On the third morning of the new school year, Chris made it a point to be sitting on the library steps early. Ten minutes later, Allen and Andrew came running over.
“Chris, it was so weird yesterday,” said Andrew.
“Yeah, you not going believe,” said Allen, “but that guy came lunchtime and gave us back our money.”
“I was scared when he yelled over to us,” said Andrew, “but he was smiling.”
“Yeah, well,” said Allen, “ was that kind of smile like he going punch you, but yeah, at least he never look mad.”
This amazed Chris. So had pimple boy changed? And why would that be? Chris felt anger rise in him again. Why? There could be only one reason why. Because of Denise. She’d made him give the money back.
Just then, Chris spotted Denise and the changed pimple guy walking across the lawn toward Building B. But Chris had zero desire to go over and confront the boy now. If he was reformed, and if it had been because of Denise, and because Chris was in love with her, it would make shame to pick a fight with him in front of her. The only thing that could happen would be that he would lose face. And lose Denise.
Chris shook his head. And then Denise looked over at him, smiled, raised her hand, and waved.
Chris waved back weakly to match the bewildered expression on his face. What was up with all of this?
Again Chris waited outside the English classroom for Denise. When she came down the hall and smiled, she waved to him again. Chris’s anxiety about not understanding what all was floundering around in his head rose another notch. He waved back, smiled again kind of, and returned Denise’s “Good morning” hesitant with a hesitant wish of his own for a good one.
Following Denise into the room, he flopped down next to her.
“Did you like the reading?” was the first thing she said.
“Oh, yeah, the reading. Good. Good stuff,” said Chris.
“Did you finish the grammar worksheet?” she asked.
“Oh, yeah, I did it, the sheet,” said Chris.
Denise said, “I had trou–”
Chris frustratedly cut her off. “Who is that guy?” he asked.
Denise gave him a questioning look. “What guy?”
Of course, it made sense that she wasn’t thinking so intently about one particular guy, right? Chris was the party thinking about only one, but why should she be doing the same?
“The one you walk to school with,” he said. “The pimple guy.”
“Oh, him,” said Denise. “That’s Jake. Don’t say that about his face. That’s mean.”
Jake groaned inwardly. “So he’s your boyfriend or what?”
“My boyfriend? Well no, not my boyfriend. He’s just a friend. Like you. I met him on the first day of school in homeroom. He’s very nice.”
A friend like me? thought Chris. Sheez. “Nice!” he blurted out. “That guy is one highjacker. He highjack little kids. Pick on ‘um. He took my friends’ lunch money.”
Denise stared at him. “Oh no. Really? He does? That’s terrible. I didn’t know he did things like that.”
“Yeah,” said Chris. “First day of school he took their dimes. I was ready for bus him up this morning. He’s a real as–“ Chris held up, “jerk, Denise.”
Denise stared at Chris, a worried look on her face. Chris was becoming loud enough for other students to turn and look at him. Instead of giving them one of his hard looks right back, Chris felt ashamed for his outburst.
“Sorry, sorry, Denise. I . . . ”
Denise’s face softened into an understanding smile. “That’s okay, Chris, I didn’t know that about Jake. That’s terrible. I’m going to ask him about that first thing. If he wants to be friends, he has to not do that kind of thing anymore. Ever.”
Mr. Tolentino strolled into class. “Hey guys,” he said cheerily. “Who had the most fun doing the grammar worksheet last night?”
The hand of a small girl in the front row shot into the air. “I did, Mister Tolentino, I did.”
“Excellent,” he said. “Sorry, it’s Puanani, right? It’ll take me a few roll calls to learn all your names. Does anyone else think he or she had more fun than anyone else?”
He scanned the room, a big smile on his face. “What? No one else had a lot of fun doing those exciting grammar exercises?”
Slouched in his chair, Chris raised his hand. “I guess maybe I did,” he said.
And with that gesture, Chris Andaya made his way into Denise Chan’s heart with a bullet. She’d not had what she would call ‘fun’ working through the exercises. A couple had stymied her. But with her mother’s help, she’d soldiered through. The look she gave Chris made his anger and frustration disappear like the wave of a magic wand.
All through class and onwards through the day, all Chris could think about was that Denise hadn’t known what a jerk this Jake was. So then if she wasn’t the one who had changed Jake’s behavior, who had?
“Aren’t you going to eat?” asked Andrew.
Chris shook his head. “Nah, I not hungry. You like ‘um, take ‘um.”
“Oh yeah,” said Allen. And the two friends dove in and divvied up Chris’ meal.
After P.E. class, as Chris was putting on his socks, he saw Jake the jerk run into Sergeant Arroyo’s office yet again. They were both smiling, and after a brief exchange, the sergeant shook Jake’s hand, hugged him, and then waved goodbye as the boy bounded out the door.
The suspense was too much for Chris. He put on his shoes and ran out and around the side. Knocking at the sergeant’s open office door, Chris said, “Excuse me, sir,” and stepped inside.
“Yes, Andaya, good workout today. Sorry, son, but I’ve made no decisions yet.”
“Sorry?” said Jake, not understanding.
“Team decisions. I haven’t decided who makes the team yet. But don’t worry too much, Andaya. I’d say your chances are very good.”
“Oh oh oh,” said Chris. “Yeah, thanks, sir. But, ah, I was wondering — ”
“Ah, what the heck,” said Sergeant Arroyo, “Wonder no more. You’re on the team, Andaya. You’re definitely going to play for me.”
This did not gladden Chris’ heart nor clear his head. Of course, he’d not come in wanting to know if he’d made the team. He’d wanted to know what was up with Jake the jerk and Sergeant Arroyo.
Chris said, “Well, thanks, but — ”
The sergeant’s phone rang. “See you at practice this afternoon, Andaya, three sharp,” he said, turning to pick up the receiver.
The school bell rang, too, and Jake headed off for science class, as much in the dark still about the relationship between Jake the pimple-faced boy and Sergeant Arroyo.
Lanning Lee 