FOUR

“What with having a dumb wife, I'm going dumb myself. Sometimes I catch myself using signs, as she does. The other day, on the beach – shit! The other day, on the bench,” Matt paused and checked his script. He sighed loudly out of frustration. “I’m sucking at this so far huh?”

“Memorizing is hard. You’ll get it,” Kendall said.

“I think ‘The Man Who Married A Dumb Wife’ is possibly the most boring monologue I could have chosen.”

Kendall shifted on her seat in the back of the theatre where her and Matt were trying to memorize their monologues. “It’s not boring. He’s not just having a conversation. He’s on a rant. Bitching and moaning. You’ve just gotta be more animated.”

“Do you wanna go for lunch again today?” Matt quickly added, “No smoking.”

“Don’t your friends wonder where you go?”

He shrugged, “They have lunch third period.”

“You’re going to go broke buying me lunch every day.”

He shrugged, “If it keeps you from smoking.”

“Are you sure you don’t just enjoy my company? This can’t all be about your concern for my lungs.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“How about you stop buying me lunch, and take me out for dinner one night?” Kendall smirked, as she began packing up her things. She noticed how taken aback Matt was and fought herself not to laugh.

“Wow.”

“We’ve had lunch together almost every day for a week. I think it’s time to step it up. Unless I’m totally jumping the gun and you just really care about my health.”

“You’re very forward,” Matt answered, beginning to recover from his shock.

“You’re very shy.”

Matt blushed, “I was working up to it.”

“I thought I’d give you a little push.”

“There’s just one problem.”

“Exsqueeze me?” Kendall raised her eyebrows.

“Well part of the reason I was taking so long to ask is because I have no idea when we’ll be able to go. I have hockey, a lot.”

“Ohhhhh right. Sometimes I forget you’re the sports hero slumming it in drama class.”

“Hey, I like this class!”

Kendall sighed, “How often do you have hockey?”

“Two to four games each week plus practices and training,” Matt bit his lip.

Her jaw dropped. “Damn! When do you sleep?”

“Thursdays.”

The bell rang before Kendall had time to ask whether or not he was kidding. They shuffled out of the theatre.

“Why don’t you just pick a night when you have time and let me know. God knows I’m not busy,” Kendall said.

“Okay, I’ll figure it out. What do you feel like today?” Matt asked, anxious to change the subject.

As they drove out of the school parking lot, Kendall smiled to herself. She enjoyed putting Matt on the spot because he was usually so calm and collected about everything. Everyone at school admired him, the teachers had him on a pedestal and yet it never went to his head. He was humble, polite and friendly. Not to mention gorgeous. He could have his pick of any of the girls at Aldershot, they would have lined up for the opportunity. But for some reason, he was paying all of his attention to Kendall.

Kendall, who sometimes didn’t bother to brush her hair. Who honked like crazy if anyone dared walk in front of her car in the parking lot and had been suspended no less than three times for various offences including truancy, disobedience and smoking on school property.

Perhaps it was true that opposites attract, Kendall thought as she played with the radio in Matt’s car.

Kendall munched on a turkey and whole wheat submarine, listening as Matt described his hockey coach’s affinity for four letter words and how he was trying to curb his foul habit. “See, if he swears at the referees, he’ll get booted from the game. So Coach, started coming up with more creative ways to call them names.” Matt could barely control his laughter as he recounted the time his couch had called a ref a dingleberry.

Matt was now telling her about the time he accidentally knocked a referee down. She wondered if and when they went on a date, if he would venture in to topics other than hockey. It wasn’t like him to go on and on about it. Maybe he was just nervous now that she had put him on the spot about a date.

While she wasn’t a huge sports fan, Kendall enjoyed these stories.

What she didn’t enjoy was the looks she and Matt attracted from other students when they were seen together. Matt didn’t seem to notice but Kendall was painfully aware. Especially when busybody Suzie Robillard walked in to Mr. Sub with a pack of her friends, the looks on their faces registered something close to surprise and disapproval. Kendall did her best not to react and concentrate on what Matt was saying, although every bone in her body was itching to ask Suzie ‘what the fuck’ she was staring at.

“Did I say something wrong?” Matt asked.

Oops, she hasn’t been listening. “Huh?”

“You looked pissed off.”

“Not with you, I’m sorry.”

“What’s wrong then?”

Kendall sighed, pushing away her empty tray. “Do your friends know that we’ve been hanging out?”

“Sure.”

“What do they say about it?”

“Nothing much,” he shrugged. “I don’t understand what you’re getting at.”

“You don’t see the way everyone looks at us when we walk around school together?”

“How do they look at us?”

“It’s like they can’t figure out why the hell you’re spending time with me.” Kendall pointed in the direction of Suzie and her friends, “They’ve been staring at us since they walked in.”

Matt looked over his shoulder at the pack of girls and back at Kendall. “Who cares?”

“Normally I wouldn’t care! I know I don’t know you very well, but don’t tell me you’re that naïve. Our school is full of stuck ups.”

“Hey, I’m not one of them!” Matt said, beginning to get defensive.

“I know, I know.”

“Are you done your lunch?” he asked, sounding disappointed.

They got up from the table and cleared the table, Kendall worrying that she had said something wrong. But just as they were about to pass Suzie’s table, Matt reached over and grabbed her hand. Kendall looked at him in surprise.

“I don’t give a shit what anyone at this school thinks,” Matt said once they were outside, giving her hand a squeeze. “I know you don’t either, that’s what I like about you.”

When they returned to school, Matt took Kendall’s hand again in the parking lot and they walked in the front doors together.

“I’ll find a night when we can go out, and I’ll let you know,” Matt said when it was time for them to part ways.

“Okay, talk to you later.” Kendall headed in the direction of Sociology class, grinning to herself.