On a Roll

Chapter 3-1

Chapter 3

“I now call this meeting to disorder,” Vin said.

Beau leaned back against the desk, the chair legs scraping lightly against the linoleum floor. Disorder did seem to be the classification of business for the evening; at least half the group seemed to know each other quite well. One guy with his black hair cut in the jagged bangs and asymmetrical spikes of the true emo, including the finger-applied kohl eyeliner, was chucking chalk-dust coated erasers at people, who were ducking and yelling and throwing them back.

A girl with several facial piercings sported a wide smear of chalk dust on her black T-shirt and a maniacal gleam in her eyes stalked another girl who was wearing a dark, sleeveless dress. “But I have to dry-clean this!” she shrieked, dodging and laughing.

They all stopped and took seats, astonishingly well ordered, as soon as Vin opened his mouth.

Well.

“Old business,” Vin said. He consulted some notes on a blue legal pad. “I managed to find out what happened to our treasurer. I’m sure it’s a relief to everyone, but Bert didn’t flunk out, transfer, die in a car crash, or anything like that over the summer break. He is, instead, doing a semester in the Dominican Republic and his cell phone is turned off. Roaming charges, you know. I talked with his mother, rather obliquely, you can imagine. Anyway, she passed along the message and he got in touch with me. He says to tell all of you ‘How do,’ and that he’s sorry. His acceptance for the program was extremely last minute notice—he was wait-listed and his predecessor backed out two days before. I told him not to worry about it, but I did cancel his access card to the club’s treasury and yesterday I went to the bank to order a new card and get new checks, plus the balance sheets. As of this time, we have $630.19. And, incidentally, no treasurer, for this semester.

“To that end, I’d like to nominate Ann-Marie Darland to take Bert’s place temporarily—” he held up one hand to silence Ann-Marie’s protest “—until Bert comes back next semester and can take back his duties. If he chooses not to, we can hold a special election at that point.”

“I second!” Ann-Marie’s tiny girlfriend said. She bounced in her chair, waving her arm around wildly.

“You have got to be kidding me,” the beleaguered Ann-Marie complained.

“It’s only the one semester, I promise,” Vin said.

Beau watched the debate, tuning out the voices, as Vin used all the power of his not inconsiderable charm against the reluctant blonde. It probably worked less well against her than it would have against Beau, since she was obviously not watching the way his mouth moved up and down, the shape of his lips as he formed words, the eager puppy gaze, and damn, the way he lowered his chin, almost bashfully, to gaze at her from under those thick eyelashes. Beau shivered in his chair, having completely lost track of the conversation.

“Other old business,” Vin said. “Now that we have a treasurer—thank you for consenting so graciously—we need to collect dues. Remember, your dues are, well due, by the beginning of the fifth meeting, that’s three weeks from today! That’s ten bucks per semester, or fifteen dollars if you can pay all at once for the year.”

Shit. Dues? So much for being able to smoke this semester. Beau wondered if he could convince his mom to send him some extra cash.

Yeah, that was going to be a great conversation. Hey mom, I need some money to give to a bunch of gays. Why? Oh, because I’m one of them and I want to be in their club. Beau didn’t foresee a check coming any time soon. Maybe he could write a letter to a few of his other relatives. If he sent his cousin, Kate, a card, she might feel like sending him a few dollars. Kate was sometimes generous like that.

“New business?” Vin looked around the room. “Just so you all know, the Dean of Student Affairs has given us official written permission to have a homecoming float this year.”

The room erupted into sudden, enthusiastic cheers.

“Yes, yes, I know. Here’s the problem,” Vin said. “We don’t have enough money in the treasury for that. Another reason to collect dues as soon as possible. But I’m taking suggestions for fund raising.”

Beau scratched his chin, feeling the rasp of his few days of stubble. “What about alums?”

“Beg pardon?” Vin turned those light brown eyes on him. Beau swallowed hard around a lump of sudden desire that built rapidly in his throat.

“Well, you said,” Beau said, squirming uncomfortably at the unexpected attention, “that we were being allowed to have a float. Which sorta implies that y’all haven’t been. Able to, before, that is. So, if you’ve got a list of members from previous years, mightn’t they be interested in helping to support the project? I know that people from previous years in my high school come back to homecoming, droves of ‘em.”

Vin just stared at him, and Beau resisted the urge to crawl under his desk.

“That’s brilliant!” one of the guys in the back of the room shouted. “Sure that Chuck and his crew would give us some money. I’ve still got his phone number.”

“Bro, do you even lift?” Vin said. “That is a great idea. This is the man, my friends, the absolute man!” There were a few scattered whoops and exclamations from the room at large.

Ann-Marie looked at him out of the corner of her eye, a wide smile painting her face. “I nominate—what is your name, kid?”

“Beau Watkins,” Beau said.

“Yeah, well, I nominate Boo Randal here,” Ann-Marie said, “to organize a letter writing and phone calling committee aimed at getting us some donations.”

“Did she just make a To Kill a Mockingbird joke?” someone said. “Only a f*****g English major.”

“Would you like fries with that, English major?”

Ann-Marie glowered. “You want side order of ‘f**k you’ with that?” She held up a hammer-sized fist. “I will kick your ass sideways for you, boy or no boy.”

“You wouldn’t hit a guy with glasses, would you?”

Vin came out from behind the professor’s stand and perched on the edge of Beau’s desk. He smelled of sandalwood soap and his fancy cigarettes. “So,” Vin said, “will you run the committee? We can get a few volunteers to help you make cold calls and stuff.”

Beau opened his mouth to say no and was lost in those pale brown eyes. “Yeah, sure.”