell about it." Jeff put his science book in his locker. "Should we assume the 'Brooklyn' position once again?"
   A sly grin suddenly formed on Stacy's face. "You know what? The hell with Brooklyn. Let's go for something a little less ambiguous." With that she through her arms around him and gave him a prolonged kiss. She wanted to make sure that more than just a few students walking by noticed it.
   "Stace, don't forget there's a camera pointing at us," Jeff managed to say.
   "Big deal. We're not destroying any school property." She kissed him once again. "I'll see you in sociology in an hour."
   As she disappeared down the hall, Jeff grabbed a book out of his locker. As soon as he shut it, he noticed a familiar face staring at him from a nearby doorway. Carl's mouth was wide open in disbelief.
   "Heya Carl."
   Carl just stood there for a moment, then managed to utter, "By any chance, did you also get the Lamborghini?"

10:30 AM

   The students filed into Mrs. Pickering's 3rd period class and took their usual seats. Dana was not sure whether or not she was hallucinating when Stacy and Jeff walked in simultaneously, and appeared to be talking to one another. She looked over at Cindy with an expression on her face that seemed to ask, 'Did you see what I just saw?' Cindy looked back and simply shrugged her shoulders.
   "Stacy, it's good to have you back," Mrs. Pickering's sentiment seemed genuine. She hardly ever called anybody by their first name. "How are you feeling?"
   "My shoulders are still a little numb, but I'm not in any pain."
   "Are you going back to the gym any time soon?"
   "Eventually. For the time being, my doctor says I should just be part of the normal outdoor P.E. class while I'm still healing. There's less chance of irritating the stretched ligament."
   "You too, Mr. Feingold."
   "Thank you, ma'am."
   With the class all settled it, Mrs. Pickering began in the usual manner. "Mr. Kingsbury, would you please turn to page 147 and begin reading at the second paragrah." Strangely, there was no response from Carl, who was looking downward. For some reason, he seemed a bit out of it. "Mr. Kingsbury?"
   Carl looked up. "Huh? Oh, I'm sorry. I guess I didn't get enough sleep last night. What page was that again?"
   "That's alright," said the teacher. "You know, for a change of pace, why doesn't someone else do the reading this morning?" Several hands went up in the air, and she nodded towards Rhonda. "Go ahead Miss Gaines."
   As Rhonda began reading, Jeff thought about what had just happened with Carl. It was so completely out of character, that he suspected something might be up. He made a mental note to talk to him at some point after class.

11:30 AM

   The lunch bell finally rang, and everyone began scurrying either towards their lockers, or the school cafeteria. Once again, Dana noticed Stacy and Jeff walking together. She and Cindy left the room, walking in the opposite direction. Their lockers were located on the opposite side of the school. Rhonda headed for the cafeteria.
   "There's something weird going on here," Dana remarked.
   "You mean Stacy and Feingold?" asked Cindy.
   "Of course! What could they possibly be talking about?"
   "I don't know. It doesn't seem all that unusual that they would strike up a friendship, if he's been delivering her homework to her over the last few days."
   "But she specifically told me over the phone that she doesn't know who Jimmy Feingold is."
   Cindy rolled her eyes. "Dane, would you be offended if I were to tell you that your obsession with this guy is starting to become a little monotonous. Does he remind you of some weird cousin you might have who likes to pick his nose in public or something? I think this might have something to do with your mother's 'alpha male' worship." She had it figured out. "You are repulsed by Jeff Feingold, because he's essentially the 'anti-alpha male'."
   "So you're defending that douchebag?"
   "Defending him from what? His presence has absolutely no effect on my life whatsoever. Or yours. Do you realize that the only time this subject matter ever comes up is when you're around?" As the girls grabbed their lunches out of their lockers, Cindy tried to change the subject. "Langsdale's your math teacher, right?"
   "Yeah, 5th period. why?"
   "He's mine, too. 4th period. Personally, I don't think he's very good. I've been having some trouble keeping up with him. Assuming he's teaching your class what he's teaching mine, do you think I could trouble you to come over some time and give me a hand?..being the algebraic genius that you are."
   "No problem." The two girls were now outside heading towards the lunch benches. "As a matter of fact, I can probably make it over..."
   Dana cut herself off mid-sentence, and stopped dead in her tracks. Not only were Stacy and Jeff sitting together, but he just took a bite out of her sandwich. Cindy saw this as well, looked up and just shook her head. She knew that there would be no way that Dana would be talking with her about anything else, any time soon.

11:45 AM

   While Stacy and Jeff were sitting at the table eating, at least seven different guys, most of whom Stacy didn't even know, walked by and said something to the effect that they were glad to see that she had recovered so quickly. this happened within a space of ten minutes.
   "I had no idea that my accident in gym was apparently the talk of the school while I was away," She observed.
   "I doubt it." Jeff bit into his sandwich.
   "Then how do you explain all these people I don't even know, walking up and mentioning it?"
   "Stace, I don't know if you've noticed or not, but all these well-wishers are guys."
   "What does that have to do with anything?"
   "Believe me, for the last month, every guy in this school has been looking for an excuse to talk to you. You're accident has given them that excuse, and the fact that I'm sitting here next to you means that you're approachable."
   "Why would I not be 'approachable' without you sitting next to me?"
   Jeff just shook his head. "I refuse to believe you could possibly be that naive. On some level, you must realize that you're the prettiest girl in the school. Up until now, most guys just looked at you and assumed that they were nowhere near your league. By sitting here and talking to the likes of me, that myth has now been shattered big time."
   At that very moment, another guy walked by and said hello to Stacy. She acknowledged his greeting, and as he walked away, he gave Jeff a considerably less friendly glance, which wasn't lost on her.
   "Do you know that guy?" she asked him.
   "I don't know his name, but he's in my math class."
   Stacy munched on a carrot. It was finally starting to sink in just how different Jeff's reality was from her own. She even felt a little guilty, knowing that the exact same strangers who would smile at her would also scowl at Jeff for seemingly no reason whatsoever. Speaking of which...
   "Hey." Dana sat down directly opposite the two of them. Cindy was also in tow, but sat quietly while her friend launched into a tirade. "I thought you told me you don't 'know any Jimmy Feingold'." She spoke as if Jeff wasn't even there.
   Stacy calmly chewed her carrot as she spoke. "I stand by that statement. I still don't know any Jimmy Feingold."
   This got Dana even angrier. "That's not funny."
   "I've never been more serious in my life." She turned to Jeff. "Hey Jeff, do you know anybody named Jimmy Feingold?"
   Jeff put down his sandwich and also spoke in a calm voice. "No. I do have a cousin on my father's side named Frank Feingold." He looked at Dana. "Could that be who you're talking about?"
   "I'm not talking to you, asshole!" Dana was livid. She turned back to Stacy. "I see what's goin' on here. This guy delivers your homework for a few days, and in exchange you help him with his."
   "Actually, Rhonda introduced us to each other."
   Dana now seemed confused. "How come she never mentioned anything about this to me and Cindy?"
   Cindy kept mum. If she were to let on that Rhonda actually did inform her of the relationship, it would certainly be the end of their friendship.
   Jeff piped up once again. "I guess you'll just have to ask her about that."
   "Will you shut up!" Dana's fury was now starting to seem almost comical.
   At this point, Stacy decided that she'd had enough. "Hey Dana, watch this." She yanked Jeff towards her and gave him a huge kiss on the lips.
   "Iccchhh!" Dana screamed and ran off. Cindy started to laugh.
   Jeff spoke in a mockingly effete tone, "I thought she'd never leave."
   "Stace, have you told Jeff anything about what we now know about Dana's mom?" asked Cindy.
   "Shhh, not yet."
   "Ah ha," Jeff was still in a sarcastic mode. "So you two really have the goods on her, eh? Care to share?"
   "I said not yet," answered Stacy. "We want to wait till the time is right."
   Cindy turned to Jeff, "Just take our word for it that there's actually a logical explanation for Dana's disposition. We're not really sure what it is, but the internet gave us a pretty good hint." She winked at him.
   "You know Cin, it might be a good idea for you to go and see what she's up to," suggested Stacy. "I'm sure that Rhonda would appreciate your counsel when Dana finds her."
   "I do believe you've got a point." As Cindy got up to leave, she took hold of Jeff and Stacy's hands for a moment. "Confidentially, I think you two make a really cute couple." With that, she left and went looking for Dana.
   Jeff spoke. "Stace, there's something I've got to talk to you about."
   "Sounds serious."
   "Did you notice Carl's weird behaviour in class?"
   "Yeah, it's kind of hard to miss when you're sitting right next to him. He seemed out of it. Very unusual for him."
   "I'm pretty sure I know why he's feeling down. He saw us kissing in the hall earlier today, and he's sad because he doesn't have a girlfriend too."
   "What would lead you to that conclusion?"
   "A couple of weeks ago, while we were working on the project, I mentioned that I thought you were a babe, and he mentioned a girl that he likes. Here it is two week later. We're an item, and he's...well..."
   "Might this girl he's taken a fancy to be somebody I know?"
   "I don't know. Do you know Linda Alfaro?"
   "Hmm," She thought for a moment. "That sounds familiar. I think she's in the school play with me. Kind of short, brown hair, big boobs..."
   "That would be her. He claims she turned down a ride on the feris wheel with him in an abrupt manner." Jeff finished his sandwich. "You know, Carl is a great believer in setting realistic goals for one's self. I'm sure he'd be happy to have just about anyone as a girlfriend. It doesn't have to be Linda."
   "You know, I'm impressed with your concern for him."
   "Well he's a great guy. One of the very few people in my life who actually gets my name right. And that's really saying something considering the fact that his mother never does."
   Stacy's elbow was on the table with her head resting in her hand, deep in thought. "I've got an idea."
   "What's your plan?"
   "Are you busy tomorrow afternoon?"
   "I was just planning on spending it with you as usual."
   "Here's what we'll do. I'll tell Linda that I'm going to see a movie with a couple of friends and ask her if she'd like to come along. You do the same with Carl. Neither one of them will know exactly what we mean by 'a couple of friends'. Perhaps the fact that the two of us are a couple..."
   "...will inspire the two of them?" Jeff finished her sentence. "I suppose that's worth a try. Is there any particular movie that you have in mind?"
   "No, but there's always at least twelve different ones at the mall. Hopefully we can find one scary enough to make a girl want to grab on to a guy for protection. I just hope it doesn't seem too weird, me coming up to her during fifth period drama and asking if she wants to hang out at the mall tomorrow. After all, we don't really know each other."
   "I think she'll jump at the chance. You don't realize it, but anybody would jump at the chance to hang out with the coolest babe in the school...At least up until today."
   "Will you stop with this 'up until today' crap. So far, nobody but Dana has actually come up to me and indicated that I am somehow 'no longer cool'."
   Jeff sighed. "There are still three periods to go, and now everyone has seen us together. Prepare yourself."
   The bell rang, the two of them kissed once more, and they were both off to their fourth period classes.

2:00 PM

   Phys-ed would be a whole different ballgame today. Gavin was out of the picture, and Stacy was in. As the boys and girls filed out of their respective locker rooms and on to the field, there was definitely a different ambiance about the class. Although everybody was still giving him dirty looks, at least there was no open booing, like there had been in the previous two classes.
   "I take it you are Stacy Kessler?" asked the coach, upon noticing an unfamiliar face in the class.
   "Yes. I'm normally in the gym, but I had a little accident a week ago. I'm not supposed to do anything that would be too strenuous on my arms and shoulders for awhile."
   "That's what it says here," The coach said, as he scribbled something on his clipboard. "Alright, you are exempted from doing any push-ups or pull-ups. Everything else, you do with the rest of the class."
   "Yes sir."
   With that, he led the class through the usual routine of calisthenics. It was a bit strange having the girl who he used to watch in the gym now not only standing right next to him, but occasionally winking at him. It was clear that most of the class had seen them eating lunch together, and knew that they were an item. To say that they were puzzled by this turn of events, would be the understatement of the century. When it came time to do the daily jog around the neighborhood, the coach took into consideration that Gavin was not there, and judged that it would be relatively safe for Jeff to just run with the rest of the class.
   "Alright, everybody jog." He commanded. "And Feingold, I don't want to see you coming in last."
   "I won't sir," Jeff hollered over his shoulder as everyone started off. And indeed, why would he come in last? He now didn't have Gavin to avoid, and instead of stopping to watch Stacy in the gym, she was now jogging right next to him. They both maintained a place in the middle of the line, and talked has they ran.
   "So what's up with Linda?" asked Jeff.
   "I spoke to her. She's on for tomorrow afternoon. Have you spoken to Carl yet?"
   "Yeah. I ran into him in the hall. It's a go. We really ought to check what movies are playing at the mall."
   "And what the starting times are."
   Suddenly an all too familiar voice came from behind them "Hey Stacy," It was Clifford.
   "Yes?" She rolled her eyes as he jogged up along side her and Jeff.
   "Can I ask you something?"
   "What?"
   "When we get to the door of the gym, if I stop and jog in place for a minute and stare like a retard at Cindy Toliver, do you think I'll be able to get into her pants?"
   She found his sarcasm annoying. "Gee, I don't know Cliff. We'll be passing the gym in about five minutes. Why don't you just give that a shot?"
   "Well it obviously worked for him," Clifford nodded towards Jeff.
   Jeff kept quiet. For the first time in his life, somebody was actually defending him, and he was reeling at the sound of it. He was now a little too winded to speak anyway.

2:45 PM

   When the bell rang, Coach Randall told everyone to hit the showers, and this time, he didn't exclude Jeff. Even he sensed that while the other kids weren't exactly giving him anything remotely resembling respect, at least now there wasn't the usual overt displays of scorn. He followed the boys to the lockers, just to be on the safe side.

   Jeff was putting on his socks and shoes, when Clifford, Gordy and a few other guys gathered around him at his gym locker. He looked up and asked, "Can I help you?"
   Of course, it was Clifford who spoke up, "Feingold...You actually doin' her?"
   Jeff paused, carefully taking into consideration how he worded his answer. He stood up, and looked his nemesis right in the eye. "You know Cliff, I know exactly what you're thinking right now. That a real man would defend his woman's honor. I'm now supposed to ask you if you'd like to 'step outside' and then make you eat those words." Jeff shut his locker. "Well you know what? I'm not into vulgar displays of male plumage. Besides, Stacy isn't the kind of girl that's impressed by that sort of thing."
   "You're just chicken, 'cause you know I can beat the stuffing out of you," Clifford was not amused by Jeff's verbal gymnastics.
   "Cliff, need I remind you that Coach Randall is standing right outside the door. You want to get us both sent to the Principal's office?"
   While the two of them were talking, most of the other guys who were gathered around had started to disperse, until it was basically just Jeff, Clifford and Gordy left in the room. Jeff felt this was a major victory. In the past, they certainly would've remained there and taken Cliff's side.
   "Let me give you some advice," Jeff was now thinking about what Clifford had said while they were jogging. "If you're looking for a girlfriend, Cindy Toliver definitely wouldn't be a good choice for you. I think Dana Lefkowitz is more the sort who would be impressed by your tiresome bullshit."
   This unsolicited suggestion enraged Clifford, who grabbed Jeff by his shirt and held him up against the lockers, "You really think I need advice from a troll!?"
   "That's enough, Slatery!" Coach Randall's voice came booming from behind him. Apparently he had been hearing the whole conversation from elsewhere in the room. "He just said he didn't want to fight, and you grab him like that anyway? Come with me."
   The coach led Clifford away, presumbably to the principal's office. For a brief moment, Jeff just stood there and basked in the moment. Then he noticed that Gordy was still standing there staring at him with his usual confused look. "Gordy, you really ought to get a life."
   Who the hell is Gordy, anyway? What grade is he in? What's his last name? Nobody seemed to know. A mute, tall, skinny geek who's mouth was always hanging open, though nothing ever came out of it. He always seems to be hanging out with whatever school bully is convenient.
   As Gordy disappeared behind the lockers, Jeff suddenly remembered that Stacy was about to give him a batting lesson. He re-opened his locker, grabbed his baseball bat, and went to meet her.

   Meanwhile, in the girl's locker room, a similar conversation had been taking place. Stacy had just finished tying her shoes when she looked up to find a gaggle of girls gathered around her. "Uh, is there something I can help you with?" She asked.
   "Yeah," said one girl. "We've all been debating the pros and cons of Feingold, and for some reason, haven't been able to come up with any pros."
   "He's stupid, lazy, clumsy and butt-ugly," added another.
   "Is he about to inherit a fortune or something?" Asked another.
   "Do you know something about him that we don't?" asked the first girl.
   Stacy took a deep breath, and stood up. "Actually, I know alot of things about him you don't...But I'm only going to tell you the most important one. We've been together for a week now, and in all that time, not once have I ever heard him say anything disparaging or vindictive about any of you." She paused. "As a matter of fact, think about it. Has he ever even said anything mean to you in your presence? Has he ever returned any of your insults?"
   "Of course not," replied one of the girls. "He's too much of a wuss to do that." This got some laughs.
   Stacy just shook her head. "Alright, I've said all I have to say." She got up and started to walk away, when one of the girls blurted out a final question.
   "You're not actually having sex with the guy, are you?"
   Stacy stopped in her tracks, and thought for a moment...What would be the perfect comeback to that question? She decided that the truth would be funnier than anything she could possibly make up. She turned around, and with a devilish expression, delivered her punchline.
   "I'll have you all know that on the very first day we met, he pulled my pants down and stuck his hand between my legs."
   She winked at them, and with that, exited a locker room full of very bewildered looking girls. It was now time to give her boyfriend some batting lessons.

3:00 PM

   The batting cage was Faircrest middle school's most unused resource. Located in an isolated corner of the yard, it was installed some twenty years earlier, for reasons that have long since been forgotten. Hindsight reveals an obvious waste of taxpayer's money. Whenever somebody wanted to practice swinging a bat at a ball, there was generally always someone else around to do the pitching. The idea of having a chain link structure with a machine that pitches balls might've looked good on paper, but now Stacy and Jeff were even wondering if the thing still worked.
   "When do you suppose, was the last time this apparatus was used?" Asked Stacy, as she loaded up a few balls.
   "Who knows." Jeff was skeptical "I can't remember ever seeing anybody actually using this thing, this year or last."
   "Well, we'll find out in about twenty seconds. Postion yourself at the plate." After switching the machine on, and setting the timer, she walked back to where Jeff was standing to get a good view of his technique.
   The first ball shot out. He swung and missed. The second ball shot out. He swung and missed.
   Finally, after the third ball, he turned to her and said, "I think this thing needs to be adjusted so it's a little slower."
   "Watch this." She took the bat from him. and assumed a ready stance.
   "Be careful Stace. Remember, you're not supposed to be putting any stress on your upper body."
   "I'm just going to hit a couple." A ball shot out, and she whacked it right back at the machine, nearly hitting hit. Another one shot out, and she knocked it so hard into the chain link ceiling, that it nearly made a dent. Then she stopped, and started to rub her right shoulder with her left hand.
   He walked over and started rubbing it for her. "That's enough showing off for one day."
   "Jeff, I think I know what's wrong, and it has nothing to do with your form, which is fine."
   "Stand at the plate again." Stacy went and reloaded the balls into the automatic pitcher. She then walked midway through the cage towards him, and held her arm out. "I want you to swing when you see the ball right here."
   The ball came shooting out, and he did what she told him. The ball tipped off his bat and fouled behind him.
   "You're getting it. Try again!" She cheered him on.
   Another ball shot out, and this time he connected with it hard. It flew into the opposite upper corner of the cage.
   "Whoa...how did I do that?" Jeff couldn't even believe it.
   Stacy had figured it out. "Jeff, there's nothing wrong at all with your technique. The problem is that you appear to be a little nearsighted. That's why you were missing the ball. It's alot closer to you than you think it is." Another ball shot out, and without even being prepared, he hit it hard. "By jove, I think you've got it. How do you feel now?"
   "I feel guilty. I wish there was some way I could repay you for this."
   Stacy found that statement amusing. "You've got to be kidding. You just spent the last week waiting on me hand and foot, not to mention delivering my homework. You don't owe me anything. Get over here."
   The two of them embraced and kissed.
   "So tomorrow are you gonna teach me to catch?" asked Jeff rhetorically.
   "No. Tomorrow we're taking Carl and Linda to the movies, remember?"
   Jeff rolled his eyes at his own absent mindedness. "Of course. I'll go put back the bat, you go put back the balls, and I'll give you a lift home on my bike's pegs."
   "Ooh, how romantic."

3:45 PM

   The two of them split off in different directions. Jeff went back to his gym locker to put away the bat. Before working the combination, he heard a slight noise coming from two isles over. Was somebody else in there with him? Still holding the bat, he peeked around the corner. At first he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Sol and Gordy appeared to be hugging each other in a more than friendly manner. Once he was convinced that he wasn't hallucinating, it was a struggle to keep from laughing. Finally composing himself, he stepped into full view of them and cracked an obvious joke.
   "Sol, that's not cool. Gavin's been gone for only one day and you're already doin' his wife?"
   Gordy instantly went into a state of complete panic. He lunged towards Jeff, but Sol grabbed his arm and held him back.
   "Gordy, he's got a bat!"
   "And I'll use it!" Jeff now held it up in a menacing manner, and stared at Gordy. "As a matter of fact, in your case I think I'm entitled to use it. Don't think it hasn't occurred to me that this is the only place in the entire school where there are no surveillance cameras."
   Sol stood in front of Gordy to shield him. "Jeff, please."
   Jeff was not moved. "Sol, do you have any idea how many times this dork has helped Gavin and Clifford kick the shit out of me?" He addressed Gordy. "From now on, you're the one who's going to fear me." Jeff went back to his own locker, put the bat away, and exited the building.
   A few seconds later, Sol came running out after him. "Jeff, wait. You're not going to tell anyone about this, are you?"
   "Tell anyone about what? You think the whole school doesn't already have you figured out? Certainly the drama class has."
   "My dad doesn't know about me," whimpered Sol.
   "In that case, he's gotta be the dumbest clergyman west of the Mississippi. Sol, how you live your life is of no concern to me, but if you want my advice, I think you could do a little better than Gordy." Jeff shook his head and looked down. "You sure couldn't possibly do any worse."
   "Have you ever stopped to consider that maybe I don't have a whole lot of choices." Sol was now on the brink of tears.
   Meanwhile, Stacy had reappeared out of the girl's locker room. "Heya Sol." Both boys simultaneously decided not to say anything more. "I'm sorry, did I interrupt something?"
   "No you didn't. Let's get going."
   He led her to his bike. She perched herself on the rear stuntpegs, and he handed her his helmet.
   "Put this on."
   "But then you won't have one."
   "Your safety is more important than mine."
   "Jeff you know that isn't true..."
   "Stop arguing. You're wearing it and that's that."
   "Yes mother."
   As he pedaled her home, she asked him about what just went on again. "So what were you and Sol screaming about."
   "I just caught him in the locker room making out with that doofus, Gordy."
   "Gordy?" She thought about it for a moment. "Wait a minute, you mean that tall skinny geek with the yellow teeth who's always hanging out with Gavin and Clifford?"
   "That would be him."
   "Eeeww. That means Sol could be passing on that guy's germs to me every time we rehearse."
   "Which means you could be passing them on to me."
   The two of them both let out a loud "Eeewww" at the same time, which instantly morphed into chuckles.
   Stacy began to ponder out loud, "I wonder if Gavin knows about what that guy's up to when he's not around."
   "Well, my guess is that Gordy figures that nobody'll suspect anything about him if he goes around beating me up like normal people. That's probably why he hangs out with them."
   "Take my word for it, Jeff. By the end of this week, 'beating you up' will no longer be considered 'normal behaviour'."