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Part XII: 1988- End of Innocence
Jimmy rolled his eyes, "And what happens when one of these shitheads makes a pass at you, huh?"
-Jimmy
"I don't know, depends on if they're a total Scrote."
Sal said, now taking a drink, letting the now warm beer pour down her throat. She made a face of disgust as she swallowed it down before shaking it off. She often wondered if other people hated the taste as much as she did, and if they all collectively as a society of youths decided to ignore it.
"Anyway, now that you're here, what's the plan Little man?"
Jim looked like he wanted to say something smart to that, but he rolled his eyes, sliding down to the ground beside his sister, "Well, now that I'm here, I guess it's my responsibility as your little man to take your big woman ass home before her Mama has a stroke."
He stretched out on the grass, "But it was a long ride, and I'm tired, so Mama can wait," he looked around, "Having fun? Or are you doing all this for science?"
-Jim
"Jimmy, you need to have some fun, cut loose, get into some risky business."
Sal said as she reached down, pulling him up by the arm, she scanned the crowds of people, all the little groups that had formed, and spotted a stranger, talking with daddy's money and fruity pebbles.
"See her, she needs better friends, go talk to that girl."
Sal pointed her out. She liked the girls style, and she'd prefer him hang out with someone of substance than half the people at this party.
"What?" Jimmy folded his arms, "You know her?" he turned to Sal, "Or do you know her? Because it's cool if you've been lezzing on the side, but I figured maybe you could've said something first."
-Jimmy
"What? No. Just she looks like a classy broad, go talk to her so she isn't drugged or something by Maddox."
Sal said, punching his arm particularly hard
"What, are you trying to set me up?" Jimmy rolled his eyes, "Fine. But if one or the other kicks my ass, you've got what's coming to you."
He got to his feet, "Peace, and all that other shit."
Shoving his hands into his pockets, he moved closer to the house, "'Sup, boys?"
"Hullo," greeted Fitz, "I've never seen you before."
"Same, Goldenrod."
Fitz patted his perm self-consciously. Jimmy turned to Quinn, "Behaving yourself, Maddox?"
-Jimmy and Fitz
"Paula...will you come with me? I could use some support," Jamie said quietly, "I don't know what I'm gonna do, if he doesn't believe me."
"Oh, that was never a question," said Paula primly, "Wait...believe you about what? I mean, what's he gonna do, pretend he's never seen you before? I'd like to see him try that out."
-Paula
Jamie took a deep breath. She was about to break a promise she'd made a long time ago.
She leaned into Paula's ear, and whispered, "I'm pregnant. And if Kirk doesn't accept responsibility, my dad is going to kill him."
Paula's eyes grew several sizes too large for her head. She made a sort of strangled gasping noise that sounded like a deflating tire.
"Oh my God," she said at last, "Oh. Oh wow."
She started teasing her hair, as if she were getting ready to go on stage or something, "Honey, you aren't kidding. Vicky's gonna be stunnered," she sighed, "Come on. I know the way to the poolhouse. You can see it right over that way," she nodded to indicate the long, low brick structure on the other side of the swimming pool.
-Paula
"Let's get this over with," Jamie said, feeling like shit for lying.
"Lead the way?"
With an air of a soldier marching off to war, Paula shook her locks out, squared her shoulders, and started across the pool court.
"KIRK!" she called, "KIRK, YOU IN THERE?"
There was really no point in her asking. She opened the door anyway, charging right over the threshold and inside.
-Paula
Careful. Precise. With a delicate touch. Easy now...
Cue sidled between two fingers, hip arched against the table, white ball cornered. One more to sink...
"KIRK! KIRK, YOU IN THERE?"
Outside noise. Never bothered him before.
Off the side, into the pocket. Done it before a million times. It's like muscle memory...
Footsteps coming closer. Wouldn't stop him now. He was a man on the mission.
Click!
Cue hit the ball, ball hit the side, ball rolls with momentum...into the corner pocket.
"Ha! Chalk another one up for me, Henderson," Kirk boasted. "You're washed out. You can't beat me, even with all the outside noise in the world in your favor. Speaking of which..." He turned to the newcomers. "Hello, Paula." Kirk said the name with exaggerated spite. "You almost ruined a perfect game. What's so urgent? And who's the girl?"
"As if you don't know," declared Paula haughtily.
The poolhouse's other occupant, a dark-haired, square-jawed youth with an expression of resting malevolence, set aside his pool cue to fold his arms in Paula's direction, "Taste-testing bennies, Burke? Here, I thought you were one of the good ones?"
"Oh, drop it, Sam," though a little of Paula's bite seemed to recede under his scrutiny, "Could you, like, give us a minute? Please?"
Sam scoffed, showing a flash of shockingly white, almost canine teeth, "You giving me orders now, Paulie? Last I checked, you weren't my mother."
"Yeah, well..." she wrapped her arms around herself, "Lucky me."
"You're not kicking me out. It's not even your place to kick people out of. Whatever you and your, er," his attention moved to Jamie, "Friend have to say, you can say it in front of me," he looked out the corner of his to Kirk, "You know this chick, man?"
-Paula and Sam
"I most certainly do not," Kirk reiterated, stepping closer the stranger. "But I suspect the chick here is sayin' different. Really curious what she has to say about all of this." Resting his cue in the rack, he implored her, "So go ahead, girly. Speak. Tell your tale."
Jamie looked him in the eyes, and said, "I'm pregnant. It's yours."
Kirk blinked. Then he scoffed. "Right. Nice try." He grabbed his cue and returned to the table. "Set 'em up, Sam."
Jamie stared at him.
She could walk away now. Confirm it was a lie, and never show her face again. But that wouldn't solve the mystery.
"You remember the party, about 8 weeks ago? Everyone was drunk?"
"'Do I remember the party?' Which one?" Kirk raised his voice but didn't shout. To shout would imply he had something to hide and Kirk was no coward. He kept no secrets.
"Oh my God, you knocked her up at Pamela's birthday?" Paula gasped in exaggerated tones.
"This Betty wasn't at Pam's birthday," said Sam scornfully.
"As if you pay attention. Everybody was plastered that night."
"Who the hell even is this chick?"
"Someone Kirk knocked up at Pamela's birthday party, I guess," said Paula, "I don't know why that's hard to believe."
"Kirk's got a girl!" said Sam.
Paula cocked an eyebrow, as if this in itself was a hollow argument. Sam didn't respond, though he bristled visibly, muscles tensing under his lacrosse jersey.
-Sam and Paula
"The condom must have ripped," Jamie continued, noting Pamela's name.
"And...my dad said you don't have to marry me. But if you don't man up and accept it..."
Kirk aggressively slammed the cue on the table. "There is no ripped condom because I've never seen the girl in my life!" He stepped again towards the liar. "I don't know what you want from me and even if I did, I wouldn't be willing to give it because I have no respect for chicks like you."
He crossed his arms, an idea coming to his mind. "Why don't you call up your daddy? Maybe we can have a talk...man-to-man?"
"Hey!" Paula snapped, though it seemed she couldn't properly hold herself up in the wake of Kirk's basso exclamations, "She doesn't have to..."
"Forget this," Sam stepped over, "Come on, take it outside."
"You're not kicking me out!"
"I'm kicking myself out. I can't take much more of this horseshit. And if I go, you go."
"You're not going to boss me around!"
"Paulie, I don't see how this is any of your damn business. Unless you're as much of an airhead as Pam always says..."
"I'm not so much an airhead to leave her with him."
Sam turned to Kirk, "You know, man, there's one way you can prove she's telling the truth."
-Paula and Sam
"You're right," Jamie said, her eyes betraying nothing, "There is one way to prove it."
"Alright then," Kirk said, getting the idea. "Come back with a positive test. In the meantime, I'll try my hardest to figure out who the hell you are and what you want with me." Then, looking between the girl and Paula, he asked, "Are we done here?"
"Yeah, we're done," Jamie said, and as she turned to leave, "And I will be back."
"Feh," Kirk scoffed, before returning to his game with Sam.
***
A shadowy figure approached Jamie after she left the room. "By Beelzebub's bubbling booty, you have gotten yourself into quite the predicament."
It was Galdamez, dressed as a member of Devo!!!!!!!!!!!!
-Kirk and Galdamez
"Ah!" Jamie quietly shrieked. It took only a minute from the shock. Of course he was here. Why wouldn't he be?
"And I'll get myself out of it too, Doc. This is the year it happens, isn't it? 1988?"
"Yes, this is the time of that profane tape." Galdamez sauntered over to her to the beat of the music. "As per the seance, you have been sent here to solve the mystery of what happened that night. Only then will you be sent back to the present!" He sucked his pinky finger with concern. "Though I must say, you're playing a risky game, mon cher. Are you sure you can keep up?"