I borrowed a top from Alice that was as daring as I dared to be. "Um," she said, "I don't know if you're old enough for that top, but one thing I do know for sure: if you're going to wear it, you have to take a jacket, so you can close it up. You need the option."

Rules Are Rules
38. The Sports Deal
copyright © 2006, 2007 Kaleigh Way; All Rights Reserved

 

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Part 38
 
I stayed at Alice's on Saturday night. She looked good, and she said she felt a lot better. Not happy, but not under the cloud like before.

She told me, "It's been nice having you here, and in some ways I wish you could stay forever, but I have to start sleeping alone sooner or later. Tonight, why don't you and Denise go sleep in your own beds. I'll be okay."

Then she gave me a big, big, back-breaking hug and said, "I really love you for being here when I needed you!"

While I was packing my stuff, Jerry called to invite me to the mall. I asked Alice if she was sure she'd be alright.

"Go, take off!" she replied. "I'll be fine. I'm a big girl. Not a tall girl, but a big girl."

"I can come," I said into the phone. "How are we going to get there?"

"My mother's going to drive us. Don't worry, though: she has to get Nina some shoes and clothes and stuff, so you and I can go around by ourselves."

"Okay," I agreed. "And I have a surprise for you!" Afterward I wondered whether it was a good idea to say that, but I couldn't take it back, and I did want to show my assets off to somebody besides Dr. Monroe.

I borrowed a top from Alice that was as daring as I dared to be. "Um," she said, "I don't know if you're really old enough to wear that top, but one thing I do know for sure: if you're going to wear it, you have to take a jacket, so you can close it up. You need the option."

The jacket was zipped up when Jerry rang the bell. "What's the surprise?" he asked. The jacket was bulky, so you couldn't tell that anything was different about me.

"I'll show you when we get rid of your family," I replied, blushing. Now I was pretty sure I'd done a stupid thing. Oh, well. Live and learn.

Jerry sat in front with his mother and I sat in back with Nina, who was very glad to see me.

"Do you know what I'm doing today, Marcie?"

"No, what?"

"Getting my ears pierced! Does it hurt?"

"No."

"Really? Will you hold my hand while they do it?"

"Sure."

She talked for the rest of the trip about movies she'd seen, books she'd read, new dolls she got or wanted. All girly topics. Jerry sighed and looked out the window, tapping his fingers.

"Aren't you hot with that jacket on, Marcie?" Mrs. Auburn asked.

"No, I'm good," I said. I think she knew I was hiding something. It occurred to me that I should get a t-shirt or something at the mall, so she could see me with the jacket open later. It might be a good idea anyway.

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Nina was brave about the ear-piercing, and I gave her a big hug afterward. Mrs. Auburn kept looking at my jacket, so I decided that the first thing I had to do was buy a replacement shirt and put it on.

Jerry was waiting impatiently outside the jewelry store. I smiled at him and said, "I need to buy a top."

"Hell, no!" he said. "I've had enough girly stuff for one morning! Come on!" He took my hand and dragged me off to a sports store, where he spent a good hour looking at sneakers, baseball caps, and sports equipment. I tried to be interested, but I was pretty bored. I tried to talk with him, but he didn't hear me. He was so absorbed in the merchandise that he seemed to have forgotten me.

So I wandered off and found a girl who worked in the store. "Do you have any shirts for girls?" I asked.

"Anything in particular?" she asked.

"Um, just something to cover me up better." I patted my chest.

"Any team in particular?" she asked.

"Nope."

She laughed. "You're not a sports fan, are you?"

"Nope."

"Oh-kay-ee," she laughed. "Follow me!"

She showed me to a room in the back of the store that was full of shirts and caps. "These are baseball t-shirts," she said. "Women's on this side. You look like a small. And, uh, this one... if you don't care about teams, um..." she looked down the aisle at Jerry, to see what he was looking at. "Is he your boyfriend?" I nodded. "Then, um, how do you feel about black and orange?"

"Sounds like Halloween," I replied with a shrug.

Her eyes almost popped out of head. She said, "Oh-kay-ee," really slowly. I think she wanted to laugh, but I didn't see anything funny.

Then she reached past me, pulled a shirt off the rack, and put it in my hands. "How about this one? It'll go well with your eyes." She said the last part as if it were a joke, and I felt pretty sure she was putting me on, but I couldn't see how. In any case, I looked at the shirt and really liked it!

"Thanks," I said. "I'll take it." The t-shirt was a nice gray and blue, with a round neck and half-sleeves. She rang it up, and I shoved it in my purse. After another fifteen minutes, Jerry bought a pair of shoes and a baseball cap. The cap was black with orange letters on it. Honestly, it seemed like the ugliest one in the store, but he seemed excited about it.

When we got outside, he said, "Oh, hey, what was that surprise you had for me?"

"Oh, uh, okay," I said. "Now I feel really stupid."

There was an alcove between the sports store and the vitamin store. It looked like a good spot to show him. I pushed him into the alcove, past a big leafy plant, and opened my jacket, blushing (of course).

"Whoa!" he said. "Nice!" He grinned. "Can I touch?"

I hesitated for a moment, then said no.

I closed the jacket, and was about to zip it up, but he gently put his hands on mine. "Don't, don't," he said. He made an effort to look into my eyes, but his own eyes kept wandering down.

"Come on," he said. "Take the jacket off for a while. Let's go for some ice cream."

As we walked, I got a lot of looks from boys and men of all ages. It wasn't that my breasts were so big, it was just that the top really put them on display.

"I didn't know breasts could grow that fast," Jerry commented. "You didn't have those two weeks ago, did you?"

"Could you lower your voice?" I asked him. "I don't really want to talk about it."

While we were eating the ice cream, a big drip fell on my right breast. Jerry's eyes widened. "I can take care of that for you," he offered, smiling broadly.

"No, thanks, I got it," I said. I wiped the ice cream off with my index finger, then had to clean the sticky spot with a wet napkin. When I finished, I realized that I had a audience. I looked up at several sets of male eyes.

"Jerry, I have to go to the bathroom for a minute," I told him, and quickly made my way to a stall where I changed shirts. The new t-shirt was cute. It was a little tight, but not revealing at all. I felt a lot more comfortable. It reminded me that I needed some new bras, but I didn't think Jerry could handle that kind of shopping, and didn't know whether his mother would appreciate my bringing her son into the lingerie department.

On the other hand, Jerry might like it too much! In any case, I'd do it later without him.

When I walked up to our table, Jerry's jaw dropped. I could see the disappointment in his face. "You're kidding!" he said. "I can't believe it! You're kidding me!"

"I'm sorry, Jerry, but that other top was too revealing. It was embarrassing."

He scoffed. "I don't mean that," he said. "It's that Dodgers shirt. I never knew you were a Dodger fan."

"I'm not," I replied. "Is this a Dodgers shirt?" I looked down, and sure enough, the word "Dodgers" was printed on the shirt, just above my left breast.

"You didn't know!?" he exclaimed. "You didn't notice!?"

"No! Calm down! I just got it for the color! Is it really a problem for you?"

"If I buy you a Giants shirt, will you wear it?" he asked me.

"If it's that important to you, sure," I replied.

"Okay, wait here," he said, and he ran off, leaving me at the table. I watched his spoon shift slowly through his ice cream as it melted in the cup.

To tell the truth, I was a little miffed. I liked the shirt I bought, and had no idea what colors I'd just agreed to wear. I felt a little frustrated.

A chubby middle-aged man at the next table was chuckling to himself. "I'm sorry," he said to me. "I couldn't help overhear. If you don't mind my saying, that shirt does look very cute on you. They're nice colors."

"Thanks," I said. "Are you a Dodgers fan?"

"No," he said. "I couldn't care less about baseball."

"Me, neither. Hey, do you know what color the Giants wear, by any chance?"

"I'm guessing it's black and orange," he said. "Like your boyfriend's cap, right?"

"Oh," I said, and my face fell.

"Don't worry," he said. "You'll make it look good."

I had to smile at that, and he smiled back. "Ah, you've made my day," he said. "I better go while the sun is shining." And he left. He was nice, so I waved goodbye when he looked back.

After a long time Jerry returned, carrying a bag from the sports store. "Hey," he said. "Here is a shirt for you." He produced a black t-shirt with some orange letters over the chest. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

"Okay," I said, and looked at the size. It was a medium. "Jerry, it's way too big!" I looked at the cut. "And it's a man's shirt!"

"I thought you were a medium," he said.

I sighed. "We can go change it," I told him.

"Hmm," he said. "Do you mind going by yourself to do it? I don't want to walk with you while you wear that other shirt."

I was speechless for a moment. Then, in the spirit of compromise, I took out my jacket and put it on.

"Can you zip it up?" he asked.

"Are you serious?"

"Dead serious."

I looked at him for a moment. I was willing to make concessions, but I honestly felt he was going way too far. I know that I don't care about sports, but even taking that into consideration, I felt that he was making a big deal out of nothing.

"It isn't nothing," he said. "It's important to be true to your team."

"If I was a Dodgers fan, would you still want to go out with me?"

"It would be difficult," he said. "And anyway, you say Dodger fan, singular."

"I don't believe this!" I cried.

At the table behind Jerry, a big guy in a Giants cap was sitting with a little girl. He leaned back and touched Jerry on the shoulder. "Listen, man," he said. "Let her wear the shirt. It isn't worth it. Take it from me — I been married 25 years. And let me tell you: your wife doesn't need to be a Giants fan."

"She's not my wife," Jerry said in an irritated tone.

"She's not going to be your girlfriend either, if you don't back down on the shirt issue," the man said. Then he turned back to his food.

Jerry sat, stewing silently, fighting with himself, until finally he said, "Okay. Let's go change the shirt. Together. I'll get one for me in my size, then it will be clear. From now on, when you wear your Dodgers shirt, I'll wear my Giants shirt. Deal?"

I laughed and gave him a big hug.

"Good move, son," the man commented with a smile.

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To Be Continued...