Three Sides of the Tracks by Mike Addington Page B

school.
Naturally, your good looks caught my eye first, but then the way you were
friendly with everyone. I didn’t see you pass anyone in the hallway without
speaking. You must know everybody in school.”
    “I do, some better than others. There aren’t many I don’t know, at least
casually. But there are some who just like to stay by themselves—who’ve never had any friends. I wonder about them but haven’t quite known how to approach
them. I mean, year after year just going from one class to another without
talking to anybody and then sitting in the back of the room. It’s always like
that; the ones who don’t socialize always sit in the back. Interesting. But
Benton is so class conscious, I figure it had to do with something along those
lines and maybe they’re embarrassed about something. Know what I mean?”
    “Kinda. Doesn’t mean it’s true, but it’s as likely as not.
    “Anyway, to get back to the subject, when we bumped into each other, I
already knew I liked you and wanted to ask you out. I just hoped you’d like me.
Then, when Brutus walked up, my heart kinda sank because of your relationship,
but I thought about it all day and decided, what the heck, maybe she’s tired of
him. It won’t hurt to ask. I won’t know unless I do. Plus, I like the way you
shake hands,” he added with a chuckle.
    “You’re a real cut up, aren’t you?”
    Richard’s eyebrows knitted. “Cut up. What’s that?”
    “Oh, teasing all the time.”
    Caroline saw a slightly hurt expression pass briefly in Richard’s eyes,
and, before he could reply, Caroline jumped back in.
    “I could just have easily said ‘charmer’; that’s really what I meant:
that you’re fun to be with. I forget you haven’t been here long and don’t know
southern slang. I’ll have to be more careful.”
Still feeling guilty, Caroline reached across the table and grasped Richard’s
hand. “Let’s go to the dance. You ready?”
    The confident look returned to Richard’s face. Actually more so. It
seemed a hurdle had been crossed, and the two felt closer.
    ***
    Cars filled the parking lot when they arrived. Richard parked on the curb
and hoped he wouldn’t get a ticket.
    “Oh, the police don’t bother about that when there’s a big event. So long
as you’re not blocking anyone’s driveway or those kinds of things,” Caroline
assured him.
     The two stopped at the entrance, and Richard paid the twenty dollars for
both of them. All the money went to the band, imported from Atlanta.
    “Are you too full to dance? Want to wait a little while?” Richard asked.
    “No, I didn’t eat as much as you, and it’s been a couple hours now. In
fact, I’m getting hungry again,” Caroline said with a giggle and poked
Richard’s stomach.
    Richard goosed her in the side and took her hand. “C’mon then, let’s
dance.”
    Caroline flashed him a big smile.
    They danced half a dozen dances then headed for the refreshment table.
Cokes and sugar cookies in hand, they found seats along the wall with the other
sweaty dancers. Caroline waved at several people but didn’t feel like making
introductions just yet.
    She and Richard were deep in conversation and didn’t notice the couples
around them stand up rather quickly and walk off.
    A gang of boys, young men really, approached Richard and Caroline and
formed a semicircle around them. All were big, husky football players, friends
of Thurston.
    “What you doing here with Thurston’s girl, new boy?” the biggest, Big Tony,
asked. He was a lineman and weighed three hundred pounds. It was a close call
as to whether he had more teeth than not.
    Caroline’s smile vanished and the irritated expression on her face should
have warned Big Tony that things had changed. “Get out of here, Tony. Thurston and
I aren’t dating anymore. It’s no business of yours anyway.”
    Johnny, the smaller of the bunch but still 210 pounds of stocky muscle,
slapped the cup of Coca-Cola out of Richard’s hand,