Discovering Taryn: Chapter One

*** CHAPTER 1 ***

Rendezvous: rahn-duh-vooz—meaning an agreement between two or more persons to meet at a certain time or place; a favorite gathering place.

Levi tapped his forehead on the wooden computer desk that sat firmly situated in the family’s living room. The house was quiet and empty, much like his brain. He tapped his forehead harder this time, hoping that it might dislodge some thought or series of thoughts that would inspire this paper he was writing. Hold that, he was trying to write.

No one said his junior year of high school would be such a time suck. All he was supposed to be doing was football, helping his granddad out after school at his shop and then going home to finish whatever chores his dad had for him. School homework had never entered the equation anywhere. Levi sat back in the leather office chair and leaned his neck against the padding. He watched the ceiling fan whirl around in a mindless circle. He wondered what it would be like to be a ceiling fan. He continued to watch the paddles go around and around.

“Stop that.” He grouched to himself as he righted his body in the chair. The computer screen still glowed with the single dictionary definition he had searched an hour ago. Levi selected the tab on the open internet window and looked back at the definition. Rendezvous comes from the French.

“Great! That would explain the spelling.” Levi rubbed his hands over his eyes and tried to focus on the screen. He felt so stupid. It wasn’t a feeling he was familiar with or cared for in any situation. School had never seemed this hard before. He stared at the screen. His mind wandered to the friends in his class. Maybe he should call them? Clayton and Charlie wouldn’t understand. They scraped by. Probably the only reason they were in school anyway was the fact that they played football every Friday night. No—Clayton and Charlie were out. What about Jamie or Paul? Levi thought about it for a second before dismissing those options too. Jamie would be too busy as he was with most things and Paul would make fun of Levi for putting this paper off until the week before it was due. Mrs. Landon had been pretty clear with her instructions the first day of History class. She had given them three weeks to put together a topic that meant something to them and then they were to research and write about it. As classes go, Levi had never had to try very hard. The subjects came easily as well as the grades. He wasn’t a straight A student but he got by in the mid-range.

“How long have you been sitting here?” Jake, Levi’s dad must have entered the house without him knowing, because the sound of his voice made his son jump. Levi tossed a dirty look at him and then looked back at the blasted screen.

“Too long!” Levi grumbled, shaking his head in frustration. His dad pressed his lips together and took his reading glasses off his shirt to perch them on his nose. Coming closer, Jake Kodallas looked over his son’s shoulder to see the computer screen lit up with very little typed on the page.

“Rendezvous, huh? I guess I don’t understand.” Jake took his glasses back off and stuck them back into his pocket. Levi hit save on the document and closed the laptop.

“It’s a paper for History class, but now I can’t think of anything to write.” Levi got up from his chair, his eyes level with his dad’s. Last summer he had sprung up and wasn’t the short, scrawny boy he had been his sophomore year. Now he was bigger, faster, and stronger. His football teammates finally respected him too. Still the growth spurt didn’t get his History paper written.

“What’s the topic?” Jake asked as he walked into the kitchen to unpack the grocery bags he had carried inside the house. Levi followed him. He started unpacking a brown paper bag of pasta and sauce.

“A land formation that isn’t well known, but means something to us personally.” Levi recited Mrs. Landon’s words scrawled out on the white dry erase board. His dad took out the fresh fruit and piled the oranges and apples into the bowl on the counter. Levi looked at the green and blue ceramic bowl in the center of the island. It was his mother’s bowl. It never moved from its spot unless it was being washed and even then, it was quickly returned. Levi folded up his paper bag.

“It’s an interesting topic. What did you choose?” Jake opened the cupboard door above the stove and lined up the pasta boxes face out so they were easy to read. Each space was filled before the door closed again. Levi started to unpack another bag.

“Robidoux Pass is what I chose, but I’m thinking it was a mistake.” Levi huffed as he folded up another bag. His dad stopped and looked at him.

“You should talk to your granddad. He could help you with your paper.” Jake looked at the clock on the stove. “In fact, he should be home soon. Why don’t you wash up for dinner and I’ll throw the pizza in the oven.”

“Sure.” Levi nodded sullenly and left the kitchen. As he went up the stairs to wash up, Levi wondered if he should even tell his dad that he thought his granddad was a bit crazy. Age did that to people. With age comes wisdom. Levi shook his head. It was more like “with wisdom comes age.”

Opening the bathroom door, Levi turned on the tap and pumped soap into his hands. He loved his granddad and he respected him. They didn’t talk much about the future and Levi didn’t want to hear about the past. So it really left them with little to say that either wanted to hear. Levi thought it must be a generation thing.

He finished washing his hands. Taking a few minutes to stop by his bedroom, Levi looked at his cell phone on the dresser. He had one missed call and he smiled when he saw who it was. He hit the dial button and waited as it rang.

“Hey! I tried calling you.” Alex Thornton was his best friend and Levi smiled at the attitude Alex was throwing around.

“I was downstairs working on my paper.” Levi hit the speaker button and sat the phone on his dresser again. Gripping the bottom of his t-shirt, he pulled it over his head and tossed it in the hamper. It nearly missed as it bounced on the side of it.

“You haven’t finished that yet? It’s due like soon.” Alex was surprised by the hesitation. It just wasn’t like Levi to put everything off. Suddenly it felt like the most normal thing to do.

“Man, I don’t even know what to say. I just sit there staring at that screen hoping it might write itself.” Levi shook his head and pulled a clean shirt from his closet.

“If you don’t get it done, you’ll be off the team. You know Coach won’t let you play.” Alex warned, as if Levi actually needed that reminder. All he ever wanted to do was play football and now that he could, he wasn’t about to mess it up. He just needed to find someone to help him.

“Do you know anyone?” Levi asked, his heart racing at even considering what he was contemplating. There was a stretch of silence on the phone before Alex came back on. Levi grabbed his phone and punched off the speaker button. He would be dead meat if his dad heard this conversation.

“Listen, you could get into some big trouble if you get caught.” Alex was always a good friend, but obviously he had forgotten who had taken him home a few months ago when he’d had a few too many beers to drive. Besides that his parents would have kicked his sorry butt for it.

“Do you know anyone or not, Alex?” Levi asked impatiently and he heard his friend sigh.

“Check with Laurie Barnett. I’ve heard she’s really good and fast if the price is right.”

“You mean I have to pay her?” Levi asked, stunned that he hadn’t even thought about money. Of course that would make sense, but he didn’t have any money. He certainly couldn’t tell his dad that he needed money in order for someone to write his history paper.

“And people call me the slow one.” Alex was probably rolling his eyes right now. Levi laughed with an uneasy humor.

“I just hadn’t thought about it. That’s all. I’ll talk to her tomorrow at school.” Levi played it off. He was the master of cool. He could do it.

Levi Kodallas waited outside of Laurie Barnett’s locker after fourth period. His stomach was knotting and unknotting itself as he watched other kids walk by.

“I can’t do this.” He said to himself as his nerve for purchasing a paper was beginning to waver. He held onto his binder and books with a tighter grip. He fought the urge to rub his palms on his jeans. Levi didn’t think he had ever sweated this much.

“Hey Levi, it’s time for lunch!” Clayton walked by with a wide grin and Levi nodded before waving him on.

“Be right there.”

There were a few guys who always sat out in their trucks and blasted their country music over lunch. It just so happened that Levi liked country music and he had a truck.

“Cool.” Clayton headed on down the hall and Levi was just about to walk away when he heard a group of girls coming down the hall. Levi looked over his shoulder and felt his heart skip. Laurie Barnett was coming his way with three of her friends. He cursed his inner not-so-coolness. Girls made him crazy and he never knew what to say. They were human, right? He thought normal topics would be acceptable conversation, but then he was always second guessing himself.

How did you like the school lunch today?

Maybe she doesn’t eat or she’s trying to lose weight. That would certainly be unfeeling to talk about food. Goofy questions like that passed through his brain. He was definitely lacking cool. So he did what he did best. He acted like he hadn’t a care in the world.

“Uh, that’s my locker.” Laurie’s voice made him look at her now and she indicated the metal door he was blocking.

“Oh right, I’m sorry.” He moved back to give her access. She entered her combination and removed the lock. Levi watched her. She glanced at him and then huffed before placing her hand on her hip. Levi stepped back.

“What are you doing?” Laurie asked him, tossing her blond hair over her shoulder. She pushed her glasses up her nose. Rumor had it that she didn’t need them, but she liked that they made her look smarter. Brainy.

“I wanted to talk to you.” Levi looked at the three girls standing there watching them. “Alone.” He added, twitching his lips and looking down at his books. Laurie’s brow inched upward as she thought about what she was going to do. A moment later, she turned and shooed the girls off to lunch. Closing her locker door, Laurie slid the lock back into place.

“What can I help you with, Levi?” Her voice was extra sweet, but her eyes said she was annoyed by his presence. He was really starting to rethink this. Surely a paper wasn’t worth this embarrassment. Maybe Coach would still let him play on the team if he screwed it up.

“My history paper.” He mumbled, turning his back out to the hallway so no one would hear him. Laurie’s eyes widened behind the thick black frames. She was curious. He felt sick. Her lips pressed together as she considered him and then Levi wondered why she thought so slowly. Either she would or wouldn’t help him. A rather easy choice, he thought.

“I see. The paper is for Mrs. Landon, right?” Laurie asked, leaning back against the lockers. Levi nodded, cautiously. “Two hundred.”

Levi was caught completely off guard.

“Excuse me, two hundred what?”

“Dollars. Two. Hundred. Dollars.” She said it slowly so that even a moron could follow along. Laurie wanted two hundred dollars to write his paper. That seemed outrageous to him, but then again, it was pay her or write the thing himself.

“I don’t have that much money.” Levi admitted, lifting his shoulders and wondering when he had thought this was a good idea. Laurie narrowed her eyes, looked from his boots up his jeans and then up to his eyes again.

“I have an idea.”

Here it comes, he thought. She’ll take payment by blood. Levi lifted a skeptical brow. Laurie stretched it out as if it might make him keener to agree.

“What is it?” He asked impatiently and Laurie laughed lightly. Her skirt swirled around her knees.

“Homecoming is in two weeks.”

“Yeah, so?” Levi felt a nervous chill run down his spine. Alex was so going to pay for this suggestion.

“I need a date to the dance. In fact, a boyfriend on the football team would be something new for me. I don’t usually date jocks, but for you, I’d make an exception.” Laurie pursed her lips slightly and put her hands on her hips. She rocked her hips so that her skirt swirled out.

Levi was lost in the motion for a second before replaying what Laurie had proposed. A history paper for a girlfriend for two weeks and a date to the homecoming dance. It seemed like a whole lot in exchange for a paper. Then again, two hundred dollars was way too much to ask his dad for and he didn’t know how he would explain it.

“Deal.” Levi answered, plastering a smile and wondering just what he had gotten himself into.