Chapter #53Golf and Gossip by: Seuzz   Typical: Susie is running so late that by the time she arrives Hermione and the others are already on the twelfth hole. Also typical: she is blushing with embarrassment at her tardiness.
"Oh my God," she gasps, "you wouldn't believe the night I've been having." She rattles it off—a story about feeding her neighbors' dog, which got loose but that was kind of okay because while she was retrieving it she got to talking with these people a block away who are involved in this charity that, can you believe it, Susie has been thinking about volunteering for because it would look good on her college application, so they got to talking and they told her all about their charity but also about a couple of others, and even made a few calls for her, right there, so that—
Jack turns his back on her as he rolls his eyes. You titter behind your hand.
But that's Susie. With her wide, heart-shaped face and a smile that always looks just a little bashful, just a little embarrassed, she is always being dandled and petted by perfect strangers.
Take what happens just a few minutes later, as she takes her first stroke on the course:
"Does this course have a windmill?" she asks, and she looks around as she swings, knocking her ball over the curb and onto the sixth green, where to his delight it bumps an old man's ball into the cup. So there's another delay so Susie can apologize to him and his wife and explain that no, really, much as she'd like to, she can't come play with them even if they think she's so sweet, because she's got her friends with her, and she blushes very hard when Jack playfully insists that no, he and the others won't hold it against her if she wants to play with her new friends.
So she's also carelessly accident prone, like on the fourth hole, when she plays Genesis's ball by mistake, which causes Genesis to accidentally play Jack's. That leads to an argument about how much of a penalty to assign to each player, with each girl trying to take on a bigger penalty than the other. Jack gently suggests that they skip the hole altogether and move on.
"But that'll throw off the scoring!" Susie protests. "Aren't we playing against Hermione and them?" She goes up on tiptoes to peer about for the other foursome.
"So we'll take an average of our strokes on the other holes," Jack says, "and put that down for the fourth."
"Will they be okay with that?" Genesis wonders.
"It's just a friendly game."
"Is that Naomi with them?" Susie asks. She raises herself up farther on her toes. "What happened to Kristin and Parker?"
"They made other plans," you quickly tell her as Jack's expression tightens.
"But how'd Naomi wind up here with us? Not that I've anything against Naomi," Susie quickly adds, "but I thought I heard she was going to do something with Aaron."
You let Jack explain that Aaron's here, he's just out on the Go-Kart course with Daniel. "Go-Karts!" Susie gasps. "I forgot they have those here!"
Yes, Susie Leukawehe is as soft and sweet as crushed pineapple. And like pineapple, she can be unexpectedly tart.
Like on the eighth hole, after Jack and Genesis have moved to the other side of the mock Eiffel Tower, when Susie sidles up to you: "So how serious are Aaron and Naomi?" she asks as you practice your stroke.
"You got me." You resettle your grip on the putter. "They went to a party together last weekend, I know that."
"Do you think she'll take the hint?"
"What hint?"
Susie gives you a look. "Aaron basically dumped her tonight, don't you think?"
"Like, permanently, you mean?" You strike the ball, which bounces off the leg of the Tower and rolls into a far corner. "So they can't ride in a go-kart together," you observe with a sigh. "Maybe they're planning to do something later, just the two of them, after here."
"I thought we were going to the Warehouse after here."
Now you give Susie a look.
"Oh, God!" She strikes you in the shoulder. "They wouldn't! Isn't this, like, their second date?" You only shrug. "You don't like Naomi, do you?" she asks as she sets her own ball on the rubber tee-off mat.
"I like her fine. You're the one who wants her to take a hint."
Susie makes a face. "You like her? Seriously? Don't you think she's all kind of, you know. Stuck up?"
"No."
Well, not in the usual sense. Naomi Batson doesn't sail around with her nose in the air, the way Kelsey Blankenship or Chelsea Cooper do. She's actually a very plain and unpretentious girl, with flat, honey-colored hair that she keeps back with barrettes; a pear-shaped figure; and a wardrobe that is heavily invested in polo shirts and mom jeans.
But you also know what Susie is getting at. Naomi Batson is a high school junior, but she acts like a very prim college student. She's also a violinist in the school's elite chamber orchestra. And although she hasn't got a reputation for brilliance on the strings, the way she talks to you and your friends, who are only in the marching band ...
No, "stuck up" is the wrong word for Naomi Batson. But "condescending" (Brianna has always done well on her vocabulary tests) would fit her perfectly. You get the impression that she thinks that it's cute the way all of you and your friends march up and down, tootling show tunes on your brasses and reeds.
So when Susie, sotto voce says that she hopes Naomi will stop hanging around your group, you don't agree, but you don't argue, either, and only offer a tepid shrug.
* * * * *
"You didn't say anything about Philip," Genesis reminds you much later, after you've all turned in your putters and are sitting inside the restaurant, eating cheap popcorn. From the next room over comes the electronic rumble and roar of old-fashioned arcade games. (Monte Viso is very retro.)
No, you didn't reply to her question about whether Philip was at the storage complex. Instead, you pretended to see Leah Simmons waving at you, and scampered over to talk to her. After that, you told Genesis of Leah's whispered confidence that she had a joint in her trunk, and that anyone who wanted to partake between mini-golf and the Warehouse would be welcome to it. That got Genesis off onto one of her favorite topics: Why the hell was everyone on the football team a stoner? You let her rattle on, and tactfully refrained from mentioning that Blake O'Brien was also on the football team, and was rather obviously good friends with the worst of those stoners.
But now she's back onto Philip, and you've had time to think past your original panic. Genesis must have figured that, as Philip is friends with Carlos and Mike, he was likely to be with them when Brianna went out to see them. So you just tell her that he wasn't there.
"He?" Wendy Terrill echoes. "Who's 'he'? Who are we talking about?"
"Philip Fairfax," Genesis says before you can tell Wendy it's none of her business.
"What about him?"
"Brianna was trying to hook up with him after school," Genesis continues, and ignores the frantic kicks you're giving her under the table.
"Not hook up," you insist as heads turn in your direction. You especially dislike the raffish grin that breaks out across Jack's face. A hot blush breaks out across your own, which makes everything worse. "I went out to meet some guys, Carlos Montoya and Mike Hollister. You know? They have their movie review thing on YouTube?"
"Philip was going to be there, so she went," Genesis says.
"That wasn't the reason!"
"So why'd you go? What happened?" Jack asks.
"Nothing! No one was there!" You grab at Wendy as she takes out her phone. "What are you doing?"
"Just checking my messages! Jeez!"
"Brianna's scared you're gonna get to Philip first," Hermione says. Laughter breaks out all around the table.
But Jack saves you by asking Wendy, "How come Jesse's not here?" which abruptly channels the conversation into talk of Jesse Hughes, the trumpet player who is Wendy's own crush.
The subject of Philip comes up again, though, in a different way, when you're in the restroom freshening up. I'm Brianna Kirschke, you marvel to yourself as you study your reflection in the mirror. You're rubbing your teeth free of little bits of popcorn and enjoying the expression on your face. I'm like a pert little chipmunk, and all my friends love me even though they tease me!
You're resettling your shirt and jacket when Naomi comes in. She gives you a brief smile—the two of you don't seem to have much to say to each other—then starts washing her hands. "So this Philip guy," she says after turning off the water. "Has he got red hair and glasses?"
You tense. "Yeah."
Naomi nods, and studies herself in the mirror. "If it's the guy I'm thinking of, I had him for a couple of classes last year. He's really smart." You nod. "But he's not seeing anyone?"
"Don't think so. Haven't heard. I don't keep up with him much," you stammer, and you wonder, Why am I freaking out so hard about people asking me about Philip while ignoring the obvious explanation from just a minute ago: Because you're Brianna Kirschke and you've got a giant crush on him.
"That's too bad," she says. She says it very primly too, which you hate.
"How come?"
She gives you a look of surprise, tinged with a little (characteristic) condescension. "If you like a guy, you should keep up with him."
Ugh. You're starting to tremble all over, and you run some water in the sink to cover up your flustered manner. "I don't think it makes a difference, it's not like he'll ever, you know." That horrible blush returns.
Naomi smiles (condescendingly!) at you. "None of you has a chance with Jack, but look at how you all dote on him," she says.
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