(C) 2010 by rmsl 

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrival system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publishers, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a newspaper, magazine or journal.

A Reluctant Winner

Leigh Reynolds didn't talk to Cory again for three weeks.

Mr. Maragelloto ended their study of the Renaissance by announcing the annual Senior Poetry Contest would begin accepting entries tomorrow at first bell.

The winner would be announced over the P.A. system and have their name printed on the plaque above the door to the English Department. Names on that plaque went as far back as 1922.

But something told Cory that the present student body didn’t take it as seriously as the ones from years ago.

Cory knew he would win because Mr. Maragelloto had been the first teacher who actually loved his work. And he was the head judge. He told him once: “You write well, but you have to let your readers into your pain or happiness. If you keep at it like this, I see nothing that will stop you.” At first, this made Cory angry because it reminded him of what Leigh had told him about his writing and he found his annoyance with that girl grew everyday.

But once he got home from school the day Leigh stole his journal, his pencil flew across the page as if he was possessed. He didn’t hold anything back. He didn’t use any hidden messages or mysterious metaphors and even Mr. Foster would know who the girl in the poem was.

The only thing worrying him a little was that the winning poem was also read over the P.A. system and that would mean Kym would hear it. Or did it motivate him?

Leigh came up to his locker after English class. She wore brown pants and a brown shirt with short sleeves. She looked like a U.P.S. driver. Cory noticed how long her arms were as she wrapped her books close to her chest. She probably had a longer reach than a heavy weight boxer.

“You’re gonna enter the poetry contest, right?” she said.

“If nobody steals my entry,” Cory snapped.

Leigh laughed.

He stopped himself. He was treating her like so many others had treated him through the years. And she hadn’t really been mean to him. It was actually a compliment that she took his journal. His tone of voice towards her bothered him a little, but he couldn’t stand the way the girl looked at him. It was as if she could read his thoughts.

“Well, any one of your poems should win. Good luck.”

“Thanks.”

She walked away, towering over most of the girls. Except the basketball players. Cory wondered why Leigh didn’t play. She was definitely tall enough.

Cory stood at his locker. Kym and Joey were locked in a hug and he appeared to be talking sweetly into her ear. Kym blushed and turned away. They started going out at the end of junior year. Cory guessed the relationship wouldn’t have survived the summer but he was wrong.

When Carl Krachi came up behind Kym, Joey lowered his hands pretending to squeeze her butt. He winked at Carl and they both laughed silently. Kym caught him. She slapped his shoulder but didn’t look upset. Joey’s expression was one of exaggerated innocence.

When Cory walked by them he heard Kym say: “Oh, so you’re a player now, huh?” Cory didn’t hear any more of the conversation but he saw Kym giggling when he went into his second period class.

 

Cory’s schedule turned out to be worse than he ever imagined it to be. His ninth period was a study hall but it was with the cheerleaders, football players, and a group of chronic underachievers.

He tried everyday to not sit next to the cheerleaders but whatever he did they always managed to be an earshot away. The cheerleaders annoyed him, especially Gwen Leanetti. They sat there the whole period talking about boys and clothes and what they ate for the day: “Well, I heard if you eat only lettuce leaves your waist shrinks,” or “Danny Suchek smiled at me today,” or “I found the cutest skirt at Old Navy yesterday.”

It sickened him.

Some days he would tutor other students in math or explain what they were reading in English class to a group of students. But when they started Shakespeare, he wouldn’t be able to help. Shakespeare just confused him.

Tutoring made study hall bearable at times. He even helped some of the students in his physics class with the formulas they learned that day. Occasionally a football player or a cheerleader would ask for his help, but never Gwen.

Gwen Leanetti was Kym’s best friend. Cory was so glad when Kym quit cheerleading after sophomore year. But the girls had been friends since grade school so they still hung out all the time. She was really short with dark hair that curled up on the sides. Her hair made it look like she had a giant w on top of her head. And her tan skin almost made her look dirty at times, but it didn’t seem to bother any of the other boys chasing after her. Gwen seemed to have a new boyfriend every week.

But nothing would annoy him today. Today Mr. Maragelloto was announcing the winner of the poetry contest at the end of the period. He turned in his poem about Kym four days ago, right after first bell.

He felt his life would change after he won. He would show his parents how good of a writer he had become and he would spotlight Kym for the entire school. Maybe once she knew how well he could write, she would realize he wrote that poem back in eighth grade and not Billy Westbrook.

“Everyday we’re forced to look at that. I can’t believe how she dresses,” said Michelle.

“It’s disgusting.” Gwen put her finger in her mouth and gagged.

Cory didn’t like the fact Leigh took his journal and read it, but it annoyed him more that Gwen and her clones were making fun of her. Who cares if Leigh chose to wear clothes the color of animal barf or if her shorts were always cutoff sweat pants? Gwen looked like she worked in a chimney! Sometimes Cory felt that if Gwen was not Kym’s best friend, she might have felt differently about him.

The kicker was that Leigh could probably hear everything they said. She sat three desks over from Cory.

It seemed to him that everyday the seat Leigh chose ended up being closer to his than the day before. She had on tan shorts and a white shirt with a big, green dinosaur on the back. Cory guessed it was a free shirt from the zoo they would give you if you went on a special trip. Her shoes were white with bright red sections and her tan socks ended just above her anklebones.

He didn’t understand why she wanted to dress like crap, but Gwen’s rolling eyes and sighs irritated him much more. And the way the other cheerleaders unquestioningly followed her made it worse. He usually never paid any attention to the cheerleaders, lost in his writing, but today he could not keep from listening in.

He was about to tell Gwen to shut her mouth when static rung out of the P.A. system. Cory looked at the clock: 3:20. Announcements. He sat up in his desk and stared at the P.A. box like it was speaking directly to him.

The principal made her daily announcements. Glee club cancelled because Miss Timmonson was out; the cheerleaders were selling bakery in the north hall after school to raise money for new uniforms; reminders that the boys’ bathrooms had garbage cans in each of them and they were to be used; the football team had a meeting after school at 4:30 Lombardi time.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, get to it, get to it. Cory couldn’t take feeling so many emotions at once any longer. He only wanted to feel nervous about the next time he talked to Kym.

“And finally, we all know the seniors have been anticipating the winners of the poetry contest…”

Yeah, right! The noise in the room barely lowered when the announcements started except when they heard the word cheerleader or football.

“…Mr. Maragelloto…head judge…will announce your winners…”

For some reason, Cory caught a glimpse of Leigh. She was looking down at her desk. She appeared to be worried or nervous. When Mr. Maragelloto announced the second runner-up, she glanced up at Cory with an air of relief. For a brief moment, Cory thought her big brown eyes were actually rather pretty.

“First runner-up, Cory Sutton with Everlasting Kiss.”

His heart broke.

Was it real? If he thought the shock of losing would crumble every bone in his body or the fact that once again Kym wouldn’t hear one of his poems written for her, when he heard the winner he felt as if they would turn to dust.

Mr. Maragelloto’s voice was clear and sharp: “Leigh Ann Reynolds with The Perfect Blue.”

Cory stared at the P.A. box as if more were to come, that Mr. Maragelloto had made a mistake, the real winner was…

Leigh choked when she heard her name. She paid no attention to her poem being read to the whole school or the cheerleaders who were still talking about her wardrobe. She only turned quickly in her seat and looked at Cory. He thought she looked horrified.

The final bell sounded.

“Those shorts are so shab. If it wasn’t for the stringy long hair, I’d think she was a boy,” Gwen said, as Cory passed her on his way out of the classroom.

Cory didn’t know what came over him. He felt as if somebody had taken control over his brain. An hour later, he didn’t even remember what he said to Gwen.

“At least intelligence isn’t measured by what you wear because if it was, your I.Q. would match your bra size.”

He didn’t wait for a reply. He knew Gwen would tell Kym what he said, but for some reason it didn’t matter then. Maybe he was going crazy? Sticking up for someone you thought was less annoying than someone else who crushed your dreams and plans in an instant…none of it made sense to him…his head hurt.

Out in the hallway, Leigh tried to catch up to him. For a few seconds the students flooding the hallway slowed Cory’s quick trot to a brisk walk and she managed to keep pace for a few feet.

“I didn’t mean—I only had to—Thanks.”

The mass of bodies cleared a path. Cory shot through it like a hard hit grounder through a hole at short, books clutched under his right arm and his head down. Leigh fell behind.

 

The gym was storming with students waiting for rides and hanging out. During football season the gym wasn’t used for much except Drama Club. It had a small foyer that lead directly outside of the school. Boys were kissing girls, boys were chasing and hitting each other, girls were standing and watching the boys—It was a zoo without keepers.

Cory didn’t know what led him there. Probably to avoid seeing Leigh. But also it was where Bobby and Kevin hung out after school and he wanted to leave. He needed to go home.

“Congratulations, Cory.”

He started to shrug but when he realized it was Kym he forced a smile and said thanks.

“I didn’t know you still wrote,” she said, flashing him a smile that turned his insides into spaghetti…with meatballs. She had on a light blue tank top with super thin straps and a pair of tan shorts cuffed at the bottom. Her light blue flip-flops quacked as she came closer. “I remember that one story…about the little girl. Didn’t you win something for that a couple years back?”

“You remember that?” His knees shook and his eyes darted from her plump, moist lips and her smooth neck.

“Sure. But I guess you’re at it again, aren’t you?”

He loved it when she flirted with him. Her ample cheeks would blush and her eyes seemed so inviting.

He also knew it meant they would be spending time together soon or talking on the phone later. This improved his mood a little. Kym didn’t ask him for anything—money, notes from class, or even to run silly errands—but she did seek him out as a pseudo-confidant. She didn’t really let him in to what truly troubled her but she did seem to enjoy him trying to find out.

Kym put her hand on her waist as if she was waiting for something. Her right hip pointed in the opposite position than her left side and her shoulders curled inward towards her chest. Cory realized later that she probably was waiting for him to show her the poem or tell her about it. But he was an idiot. And he knew she would probably not mention it again.

No, he wasn’t an idiot…he was a frightened little child. Why couldn’t he just give her the poem? Maybe if she wasn’t dating Joey. He knew Joey was harmless, but he did hold it against him that he dated Kym. And she seemed so happy with him. Cory liked it when Kym smiled.

“Kym, let’s go. I gotta pick up my lil’ brother.”

Joey came over.

Too late now.

As Joey walked away Kym looked at Cory. “Call me later, okay?”

“Sure.”

Cory sat down on a bleacher. He sighed and looked around the gym for Bobby or Kevin. He spotted Kelly’s ponytail whipping at her back. Within seconds he found Bobby and headed over to them.

Even though he lost the poetry contest, Kym lifted his spirits. Taking their walks or talking on the phone made Cory feel special. As if she showed him a part of herself that she didn’t show to anyone else. It felt like they shared a secret that Bobby or Kevin or even Gwen would never know. He knew Joey didn’t like the fact they were friends. This cheered him up even more.

As he waited for Kevin he noticed Leigh on the stage staring at him. Well, she tried to not make it so obvious but he could tell she was staring at him. She turned knobs and positioned spotlights on the stage. Cory felt her eyes on him like he had so many other times. This time it didn’t bother him. Even though she won the contest, he almost felt sorry for her.

Her big, brown eyes looked sad and her mouth was formed as if she was mad at herself for something.

Just as Kevin came out of the bathroom, Cory thought she was going to come down off the stage to talk to him again. He almost went up to her.