What They Left Behind

Ben hadn’t talked to Gennie since the day he announced his intentions to be Charlene’s Romeo. She was surprised he was still angry. Every other time he was mad at her he had gotten over it by the next day. She wasn’t too upset about it though. Once he finally came to his senses, he would forgive her.

  Page’s father picked them up from school on Monday in his pride and joy, a red 1957 King Midget Model III with a two person rumble seat. Page didn’t embarrass easily, but this did it for her. Though Gennie thought the car was cute and would have loved to have built one herself from a kit like Page’s dad did, she understood why Page was ashamed.

  Ben was about six feet behind them, walking down the school steps.

  “Hey Ben,” Gennie said. “You want to ride with us?”

  He shook his head, not even looking at her, and walked home.

  “More room for us,” Page said, jumping into the rumble seat.

  “Your brother doesn’t want to ride in the finest car ever built?” Page’s father shouted over the engine noise.

  “No, I’m afraid not, Mr. Goodman.”

  “What’s wrong with him?”

  “Charlene,” Gennie shouted back to him. He laughed in response.

  Page rolled her eyes. “Some people never learn. I hope he knows that he’ll have to take a number and wait behind the other thirteen hundred guys at this school that are after her.”

  “He knows that, but he just doesn’t want to believe it.”

  “Boys are so weird,” Page replied. “Danny is after her too.”

  “So who do you think Charlene would pick if she only had Danny or Ben to choose from?”

  “Ben would definitely win. He doesn’t have massive zits or braces.”

  “Your brother is really tall for his age though. I think Charlene is probably about five foot ten and Ben is only five eight. Do you think that would make a difference?”

  “I doubt it. Your brother wins when it comes to everything else.”

  “I’ve got to ask him how the tryouts went,” Gennie said.

  “Do you think he’ll talk to you?”

  “He has to,” Gennie replied.

  “Hi, I’m home!” she said when she arrived at her house a few minutes later.

  “Hi,” Malcolm said. When she went upstairs, she saw he was watching TV in his reclining chair.

  “How was your day?” Gennie asked.

  “Getting more insane by the minute,” he replied tiredly. “I spent six hours in the basement going through shoeboxes of receipts and filling out tax forms. I’ve got about ten done so far…with about five hundred more to go. How was school?”

  “Boring,” Gennie replied. “Did Ben come home yet?”

  “Not yet. He should be here any minute now, though.”

  Gennie watched TV until she heard the front door open. She ran to the foot of the stairs.

  “Ben, I forgot to ask,” she called downstairs. “How did tryouts go?”

  Ben said nothing. He just took his coat off, put it on a hook and walked upstairs as if she wasn’t even there.

  “Did you hear what I said?” she asked him.

  He didn’t answer at all; he simply walked right past her and down the hallway, shutting his bedroom door behind him.

  She took her books to her room then knocked on Ben’s door.

  “Can I come in?” Gennie asked. “I have to ask you something.”

  She heard Ben’s bed creak. He opened the door and stepped out. She could tell he was very annoyed, even though he wasn’t looking at her.

  “I was wondering how the audition went.”

  She didn’t think he was going to answer but he did. “They didn’t say anything, but I think it went pretty good.”

  “How many other people were there?”

  “About a hundred or so. I would say thirty guys were trying out for Romeo.”

  “I’m surprised it wasn’t more. When will they tell you if you have the part or not?”

  “Probably by Friday they should know who is going to be Romeo.”

  “Break a leg,” Gennie said in jest.

  Ben didn’t laugh. He gave her a dirty look then returned to his room. Gennie heard him turn up his radio and settle back into bed.

  “Whatever,” she replied to the shut door. She went back into her room to do some reading.

  Chapter 16: February 11