The Circle of Friends

VI - Springtime-2

Wrapping her arms around his neck, Lori pressed her lips against Jason’s to silence him. A thousand thoughts ran through her mind, so many loving words she wished she could express. He had no idea how much he meant to her. Her attitude was always optimistic, but Lori had felt rather drained of hope until he entered her world. How could she possibly convince Jason he had given her a life instead of an existence?

Pulling her into his arms, Jason embraced her tightly. She fought hard to keep from becoming overemotional. With her head against his chest, Lori concentrated on Jason’s heartbeat. When she felt more in control, she leaned back to see his face. He kissed her, softly stroking her cheek. When he finally allowed Lori to see his eyes, she wondered who indeed had been more emotional this evening.

“And you make me feel… so loved,” she whispered.

“Loved is good,” he said, c*****g his head. “You know, I started out protecting you. Maybe that’s why I enjoy it so much.”

“Well, you can protect and take care of me for as long as you want.”

“Deal,” he said.

As he bent to kiss her again, Lori knew she had accomplished more than first place today.

Baseball games began in March and Lori attended every one. Now that swimming season was over, she practiced every afternoon after lunch. She continued working with her trainer every morning as well. Lori enjoyed attending Jason’s home games and was usually accompanied in the stands by one or two of the other girls.

Heather was now participating in track, running hurdles. Surprisingly, Sarah joined track, too, and was attempting to run mid-distance. Lori offered to run with her on weekends, but Sarah wasn’t that motivated. She simply wanted to serve her time and get out alive. When the baseball team had practice, Lori slipped over to watch Sarah and Heather. She would complete her homework while sitting alone on the bleachers, allowing more time in the evening for Jason.

Her birthday fell just before spring break that year and Jason promised to show her a good time. Arriving at the house with a dozen roses, he whisked Lori away for dinner and a movie. Before taking her home, Jason stopped at his house to retrieve her gift.

“It’s not wrapped,” he explained, helping Lori out of the car.

“You didn’t have to get me anything else,” she protested.

“Well, let’s go then,” he teased, turning away from the house.

Laughing at her expression, he grabbed her hand and escorted Lori inside. She said a quick hello to his parents as they ran past the living room. Pulling her up the stairs to his bedroom, Jason paused at the closed door.

“Are you ready?” he asked with a grin.

She nodded and he threw open the door. Lori’s eyes fell immediately on a large stuffed wolf prominently placed in the middle of his bed. A big red bow was tied around his neck and several balloons floated over his head, secured by a ribbon. Lori gave a cry of delight.

“Oh, he’s so cute!” she exclaimed, giving the wolf a squeeze. The balloons bounced frantically around her head.

“Do you like him?” asked Jason as he sat beside her.

“Yes! Thank you,” Lori said quickly, giving him a kiss.

Jason smiled mischievously. “You’ll have to untie the ribbon to free the balloons.”

Something in his voice sparked her curiosity. She tugged on the ribbon around his neck and the balloons slowly floated to the ceiling. A shiny object came free from the ribbons as well and landed in her hand.

“Oh my, God!” she exclaimed, staring at the beautiful gold bracelet. “Jason, it’s beautiful!”

“Let me help you,” he said, taking it from her hand. He carefully undid the clasp and closed it again around her wrist. “Actually, it’s more than a birthday present.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well,” he began, his hand curling around her fingers, “I want you to think of this as a promise bracelet.”

“Really?” she gasped.

“Yes, really,” he said, brushing aside her hair and giving Lori a kiss. “You are always so surprised whenever I do something for you! We’ve been going out about six months now, so thought I’d get you something that would show my commitment to you.”

Lori felt tears come to her eyes. She threw her arms around Jason’s neck and he held her tightly.

“I told you I’d take care of you, Lori. And I will, I promise.”

Spring break was a flurry of activity this year.

Lori went out with Jason and friends every day, enjoying their last big break before school ended. They spent one full day at a water park that had just opened for the season, acquiring some serious sun. Jason had taken her out the night before and forced Lori to purchase a two-piece bathing suit, something she did not own. Once at the park, however, he almost regretted the decision. Young men were constantly staring at her and several were even bold enough to start a conversation with Lori. Fortunately for Jason, she seemed oblivious to the attention.

More than one afternoon was spent at the park. Everyone brought coolers and tossed around the football or baseball for a few hours. Thursday afternoon, enough gathered for a mock baseball game. The boys were out for blood, but took it easy on the girls. Maria surprised everyone by hitting the ball every time she batted. Lori felt nervous the first time she stepped up to the plate, though, as she had never played the game. Chris pitched a couple practice balls while Jason stood behind and showed her how to swing. She actually hit a grounder on her second attempt and was able to leg it out to first base. Her speed proved her greatest asset and she scored on a fly ball to far right field. It was great fun, but the week passed quickly and they soon returned to the normal routine.

A party was planned for the last Saturday of the month. Jason’s birthday fell on Friday and Matt’s on Tuesday, so they requested a combined celebration. Steve’s parents were out of town for the weekend, so he offered to host the party. Forewarned by Jason that beer would be consumed, Lori opted to drive herself to the party and not put restrictions on his evening. Ironically enough, Matt proved the wild man of the two and was quite drunk by the time she departed at twelve-thirty.

Their prom was scheduled the first weekend in May, and the boys planned something special for their dates. Chris’s parents agreed to let him use their cabin on the lake as a crash pad after the prom. Anticipating resistance, Lori was quite surprised when her parents gave her permission to stay out all night. However, they expected her to act responsibly, and she promised to be on her best behavior.

A week before the prom, the ballot for king and queen was announced. Lori was humbled and surprised to see her and Jason on the list.

“Why not?” he asked, giving her a kiss.

“Well, I certainly wouldn’t be on there if it weren’t for you,” she said.

“Well, I wouldn’t be there without you! We’re a package deal, remember?”

When their names were announced Friday morning, the students in her first class cheered. Feeling embarrassed, she had to endure congratulations all day long. Lori could not believe she would be prom queen. Her parents would certainly be surprised by the news.

At her mother’s insistence, she got her hair done Saturday afternoon. She hoped it would not overwhelm Jason. He preferred simple, natural hair and there was nothing simple about the curls now piled on Lori’s head. However when he came over that night, he seemed very pleased.

“Look at you!” he exclaimed as she came down the stairs.

Jason held out his hand and assisted Lori the last few steps. Her parents were also waiting in the foyer and he limited his enthusiasm to a simple peck on the cheek. Before he could place the corsage on her wrist, Rhonda began taking photographs. Lori and Jason posed on the stairway for several minutes and were eventually enticed to step outside. Despite the excessive attention, she was thankful they were being supportive. Maria’s parents had refused their daughter’s request to attend the prom this year.

Jason placed her overnight bag in the backseat and Lori waved at her parents as they drove away. They stopped at Jason’s house for a second round of photos before going to dinner. Matt and Heather joined them at the restaurant. They had decided to go as a couple when Matt broke up with his girlfriend two weeks prior. Heather had not relished an evening with her chosen partner and readily accompanied Matt instead. While they might not make a good couple, at least the prom would be enjoyable for Matt and Heather.

“Don’t you look sharp!” exclaimed Heather when they reached the table. She had placed tiny flowers on one side of her short hair and Lori vowed to remember that trick in the future.

“Ready for tonight?” asked Matt, grinning wickedly. “Chris said there’d be champagne waiting, plus he’s got a fifth in his bag.”

“You just want to get drunk!” exclaimed Heather, rolling her eyes.

Matt nudged her. “Yeah, well maybe I’ll get you drunk instead!”

Lori smiled at their playful banter. Under the table she felt Jason’s hand touch her knee. She noticed his smile and wondered if he thought could get her drunk, too. Lori knew the answer would disappoint Jason.

They arrived at the prom by seven-thirty and posed for yet another picture. Sarah and Steve were already inside, and by eight o’clock, the entire gang had assembled. Lori now felt more comfortable with dancing and had no problem moving her feet. Flattered by the amount of people who knew her, she became incredibly self-conscious when introduced with Jason as prom king and queen. With no place to hide, she simply smiled and clung to his arm for support. Jason certainly enjoyed the attention and proudly showed off his queen to those gathered.

Around eleven o’clock, they left the prom, and ten friends regrouped at Chris’s house. Rather than take separate cars, the boys had rented an eleven-passenger van to drive to the cabin. It took some shuffling to place their bags in the van and get everyone seated, but by midnight they were ready to leave. Chris volunteered to drive and his girlfriend occupied the front passenger seat. Jason and Lori squeezed into the next row with Matt while Heather, Steve and Sarah sat in the third row. Alone in the very back row, Paul and his girlfriend spent more time kissing than talking with the group.

Once they arrived safely at the cabin, everyone piled out of the van with their bags. When Chris opened the door, the boys stampeded toward the bedrooms. The master bedrooms upstairs belonged to Chris, but there were only two other bedrooms and a study downstairs with a futon couch. One unlucky couple would be forced to sleep on the living room couch. Paul dashed into the study, leaving three of them frantically running for the bedrooms. Steve acquired one room and Jason secured the last bedroom, just beating Matt inside the room.

“Oh, man!” cried Matt as Jason shoved him out of the bedroom.

“You don’t need a room anyways!” Jason cried from the doorway.

He continued to chuckle at Matt’s misfortune until Lori joined him in the room. They had already changed at Chris’s house and tossed their bags aside for later. Jason scooped her into in his arms, kissing her warmly.

“This is gonna be great!” he said. “I get your warm body beside me all night long!”

“Just don’t drink so much you don’t remember!” she teased.

Eventually they joined the group downstairs. Chris had already turned on the stereo and was bringing out the champagne. Matt found the food in the fridge and handed bowls of dips and snacks to Heather. Several bags of chips were already waiting on the counter.

“There we go!” cried Chris, setting out the fifth bottle of champagne. “One for each couple. And…” he said, dramatically producing another bottle from his bag. “We’ve got this!”

“What do you want to mix it with?” asked Matt, scanning the cans of soda in the fridge. “Ginger-ale?”

“On the rocks, man!” said Steve.

“First the champagne,” said Chris, searching the drawers for a bottle opener. “It’s chilled and ready.”

Once the bottles were open and everyone had a glass, the boys each grabbed a bottle. There were two oversized couches and a massive fireplace in the main room and everyone made themselves comfortable. Jason and Lori sat next to the fireplace and he poured them each a drink.

“Only a little,” said Lori softly.

Jason just smiled and filled her glass to the top. When everyone had a glass, they raised a toast to their last prom.

Chris located a Trivia Pursuit game and they broke into teams. They continued to eat and drink, more focused on the company than the game itself. Lori switched to ginger ale the moment her champagne was gone, thankful there had only been one bottle. When the Trivia Pursuit game deteriorated, a couple of the boys started a drinking game. Heather joined them and Matt proclaimed he would get her drunk as promised.

By two-fifteen, Paul and his girlfriend drifted off to the study. Matt and Chris were still working on the fifth of vodka and becoming sillier by the minute. Lori had already been yawning for the past half hour and Jason decided they would go to bed, too. Lori went upstairs first to change, slipping quietly out of the bathroom in her robe. Jason brushed his teeth and came into the bedroom to undress. Eagerly he slid under the covers with Lori.

“So, am I gonna get lucky tonight?” he asked, pulling her close.

“I think you know the answer to that.”

He moaned before giving her a quick kiss. “All right, but I had to ask.”

“I know,” she replied as he kissed her again, ending all conversation.

Jason finally fell asleep, his body pressed against her back and arm draped around her midsection. Lori lay awake for a while, listening to the noises downstairs. Eventually the house fell silent and she drifted to sleep.

As dawn was breaking, she awoke and slipped out to use the bathroom. She glanced downstairs and saw Matt and Heather curled up together on one of the couches. They had pulled a blanket off the back of the sofa and wrapped it around themselves. Returning to the bedroom, she quietly snuggled next to Jason. In a matter of moments, she was once again asleep.

A little before nine, she roused again. She heard someone emerge from the bathroom and decided to catch a shower while she had the opportunity. Stepping lightly so as not to disturb Jason, she grabbed her bag and slipped into the bathroom unnoticed. After a quick shower, she felt much more alert.

When she emerged from the bathroom, she noticed Matt and Heather’s blanket back on the sofa. Sounds emanated from the kitchen and the smell of pancakes wafted filled the air. Lori had to admit it smelled really good.

Jason stirred when she entered the bedroom. She closed the door and he looked up with sleepy eyes.

“You up already?” he asked.

“It’s nine-thirty,” she replied with a grin, sitting on the foot of the bed. “Besides, someone’s making pancakes!”

He slowly sat up and ran fingers through his hair. “Is that what I smell?” Jason asked, smiling at her. “Did you have a good time last night?”

“Yes, I did,” she said with a laugh. Actually, she was enjoying the moment right now. Jason appeared very groggy.

“I’m going downstairs to eat,” she announced.

“Okay,” he said with a yawn. “I’m gonna get a shower. Guess I need to find my clothes.”

“They’re here at the end of the bed,” Lori answered.

Jason nodded and slid his feet to the floor. “I’ll be down in a little bit!”

Lori went downstairs and treated herself to a plate of pancakes. Paul was playing chef this morning and had made a huge batch of pancakes. His girlfriend, Matt, Heather and Sarah were already eating when Lori joined them. If anything had occurred last night between Matt and Heather, they gave no indication. Eventually Jason and the others joined them and everyone enjoyed a leisurely breakfast.

By noon, everyone had piled back into the van. Jason dropped Lori off at her house around one-thirty and she patiently answered her parents’ many questions. Satisfied with her answers, for Lori had nothing to hide, they allowed her to retreat upstairs to change. Prom or no prom, the pool awaited, and she was not missing even one day of swimming.