Chapter Two
“Who are you kidding, Jacob, you’re too much of a chicken shit to ask Tammy out,” said Eric, a broad shit-eating grin upon his face. The others just laughed.
“Fuck you,” said Jacob. He didn’t know what to say, but knew that a simple, “Fuck you”, was the standard and expected response to a mocking, and he had no doubt that right now he was being mocked, and simply because he had said he found Tammy Books pretty. Eric, his twin brother Ernie, along with Drew, Stanley and Ryan laughed at his response.
“I don’t see you asking anyone to the dance,” added Jacob in his own defense.
“That’s because I like to keep my options open,” said Eric, flipping through a copy of Heavy Metal magazine. They were in ‘The Fort’, their unimaginative name for their hangout built in the woods not too far from their homes.
“Options for what?” said Ryan, “to go home and play with yourself?”
Laughter, once again, from everyone.
“Fuck you,” said Eric. Jacob smiled – it was a great go-to reply.
“Why don’t you ask her out?” asked Stanley.
Stanley’s question was not mocking like Eric’s, but instead seemed to be an honest question.
“I don’t know,” said Jacob, weakly.
It was not much of an answer, but it was the best they were going to get, and, for the most part, everyone was willing to accept it without further elaboration. They had known each other for just over four years, when Jacob and his mother had moved to Fergus, after she had left his Father, having decided that fighting every day was not doing anything for either of them. All the others had known one another since they were young kids, but despite that, had accepted him into their group, and over the years they had developed their own shorthand in how to communicate with one another, and leaving a question with as vague an answer as, “I don’t know,” was perfectly acceptable amongst them.
How he had gotten in the hot seat, Jacob had no idea. Drew had been flipping through a Batman graphic novel (they had a vast assortment of reading material stashed at The Fort), and as usual, and of late, talk had turned to girls they knew, with Drew just randomly asking if the guys thought any of them were sexy? They had no idea an anatomically unrealistic drawing of Poison Ivy in the pages of the Batman comic had encouraged the question.
Eric, who tended towards the negative, said no, and without thinking, Jacob had stated he thought Tammy Books was quite cute and could be viewed as sexy. This had brought the conversation to a halt briefly. Tammy Books was 14 like them, and as Eric pointed out, nowhere in league with the women they saw in the various entertainment and music magazines they looked through. Before Jacob could say anything in his defense, Eric, the ringleader amongst them when it came to poking fun at another’s expense, had decided Jacob had professed a deep love for Tammy Books, and set about mocking him for his interest.
Truth be told, Jacob had always been interested in Tammy; it was not long after starting school in Fergus that he had noticed her. She was pretty; she had long brown hair and a cute face that often sported an engaging, friendly smile. Of course, he had made sure, over the years to keep his interest in Tammy a secret, knowing that if the others knew, he would never live it down and they would make his life a living hell. What he did not know was that each of his friends, in their turn had also noticed Tammy, and had all, at one time or another, had a crush on her.
There were a lot of actresses he and his friends spent a lot of time talking about – actresses they found sexy and had crushes on, but those were unrealistic crushes and Jacob knew that. Tammy was different. He did not look at her in the same way as she was not some fantasy women to him. Tammy was real, and when he thought of her, he merely thought of spending time with her – maybe being her friend, or at least having her pay attention to him. Just her acknowledging him as someone special in her life, would be enough to thrill him. He had known Tammy before puberty and had seen her develop. Now, her clothes seemed to fit differently, and in a more appealing way; she had stopped looking like a girl and started developing more womanly attributes – although at 14, he knew she was not a woman, not an adult quite yet, even though they liked to fool themselves that at 14 they were as mature and worldly as adults. She was not the only one either, her group of friends had started developing into young women as well – they could not help noticing. Tammy, however, was the girl who caught and sparked his imagination. She was the one he wanted to spend time with but knew he would not, as he was too cowardly to approach her.
There was a school dance coming up, and it would be a perfect time for him to make his move and ask her out, but the thought terrified him. To ask her out, he would have to put himself out on a limb – and a very thin limb at that. He would have to approach her and ask her out – ask her to the dance! Just by doing that, he would be broadcasting to her, and anyone who found out that he liked her. He had no idea if she liked him! What if she just laughed in his face because she thought he was a loser? Girls had it easy. They just had to wait for the guy to make his move, and then they had the option of saying either ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. If they said ‘Yes’, they at least knew the guy liked them – no risk for embarrassment. If they did not like the guy, they got to say ‘No’ and not face rejection. There were just so many landmines involved in asking a girl out, including the potential for great embarrassment, so Jacob knew his safest course of action was to do nothing. Besides, he and his friends were in grade nine, they were the school’s ‘Minor Niners’ picked on by all the guys in the older grades. In terms of the high school food chain, they were at the bottom, totally insignificant and unimportant. Surely one of these older students was going to notice Tammy and ask her out; as an attractive young girl, she was less likely to be seen as a ‘Minor Niner’ and a target, but accepted. And, if Tammy had the chance to go out with someone in grade ten or up, why would she pay any attention to him, a Minor Niner?
As much as he liked Tammy, Jacob was pretty sure he was not about to do anything about it, and knew that in the future, he would have to be careful about what he said about her in front of his idiot friends.
“I have to admit, it’s pretty good,” said Stanley, “I didn’t think I’d like it. Nothing like the movie, though. Those twins really freaked the hell out of me.”
“It’s one of his best,” said Jacob, “My favorite.”
“What are you reading now?” asked Stanley.
“I’m thinking about starting It,” said Jacob, “but it is over 1,000 pages. Kinda intimidating. It will make The Shining look like a walk in the park.”
Jacob and Stanley continued along, walking, and talking and pushing their bikes. The others had broken off from them to go their own way home, Jacob, and Stanley the two who lived the closest to one another. Jacob always enjoyed this time; as close as he was to his small group of friends, the only one he could really talk to – at least without posturing to look cool – was Stanley. They seemed to have the most in common; they were also the only two in their group who seemed to enjoy reading – reading books. Music was a common denominator, and they all had an opinion about it, but reading, other than the mandatory book reading that was required in school, just was not something everyone appreciated, especially when TV, cable, videos and video games were available to take up any extra time they might have.
“It may be over 1,000 pages, but it isn’t the John Jakes Bicentennial series,” said Stanley. “It starts off with the American Revolution, following the Kent family and continues on through American history. The books are long. I’m on the fifth book, The Titans. Worked my way all the way up to the Civil War.”
“American history,” said Jacob, displeasure in his voice. “Sounds like a drag.”
“It’s not high school shit,” said Stanley, “this stuff is actually very interesting, and he doesn’t shy away from sex. I’ve come across some dirty passages”
“Has to keep that Kent family going, I guess, huh?” said Jacob.
They walked on for a little bit in silence, both lost in their own thoughts.
“You know, I know Eric was teasing you, but maybe you should do it, you know, ask Tammy out,” said Stanley.
“Not you too,” said Jacob.
“No, not to break your balls or anything like that,” said Stanley, “but, c’mon, don’t tell me you don’t like her, wouldn’t want to go out with her if you had a chance?”
“Yeah,” said Jacob after a moment, “I guess she’s cute.”
With the others he wouldn’t admit this, but with Stanley it was okay. He knew Stanley was not talking about Tammy to put him on the spot or try and embarrass him, but as a friend without any agenda.
“Everyone thinks she’s cute,” said Stanley. “I think she’s cute.”
“Then why don’t you ask her out yourself?” asked Jacob.
“Bro code, dude,” said Stanley, smiling, “I know you like her. Can’t do it. You have dibs.”
“Nice save, asshole.”
Stanley just smiled. “I still think you should do it,” he said. “It would definitely shut up those other guys.”
“So would a punch in the face,” said Jacob.
Silence again.
“So, let’s say you got up the nerve and asked her out,” said Stanley, breaking the silence, “you guys went to the dance, and then you went out a couple more times, and then she said she wanted to go all the way, could you do it?”
“What?” said Jacob.
“Sex,” said Stanley, “could you do it?”
“Sex? Holy cow, I don’t know,” said Jacob.
“We talk a lot about it, bragging and what not,” said Stanley, “but I don’t know. I haven’t even kissed a girl, not properly and that is scary enough, but sex?”
Jacob just looked at Stanley; he seemed to still be processing his thoughts.
“It doesn’t seem real,” continued Stanley. “I mean sex. That’s stuff you read about in John Jakes books, I guess.”
“I don’t know either,” said Jacob, “but think of it, you’re here, so your parents have done it. Your parents do it. Ha, ha, they do it, buddy.”
Jacob could not help laughing.
“Your parent’s too,” said Stanley.
“My Mom’s single,” said Jacob, a big smile on his face.
“Then at some point in the past she had to do it,” said Stanley. “Who knows maybe she still does it. Maybe she’s seeing someone you don’t know about.”
Jacob laughed. “Naw, she’s too old; too old to be doing stuff like that.”
“My parent’s too,” said Stanley, “Jeez, the thought is disgusting.”
One of their favorite pastimes was trying to gross the other out and suggesting that their parents did things, like having sex, dancing, and so on, that each of them knew their stuffy, older parents could never have done, or would never do, usually grossed them out the most.
“Anyway, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow,” said Stanley as they reached his street. “I don’t know, but I’d ask her out,” he said as he started walking away, “might prove once and for all that you’re not the pussy we all think you are.”
“Fuck you,” said Jacob, as he heard Stanley laugh.
He could not understand how the onus was on him to ask a girl out, while none of his other friends were ragging one another out about doing the same.
Jacob continued along. It had been a good day, hanging out with friends, bullshitting one another, just enjoying life and being young. Saturdays like this were great, away from the prying eyes and rules of their parents, who always seemed to disapprove of what they were up to, or seemingly appeared to disapprove. Jacob never understood that; there was not much to do in Fergus unless you were able to manufacture your own fun, and it was not like they ever got up to anything illegal. Parents, he realized, were just too controlling; maybe it was something that just happened to you when you got older and forgot what it was like to be young.
Jacob considered his evening. He had decided he might just crack open It and give it a look. He was a huge Stephen King fan, and it was not like The Stand had not been a reading commitment based on its length, and he had enjoyed it, yet nevertheless, as much as he enjoyed reading Stephen King, a novel over 1,000 pages long somehow seemed insurmountable. At the same time, he had his issues with U2’s Pop. It just wasn’t right; they were brilliant musicians with one hell of music catalogue to their name, but now there was their latest. He knew he had to play it again and again, try and figure out what was good about it that he could not readily see. U2 could never lead him astray, so he figured it was just him; he did not understand what they were trying to do and say with Pop, so the onus was on him. Even though he was reluctant to, he knew he had to play it again and listen carefully, figure out where the brilliance lay; that way when his friends teased him about U2, and their crap new album, which they had all ready started to do, he could put them in their place, well, all accept Stanley, of course, he was still infatuated with The Spice Girls – he was a hopeless case. He’d listen to Pop, but maybe first put on The Joshua Tree, to help prep him for the experience.
As Jacob set about planning his evening, once again that sense of being watched suddenly took hold. He had been walking the few blocks from Stanley’s Street to his, and had been deep in thought, so at first he had not noticed it, parked way up the street, but definitely parked, and pointed in his direction – the pick-up truck! The brown, dirty and grimy pick-up truck he was sure was parked and watching him when he was in the diner the other day.
Jacob stopped.
He was at his street, and the pick-up was parked a few more streets down. Once again, he could sense a presence in the front seat, staring out the equally dirty front windshield, staring at him!
Or was he just being paranoid?
Jacob stopped in his tracks and took a couple of seconds to stare down the street at the pick-up truck. The fact it was there, bothered him. He had no idea whose vehicle it was. What he did know was it seemed out of place somehow, and it could not be a coincidence he was seeing it again and experiencing they same dreaded feeling of being watched. He had never seen it before, and now he had seen it twice, and in direct proximity to him. There was something creepy about it also – or maybe he had read far too many Stephen King novels?
Jacob stared at the pick-up truck, debating his options. He could simply turn down his street and head for home, ignoring it, or he could head for the pick-up truck and confront whoever was sitting in the front seat – find out what the hell they were up to. As bold as he thought he was, there was also an underlying fear. Right now, not knowing anything, the pick-up was sinister and unnerving.
What if trouble was sitting in its front seat?
Jacob was torn from his thoughts as the pick-up once again roared to life; it definitely needed a tune-up. Whoever was behind the wheel was not someone who cared a great deal for their vehicle’s care and maintenance. There was something about the sound of the struggling engine that sent a slight chill down his back and helped him make his decision; without further hesitation, Jacob turned down his street and started making his way towards home. He suddenly felt like he desperately wanted to be home and the safety it provided.
“You’re being ridiculous,” he scowled himself, as he continued pushing his bike, resisting the urge to jump on it and pedal like hell, home. They lived towards the end of the street – why did they live at the end of the street?!
It was then he heard the labored the renewed growls of the pick-ups motor. Jacob turned and looked back down the street. The pick-up had moved forward, but had slowed down, as it came to the end of his street, as if the driver was taking a long, hard look down it, and at him, before picking up speed and disappearing. Jacob hopped on his bike and began pedaling with purpose towards home, and, he hoped, safety. Today paranoia would win the day.