Finding Beauty (Rewrite)

Chapter 9

“And empty your pockets! Now, young lady!” Jamie was smiling ear to ear at the other side of the room, sharing her enthusiasm with the girls around her. 

Even though he had only known Beth for a few weeks, he felt the impulse to look out for her. She had come to the party alone and he was pretty certain the bulge in her bag was the outline of a book. If she was so uneasy that she had to bring a book to a birthday party, he figured she was having a hard time fitting in. Besides, he didn’t see anyone else stepping in to break up the invasion of privacy and public humiliation that was ensuing. 

“What’s going on here?” he asked, aware that now the eyes were on him too. 

“Stay out of this! She may look sweet but she sure isn’t innocent!” Mrs.Parker practically pushed him aside and dragged Beth to the center of the living room. “This is the last time I will ask you, put your belongings on the table!” 

Her eyes watered and her lips quivered. “Why are you doing this?” 

“Because you have drugs on you!” Jamie accused, a little too eager. “Just like your mother.” 

People laughed and catcalled as her mother ripped the purse out of Beth’s grasp, dumping its contents onto the table. She was full on crying as she stood there watching, mouth agape. 

To add some salt to the wound, Jamie's mother added, “If you want to ruin your life and be like your dead beat mom, so be it! But there are no drugs in my house!” 

He couldn’t contain himself any longer. He went over to Mrs.Parker and snatched Beth’s purse from her manicured fingers. 

“You got some nerve.” He scooped her belongings back into the bag and zipped it up. “What do you think you’re doing accusing her like this? You should be ashamed of yourself. He handed Beth her purse and led her out of the party. He had taken her to his favorite frozen yogurt place and assured her that the whole thing would blow over. And if not, it didn’t matter because he would be there for her. 

It would be the two of them against the world from then on. It was a promise he had made whether he realized it that moment or not. 

The familiar buff figure brought him back to reality. Carter, his buddy for some years, had placed himself on the bench beside him, slinging an arm behind the seat and spreading his legs comfortably. “Taking your spot as best quarterback is going to be real easy if you spend all of practice bird watching.” 

“Not even then could you ever make a good quarterback.” He shot the reply back without a thought. He wished all of his interactions could be like this; mindless and numb. This way he could keep functioning despite his circumstances. 

“You’re probably right. The offensive line is where it's at for me.” He yawned and then brought his backpack to his chest. “I took the most detailed notes in my life in biology for you. I better break out my good pen again today considering you’re late for your first class.” 

“Thanks.” Grayson had no clue what to say. He was starting to let people down, he knew it. Missing practice affected the whole team and missing classes affected his parents bank account. Even knowing that, he remained planted on the bench. 

“Listen dude, I know things are hard right now. I know she meant a lot to you and these things don’t happen often. There isn’t a guide book on how to deal.” 

“She means a lot to me. Present tense. She isn’t dead, Carter.” 

He sighed, playing with the zipper of his bag. “How do you know that?”