Starting Out

Starting Out

“What about that house?” Jen said, as Cynthia walked right by the gate.

“Nobody’s home.”

“How do you know?”

“No car,” Cynthia said casually.

“Maybe they don’t have a car. We only have two boxes left. We’ll have to go all the way to Green Street now.”

“So we go to Green Street, big deal.”

“I want to go home!”

“I know who lives there. We can’t go there.”

“Who?”

“Mr. Parks.”

“The art teacher?”

“Yes.”

“Are you scared of Mr. Parks?”

“No! I’m not scared.”

“Then what’s the problem?”

“I’m, ah, in love with him...”

“Phffffft!”

“It’s true. I love him.”

“How do you go into his class every day?”

“I sit way in back.”

“You’re nuts, You’re sixteen, he’s like five hundred! How can you be in love with him?”

“I don’t know, can we just go to Green Street?”

“Fine. And before you even ask, I won’t tell anybody. Well, unless you have to start going to a psychiatrist because you’re nuts...”

“Thanks,” Cynthia said.

The two girls turned onto Green Street.

Looking out the window, Mrs. Parks saw them. Turning to her husband she said, “I bet those girls were selling cookies. Why didn’t they come to our house?”

“Maybe they ran out.”

“I suppose...” she said dejectedly, walking away.

Mr. Parks smiled. Cynthia Gibbons was not artistic, but promised him she wouldn’t go to their house with the cookies if he would give her just a passing grade. His wife was on a diet, he’d do anything to help her succeed.

Cynthia, on the other hand, would do anything to pass Art. She only took it to look good on her college applications. Cynthia planned to go into politics. Mr. Parks knew her well enough to believe she was definitely going to succeed.