The plan was set in stone, or at least ingrained deep enough that there was no backing out. Betty and I agreed to work together and had a week to pull off a miracle: We were going to get CC and Bear to join the group for the Spring Fling dance that Friday. I trusted Betty to handle CC with her usual charm and persistence, but Bear?
That was all on me.
He was stubborn as hell.
There was only one way to get him alone long enough to have this kind of conversation. I had to challenge him to some good old-fashioned sparring.
-----
The lunch hour was starting, and the island was alive with the usual chaos. CC and Betty were sitting laughing with Theresa and the other girls, while the guys horsed around, tossing food and wrappers at each other instead of eating. This was the only time I had to act before the moment would slip away into the usual lunch routine.
I wolfed down the rest of my food quickly, flushed it with some fruit punch, and clapped my hand on Bear's broad shoulders. "Wanna go to the field?"
Bear turned his head, eyebrow cocked in surprise. He smirked. "Why the sudden urge to spar?"
"I've had a lot on my mind and needed to blow off some steam," I shrugged and answered casually.
Bear stretched, bones cracking as he stood. "Fair enough. I could use a workout." He crumpled his wrappers and lobbed them at the trash with a grunt.
For the misfits, sparring and play fighting were effective forms of therapy. It was an exercise that developed skills, fostered trust, and strengthened our bond as friends. We used the practice field at the south end of the school, which was always ideal. By the time we crossed the cracked blacktop and stepped onto the south field, the dry grass crunched underfoot like kindling. No teachers. No gawkers. Just us and a vast open space. Simply perfect.
We started stretching in silence and warming up the moment we picked a spot. The last few times I sparred with Bear, three things became clear.
First, Bear was bigger and heavier than I was.
Second, he's heavy-handed and hits like a truck.
Third, he's also slower. That was my edge.
My strategy was to be on the defensive, stay light on my feet, and keep moving.
I raised my hands, guard up. "Before we start, there's something I wanted to talk to you about."
Bear mirrored me, his stance solid, his face tightening with focus. "Like what?"
"Betty." I tested him with a couple of slow slaps.
Her name hit Bear harder than any slap I've landed. His cheeks flooded instantly in red as he weaved around my playful attacks. "C'mon, man. Don't joke. There's no way she'll go out with me." His hands now swinging heavily.
I caught his wrist, shoved it aside, and tapped his belly playfully.
"She might," I smirked.
"Really?" His guard faltered, eyes wide. "Do you know something?"
"Not much other than she finally saw that Seth was a creep and dropped him." I fibbed, keeping my promise not to spill the restroom incident.
Bear blinked, the weight of hope warring with doubt on his face. "Why does that matter?"
"It matters now because you have this wide open opportunity...kinda like your guard."I smacked his cheek with a quick slap before he could raise his guard.
"Oww. Fucker." Bear barked a laugh and instantly brought his guard back up to charge into me.
We collided like bulls, feet digging trenches into the dirt, grass flying up around us. His sheer weight shoved me back, my shoes sliding until I lost balance and hit the ground flat on my back. Wind punched out of me, but I couldn't stop laughing. The adrenaline was too good.
"Anybody get the plate number on that truck?" I laid there a second, laughing from the rush.
Bear exhaled, his grin fading into something more serious. "I haven't had the guts to ask her all year."
I sat up, brushing grass from my shirt. "Then let me help you change that."
He crossed his arms, stubborn again, but his eyes flickered with doubt. "And how exactly are you going to do that?"
"There's a dance this Friday. Teressa wants to get the island to go as a group?"
Bear groaned, dramatically. "A dance? Seriously?"
"Why not? Betty's already going." I finally got up from the ground, swatting off the dirt and grass stuck to my jeans. "All you have to do is show up. I'll guide you through the rest. I'm your Huckleberry."
"Huckleberry?" Bear snorted. "More like a damn Dingleberry."
"Fine. Luigi?" I was trying hard to think of other well-known sidekicks. "Or maybe...CHEWBACCA! Roo-Arrgh Agh RRRaaar."
Bear doubled over, laughing, and answered with his own garbled roar. We exchanged a few nonsensical growls, like idiots, using our own secret code. Whatever was said, we came to an agreement.
"What do you say? Just show up and let things play through." I put up my guard.
Bear hesitated, chewing on it, then lifted his fists with a laugh. "Fine, fine. I'll do it."
We sparred until the bell rang, our laughter echoing across the empty field, the promise of Friday hanging heavy between us.
-----
I felt a swell of pride walking out of that field. Against all odds, I'd done it; I got Bear to agree to go to the dance. My clothes were still dusted with grass, my palms stung from the hits we traded, and my adrenaline was still humming under my skin. It wasn't just a win, it felt like progress.
I couldn't wait until night school to tell Betty. The news was too good to hold in, so I decided to do something I'd never done before: I wrote her a note during English class.
—Betty—
You're not going to believe this. After a rough afternoon
of trying to persuade Bear, I finally got him to say
yes and agree to go to the dance.
You should have seen him. I had him blushing
like no other. HAHAHA.
Anyways, I'm excited about it. I hope you had a chance to
talk to CC about going.
Talk to you more about it after night school
Love, Peace, and Chicken grease
—Alfie—
After class, I spotted Betty walking out to the commons and headed toward the library. I ran to catch up to her before she met CC.
I caught up and held out the folded paper. "Hey!"
She turned, surprised. "What's this?"
"It's about Friday," I said with a grin. "Read it during class."
"Ah," Betty smirked knowingly and slipped the note into her jeans pocket, the faintest blush touching her cheeks. "So, I take it this is good news?"
"I think so." I opened the library door for Betty and followed her in.
Inside, CC was tucked away in her usual corner where the bookshelves met. Her headphones in, foot bouncing in rhythm, lost in the world of her notebook. Her fine hair fell around her face like a curtain, her pen moving in quick, passionate strokes. She looked peaceful. Untouchably so.
Betty and I sat at the table to join CC for our study session before night school started.
"Whatcha doin'?" I asked playfully while fidgeting with the wooden beads of my bracelet.
"Poetry," CC said without looking up, her voice calm but sharp like a note plucked on a string.
"Don't you have any homework?" Betty asked me as she brought out her textbook and notebook.
"Umm, yeah," I grumbled, not wanting to work on that, but socialize instead. I went ahead and brought out my assignment anyway.
Betty was quick to get into her assignment, whereas I stared blankly at the equations in my book, the numbers blurring together into gibberish. My eyes wandered toward CC instead. The way she tapped her pen. The way she bit her lip when thinking. Maybe I didn't need Betty to convince her. Perhaps I could try.
I reached out and playfully "crawled" my fingers across the table like a spider toward her notebook and chased after her pen.
"Hey!" CC yelped, snapping her pen against the back of my hand. She laughed a soft, melodic giggle that melted the moment. "Do your homework, Alfie."
Betty snorted and shook her head. The way CC was quick to get me to focus on my work, I could see her becoming a hell of a teacher. I guess I need to be patient and let Betty try to persuade her.
Betty snorted and shook her head, trying to hide her laughter behind her hand. I rubbed my knuckles dramatically, pretending it hurt, but I couldn't stop grinning.
Watching CC laugh made something twist in my chest, that kind of ache that was equal parts happiness and confusion. She'd make a good teacher someday, I thought. Or maybe just a good reason to focus.
I sighed and went back to pretending to work. For now, I'd stick to the plan and let Betty work her magic.
-----
After Night school
-----
The class that night went by easily compared to the last few weeks of night school, thanks to those after-school study sessions with CC and Betty. Betty was already up front waiting on the ledge when I made it outside to the brisk evening.
"Did you get a chance to read the note?" I asked while joining her.
Betty nodded, smiling faintly. "I did. I'm a little confused about the rough afternoon part, though."
"Oh, that." I chuckled. "Well...Bear is stubborn. You basically have to give him a good kick to budge."
Betty tilted her head. "And you did convince him?"
"I did." I stretched, still riding the high of the day. "He lit up like a Christmas tree just mentioning your name."
Betty giggled, and her blush deepened.
"You're all set for that dance," I said. "I just need to keep pushing and reminding him. Any luck with CC?"
"She's stubborn, too." Betty sighed. "But don't worry. I'm not giving up."
"I almost asked her myself while in the library." I admitted, "But I chickened out when she smacked my hand with her pen."
Betty burst out laughing. "Yeah, I saw that."
"Maybe you should kick both of us next time," I said with a grin.
We both laughed, the kind of easy, genuine laughter that comes at the end of a long day.
As we stood there under the buzzing streetlight, hoping Betty figures something out, I realized being someone's wingman was harder than it looked. You could set everything up, plan, encourage, even fight for it, but in the end, it came down to the people themselves.
You could lead a horse to water.
But you couldn't make it dance.