The Contract

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  THE CONTRACT

  by Jerry D. Young

  Published by Creative Texts Publishers

  PO Box 50

  Barto, PA 19504

  www.creativetexts.com

  Copyright 2015 by Jerry D. Young

  All rights reserved

  Cover photo modified and used by license.

  Credit:

  This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law.

  The following is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual names, persons, businesses, and incidents is strictly coincidental. Locations are used only in the general sense and do not represent the real place in actuality.

  THE CONTRACT

  By

  JERRY D. YOUNG

  Copyright 2015

  By JERRY D. YOUNG

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  Creative Texts Edition

  Published by

  CREATIVE TEXTS PUBLISHERS

  BARTO, PA

  www.creativetexts.com

  Jason stopped the expensive custom bicycle. He stared. Jason knew it was impolite to stare. He stared anyway. There was something about her—that long red hair for one thing. He stared until she started to turn toward him.

  Sara frowned. She thought she had heard someone call her name. There was a kid across the street fiddling with something on his bike but she had only been in town for a week. No one in this city knew her or her mom.

  Shrugging her shoulders slightly, Sara turned back to the car.

  Jason had watched her from the corners of his eyes as he had pretended to adjust his brake cable. Now, with the girl turned away from him again, talking to someone in an old Pontiac, Jason quickly pedaled across the street. He stopped in front of the electronics store and pretended to look at the displays.

  He was watching the girl’s reflection in the window.

  “I have to have the money for book and lab fees or I can’t start school!” Sara said. She was trying to keep her voice low, but her desperation was causing it to rise slightly. “You said you had the money, Mom.”

  Jason knew it was wrong to eavesdrop. He just could not seem to help himself.

  “I did, I did. But I needed a couple of things,” Jason heard the woman in the car tell the girl.

  “Please Mom,” Sara said. “I’ve already registered. If I don’t show up… or show up without the money…”

  Jason saw the woman hand something to the girl.

  “Mom! There is only half of it here! What am I going to do?”

  “Tell them you’ll bring the rest later.”

  “But, Mom, I was supposed to have it two days ago! I…oh, Mom! Okay, I’ll… I’ll figure out something. You’ll be parked down by the park after school?”

  “Sure, honey. By the park. Maybe I’ll find something today.”

  Jason waited until the girl was well down the sidewalk before he turned the bike and rode out into the street. He took a long look at the car and its occupant. Jason’s expression did not change, but he felt a sadness inside when he saw the woman lift a paper bag to take a long drink from the bottle it contained.

  Studying the car as he eased past he noted the blankets on the rear window shelf and the battered duffel bag on the back seat. Jason’s eyes quickly lifted and scanned the sidewalk ahead of him.

  There she was. Jason noted the well-worn jeans and long sleeved plaid shirt. The clothes were not dirty, but Jason was sure it had been at least a few days since they were washed. Then he noticed her shoes. They were badly run down athletic shoes.

  He had come fairly close and could see the girl shift the small pack on her shoulder. The movement lifted the hem of the shirt and Jason’s eyes went to the girl’s bottom. The jeans were worn and faded almost white. They had obviously been bought when she was somewhat younger and a size smaller than she was now. Though she was actually skinny, the jeans were snug on her bottom. Very snug. Snug enough to show the outline of her panties.

  Jason just managed to get his eyes back on the road before the girl turned to frown at him.

  “Hey! Trinity!” Jason called looking past the girl toward the street corner ahead.

  Sara looked around at an answering shout. “Jason! Where have you been?”

  Sara shook her head. “I must be getting paranoid,” she muttered to herself.

  As she got to the street corner, she heard the boy on the bike say, “Something I need to take care of. I’ll see you later, Trinity.”

  “Sure, Jason,” Trinity replied, shaking her head. She saw the other girl and smiled.

  “Hi. You headed for Kennedy High?”

  Sara managed a smiled in return. “Yes.”

  The light changed and the two crossed the street.

  “I’m Trinity Vandeuson.”

  “I’m Sara Lee.”

  Trinity grinned. “Like the dessert company?”

  At Sara’s sudden frown Trinity quickly said, “Sorry. You probably hate that by now.”

  Sara had to smile at the contrite look on the other girl’s face.

  “Yeah. Kinda.”

  Trinity grinned again. “This is going to be really hard. I’m known for my wit.”

  “Oh, great,” Sara said, but she was smiling. It was hard not to smile at Trinity’s affable demeanor.

  As they entered the school a few minutes later, Trinity started to call out to Jason but he had ducked back around a corner. “That’s strange,” she muttered.

  Sara looked up quizzically.

  “Nothing. Just thought I saw someone I knew. Hey. You want to sit together at lunch? I will fill you in on the school, and the guys!” Trinity added conspiratorially.

  “I guess, Trinity, but first I have to finish registering in the office.”

  “Okay,” Trinity said, but she was talking to thin air. Sara had already headed for the school office.

  Jason was sitting in one of the office chairs, a book in front of his face when Sara entered. Watching her over the edge of the book Jason saw her take the money from her pocket and stand nervously in line to see one of the secretaries taking care of last minute registration problems.

  He waited until the person in line before Sara seemed to be about finished. Jason stood, and as the boy in front of Sara turned around, Jason stepped forward, bumping into Sara hard enough to stagger her.

  “Jason McKindrick! What on earth is the matter with you?” the secretary exclaimed.

  Jason promised to thank his friend Tommy later. Tommy was a street performer, a magician, and had shown Jason a few slight-of-hand tricks. Jason deftly added three twenty dollar bills to the handful of fives and ones that he helped Sara pick up from where she’d dropped them.

  “Sorry,” Jason muttered, leaving the office with the secretary sputtering behind the counter and Sara frowning at his back.

  “That boy! Sometimes he acts as if he has no sense at all. Now, Miss, how can I help you?”

  “I… uh… need to pay my book and lab fees. Sara Lee.”

  Sara handed the stack of currency to the secretary, her hand shaking slightly. She had to swallow before she could speak, and when she did her voice was low, her head down, hating the fact that the line of half a dozen students behind her were going to hear everything that was said the next few minutes.

  “I… I will have the rest in
…”

  Mrs. Llewllyn was efficient. She had checked the records, counted the money Sara had handed her and had the change ready by the time Sara had started to speak.

  “Here is your change, Miss Lee. You gave me too much. Welcome to Kennedy High. Please do not take Jason McKindrick’s behavior as typical. Next.”

  “Change?” Sara said. She just stared at the money in Mrs. Llewllyn’s hand. “Too much?”

  “Yes. It was seventy-five total. You gave me a hundred three. This is your twenty eight dollars back.”

  “But…”

  “Please, Miss Lee. It is almost time for the bell. There are several more students waiting.”

  “But… I…” Sara saw the stern look Mrs. Llewllyn was giving her. “Yes, Ma’am.”

  Sara was frowning yet again, fingering the money in her hand as she left the office. “I know there was only forty-three dol…”

  “HEY!” she yelled when she felt a hand on her rear. Sara was spinning around when she heard the laughter. Her hand slapped the boy’s arm that had groped her.

  “Nice panty line, Red. Just had to check it out.”

  Sara turned red with embarrassment, but she was suddenly no longer the center of attention.

  “Look out!” someone called.

  Sara spun around. She saw the basketball flash past her face. Hearing the thud, Sara turned the other way. The boy that had grabbed her rear was staggering backward. It was obvious the basketball had just hit him in the face.

  “Who threw that?” he screamed.

  “What is going on here?” asked an authoritative voice.

  “Some little shi… Uh… Somebody just bounced a basketball off my face,” said the boy, touching his nose gingerly.

  Sara hurried away, head down. She did not want any more attention on herself. She tugged her shirttails down as far as they would go.

  It was not until halfway through her first class that she remembered the money. Sara muttered to herself, but quickly concentrated on what the teacher was saying when she looked sharply at Sara. Sara wanted no more attention brought to her than absolutely necessary.

  Her math class was the last class before lunch. She saw the boy that had bumped into her sitting front and center by the teacher’s desk. “Jason… I think,” she said silently to herself, watching him from her desk near the rear of the room.

  “It had to be him… but… why? And he will get every penny back!” she thought.

  Again, Sara turned her attention to the teacher, before she could bring unwanted attention to herself.

  When the bell rang Sara intended to catch Jason and talk to him, but he managed to slip out the second classroom door. Frowning, Sara moved into the hallway and almost bumped into Trinity.

  “Hi, Sara. Remember me? Trinity? You still want to have lunch?”

  “Oh, Hi. Yeah… I guess. But, I… I’ll sit with you, anyway.”

  “Okay, cool.”

  Trinity led the way to the lunchroom, the two girls discussing the first few hours of the new school year.

  “Don’t you want some lunch?” Trinity asked as she took a tray and Sara just walked beside her.

  “I don’t think so,” Sara replied, looking somewhat wistfully at the trays of food.

  “It’s actually pretty good. At least, it always has been,” Trinity said.

  “It does look good,” Sara said softly. “But… No… I’ll think I’ll pass today.”

  Jason watched from the far corner of the room. He sighed when he saw that Sara was going to go to a table with Trinity without taking any food at all.

  With a determined look on his face he headed over to a table and leaned down to talk to one of the boys sitting there, eating. Two minutes later, after handing the boy a five dollar bill, Jason moved to join the food service line. The boy he had been talking to admonished the others at the table to leave his food alone, then left the lunch room.

  Jason stood out of Sara’s line of sight, holding the tray with a good selection of the lunchroom food.

  Suddenly the loudspeaker blared. “Jason McKindrick to the office. Immediately.”

  Most eyes turned toward him. Ignoring the looks Jason hurried over and set his tray of food in front of Trinity. “Hey, Trinity. Will you dump this for me? I think I’m in trouble again.”

  “You! In trouble? But Jason…” Trinity’s words trailed away as Jason moved quickly toward a lunchroom exit.

  “What in the world is going on?” Trinity muttered.

  Sara was eyeing the tray. “He really wants you to just dump this?”

  “Apparently,” Trinity said. “Jason has always been a bit… different. But today… Geez!”

  Trinity looked over at Sara after having stared at the empty doorway through which Jason had exited. Her eyes narrowed slightly.

  “If you want something you might as well take it. I’ve got a feeling he won’t be back for it.”

  “Maybe… The apple…”

  Sara pulled the tray over in front of her and began to eat. “I’ll pay him for this when I get a chance,” she finally said, after having finished almost everything on the tray.

  Trinity snorted. “Good luck. You know what a check grabber is?”

  Not waiting for an answer from Sara Trinity continued. “Jason is the same age as I am. Fifteen. But my dad says he is the best check grabber he has ever seen. And my dad is pretty quick to pick up a check, himself.”

  Sara did not quite follow the conversation, but she did pick up the fact that Jason might… no, had probably left that tray intentionally.

  “But how could he have known…” she muttered to herself.

  “What?” Trinity asked.

  “Huh?” Sara replied, but her eyes suddenly cut to the lunchroom door Jason had used. “Why that no good, dirty, low down…”

  Trinity could see that Sara was suddenly fuming.

  “Who? What did I miss?” Trinity asked.

  “Jason! He…” Suddenly Sara cut her eyes to Trinity, then dropped them to the table, setting the apple she had finally got around to eating down on the tray.

  “Uh… Just… Look, Trinity, I need to go do something. Thanks for sitting with me. It made the first day easier.”

  Sara stood, grabbed the tray and headed for the disposal bin.

  “They are both nuts!” Trinity muttered to herself, returning to her lunch.

  Though Sara looked for Jason the rest of her lunch period, starting at the school office, she did not even catch a sight of him until the final bell. And then he was already riding away from the school grounds on his bicycle.

  “Is that Jason?” Trinity asked, coming up beside Sara.

  “Yeah! I missed him.”

  Trinity laughed. “Give it up, Sara. You probably are a nice gal. I am sure of it, actually. But Jason McKindrick is a no win situation.”

  “What? What do you mean?” Sara asked, striding along beside Trinity as she headed down the school steps.

  “I’ve known him since we were ten. He just merrily goes his own way. Several of us have tried to get dates with him. No go. He’ll go with a bunch of us on group stuff, but as far as I know he’s never had a real date.”

  “I don’t want to date him!” Sara exclaimed. “I want to knock his block off for…”

  Trinity looked over, shocked.

  “Uh… Well…” Sara added, more calmly. “He did something I didn’t like.”

  “I heard about you getting groped, Sara. That was not Jason. It was Rodney Albertson.”

  “I know that. It was… something else.”

  “Oh.” Suddenly Trinity was grinning. “That was cool the way you popped Rodney. I saw him this afternoon. You gave him a great shiner.”

  Sara stared over at Trinity.

  “I didn’t give him a shiner! Someone hit him in the face with a basketball. Two of his buddies were right there and saw it.”

  “Who hit him with the basketball? Jason told me you popped him one. It is all over school. You are a minor celebrit
y already. Rodney’s always trying to cop a feel. He and his cronies were saying someone had thrown the basketball, but no one believed them. Everyone thinks you nailed him for groping you.”

  “I was about to, but…” Sara shook her head. “Jason told you…”

  Suddenly she was frowning. “I wonder if he…”

  “You really want to talk to Jason, don’t you? And not about a date.”

  “Oh, yes!” Sara replied.

  Trinity grinned. She could see the fire in Sara’s eyes. Jason was her friend, but she hoped she was around when Sara caught up to him. It would be very interesting.

  The two discussed the first day of school as they walked along, saying good-bye when Trinity had to go the opposite way from Sara at the same street crossing where they had met that morning.

  Head down, arms hugging her schoolbooks to her chest, Sara did not see Jason where he sat on his bike across and down the street from where her mother was idling the car by the entrance to the city park.

  Sara frowned slightly when she realized the engine of the old Pontiac was running. They could not afford to waste gas that way. “Mom?” she asked when her mother rolled down her window before Sara could come around to enter the passenger door.

  “Sara, I have to go to an appointment. I’ll pick you up at the library later.”

  Jason could not actually see the tears slowly roll down Sara’s cheeks as the girl watched her mother drive away. But he was sure they were there. Especially when he saw her reach up and wipe at her face with the back of one hand before walking slowly along the sidewalk.

  Sara never saw Jason sitting on his bike across the street when she passed him on her way to the library. He watched her until she turned a corner two streets down. He saw the dejection in her slumped shoulders and slow walk.

  Jason finally rode his bike along the street in the same direction Sara had taken. He suspected where she was headed, though he had not heard a word of the conversation between Sara and her mother. He stopped when he came into sight of Sara still heading toward the city library. A soft sigh escaped him as he watched her climb the steps to the doors of the library.

  After slipping the tiny telephone from his pocket, he punched the first quick-dial button.