Forgotten First Kiss

I recognized her. “Good to see you again, Tennille.” Tennille Underwood, former cheerleader, slightly angry in the past. Very angry now.

Tennille’s eyes turned to slits. “Jeremy?”

“Danica, this is Tennille, our old friend.” Probably one of the moms of a tumbler by this time. My money said she and her beer-swilling jerk of a high school boyfriend, Liam, had gotten married and started a family. “Tennille, Danica is going to need lots of help relearning names.”

“What are you doing here?” she demanded through clenched teeth. “What are you doing with Danica?”

Danica, fortunately, had been besieged by small, yelling, happy, loving children and didn’t hear our exchange or catch the venom in Tennille’s voice.

“You guys are so cute!” She hugged each one. Their moms soon took over, protecting her from too-enthusiastic greetings.

Meanwhile, a few steps off, I opened my palms upward, pleading, “She’s not doing great, Tennille. Give her a break.”

“Jeremy, you should not be here. What is this, some kind of opportunistic swoop-in, where you’re taking advantage of her at her worst moment? Please. I can see right through this. Give me thirty seconds, and I will have all the dirt on you, and I’ll be sharing it with her via my phone screen. You’d better get out of here, or I’m doing that right now.”

What was to stop her from doing it if I left? I wasn’t born yesterday.

“You’re not going to do that, Tennille. Danica’s in a fragile state. If you’re a friend, you’re going to let her heal before you hit her with a barrage of negativity. I’ve got a couple of weeks off work”—not true, but it would be as of the moment I messaged Mark—“and as far as I can tell, no one else is available to help Danica with the things she needs.” Her parents never had been available for Danica. “Are you up to the task of fighting against the hospital lawyers over the fast one they tried to pull on her while her mental capacities were down?” When Tennille’s eyes widened and then her face fell, I continued, “I didn’t think so. But I am. And I’m on her side. I’ve always been on her side.”

Tennille let out a snort to rival that of a gorilla’s. “You. On her side!” More snorts. Not very ladylike. What would the cheer captain think? “It’s more like you’ve been trying to sink her life to the bottom of the ocean. Every time you ever came near her, her life got exponentially worse, or have you forgotten? You’re her worst nightmare, Jeremy Hotston. And as her business partner, I’m not going to stand by and let you infiltrate her life with your—”

The rant was cut short when Danica came over. “They remember me, but I need Tennille’s help with their names.” She gave Tennille the most helpless, piteous look I’d ever seen. Even Tennille was thawed, although she gave me a final stern glance as she left me behind.

In what universe had Danica become business partners with Tennille Underwood? Geez. She’d hated Tennille in high school, hated everything Tennille stood for.

She hated you, too, dude, a voice in my head pointed out.

And then, I saw the opportunity in it: if Danica had forgiven Tennille for past transgressions, she might forgive me. Nice. I grinned, but turned aside so Tennille couldn’t see my expression of triumph.

The gym smelled like chalk and sweat and air freshener. With a touch of swamp cooler for atmosphere. This place could really use a full-on air conditioning system, not that many places used them in Wilder River, ski resort town. But, Indian summer days toward the middle of September could get hot, like this afternoon. I made a mental note or two as I looked around.

“I can’t believe this. Constant Energy Gymnastics is mine,” Danica said, coming to my side as one of the coaches called all the kids back to the mats, “but it might as well be in a foreign country.”

“No sparks of recognition?”

She shook her head. “They’re going to have a welcome back party for me next week.”

“Yeah, well, ask them to postpone unless you’re feeling up to it.”

“I don’t want to disappoint them.”

There she went again, caring about everyone else’s feelings. “You won’t. Let’s go.”

Before I could leave, Tennille snagged me, and another mom raced to hug and talk to Danica. Under her breath, Tennille issued a stern warning: “Take her home. Then, stay the freak away from her. Do you hear me?” She drew a line across her neck.

Great.