Graduation and Britney's Talent

The next evening, I walked to Grandpa's house. The drapes on the windows were completely shut. That could only mean that he was watching something important on TV. And nothing was more important to Grandpa than sports.

I knocked on the door. "Grandpa! Grandpa!"

A minute later, the door opened. He glanced at me quickly through his glasses.

"Come on in and shut the door, will ya." he said hastily, then walked back to his couch.

It was dark inside. The only light was coming from the TV.

The first Kings vs. Lakers game was on.

"Grab a seat," he said without looking away from the TV. 

On the coffee table, there were cans of beer and his tobacco pipe along with some chips and cookies. I sat down and watched the game with him for a while, munching on some chips.

"How did you know?" Grandpa finally asked me.

"Nothing more than a lucky guess," I replied, shrugging.

Grandpa lit his tobacco pipe, taking a deep puff. "You know, I couldn't make a bet as small as $150. My guy wouldn't go for that. So, I bet $500. The odds you got were 4200 points... a 42x. But why'd you have to bet on the exact result? You'd already have $3000 right now."

"'I' would have? It's mostly your money at this point, Grandpa."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Don't kid around, boy. I don't need the money. If you guessed right, all the cash will go to you. You're gonna study in Gainesville, right? You could use that money."

"But don't sweat it," he added, patting my shoulder. "I'll still make sure my grandkid has some money, even if we lose."

He held out the tobacco pipe to me.

"Want to try?" he asked.

"No, thank you, Grandpa."

I don't know how he was my mother's father. They were like night and day, complete opposites. 

I watched the rest of the game with my grandpa. The Lakers clinched the first game, 106-99.

"Lakers are gonna sweep 'em, 4-0," Grandpa declared.

I laughed. "We'll see about that."

As the game ended, I stood up, "Thanks for the cookies and the game, Grandpa."

"Anytime, kid. Don't be a stranger."

I went back home, taking my usual route through the neighborhood. On the way, I noticed the Flynn family having a grilling party outside.

"Jack!"

I turned around to see Chloe running toward me, her long brunette hair loose, wearing tight blue shorts and a white t-shirt. She reached me, slightly out of breath.

"What's up, Chloe?" I asked.

"Oh, nothing. We're having a party, but I saw you walking by and wanted to give this to you." She handed me a small advertisement page.

"What's that?" I asked, glancing at the paper.

"Well, my parents opened a new pizzeria a few streets away. Come by when you have time."

"Oh! Sure, why not?"

"Alright then," she said with a smile, turning to walk back to the party.

"Have fun!" I called after her.

"Thank you!"

After that, I got back home and settled into my routine.

...

The week passed swiftly. 

The teachers took notice of my renewed dedication, and soon I found myself becoming somewhat of a teachers' pet. Though my reputation as someone not to be fucked with remained intact.

That meant that I was on top of the food chain inside and outside of class.

On May 21st, the night before graduation, I got a call; it was from Ashley Cooper.

Ashley has been calling me quite a few times lately, asking about all sorts of things like the classes and help with the exams. She tried to be subtle, but I could sense she was trying to ask me out.

She was an attractive girl, but I didn't have any feelings for her and I didn't want to be tied down to anyone.

My trust levels were at all-time-lows.

I still picked up the call.

"Hey Jack." she chirped.

"Hey." I answered.

"So, I've got this thing happening on the 21st of June. It's my eighteenth birthday bash, and I wanted to see if you'd come over." Ashley's voice had a slight raspiness to it.

"On the 21st of June? And you're calling me this early?"

"Well, you're the first one on my list," she replied playfully. "Figured I'd give you the scoop first. So, what do you say?"

I leaned in my chair and I pondered for a moment.

"What kind of party are we talking about?" I asked.

"It's going to be a high-key birthday, Jack. Loud music, drinks flowing—you name it. You won't want to miss it." Ashley's voice carried a bubbliness that seemed to fill the room even through the phone. 

 "Alright, I'll be there." I finally agreed. I can't say no to some good booze.

"Yay! I knew you wouldn't say no," Ashley exclaimed, "Ymm... so, what about your birthday? Are you going to throw a party? I bet people would show up."

"No. My parents are pretty strict. A cake at home is all I'll get. Most importantly, there would be no booze, so I would rather not."

Ashley laughed softly. "Fair enough." There was a brief pause before she continued, her voice softer now. "Anyway, I'll catch you at graduation, right?"

"Yeah, definitely. See you then, Ashley."

...

The next day, I walked to school alone. Jacob had found someone new to walk with—a girl named Lucy White. 

Jacob and Lucy were sitting on a bench near the school gate, laughing and chatting.

She had long black hair and wore a cropped, tight black t-shirt that tightly encased her boobs, as well as a pair of tiny white jean cut-offs, worn low across her hip-bones, that were also cut short enough to show off the line where her lean thighs met her tiny ass-cheeks.

Yes, Jacob had a girlfriend. They hit it off at that one party and got it going. Maybe he told her his stories...

As I walked up to them, I could see that Jacob was genuinely happy, and when Lucy stood up straight, I could see that she had a sparkling silver belly button ring that jingled and brought attention to her sexy abs.

All I knew was that I was not the pervert; she was the one wearing those clothes to graduation, not me.

Lucy shot me a playful smile. "Do you like what you see?"

I returned her smile. "Yes, I do."

"Hey, I think we should head inside," Jacob interrupted.

On the way to the hall, we ran into Ashley.

At least she was being more modest. 

She wore a white blouse and a white skirt that fell to her knees nicely.

"Nice shirt, Jack," she complimented me.

"You look great as well," I told her.

We settled into our seats in the crowded hall, waiting for the graduation ceremony.

But that would not happen soon, because they wanted to do the award ceremony first, which included rewarding some people from lower grades as well.

I was bored to death until a certain moment. 

The principal stood on stage in his tailored suit.

Still bald.

Nothing changed in that department.

His voice boomed through the microphone, "Finally, I would like to reward an exceptional student, Britney Adams, for her amazing achievement of a Bronze Medal at the International Math Olympiad. Congratulations, Miss Adams."

I had completely forgotten about this...

I clapped along with the rest of the students.

Britney, my sister's friend, gracefully made her way to the stage, her blonde hair flowing loosely behind her. She smiled graciously as she received her award.

'I need her' I thought.

I really needed her.