The first sign was the hushed giggles as I walked past, sniggers from some of the other kids as I walked down the School corridor. At first I didn't even think they were laughing at me, I mean I wasn't the coolest kid around, far from it, but I was sure I hadn't tucked my shirt into my underwear or sat in something gross. And not all of them were, just a few. I put it down to being paranoid, even if the giggles and whispers did seem to follow me down the hall with quick glances as I passed. Still I got to class and sat down at my desk, getting my books and out and settling down to study.
My paranoia went up a notch as Kevin Peterson entered the room, the beefy jock's hand round the waist of a pert cheerleader. He saw me and grinned, his teeth perfectly white, seeming to gleam against his black skin. He murmured something in the cheerleader's ear, making her laugh, before returning his gaze to me. "How you doing Mickie? Family okay?"
I was surprised he even spoke to me, we'd been in the same school since we were fourteen and in those four years he'd never said a word to me, not a 'Hi' or a Hand that note to Gwen' or even 'Get out of my way, nerd'. So why was he asking now? I tried not to let a good thing pass, I wasn't going to think we'd suddenly become best buds, but if one of the jocks who ran with the coolest High School clique was talking to me, I could at least hope some of his star-power would rub off on me. I nodded, "It's Ricky," he nodded grinning, like that was what he'd said, "I'm doing well, thanks, studying hard. What about you? You going to win some trophies for us this year? We've got to be favorites."
"Yeah," he didn't seem interested in my questions, "So was asking about the family. How's your Mom? She okay? "
The cheerleader was smirking and something about his words and her smile made me frown. Being spoken to by Kevin and, at the same time, having a cheerleader look at me, even if her gaze was more curiosity than lust, had left me dazed and overawed. But outside of dreams the cool kids - the jocks and the hotties - didn't come and just talk to the geeks after four years, especially not about their family.
"You know my Mom?" I asked. I was surprised. When I was younger she had been the perfect PTA Mom, always there for a bake sale or to pick me up after school, but things had changed after her divorce from the asshole of a man I was forced to call Dad. The first few years had been tough, Dad wasn't a great one for paying his alimony in full or on time and we'd been living, if not hand to mouth, at least somewhere close in a rough part of town. She had still been the school Mom, juggling raising me and trying to raise enough money through a series of cruddy and unskilled jobs. Things had changed about four years ago, she'd been applying for job after job, but despite being a graduate having been out of the market for over fourteen years no-one wanted her. Until some company, in motor insurance she told me, offered her a job. Most of her work was at home when I was at school, though sometimes she'd have long all day meetings or even have to travel away for a few days. The difference in our life styles was almost immediately apparent - we moved upstate to a town where the homes didn't have damp and the cops called you 'Sir'. But whilst she was still a great Mom not once had she been to my school. "How do you know her?"
"Oh, I've seen her around," he grinned a toothy smile and the cheerleader looked like she was about to double over with a fit of giggles. "So how is she? Keeping fit?"
"Yeah, I guess, she's okay," I replied slightly unsure what else to say. I wasn't sure how my fortysomething Mom would ever move in the same circles as a hunky, eighteen year old black athlete. Perhaps, his Mom? Though even then I couldn't see how - Mom seemed to keep to herself, we weren't members of a Church or any clubs, she didn't even go to a gym, keeping herself in trim with exercise equipment she kept in a small mini-building off the back of our house.
I was stopped from any further conversation as the teacher arrived, "Later dude," Kevin grinned at me and escorted his girlfriend to some desks at the back of the class. It had been a weird continuance to a day which seemed to get weirder as several times I peeked up from my book and notepad to be sure my classmates were staring at me and quickly dropping their glances as I looked at them. Once I even thought I could see two younger girls from a couple of years down, glancing in through the glass panel as they passed down the corridor, stopping, pointing -towards me? I wasn't sure - and giggling.
As class ended and I was heading towards the canteen to meet my friends I became more and more aware that something was going on and I was the center of it, earlier the giggles and side-long looks had at least only come from a few students, but now everyone seemed to be at it. Whispering behind hands to each other as I passed, nudging their friends and turning to gawk at me like I was a mannequin in a shop window. I was in full paranoia state by the time I arrived at the table, even delaying my walk to go to the restroom to check I hadn't sat in anything or had a 'funny' jock pin a rude note to my back.
I wasn't put at ease by the reaction of my friends, Charlie and Hank. Charlie rubbed his chubby jowls as I approached, hoping to hide his expression, but he wasn't quick enough to cover the anxious look or the reddening of his cheeks. Hank was even less quick witted, brushing back his long hair and standing in an attempt to leave and then realizing I had seen him sitting again, before making one must last dash for freedom, spoilt as I sat down and he was left half-crouched up unsure where to go. I looked at them, "Hi dudes. What the fuck is going on? It's like Weirdsville here today."
Hank and Charlie looked at each other, seeing he had no other choice Hank sat down reluctantly. He gave a small shrug and looked at Charlie who seemed to be intently examining the side of cola can. I waited for a few seconds, but as neither of them were talking I started again. "Look guys something's going on. Everyone's looking at me and it isn't cos my jacket is so last year or cos I've got gum in my hair. And in class Kevin Peterson, I mean Kevin 'fucking' Peterson spoke to me. And now the two of you are acting like you've had your tongues stolen by the Gentlemen."
"The Gentlemen didn't steal tongues, they used a magical box to steal voices," said Charlie.
"Gee, thanks, I wasn't asking for a lesson in Buffylore. I was asking what was going on. Is there a rumor I shat in the shower or something?"
"Yes, no," Charlie said and looked at Hank for support. As Hank was silent, through shifting uncomfortably, Charlie took a breath and tried to explain his cryptic answer. "Not about the shower and not even about you... about your Mom."
"What about her?" I felt a surge of defensiveness coming on even before I knew the rumor. But the sudden spark of anger wasn't helping me get the reply from Charlie so I forced myself to calm down, anyway I doubted it'd do any good blaming the guys, they looked like they were bearers of bad news they'd do anything to avoid giving, not the rumor starters.
Charlie pulled another face and from Hank's expression if he could have snuck away he would. I waited, trying not to snap impatiently, after a few seconds Charlie spoke and I wished he hadn't. "The rumor is she's a porn star."
"That's not true. That's a dirty lie," I snapped. "She's in insurance. You've seen her."
Charlie and Hank were probably the only guys in school who had met her when they'd visited my house. They both looked each other uncomfortably. I wasn't dumb, my Mom might have been past forty, but she remained attractive, with deep red hair and a body she kept in shape; they never talked about it but if I'd been asked I'd have said both my buddies would have placed her in the 'Mom I'd like to fuck' category. I didn't want to have that argument so instead I said, "So what's the story?"
"It's Vic Esterman" said Charlie referring to another one of the jocks, a close friend of Kevin, "He started it. He supposed to be at a bar and he recognized this porn star from the movies and as he's told it, and we heard this second hand, he went over to pick her up and she took him home. He saw your picture in the bedroom and been telling everyone how he scored a porn star and that she was your Mom."
Ignoring the slander about knowing her from porn I knew it wasn't true. She would be in bars looking for sex with a meathead like Vic, she wasn't pure, but she wasn't the casual pick-up type either. "I don't believe it. When?"
