Last Chance (14 page)

“So Matthew, you know there is a back-to-school dance on Friday night, right?”

Matthew had never heard of a dance, so he replied, “A dance—really? I didn’t know that.”

Cassie continued, “Yeah, I mean, I don’t mean it like a date, but since you are new and all.”

Matthew looked to Jack for assistance. Jack was no help. In fact, he just made fun of the whole thing. “Good grief, Cassie, you sound like one of those desperate girls from Advanced Chemistry.”

Matthew wasn’t sure how he should handle himself and replied, “Well, I think a dance would be a lot of fun, but I should probably see what Connor’s planning on doing first. I may end up going with him.”

Jack snickered and said, “You’re going to the dance with your brother? That’s worse than me going with my sister, which it looks like I’ll be doing again this year.”

Matthew was embarrassed and looked past Cassie to see that Connor had once again run off. He didn’t see Amanda either. Jack saw that Matthew was searching around and offered his help. “Are you looking for your brother?”

Matthew said, “Yeah, do you know where he went?”

Cassie was disappointed in the response from Matthew and moved her line of sight from Matthew’s feet to his eyes. For some reason his eyes made her feel all warm and tingly inside.

She hid her disappointment and disclosed that Connor had walked around the side of the building with Amanda and her friend. “I think her name is Beth,” added Jack.

Cassie poked Jack in the side and said, “Yeah, Jack has a crush on Beth; she is sooooo cute.”

Jack fired back, “I don’t think you of all people should be making fun of me for enjoying the looks of someone of the opposite sex.”

Jack went on to explain that it was simple biology and pheromones. “We learned it in Biology. Even the two of us, with our obvious mental gifts and keen insight into the vast knowledge of the universe, can turn into piles of mush when confronted with a tight sweater or excesses of perfectly placed makeup.”

Matthew backed up and pondered what he had just heard. “I have to say, Jack, you don’t sound like a freshman when you talk.”

Jack replied, “I know; I’m gifted.”

Cassie added, “Yeah, our mom had us tested.”

Matthew turned his attention back to tracking down Connor. Before he left, Cassie asked him, “You’re not going to become one of those jerks are you? I mean you seem like a nice guy, so don’t let those guys turn you into a jerk.”

Matthew smiled at the awkward girl and replied, “I promise that I won’t become a jerk if you promise to help me with my Chemistry homework.”

She grabbed Matthew’s hand and shook it. “You’ve got a deal.” He pulled his hand away and ran off toward the side of the building.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a truck pull out of the parking lot. On the steps that led to the side door of the gymnasium, he saw Amanda Curry and her friend leaned over and huddled around something. Matthew attempted to be clever and walked up behind the girls. “So, what’s so interesting? Can I see too?”

The girls parted and revealed what they were so concerned about on the step. There was Connor, cut, bleeding, and curled up on the steps of the school. Matthew bent down to check on his brother and asked, “What happened? Who did this?”

Amanda Curry started to speak up and was stopped by her friend. “You don’t want to get him in trouble. He might get kicked off the team.”

Amanda stepped up and said, “That ass
should
get kicked off of the team.”

Matthew’s face began to turn red and his fists clenched. He turned to Amanda Curry and asked, “It was Trey and his band of idiots, wasn’t it?”

Amanda was embarrassed by the actions of her boyfriend and lowered her head. She admitted that it was Trey. “I was just talking to Connor and they came up from behind him and knocked him down. Rick and Austin held him while Trey kicked and punched him.”

Beth added, “We tried to stop them, but they’re just too big and we didn’t want to get them into any trouble.”

“Did I get hit by a car or somethin’?” Connor was coming to and could recognize the shape of his brother standing over him.

“Are you OK?” Connor stood up with the help of Matthew and told the group that it would take more than three morons to keep him down.

Matthew saw that Connor’s cuts were beginning to heal and his bruises were already lightening up. Luckily for Connor, the health
charm of the
Hathmec was quickly healing him of his wounds, but unluckily for the boys, they didn’t want Amanda or Beth to see it.

“I really need to get Connor home. I’m sure our mom can clean him up.”

April Chance walked around the corner of the building, looking for the football field. “There you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” April caught the first glimpse of Connor’s swollen face and the blood that had stained his football uniform. “Oh my goodness, what happened? Did he get hurt at practice?”

The boys had told their mother the night before that they would attempt to make the football team. April had no idea that Connor had been beaten up by Amanda Curry’s boyfriend. Matthew responded to his mother, “He’ll be all right, Mom; we just need to get him home.”

Amanda rushed up to Connor and implored, “You need to go to the hospital. They probably broke your ribs or your nose.” Connor started to regain his senses and his strength and reassured Amanda that he would be fine.

Matthew closed the door to the car and made a request of the two girls. “Don’t let anyone know what happened here.”

Connor rolled down the window and reminded the pretty cheerleader with the flowing blond hair, “So Amanda, you never answered me.”

Amanda leaned into the window and said, “Yes, I’ll go with you to the dance.” A smile came to Connor’s bruised, yet healing face.

Matthew, confused, asked, “He asked you to the dance? I thought you were with Trey.”

“I was, but he’s obviously not the kind of guy that I need to be dating, so I’m going with your brother.”

“Come on, Matthew, we need to go!” exclaimed April. Matthew climbed into the front seat of the car and the Chance family rode off from the school’s parking lot.

“You got a date with Amanda Curry; that’s great!”

Connor replied, “Yeah, all it took was for me to get my butt kicked to convince her that Trey is a jerk and I am less of a jerk.”

April was confused and said, “OK, so I’m assuming that you both made the team, but I’m still a little fuzzy on why Connor is getting blood all over the car.”

Matthew went through the whole day’s events, just as he had done the night before with his mother. It was going to become a ritual of the Chance family to review all of the day’s events and determine a strategy for the next. “We need to figure out a way to make Connor look like he’s still bruised and battered. The health charm works fast.” By the time the family made it to their mobile home, Connor was almost healed from the beating he had taken from Trey and his friends.

Connor asked, “So what do we do now?”

Matthew replied, “Well, since we are supposed to be going to a dance on Friday night, we may want to try to figure out what happens at a dance.”

April interrupted, “Don’t worry about the dance, boys. I will do some research here in town and I’ll get you ready for it.”

April had spent the last two days around the town, finding out as much as she could about the Curry family. So far, she had learned where they live and what business they were in, and she picked up some information on Amanda’s normal routine. “Come straight home after school tomorrow and we’ll work on the dance situation.”

Matthew announced that they would walk home after school. “I think it’s considered un-cool to have your mom pick you up in the afternoons.” April agreed and the next day’s plans were set. The boys would avoid Trey and his friends as much as possible. Connor would continue to get close to Amanda Curry, and Matthew would get the lowdown on school dances from their new friends, Cassie and Jack Jenkins.

As the boys walked home on Wednesday afternoon, they had determined one very important fact. Two freshman geniuses were not the proper resource to find out what happens at a school dance. Based on their description, you would sit in a corner all night, watch all the other kids dance and have fun, drink punch, and try to avoid awkward situations. While that all sounded less than appealing to the boys, the image of one of them pulled close to one Miss Amanda Curry while some slow sappy music played in the background had some definite appeal.

“Don’t worry, Matthew, I got you a date too,” confided Connor. “Do you remember Amanda’s friend who was out back while I was getting my butt kicked yesterday?”

Matthew replied, “Her name is Beth, right?”

“Yeah. I talked Amanda into getting you a pity date with her, since she’s still mad at Austin. I think Amanda said, ‘What’s the worst that could happen?’ Beth agreed.”

Matthew rolled his eyes and said, “Gee, thanks, just what I need, a pity date. I could have gone with Cassie and had someone to talk to.”

Connor stopped his brother on the side of the road and lectured him about student cliques at the school. “Look, I think Cassie and Jack are nice and all, but we have a job to do, and that means getting in good with the popular kids. We can be friends with the Jenkins, but we need to keep it quiet. Based on what I’ve seen, we are now football players and we date cheerleaders. Friday night, I get to spend the whole evening with Amanda Curry. Considering she’s the one that has our charm around her neck, I think that’s a good thing.”

Matthew agreed but also threw in his own thoughts. “I agree that we have to get in with her group, but I think the only way that we are ever going to get her to give up her necklace is to find out who she really is. I just can’t believe that all there is to this girl is a cheerleading uniform and a pretty face.”

Connor replied, “Regardless of that, Amanda and Beth are going to meet us at the gym after the football game.”

The boys walked into the house and saw that April had moved all of the furniture in their living room to the bedrooms. “What are you doing?”

April explained that she had spent all morning at a local record store, where they sold music. She talked to the shop owner and bought up several records that she could use to teach the boys how to dance. “Look, I even bought a nice record player from the store.” She explained that she spent enough money on the records, so the player was a steal at fifteen dollars.

Connor interjected, “So you bought a bunch of music records and a record player. How does that teach us how to dance?”

April grinned and placed the first record on the player. It started up and a fast-paced, energetic song poured from the speakers.

“This nice young man at the record store introduced me to a television station where all they do is play music and show what they call music videos with people dancing in them. It’s really a good idea; I bet that station can keep going on forever.” She explained that she watched fifteen music videos in a row and was totally confident that she could show the boys what she learned.

“Now back up boys, this can get a bit crazy looking, but I guarantee that you’ll fit right in at the dance.” April bounced up and down and swayed her arms in the air. She stepped toward the boys and said, “One, two, one, two, three.” She jumped to the left and jumped to the right.

The boys watched their mother careen all over the living room. She stopped and pivoted around one foot. She continued what some would describe as uncontrolled convulsions, and told the boys, “I must have been pretty good at the shop, because several people stopped by the window to see what I was doing.”

“By the way, I called the school this morning to see what else I could find out about the dance, and I was offered a chaperoning job for Friday night.”

The boys looked at each other with confused eyes and asked, “So you’ll be at the dance, too?”

April replied, “I sure will. I may even have to hit the floor with these dance moves myself.” She stopped for a moment and stared down her two sons. “Don’t just stand there; get to dancing! We have to get you two into shape before Friday night.”

For the next four hours, Matthew, Connor, and April jumped and sprayed themselves all over their home in the middle of Travis, Tennessee. An onlooker would have called the police or an ambulance based on their movements. It was a combination of fighting maneuvers and a seizure. Regardless of the outcome, it was still a night of fun, laughter, and, for the first time, family togetherness.

Chapter 11

girls and gadgets

“I don’t get these things. They look like the rings Amanda wears to school.” Matthew read the instructions sent along by Walter while Connor asked more questions. “So, you’re saying that these things will amplify anything?”

“Just shut up and listen to the instructions,” replied Matthew.

The boys had discovered several “gadgets,” as Walter had put it. They had sneaked into April’s room and removed the bag, with the goodies, from under her bed. Any of the items could come in handy against an onslaught of football players. Both of the boys had been warned, earlier in the day, that Trey had shot his mouth off about them. He said, “Both of ‘em are gonna get a butt kickin’ if that Connor shows up to the dance with my Amanda.”

Connor had convinced everyone that he was still hurt due to the beating he received from Trey on Tuesday. April used shoe polish to bruise Connor’s face each morning, and he acted the part of a recovering patient quite well. He got a hug from Amanda after he struggled to lift his bag on Thursday.

Matthew continued pulling items from the backpack and started asking questions of his own. “Jack and Cassie told me that the only reason Trey hasn’t ripped your head off already is because he’s scared they might suspend him for the game tonight.”

Connor spun two colored, round rings in his hand and asked, “So, is Cassie OK with you going to the dance with Beth?”

Matthew removed what looked like hiking boots from the backpack and replied, “I don’t think she knows I am. I sure didn’t tell her.”

“You didn’t want to hurt her feelings?”

Matthew put the two brown hiking boots on his feet and shook his head. “I don’t wanna hurt her feelings, but I also don’t want her to get mad at me. Cassie and her brother are a wealth of information about the school and Travis.” Matthew pressed the tongue of the boot and observed a small array of light shoot out from the front of them.

Connor asked, “Is it some kind of laser boot? Can they cut down trees or slice steel?”

Matthew jumped up on his bed and pointed his feet to the edge. “Based on what Mr. Wainright wrote, I should be able to walk right off the end of the bed and just keep going without hitting the floor.”

Connor backed up from the end of the bed. “I’ve gotta see this; give it a try.”

Matthew took two steps on the bed and extended his leg. He was hesitant about taking the full step.

“Come on man, take the step. The worst that can happen is you fall three feet and bust your butt.”

Matthew took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He took a step of faith and then another. Connor, mouth wide open, clapped his hands. “You’re floating; that’s awesome!” Walter called them memory boots. The scanning ray that emitted from the boots allowed the wearer to continue along a path started on solid ground.

“Do you really think we’ll need something like that tonight?”

Matthew replied, “Probably not. We’ll leave these here, but we’ll take the snap rings.”

The boys heard the front door of the house open. “It’s Mom; quick, take off the boots and hide the backpack.” Matthew pressed the tongue of the boots and dropped the three feet to the floor of the boys’ room. He threw the boots into the backpack and put it under his bed. Connor threw him one of the two snap rings to put in his pocket. April entered the room and, like any other mom, knew something was up.

“What are you guys working on in here?” April had already told the boys not to mess with Walter’s gadget bag until she had gone through it herself. The boys determined that she was never going to go through the bag. If she did, she wouldn’t let them use anything she found. So far, the boys had found the memory boots and the snap rings.

The rings were no bigger than a ring for your finger but they could pack quite a punch. When used properly, the ring could be used to amplify the smallest sound to that of a sonic blast. Something as simple as a handclap or a snap of the fingers could create a blast strong enough to knock down a door. Both boys had a ring stashed in their pockets.

“We’re just trying to get ready for the dance. Where have you been?” asked Matthew.

April didn’t believe her son, but she let it go because she was so excited about the clothes stuffed in the shopping bags she carried. “I found some things for both of you for the dance tonight and a lovely dress for myself.” April was excited and chatted about all the different types of clothes she had found. “The colors, boys—you just wouldn’t believe all of the beautiful colors of cloth that the stores have.”

The boys pulled out their new shirts and pants and put them on the bed. “Matthew, I bought you some black dress pants and a classic white button-up shirt. I think you look good in black and white.” She held the shirt up to Matthew and smiled.

“For you, Connor, I went with these tan pants and a bright blue shirt. The blue will bring out the color in your eyes.” She held the shirt up to Connor and turned him to the long mirror located at the side of the bed. “Don’t you look handsome!”

The boys both looked into a third bag lying on the bed and Connor asked, “What are these things?” He held up a long, but thin, leathery looking rope and April clapped her hands in excitement.

“That is the part that will bring both of your outfits together boys. That’s what the lady at the store said.” She walked over to Connor and placed the leathery strap over his neck and said, “They call it a bola tie.” Matthew laughed at his brother, but stopped when he realized that his own bola tie was being pulled from the bag. April’s eyes began to water and she turned to a fourth bag.

“These new socks and shoes will really finish off the look. You’ll look just like the mannequins in the store window. Now go ahead and get ready. I need to do my hair and put my dress on.” She walked from the boys’ room and yelled back, “We leave in an hour.”

Connor and Matthew changed clothes and discussed the strategy for the night. Matthew was the only one actually strategizing. “We have to remember to stay close to each other tonight. If we get separated, that’s gonna be the perfect time for Trey and his buddies to pounce on one of us.” Connor buttoned his bright blue shirt and his mind drifted into another world.

“Do you think Amanda will kiss me good-night? I would think after we dance for a while and I show her how much fun I am, she’ll want to kiss me good-night.”

Matthew realized that his brother wasn’t paying attention to him and threw out a ridiculous thought. “Maybe you could run off and marry her right after the dance. That way, she’ll almost be sure to give you the attribute charm.”

Connor picked up on the sarcasm and replied, “I really don’t think she’ll be ready for marriage after just one date, do you?”

Matthew smacked his brother on the head and said, “No, you idiot, but I think if we aren’t careful, Amanda’s gonna think we’re both stupid and we’re never going to get that charm from her. You need to remember why we’re here.”

Connor poked his head out of their door and said, “I think April’s getting sucked into this place. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her so happy.”

Matthew agreed, but got back to business. “Like I was saying, we need to stay close to each other tonight.”

Connor shook his head. “I have one of the snap rings and you have the watch; we’ll be fine.”

Matthew looked at the second button from the top of his watch and said, “I’ve never even tried this thing. It may not even work.”

Connor closed the bedroom door and stood in front of Matthew. “There’s only one way to find out; let’s try it.” Connor pulled his hand back and said, “I’m gonna hit you square in the nose unless you use that watch to stop me.”

Matthew begged his brother, “I don’t think we should do this. We’ll just try it out if we need it.”

Connor began the countdown, “Three, two, one.” Connor’s fist came flying toward Matthew’s face and Matthew reacted to it. He touched the second button from the top of his watch and placed the watch between Connor’s fist and his own face.

A resounding thud resonated as Connor was flung back into the boys’ closet. Books and papers fell onto Connor’s head as Matthew rushed over. “Are you all right?”

Connor wobbled his head and stood up. “Well, that seems to work just fine.”

That button was known as the reflector. Based on what Walter described, it would deflect or project back any force that it came into contact with. The force of Connor’s punch was deflected by the watch, and that force propelled Connor back into the closet. “That’s a really cool button.”

Matthew responded, “The only bad thing is how long it lasts. Walter says that it can only stay activated for a couple of minutes, and when it dies, it takes half an hour to recharge.”

The boys cleaned up what they could in their room and started to the car for the short trip to school. April heard on the radio that the football game was over, so the dance should be starting shortly. April called to the boys, “Load up!” The boys saw their mother for the first time in her new dress and were amazed.

April Chance emerged from her home wearing a blue silk dress that only came down to her knees, with a small slit up the side. Sparkly blue high-heeled shoes and a plethora of jewelry finished out the look. Connor was the first to speak. “Wow, I didn’t know you could wear something like that, Mom.”

Matthew asked, “What is that on your shoulders?”

April explained that they were shoulder pads. “This is popular in this time and I want to make sure I fit in.”

Connor asked, “What about the shoes? Can you even walk in them?”

April looked down and explained, “I have been practicing for the last hour in my room. The lady at the store said that I needed them. She said that you have to make sacrifices for beauty.”

Matthew chuckled. “I guess your gigantic teased-up hair was the lady at the store’s idea, too.” April walked to the driver’s-side door. She could feel the sarcasm that oozed from her boys.

“You both shut up and let’s go.” The boys climbed into the car and they were off. They only stopped on the way twice for April to readjust her shoulder pads. The boys made a joke about her using their football equipment next time.

They reached the school and several kids had already streamed into the gym. It was a gorgeous fall evening in West Tennessee. A full moon lit up the night sky and a slight nip of falling temperatures was felt on the tip of their noses.

April dropped the boys off and they strolled to the front door and waited on their dates. April parked the car and realized that her new shoes were not a good option for walking long distances. She made her way into the gym and staggered toward the chaperone corner at the far end of the building.

The boys studied their peers while they waited on their dates. They wanted to know how they were walking, talking, and acting with their dates. One of the juniors had his arm around his date. One of the seniors had his tongue down his date’s throat. One of the freshmen looked scared to look his date in the eye. Matthew and Connor had never been to anything like this and they would have to learn on the fly.

Since both Amanda and Beth were cheerleaders, Matthew and Connor expected them to be two of the last to show up, but that turned out not to be the case. They got their first glimpse of the girls walking up the sidewalk and began to panic. “What do we say?” They both turned around and acted as if they hadn’t seen them.

“So, are you two ready to tear up the dance floor?” asked Amanda. The boys turned to see Amanda Curry and Beth Perry standing in front of them, their cuteness on display.

Connor stumbled as he tried to reply. “Sure…we…can…tear the floor up…if you want.”

Amanda looked to Matthew. “What about you? Excited for your first ever Eastview Fall Fling dance?”

The four of them looked odd standing with each other. Connor was eye to eye with his date, due to her high-heeled boots. Matthew was a good two inches shorter than his date, due to her high-heeled boots.

Matthew looked to Beth, who was wearing a tight white cotton dress, and replied, “Absolutely.” To be honest, Matthew had a hard time taking his eyes off of Amanda as they walked through the front door of the gym. He couldn’t believe that a girl could look that good in pink leg warmers. They shot out from under her neon miniskirt and baggy top.

Beth tapped Matthew on the shoulder and asked, “Are you not even listening to me?”

Matthew replied, “I’m sorry. Did you say something?”

She put her hands on her hips. “You didn’t even bother to get me a corsage?”

Matthew panicked and asked himself, “What’s a corsage?” Beth showed him the pretty ones on the other girls in the gym. “See, look at Brittany’s corsage; it’s beautiful.” Matthew apologized for the error and asked if she wanted any punch.

“I bet Austin would have gotten me a corsage. His mom always remembers those things.”

Speaking of moms, Matthew glanced over to April to see how she was doing with the rest of the chaperones. It seemed that April might have slightly overdressed for the occasion. The other parents and teachers wore blue jeans, track suits, and the occasional cotton dress. Her silk power dress and heels stuck out like a sore thumb with the rest of the adults. She stood to the side of a snack table and had not spoken to anyone. She was looking around the gym when she was startled by a wayward voice.