is their time. After high school, it will be ours .”
“How do you know that?”
She nodded as if moving on to the next chapter in the lesson. “Their good looks will fade. Their self-centeredness will turn people off. And their ignorance will make them unemployable. They’ll be working at the mall, if they’re lucky, talking about the good old days in high school while we run corporations, create great art, and patent new inventions.”
I laughed. “It’s amazing how you have everything figured out.”
“Trust me, Harold, I’m right. You’ll see.” She rested back against my arm. “I’m sorry you and Mario aren’t good friends any longer.”
Me too.
“But you’ll come out better in the end. As my mother always says, ‘It’s not where you start, it’s where you finish.’”
I looked up at the blue sky, and thought of one of Mario’s T-shirts. “Well, Mario seems to have moved on with Barbara.”
“Yes, like all A-listers, now that they have each other, they no longer need their friends. So you, and I, need to move on too.” She looked at me and batted the short eyelashes over her small green eyes.
“What do you mean?”
Hannah took my hand in hers. “I think we make a great team, Harold. Don’t you?”
“Sure. We play well together, and I like our club.”
“That’s not what I mean, Harold.” She giggled naughtily.
“What do you mean?”
“Wouldn’t it be a riot, I mean, wouldn’t we just show everybody , if you and I went to the senior prom together ?”
I wiggled in my seat. “I don’t know, Hannah. I didn’t go to the junior prom. Things like that freak me out.”
“Me too. That’s why I think it would be a total hoot if we went… together.”
“You mean… as friends… just to go?”
She squeezed my hand. “Of course we’re friends, Harold. And the prom will be fun .”
“I don’t think so, Hannah.”
“Harold, do you want to be an old man sitting and wondering why you missed out on your own prom?”
“Hannah, you’re my only friend right now, and I’m really thankful for everything you’ve done for me. You saved my life.”
She smacked her lips and one of her rubber bands flew out of her mouth. “Then it’s settled. I’ll make the reservation for the limousine, buy my dress, my corsage, your lapel flower, and make the reservation for the prom tickets. Can you rent your tux, or do you need me to do that too?”
My head was spinning. “Hannah, whoa, slow down.”
“The prom will be here before we know it, Harold.”
I released her hand and sat up straight. “Hannah, I like you, a lot. You’re a great girl. But I don’t think this is a very good idea.”
“Why not?” She scratched at the training bra underneath her white blouse, then adjusted her cranberry skirt.
I deliberated until it suddenly came to me. “Two reasons, Hannah. First, you’re too good for me. You’re like the sun, and I’m like the soil.”
“Well, that’s very flattering, Harold, but as I said, things—”
“And second, I like someone else.”
Hannah seemed genuinely surprised. “You do?”
Can she really not know? I nodded.
She digested that as we both digested a tuna sandwich she’d taken out of her purse. “Is it someone I know, Harold?” Another rubber band flew through the air.
“I’d rather not talk about it, Hannah.”
“Okay, be mysterious if you like.”
“So do you understand now why I can’t go to the prom with you, Hannah?”
After we split her grapes, she responded, “I guess so.”
I smiled. “Good. No hard feelings, Hannah?”
She returned the smile. “No hard feelings.”
“Can we still be friends?”
She nodded. “Friends it is.”
As we rose to walk back to school, Hannah said, “I’ll tell you one thing, Harold. Whoever she is, she’s a lucky girl.”
Taking a play from Mario’s book, I kissed her on the cheek. As I walked away, I noticed Hannah touch her cheek and grin from ear to ear.
I felt as if I had
“How do you know that?”
She nodded as if moving on to the next chapter in the lesson. “Their good looks will fade. Their self-centeredness will turn people off. And their ignorance will make them unemployable. They’ll be working at the mall, if they’re lucky, talking about the good old days in high school while we run corporations, create great art, and patent new inventions.”
I laughed. “It’s amazing how you have everything figured out.”
“Trust me, Harold, I’m right. You’ll see.” She rested back against my arm. “I’m sorry you and Mario aren’t good friends any longer.”
Me too.
“But you’ll come out better in the end. As my mother always says, ‘It’s not where you start, it’s where you finish.’”
I looked up at the blue sky, and thought of one of Mario’s T-shirts. “Well, Mario seems to have moved on with Barbara.”
“Yes, like all A-listers, now that they have each other, they no longer need their friends. So you, and I, need to move on too.” She looked at me and batted the short eyelashes over her small green eyes.
“What do you mean?”
Hannah took my hand in hers. “I think we make a great team, Harold. Don’t you?”
“Sure. We play well together, and I like our club.”
“That’s not what I mean, Harold.” She giggled naughtily.
“What do you mean?”
“Wouldn’t it be a riot, I mean, wouldn’t we just show everybody , if you and I went to the senior prom together ?”
I wiggled in my seat. “I don’t know, Hannah. I didn’t go to the junior prom. Things like that freak me out.”
“Me too. That’s why I think it would be a total hoot if we went… together.”
“You mean… as friends… just to go?”
She squeezed my hand. “Of course we’re friends, Harold. And the prom will be fun .”
“I don’t think so, Hannah.”
“Harold, do you want to be an old man sitting and wondering why you missed out on your own prom?”
“Hannah, you’re my only friend right now, and I’m really thankful for everything you’ve done for me. You saved my life.”
She smacked her lips and one of her rubber bands flew out of her mouth. “Then it’s settled. I’ll make the reservation for the limousine, buy my dress, my corsage, your lapel flower, and make the reservation for the prom tickets. Can you rent your tux, or do you need me to do that too?”
My head was spinning. “Hannah, whoa, slow down.”
“The prom will be here before we know it, Harold.”
I released her hand and sat up straight. “Hannah, I like you, a lot. You’re a great girl. But I don’t think this is a very good idea.”
“Why not?” She scratched at the training bra underneath her white blouse, then adjusted her cranberry skirt.
I deliberated until it suddenly came to me. “Two reasons, Hannah. First, you’re too good for me. You’re like the sun, and I’m like the soil.”
“Well, that’s very flattering, Harold, but as I said, things—”
“And second, I like someone else.”
Hannah seemed genuinely surprised. “You do?”
Can she really not know? I nodded.
She digested that as we both digested a tuna sandwich she’d taken out of her purse. “Is it someone I know, Harold?” Another rubber band flew through the air.
“I’d rather not talk about it, Hannah.”
“Okay, be mysterious if you like.”
“So do you understand now why I can’t go to the prom with you, Hannah?”
After we split her grapes, she responded, “I guess so.”
I smiled. “Good. No hard feelings, Hannah?”
She returned the smile. “No hard feelings.”
“Can we still be friends?”
She nodded. “Friends it is.”
As we rose to walk back to school, Hannah said, “I’ll tell you one thing, Harold. Whoever she is, she’s a lucky girl.”
Taking a play from Mario’s book, I kissed her on the cheek. As I walked away, I noticed Hannah touch her cheek and grin from ear to ear.
I felt as if I had
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