Princes of Mannsborough, Part 12b

by Vulgar Argot

(MF, rom, nosex)

Marigold sat on her front porch, dozing a little as she waited for Thule 's car to appear. She'd made the mistake of coming down late for breakfast the day after what Holly referred to as a "cooking day." When she came down to the breakfast table, she immediately recognized her mistake. Before she could reach for an apple or get her yoghurt out of the refrigerator, Holly put a plate piled high with scrambled eggs, biscuits, and a thick slice of ham.

"Mom," she protested. "I can't eat all this first thing in the morning."

Holly shrugged as she always did at such protests, "Well, eat what you want. There are so many leftovers, I had to do something with them."

Marigold opened her mouth to say something, but Jonas shot her a warning look that she recognized. It said, "If I have to eat it, you have to eat it."

Still, she couldn't resist a short sulk, "You're going to make me fat."

Holly laughed, "No chance of that. You're the same size you were at fourteen."

Marigold had eaten everything put in front of her. It wasn't in her not to. When her father had been alive, he'd instilled in her an unwillingness to waste food.

"See?" said Holly as her daughter rose from the table. "You must have been hungrier than you thought."

"I just didn't want to think about what condition it would be in when it god to the starving children in Africa," Marigold said, echoing a phrase she'd heard from her birth father more than once. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to purge and brush my teeth before Thule gets here."

Both of her parents looked up, alarmed. Marigold knew she hadn't been much for making jokes in the last few years, but the looks on their faces were priceless. She laughed out loud, "Guys, I'm joking. I'm just going to get my books and wait for Thule on the front porch."

Now, Jonas came out onto the porch where she was dozing. Marigold looked up at him through slitted eyes. He walked past her, looking up and down the street, a pensive look on his face. Marigold sat up, "You're not going to bother Thule about work before school. Are you, sir?"

Jonas shook his head in the negative without turning to face her. He fidgeted as if he didn't know what to do with his hands.

Marigold stretched, "Is there something on your mind, sir?"

Jonas paced to the end of the porch and back. Then, he asked, "Are you happy with Thule , Marigold?"

Marigold pulled her legs underneath herself on the swing so that she was sitting Indian style, "Yes, sir. I really am."

Jonas leaned against the railing, looking at her as if trying to read her face, "Are you really happy?" he asked. "Because, if you're not...if there's some....obstacle to your happiness, you can tell me. If there's anything you need to get off your...err, anything you want to talk about...I'm sure we can work it out. You can talk to me."

Marigold felt suddenly cold. Did Jonas know something? Choosing her words carefully, she said, "I'm really happy, sir. Things were...a little bit rocky at first. But now, I'm very happy--maybe happier than I have a right to be...certainly happier than I've ever been."

Jonas's smile was uneven, "Things seem to have progressed very quickly between you two. Are you sure you're not moving too fast?"

Marigold shook her head, "No. Of course I'm not sure. But, I think I'm doing the right thing. It feels right."

Jonas said, "I know I'm not your real father, Marigold. But, I've always tried to do what I thought was best for you. I didn't always..."

Marigold stood and hugged him. She and Jonas were almost never physically demonstrative, but it seemed important now, "You did a good job, sir."

Jonas looked down at her, "I notice the use of the past tense."

"Well," said Marigold. "I am going away to Harvard in a few months."

"I know," said Jonas. "I was going to point out the same thing, actually. I guess you're all grown up now."

Marigold laughed, "Not even close. But, I think I see a light at the end of the tunnel."

Just then, Thule 's car turned the corner onto her street. Jonas said, "There's your ride. Take care of yourself, Marigold. I'll see you tonight for dinner?"

Marigold nodded, "Yes, sir. I suspect there will be ham involved somehow."

Jonas groaned theatrically then kissed Marigold on the head before letting her go.

-=-

Marigold noticed a certain restraint in the banter that morning, but presumed that it was because of Dawn's concern over Thule 's attack on Elliot. When it seemed like no one was talking, Marigold slid a tape out of her Walkman and held it up. Thule took it out of her hand, raised an eyebrow at Marigold, then slid it into the car's tape deck.

After about a minute of music, Dawn leaned forward and asked Marigold, "This is cool. What is it?"

"John Coltrane's 'Giant Steps,'" said Marigold. "It's jazz."

Dawn smiled, "I didn't know you listened to jazz."

"I haven't in a long time," said Marigold. "I used to--before high school. I've had these old records boxed up in the back of my closet since we moved into the new house with Jonas. I've been transferring them to tape and listening to them. This was one of my father's favorites."

As they walked up from the parking lot, Dawn lagged behind Marigold and Thule . Thule seemed in a hurry to get to the front steps where everyone gathered before the homeroom bell rang. Marigold let her pace slow until it matched Dawn's.

Dawn didn't say anything. When they reached the place where a dirt path curved off from the road, Dawn started to turn. Marigold asked, "Where are you going?"

"To the pines," said Dawn. "I just want to say hello to some people."

Marigold shaded her eyes and saw her boyfriend ascending the front stairs, "I think Thule is holding court today. You should be there. You are his plucky sidekick after all."

Dawn looked around as if uncertain. Marigold said, "Listen, if you're worried about what happened with Thule and Elliot last night, I can honestly say that Elliot deserved it. I can still feel..."

Dawn shook her head, "It's not that."

"Well then," said Marigold. "Let's go join him."

Dawn turned her head, "I promised some people I would see them under the pines this morning. Listen. When do you have study hall?"

"I've got a couple today," said Marigold. "Third and seventh periods. Why?"

"I'm up at the autoshop third period," said Dawn. "Could you swing by? There's something we need to talk about."

"Sure," said Marigold, smiling warmly at her.

"All right," said Dawn. "Listen. I'll be up on the steps in a few minutes. I just don't want these people to think I blew them off."

Marigold joined Thule on the steps where there was already a cluster of people gathering around him. She slipped comfortably into his arms and was welcomed with a kiss.

Thule seemed relaxed and in his element. Marigold was dying to tell him that she thought Dawn had a crush on her, but didn't want to take him out of the moment. A few minutes later, Dawn emerged from the pines. Thule waved to her. Dawn said something to Thule that she didn't catch. Marigold reached over and tousled Dawn's hair in welcome.

-=-

It took Marigold a few minutes to arrange a library pass in order to get herself out of study hall. Strictly speaking, a library pass meant that she was supposed to go to the library and study, but there was no system for confirming that people who got them ever went to the library or not. It was a commonly used loophole for going off campus during the day.

The autoshop was a separate building, out past the one that held the newspaper office. By the time Marigold got out there, the period was nearly half over. Marigold had never been here before. A month ago, she would have been horrified by the idea that someone would see her here. For that matter, if she'd known a month ago that Dawn took a class here, she would already be trying to figure out how to use that knowledge to elevate her own star by taking down Dawn's.

The garage was primarily the domain of the gearheads, a subclique of the dregs who had almost zero presence on the Mannsborough social radar. For the most part, they were vo-tech students, didn't attend more than one or two regular classes a day, and tended to drive off campus for lunch.

When she spotted her friend, Dawn was bent over the open hood of a car tightening a bolt with her fingers and talking to another girl that Marigold didn't recognize. A boy sat in the front seat of the car listening. Both of Dawn's companions were younger--freshmen or sophomores.

When Marigold approached, she thought she heard Dawn say her name, but couldn't hear her over the low hubbub of the garage. She asked, "What?"

Dawn looked up. She was wearing goggles, "Oh. Hi, Marigold. I didn't see you there."

"Oh," said Marigold. "I thought I heard you say my name."

Dawn thought about it, then laughed, "No. I said 'manifold.'" She turned to the girl standing next to her, "Jess, I need to talk to Marigold for a few minutes. Can you two take over here?"

Jess nodded. Dawn took off her protective eyewear and said, "Let's go somewhere we can talk."

Marigold nodded and followed Dawn out of the building. Dawn had apparently changed into blue jeans and a t-shirt used exclusively for autoshop. Both were liberally smeared with grease old and new. Outside of the garage, Dawn led Marigold up a path that led away from the campus proper into the woods.

"So," Marigold asked. "What's on your mind?"

Dawn pointed to a glacial irregular, "There's a gentle path on the far side of that rock. It's a good place to talk."

Marigold followed, finding the top of the rock to be surprisingly smooth and clean. She settled down and asked again, "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Dawn looked out into the distance. Marigold followed her eyes. From up on the rock, they could see the whole campus laid out beneath them. Involuntarily, she said, "Wow. Neat."

Dawn grinned, "I like it up here. It's a good spot to get away from the school."

Marigold could tell that Dawn was happy not to have to tackle whatever she wanted to talk about right away. She debated doing something overt to convince Dawn that it was okay to express her feelings, but found the idea too intimidating. So, she just waited.

When Dawn spoke, it wasn't at all what Marigold expected. She asked, "You know this whole blackmail thing Thule pulled on you?"

Marigold nodded, "Yes. I seem to recall something about that."

"Do you think he would do it to anyone else?" Dawn asked.

Marigold sighed and nodded, "Yeah. I'm pretty sure he's going to. So, if you see him with..."

"Do you think he would do it to me?" Dawn asked.

"What?" asked Marigold. "No. I can't imagine...Why would he do it to you?"

"Well," said Dawn. "I haven't exactly been blameless. I am one of Brianne's handmaidens as he put it. And, I turned down dates from guys in the autoshop before...mostly because they're clueless, but also because I didn't want to deal with the backlash of being a cheerleader dating a gearhead. And..."

Marigold finally got over her shock enough to laugh. When she was able to stop laughing enough to speak, she said, "Oh, sweety. Is that what this is about? Listen, when we talked, I didn't tell you the whole story. Well, I told you as much of the story as I knew, but I didn't know the half of it." Her face got serious, "What I did, what Thule got revenge on me for...was really awful. I...I'm not ready to say that I deserve what I got, but I understand why he did it."

Dawn's eyes widened, "What did you do?"

Marigold lowered her head, "Dawn, I don't know if you would want to be my friend if I told you what I did. Let's just say that whatever venial sins you have on your soul, they're not going to incur Thule 's wrath. You would need to do something really awful like me or Brianne?"

"Is that who he's going to blackmail next?" asked Dawn. "Brianne?"

Marigold grimaced and put her hand to her face, "I shouldn't have said that. Dawn, you can't tell anyone I said that."

"All right," agreed Dawn. "But, is it?"

Marigold nodded, " Thule told me that in the strictest confidence and I just let it slip out."

"I'll keep your secret," said Dawn. "No matter what."

Marigold nodded, "Thank you." Picking up a pebble off the boulder beneath her, she flung it out into the woods, "So, what made you think Thule might blackmail you?"

"A desperate desire not to take responsibility for my own actions," said Dawn. "I should have known better."

"Why?" asked Marigold. "What did you do?"

Dawn took a deep breath, "I kissed Thule this morning."

Before she could help herself, Marigold shot Dawn a look of pure outrage.

"I didn't mean to," said Dawn quickly. "And I'll never do it again. I was just so grateful that he was going to protect me that I..." She took a breath, "And, I was thinking that, if Thule can blackmail you and end up with you falling in love with him, maybe he could make a girl kiss him and think she'd done it of her own free will." She looked to Marigold for a reaction, "I guess not. Huh?"

Dawn's babbling had given Marigold a few seconds to get over her initial outrage and compose her thoughts. She'd already accepted that she and Thule weren't going to be exclusive any time soon. In truth, she didn't want them to be. The previous weekend had made Marigold realize a lot of things about herself, foremost among them that there was a whole world of things out there that she'd closed herself off from and might enjoy. She knew that, if she went from being Elliot's girlfriend to Thule's girlfriend to Thule 's wife, she would be left wondering what she'd missed out on. Besides, she'd already braced herself to the idea of Thule with Brianne or Ioke or June Kane or one of the other half dozen or so socially important girls at Mannsborough High. Compared to that, the image of Dawn kissing him brought up only a twinge of jealousy.

With a mental effort, Marigold took that jealousy and compressed it down to a tiny point until she couldn't feel it anymore. She looked at Dawn, whose face was ashen, waiting for Marigold's verdict. The desire to comfort and reassure her friend flared up. So, she gave Dawn a broad smile and asked, "Was it any good?"

"What?" asked Dawn. "The kiss? No. Um...I mean no. It was really quick, more like a peck than a kiss really."

Marigold looked out over the school instead of at Dawn, "Next time, you should take your time. He's a really good kisser."

Dawn's eyes seemed ready to pop out of her head, "Next time? Marigold, there's not going to be a next time. Like I said, it was a spur-of-the-moment thing. I would never deliberately kiss your boyfriend. And, even if I did, he's totally in love with you. He would never..."

"A minute ago..." said Marigold, "you thought he might be willing to trick you into kissing him. I don't think either one of us knows what Thule will never do."

Dawn didn't seem to have an answer for that, so Marigold went on, "When I was with Elliot, I thought I was ready to settle down. Now, I know that I'm not. If I'm going to be with Thule , it can be exclusive or it can be forever, but it can't be both. I'm going to have to share him with someone. There are far worse choices than you."

Dawn shook her head, "I couldn't do that to you."

Marigold frowned, "Are you attracted to Thule ?"

"No," said Dawn immediately, sounding shocked.

Marigold was about to reassure Dawn, but noticed that the other girl wanted to say more. She'd noticed that, when Thule wanted to draw her out, he just remained silent until she spoke to break the awkward silence. Letting her eyes fall to the rock they were sitting on, she pretended to be looking for pebbles to throw.

"I mean, he's attractive," said Dawn. "But, he's..."

Marigold could barely contain her desire to interject. Keeping her head down, she bit her lip.

"I would never move in on a friend's boyfriend," said Dawn emphatically.

"That's too bad," said Marigold. "I could use an ally in this."

Dawn's eyes widened, "You would consider me an ally?"

Marigold nodded, "If you promised me you wouldn't try to take him away from me. Yes."

"I would never," said Dawn. "But, this is ridiculous. Thule 's completely dedicated to you. I can see how much he loves you."

Marigold found a pebble and flung it off into the woods, "And I love him. But, he's only my third boyfriend ever. And, he's made me realize that you miss a lot if you make your life too regimented too soon. I love Thule . I've been with him a month and I can already see myself married to him. But, I spent too many years clutching the idea of going off to college, marrying Elliot, going to medical school, and having children--all in a row. Now, I don't know what I want. But, I do know that, if I had gotten what I thought I wanted, I would have ended up miserable."

Dawn looked at Marigold, waiting for her to continue. Marigold wondered if it was deliberate, but was unable to resist continuing, "Right now, if I consider the idea of going straight to marrying Thule without experiencing life, I want to run away and do the first stupid thing I could find that would make him reject me. Next year, Thule and I are going to college. He'll probably meet a thousand women who have more in common with him than I do. If I give him the ultimatum that it's them or me while I'm figuring out what I want out of life, we're never going to last." Marigold stopped speaking, afraid she would become audibly emotional if she didn't.

Dawn didn't speak for a long while. Finally, she said, "This really isn't the conversation I expected to have this morning."

Marigold laughed, "Me neither. I thought you wanted to tell me you had a crush on me."

"I..." Dawn flushed bright red.

Marigold had said it without much forethought. Now, she giggled, "You do have a crush on me. Don't you?"

Dawn lowered her head into her hands, "I wonder if there's any room under this rock for me to hide."

Marigold laughed and hugged her in relief and affection, "Thank you. I think you just made my day."

Dawn took a deep breath, "I mean, I already have a girlfriend. But, if I didn't and you had any interest in girls..."

Marigold knew she should let Dawn digest one thing at a time so she didn't risk scaring her new friend off. But, she was gripped by an irresistibly mischievous urge. She grinned at Dawn, "When I said I don't know what I want out of life, I meant that I really don't know what I want out of life. Nothing is out of the question."

Marigold had never seen someone so surprised that their mouth actually fell open and stayed that way before. Dawn obviously wanted to ask a question, but Marigold wasn't sure she had any answers yet. Leaning forward, she kissed Dawn on the cheek, just far enough back that her lips touched the line of Dawn's jaw a half inch away from the ear.

"I have to go," said Marigold. "I don't want to be late for fourth period. And you need to get back to motorshop."

She rose, walked down the path, and turned as she reached the edge of the woods. When she turned back around, Dawn looked like she still hadn't moved. With a giggle, Marigold turned and bounced away, inordinately pleased with herself.

-=-

Marigold mulled over the conversation more at her leisure. She knew she'd made a fairly momentous decision quickly, but Dawn had taken her by surprise.

At the end of the school day, she decided to do something else drastic. Walking down the front steps of the school, she kept going, down through the lowest social ranks, across the faculty parking lot, ducked her head under a low-hanging bough, and stepped into the cavelike environment that was known as the Pines.

This was somewhere else she'd never been at Mannsborough High. Even though it was less than a hundred yards from where she often waited for the homeroom bell, she would never have thought of coming here. This was where the true undesirables congregated. People who had few or no friends, took part in no activities, or were actively tormented by the more popular students spent their time under the huge pine trees that marked the border between faculty parking and the practice fields.

When Marigold was a freshman, the administration of Mannsborough High had suggested cutting down the pine trees because they were commonly used by students to stay on campus but be out of the view of administrators and teachers. There had been a huge negative backlash from the alumnae. Apparently, the trees were associated with some school tradition.

So, they continued to be a refuge for the students who weren't popular enough to stand on the main steps. Marigold was nervous about coming out here. She wondered how many of the students here she'd been deliberately cruel to. She knew that it was enough that stepping behind the heavy wall of needles and hearing the rest of the school fade away made her nervous.

For all the anger people must feel towards her, no one approached her. She got a few sullen and suspicious looks, but most people just seemed to ignore her. She wandered around, trying to spot the face she was looking for. After a circuit and a half, she spotted the girl by her trademark green velvet skirt, wavy red hair, and silver jewelry, relaxing, talking to friends, and smoking. As she walked towards them, Marigold called out, "Deirdre."

One of Deirdre’s friends turned, saw Marigold, said, "Shit. Narc!" and bolted. A couple others followed. Marigold looked after them, puzzled. Deirdre looked after them, amused.

When she looked back at Marigold, she grinned. Marigold had forgotten about Deirdre's smiles. They split the girl's face from side to side expressing a natural ebullience that Marigold was glad to see hadn't been extinguished by her exile early freshman year. She called out, "Marigold, sweetie. What are you doing out here?"

Marigold raised her hands, "Not narking. I didn't mean to make your friends run off."

Deirdre waved a hand, "Don't worry about it. The weed makes them paranoid, particularly smoking it this close to the school."

Marigold laughed, "I'll say. They shot out of here like a couple of rabbits at a shotgun blast."

Deirdre nodded, "Sometimes, the Jesus freaks come out here to try and gang save people. There was an ugly scene last year when they started writing down names of who was smoking out here and gave it to the principal." Finally, she looked suspiciously at Marigold, "You're not here to save anybody. Are you?"

"Actually," said Marigold. "I came out here to talk to you. I know we haven't spoken much since you stopped coming to church. But, I was wondering if I could ask you something."

"Shoot," said Deirdre.

"Well," said Marigold, lowering her voice. "This summer, your mother came to church very upset. She said you were...well, doing a lot of things she didn't approve of. She made a scene and asked people to pray that you would find your way back to Christ."

Deirdre scowled, "I thought you said you weren't here to save me. I don't need this shit, Marigold. I live my life on..."

"Hold on," said Marigold a little sharply. "I'm not here to save you or judge you or anything. I just wanted to ask you something. I swear. This isn't a trick. I just need some advice."

"All right," said Deirdre suspiciously, clearly not following.

"I'm sure your mother had the story mostly wrong," said Marigold. "But, I think I got the gist. Listen, if any of this gets too weird or personal, just tell me to stop being nosey and I'll try to figure things out for myself."

Deirdre's grin came out again, tinged with a hint of defiance now, "My life is an open book. What's on your mind?"

Marigold took a deep breath, "Your mother said you were living with two guys and sleeping with both of them. Is that true?"

Deirdre nodded, "Part of the truth. Did she mention I was living there because she and Saint Dad threw me out on my seventeenth birthday?"

"No," said Marigold. "She neglected to mention that. So, if that's part of the truth, what's the whole truth?"

Another suspicious look, "You really want to know? If it's just to gossip about me, it's not worth the effort. Plenty of people already know."

Marigold nodded, "I really want to know."

Deirdre said, "I moved in with my boyfriend Jack, who has an apartment in Argent. The apartment's over the shop where Jack works as a glassblower. The people who own the shop live in a house on the other side of the parking lot. Their names are Nick and Gina. My mother found out I was dating all three of them and threw a shit fit."

"You were?" asked Marigold. "You're not anymore?"

"Oh, no," said Deirdre. "I still am. But, things have gotten more complicated since then. Nick and Gina both have girlfriends of their own that they don't see very often because they live out in Salinas . And..." She grinned sheepishly, "I could probably explain it better with a diagram."

Marigold raised her hands, "That won't be necessary."

"So," asked Deirdre. "What advice can I give you?"

"I'm not sure," asked Marigold. "I'm just trying to figure some things out in my own head. Are you happy with this arrangement?"

Deirdre nodded, "Most of the time. There are problems, but what relationship is perfect?"

Marigold mulled this over, then asked, "What would you do if, for example, Jack wanted to marry Gina instead of you?"

Deirdre laughed, "I would kick his ass. And, so would Nick, seeing as how he's Gina's husband."

Marigold's jaw fell open. Deirdre laughed, "Ah. That's the Marigold I remember. I was starting to wonder if the pod people had gotten you when you didn't get that deer-in-headlights look earlier."

"I'll get back to you on the whole pod people thing," said Marigold. "I'm still not entirely sure about that one myself. But, if there is a body snatcher attached to my spine, she's a little surprised by this too. Gina and Nick are married and they know about all the rest of you?"

Deirdre nodded, "And they're totally in love with each other. They just don't see sex and love as closely linked. Before you ask any more questions, let me ask you one. Do you and Elliot do everything together?"

Marigold shook her head. Before she could say more, Deirdre went on, "Right. You two do what you do. When you're not doing things as a couple, he goes and plays football with other people. You go and work at the hospital with other people. You both have friends that you enjoy spending time with. I just don't see why intimacy is the only thing that we're supposed to designate a single person we're allowed to do it with and everyone else is off limits."

"So," asked Marigold, not entirely agreeing with the point, but not wanting the conversation to turn into a debate, "how do you keep from getting jealous when you know that Jack is with Gina?"

"I don't," said Deirdre. "I get jealous. But, I also get jealous when he's hanging out with Nick and I want attention even though there's no sexual contact between them. If I were Elliot's girlfriend, it would make no difference to me whether he was out playing football with, say, Randy Vandevoort or fucking him."

Marigold let out an involuntary giggle. When Deirdre gave her a questioning look, she giggled again. Then, she started laughing.

"What's so funny?" asked Deirdre.

Marigold shook her head, fighting to regain her composure, "Nothing. I'm sorry. I just...got the visual. Incidentally, I'm not seeing Elliot anymore."

"Oh?" asked Deirdre. "You two were together forever. What happened?"

Marigold waved a hand, "Not worth talking about. It was over a long time ago. I was just too blinkered to recognize it."

"So, who are you with now?"

"Thule Roemer," said Marigold. Even saying his name gave her a little frisson of pleasure.

"Really?" asked Deirdre. "Is Thule poly?"

"Is he what?" asked Marigold.

"Polyamorous," said Deirdre.

Marigold considered the word and its roots, "He's never given any indication that he is."

"So, then," asked Deirdre. "What's all this about?"

Marigold gave Deirdre a wan smile, knowing that the other girl would figure it out in a moment if she didn't answer. Mannsborough High School had given her a strong aversion to talking about her personal life. To direct Deirdre's speculation, she said, "I'm just kicking around a few options in my head for once we head off to college. Thanks for the advice."

Deirdre furrowed her brow, "I don't remember giving any advice."

Marigold smiled more broadly, "Well, your non-advice was very helpful. Thank you."

"Any time," said Deirdre. "Hey. Don't be a stranger."

Marigold paused as she was turning to go, "Good idea. If you're not busy, why don't you come sit with us at lunch tomorrow?"

Deirdre looked doubtful, "Nothing against you, Gold. But, I don't think..."

Marigold laughed, "I don't sit with Brianne and that crowd any more. I sit with Thule and his friends. They're probably out on the steps now. You should come meet them."

-=-

Marigold had been right in her guess that Thule 's friends would be on the front steps. Thule had asked Marigold to meet him on the front steps. As she approached, Marigold saw that he was talking to Dawn about something, seemingly oblivious to the cloud of people who had gathered around him. Interestingly, to the casual observer, they seemed equally oblivious to his presence, as if they had just randomly formed an even circle with him at the center.

Leading Deirdre in through the crowd, Marigold wrapped her arms around Thule 's neck and kissed him as passionately as her sense of decency allowed. Then, she said, " Thule , this is Deirdre. She lives like four houses away from me."

Thule nodded and smiled at Deirdre, "I know you. We had a couple of classes together last year--art and English III."

Deirdre smiled, "Good memory. I don't think we actually spoke, though."

"We probably spoke once or twice," said Thule . "But, you sat on the other side of the room with Zbortnik and Ehud whatsisname."

The way Deirdre's smile widened told Marigold that Thule had gotten the details right. Marigold wondered how he did it. She couldn't even remember who sat on the other side of the room in English class this year.

Marigold asked, " Thule , is there any chance I can entice you to stay and help me with the newspaper today? I've been neglecting all of my after-school activities this week. I would hate to have Harvard change their mind because I started slacking on the extracurriculars at the end."

"Actually," said Thule . "I was hoping to tempt you away from your duties one more day with the promise of gifts."

Marigold pouted, "Every year, the seniors abandon the newspaper as soon as they get their college acceptance letters. That means that every year, the new group comes in and has to figure everything out all over again. I want to at least guarantee a smooth handoff before I give up the reins. What sort of gifts?"

"I want to get you a cell phone. And, I need to replace mine. Plus, Dawn needs one."

"I already have a cell phone," said Marigold.

"Oh, yeah?" asked Thule . "What's the number?"

Marigold shrugged, "I don't know. I never carry it."

"Start," said Thule , kissing her again. "Now that you're getting all frisky, you need a leash. Besides, I might need to get a hold of you quickly soon or vice versa."

Marigold nodded, understanding what was unsaid as much as what was said. She snuggled into Thule 's arms, "I'll start carrying it tonight so that I can be at your beck and call. Can you swing by after you pick up the phones and get me at the newspaper office?"

Thule shrugged, "Or, I could stick around today if you want to go tomorrow. I can live without a cell phone for a day."

Marigold laughed, "No, you can't. You're already twitchy. Besides, I'm volunteering at the hospital tomorrow after school." She reached up and pushed aside a bang that had fallen in Dawn's eyes, "You two have fun. Come and get me when you're finished."

Thule nodded, "All right. We won't be too long."

"Take your time," said Marigold. "I'll be lucky to get out by six."

When Thule turned to gather his things, Dawn shot Marigold a querulous look. Marigold smiled and inclined her head slightly. Dawn shrugged at Marigold and, after a moment, smiled back.

"Come on, Big Daddy," said Dawn in a truly awful attempt at a Southern accent. "You can get me a leash, too. But, I want a sparkly one."

Marigold chuckled, "I've got to get to the newspaper office. Next year's editor is probably waiting for me."

As she turned, Marigold saw Deirdre, putatively in conversation with one of the sword nerds. Whatever the young man was talking about, he must have thought she was deeply fascinated because Deirdre's eyes were on Marigold and wide with surprise."

-=-

When Marigold got to the newspaper office, the new editor still wasn't there. The staff was sparse, only a half-dozen people working, all of whom she knew were doing the newspaper for class credit.

While she waited, she opened a browser and googled on "polyamorous." For a word she'd never heard an hour ago, there was a ton of information on it. Marigold became so engrossed in her reading that she didn't even notice that Brianne was in the office until the head cheerleader was standing over her desk, smiling at her.

"What are you reading?"

Marigold task switched quickly, "Just some last-minute research. I didn't expect to see you here today, Brianne."

Brianne's smiled got wider. Brianne's smiles always meant trouble. She said, "I figured I would be here to write filler if we need it--for my clips file."

Marigold looked over Brianne's shoulder, "What's Ian doing here? You know it's staff only on layout days."

"Usually," said Brianne, almost purring. "But, you did say we would need all the help we could get for this issue. Didn't you?"

Marigold looked over to where Ian was sitting. He was stretched out on one of the office's couches, clearly not doing any work. She debated telling Brianne that he would have to work if he was here, but figured they could get the newspaper out faster if he stayed out of the way.

"All right," she said irritably. "Why don't you give me five inches on the repairs they're doing to Hans Vandevoort Memorial Stadium for the graduation? Keep it factual. All the research is in the system already."

Brianne said "sure" and practically bounced off to one of the other desks.

Marigold frowned behind Brianne's back. The head cheerleader was downright bouncy. That could only mean that someone Brianne disliked was about to have a bad day.

Glancing up again at Ian, Marigold saw him watching her. He didn't bother to look away until she made eye contact. Even then, he did it with a derisive snort.

Fighting to keep her hands from trembling, Marigold dialed the number for Thule 's cell phone. The call went straight to voice mail without ringing. As if nothing were wrong, Marigold said, "Hi, Thule . The new editor stood me up. So, I'll probably be done long before six. Any time you want to swing back, that would be great. There are a lot of people doing paste-up. Brianne even brought Ian. I'm not sure how long other people are going to be here, but the three of us could probably get things done all alone." She emphasized the last two words slightly, "Still, if you could get here soon, that would be great."

Hanging up the phone, she checked the clock on her computer. It was four thirty. She thought there was enough work to keep staff in the office for another two and a half hours. Still, six o'clock couldn't come soon enough.