The Circle of Friends

III - First Few Weeks-1

III - First Few Weeks

Enjoying a boyfriend at school was a new experience for Lori.

She had only dated a few times and mostly with boys she encountered through swimming. The summer before her junior year had been spent with a young trainer at the pool. Lori had never considered him her boyfriend, though. Scott had been spending his last summer before college gaining experience as a trainer and helped Lori tremendously. He had been one of those free spirits, very happy go lucky and tremendous fun to be around. She still kept in contact with him and enjoyed Scott’s stories about California.

No one at her school had ever asked her out until now. She had watched Sarah and all of her boyfriends with mild envy. Sarah was never long in between boys though, and rarely stayed with anyone past two months. Lori had decided that Sarah did not like commitment but feared being alone, too. Unfortunately, Lori’s swimming schedule meant she was frequently by herself, whether she liked it or not.

Jason came by her locker during the morning break. When the bell rang, he walked Lori to her gym class and kissed her goodbye. Several girls noticed and she was barraged with questions in the locker room. Lori felt grateful to escape to the weight room, where the class was predominantly boys. They were less likely to inquire about her new boyfriend. Several were on the football team, however, and Lori did overhear a couple of them talking about the quarterback’s new girl.

Fortunately, no one inquired about Jason at lunch. Several people stopped to talk with him to get a good look at the girl he now dated. Lori buried her anxiety and just smiled. The scrutiny couldn’t last forever, she reasoned.

At the end of the school day, she and Sarah exited the last class together. When they reached their lockers, her friend commented on the buzz around school. Lori cringed, afraid the constant feedback might overwhelm Jason.

“Oh, Sarah, everyone’s been asking me questions all day!” she moaned. “They’re all shocked he’s going out with me.”

“Are you kidding?” asked Sarah, opening her locker. “Lori, I haven’t heard anything like that! God, maybe the girls are envious, but you should hear the guys!”

“What do you mean?”

Before Sarah could answer, Lori felt a hand on her arm.

“Hey!” said Jason, pulling her in for a kiss. “I hoped to catch you! Listen, I’ve got to help Matt with something tonight. Okay if I call you afterwards?”

“That’d be fine,” Lori said, hiding her disappointment with a smile.

“Talk to you tonight then,” he said, kissing her one more time before heading to football practice.

When he departed, Sarah winked at her. Lori wished she felt the same confidence. It felt as if the pressure from everyone today was too great for their relationship to last.

Jason had indeed received many comments regarding his new girlfriend, but none negative. Nearly half of the school had informed him he now dated the sweetest, most beautiful girl in the world. Boys he did not even know were congratulating him. Jason wondered again where Lori had been hiding all this time.

“You were too wrapped up last year with Rachel to notice!” Matt told him that night. “And I know Rachel went to New York to model, but Lori’s prettier than her by a long shot!”

“Why didn’t you ever ask her out then?” asked Jason. “Didn’t you guys have Chemistry together?”

“Well, I wanted to, but she showed zero interest. You sure got her attention, though!”

“Probably just gratitude,” Jason said with a shrug.

However, her delight to hear his voice that night sounded genuine. Jason found himself talking with Lori for over an hour. The longer they conversed, the greater his intrigue became with this spirited girl. Lori would be an enjoyable mystery to unravel. After the comments today, Jason knew that this one was special. Apparently everyone considered her untouchable, but he had proved it possible to ask out one Lori Anders.

Friday night he arrived early at Lori’s house. She had informed him that her father was home and would probably want to meet her new boyfriend. So it came as no surprise Jason when Lori’s father answered the door.

“Well, hello!” he said, smiling broadly. “You must be Jason!”

“Yes, good evening, Mr. Anders,” answered Jason, offering his hand.

Lori’s father had a firm grip. Jason knew her father held a position of power in a large corporation and suspected he could be quite ruthless when it came to business. However, there was no trace of severity in the man before him. His eyes suggested a boyish sense of humor at odds with his late-thirties appearance. Apparently Mr. Anders shared his daughter’s sunny disposition.

“Come in! And please, can call me Phil,” he said, stepping aside.

When Jason was safely in the foyer, Phil closed the door. Winking mischievously, he leaned on the rails of the stairway and peered upstairs.

“Lori!” he called.

They heard her muffled reply and her father chuckled. Before either could speak, she appeared and bounced down the stairs. Jason smiled as he watched her descend, her long hair swaying gracefully.

“I’m ready!” Lori said as she reached the bottom step.

“I’m sure you’ll have a great night!” said her father. “Where are you going again?”

“We’re meeting some friends at the movie theatre, then going for pizza afterwards,” explained Jason.

“Very good!” Phil said, nodding approvingly. He opened the door and leaned over to give Lori a kiss on the cheek. “Goodnight, Pumpkin. Be home by dawn, okay?”

Jason shook his hand again and escorted Lori to the car. Once inside, he eyed her questioningly. “Dawn? Is he kidding?”

She smiled and held up her hand. “He’s kidding. My father’s never serious!”

“Too bad,” said Jason with a wink as he started the car.

They caught up with everyone in the theatre lobby. Jason purchased their tickets and splurged for drinks and popcorn. Chris and his girlfriend were already waiting, as were Steve, Paul, Josh and Tina. Matt and Heather arrived late and had to locate them in the dark theatre. Lori found herself sandwiched between Jason and Matt, who seemed incapable of holding still. The movie was substandard, so the distractions around her were more entertaining than the film itself. With Jason holding her hand throughout the movie, Lori scarcely noticed the commotion.

Afterwards, they went out for pizza, still rehashing the movie’s terrible plot. Lori was amused by their friendly banter. At one point, Chris even tried to reenact a scene from the movie atop his chair and nearly lost his balance. When the pizza arrived, six large pies covered on the table. At first Lori doubted they could eat it all. However, six growing young men were able to devour the pizza in record time. She took just three slices for herself and only Heather was able to match the boys slice for slice.

“Did you want any more?” Jason asked as he pulled one of the last pieces onto his plate.

“No, I’m fine,” said Lori. Any more pizza and it would seriously throw off her eating habits.

“After a while they stop offering and you’ll just have to fight for it,” said Heather, grabbing the last pepperoni. Protesting that accusation, Matt leaned over and took a bite out of her pizza as Heather held it up to her mouth. She quickly pulled away and bit into her slice.

“Pig!” Heather mumbled through her pizza.

Around eleven o’clock, Josh took Tina home. Everyone began to disperse after that and Lori felt disappointed the evening was coming to an end. Steve and Paul locked arms and jokingly walked each other out of the restaurant and Chris egged them on from behind. Jason escorted Lori slowly from the restaurant.

“We still getting together tomorrow at the park?” asked Matt as they joined the others outside.

“Yeah, as far as I know,” said Jason, his fingers curled around Lori’s. “Am I bringing the football?”

Matt brushed the hair away from his eyes. “I’ll bring mine, too.”

“See you then!”

They said goodnight and strolled toward the car. Steve and Paul were still clowning around in the parking lot, reluctant to leave. Matt joined them with Heather riding on his back, her laughter echoing loudly across the parking lot.

“Are you ready to go home?” asked Jason, opening the car door for Lori. She hesitated and gave him a sly smile.

“No,” she answered truthfully.

Jason appeared pleasantly surprised. “Well, okay then. Let’s not.”

He slid into the driver’s seat car and sat there for a moment. Lori regarded him expectantly, her eyes bright. He smiled knowingly and started the engine.

“We’ll just go for a drive,” he said. “I’ll show you a couple places.”

They pulled out of the parking lot, honking the horn at Matt. Everyone waved as they drove off into the night.

“Are Matt and Heather… ?” Lori began, still not sure what to make of their relationship.

Jason shook his head. “No. They grew up next door to each other, so they’ve been friends for years. Sometimes they go out, but it’s never serious.”

“They certainly get along well,” commented Lori.

“I don’t think Heather is right for Matt. She can be so dominating and feisty sometimes. Think he wants someone who shares his sense of humor. And she’s got to be shorter than him!”

Lori smiled at his last comment. Heather was a tall girl and she probably intimidated most boys. She thought for a moment and decided to ask a bold question.

“What do you want?”

“Me?” exclaimed Jason, laughing in surprise. He shifted in his seat, searching for an answer. “I don’t know. Someone beautiful,” he said, rubbing her knee and giving her a big smile. “Someone who’s not bossy. Someone sweet.”

They pulled up to a red light and he leaned over to kiss Lori. “Your turn,” he chuckled. “What do you want?”

Lori needed no time to think of an answer. “A hero,” she said simply.

“A hero?”

“Yes, a hero. Someone who will be there for me, take care of me,” she said wistfully, her voice tinged with just a hint of sorrow.

“You seem pretty independent to me,” said Jason. “Besides, that’s a mighty tall order. Think you can find a guy like that?”

“I think so,” she replied, refraining from giving him a complete answer.

Eventually they pulled into a nice neighborhood and he pointed to his house as they slowly rolled past. It was a large, two-story home with a separate three-car garage. This neighborhood was perhaps a few years older than Lori’s, but still very nice. Several blocks later, he drove past the homes of Matt and Heather. He continued heading south toward her neighborhood and eventually pulled up to a large park. Lori had never been out this way and didn’t even know the park existed. Jason pulled his car into the small parking lot, pleased no one else was present. He glanced at the clock before turning off the engine. It was only eleven-thirty.

“This is where we play on Saturdays,” he explained, easing his seat back a few inches. “Sometimes we all come down here and just hang out.”

Placing his arm around Lori, he pulled her closer. Jason kissed her several times, his hands slowly rubbing her back and arms. She responded wholeheartedly to his kisses, but her hands remained in her lap. Eventually he leaned back and reached for her right hand, raising it to his lips. Lori’s eyes never left his as Jason gently kissed her fingers. Still holding her hand, he pulled it in to his chest and continued to kiss her.

Finally, he pulled away and smiled. “What time should I have you home?” Jason asked in a low voice.

“Probably midnight,” she answered regrettably.

He sighed. “I liked dawn better,” he told her, kissing Lori one more time.

Readjusting his seat, he started the car. Within a few minutes, he arrived at Lori’s house. Jason got out to walk her to the door, his fingers entwined with hers. When they reached the front porch, he paused.

“How’s your back?” he asked, gently placing his hand her upper back.

“Much better. I hardly even noticed it tonight.”

“Good,” he said, slipping his other arm around her as well. His hold forced Lori to rest her hands on his shoulders, her eyes locked with Jason’s.