The Space Between Us(7)

"Charlie Bear, how are the boys treating you at school?" He asked me one  night over dinner. I finished chewing the bite I had just taken while  shrugging my shoulders.

"They don't really pay me any attention," I said while still looking  down at my plate. I didn't want to talk to my dad about boys.

He raised his eyebrows at me. "I don't believe that for a moment," he scoffed.                       
       
           



       

"It's true. One boy said something terrible to me the very first day and  Asher nearly killed him." The fork that had been on its way to my  father's mouth was stopped mid-air, and his jaw hung open. After a  second or two he closed his mouth and put his fork back down.

"Is that so? What did this boy say to you?"

I rolled my eyes while poking the food on my plate, supremely  uncomfortable with the direction of this conversation. "You don't want  to know, Dad."

"Yes, I do. Answer the question."

I let out an exasperated sigh, still not brave enough to look him in the eye.

"He might have mentioned how I filled out over the summer and then added  something about the back seat of his car," I mumbled as quickly as I  could. I peeked my eyes up at him only to see the red flush spread from  his neck all the way up to his hairline. His hands gripped in solid  white fists on the table and I could hear loud breaths whistling through  his nose. "Dad, it's not a big deal. Like I said, Asher made it known  that it was not ok." It took a little while but my dad finally calmed  down a little and managed a drink of his water. It looked like he was  trying to formulate his next statement. I felt it was going to be  important.

"Charlie, what would you have done if Asher hadn't been there?"

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I asked you. That boy says something profoundly  inappropriate and uncalled for to you in the hallway and Asher is  nowhere to be found to defend your honor. What would you do?"

"Uh, ignore him and keep walking?" That's probably what I would do, but I  wasn't really going for honesty. I was just trying to give my dad the  answer he was looking for so that we could move past this horrid  discussion.

"Any boy who disrespects you in public will only do worse in private. At  this age, Charlie Bear, boys are too focused on the, uh, physical  aspects of a relationship with a girl. It's important that you realize  that just because a boy says things to you that you might find, uh,  flattering, you need to have respect for yourself and your body. Any boy  who says things like that to you isn't worthy of your time or  attention."

"Dad, please, let's not do this," I said as I started to stand up to take my plate into the kitchen.

"Charlie, sit." I instinctually sat back down quickly. Dad used his 'I  mean business' voice, which he only reserved for times when I knew it  was best to obey him. "You're in high school now and it's important that  you understand how the male mind works at this age. Now," he paused,  again trying to put something together in his mind. "When boys your age  are interested in girls, there is a chance that they are thinking about a  physical relationship with her more than she might be. Boys are more  curious, more driven by hormones, and sometimes more, well, uninhibited  in a sexual nature."

"Have you met Reeve?" I joked, trying to lighten the mood. My dad's eyes  grew wide and I immediately regretted my joke. "I'm kidding! Jeez, Dad.  Reeve isn't like that. I mean, she's flirty and boy crazy, but she's  not  –  you know," I tried to insinuate what I meant because, Lord knows, I  didn't want to say it. He let out a loud breath.

"Ok, good. Don't scare me like that." He reached up to try and loosen  the neck of his shirt. He looked a little warm. "All I am trying to say  is that even though I am glad that Asher was there and did the right  thing, he won't always be. Boys are going to try to date you, Charlie  Bear. They're going to ask you out, and they're going to want to kiss  you and possibly more." He wiped the palm of his hand over his forehead  which was now beaded with sweat.

"Dad," I said softly. "I am not ready to date boys. I'm not even really  interested in being someone's girlfriend. The boys at my school are  pretty immature and dumb. You've got nothing to worry about. Plus, Asher  seems to do a good job of keeping them away anyhow."

"So long as we're on the same page that you're not allowed to have a  boyfriend until you're sixteen and you understand what I'm saying about  boys, I think we can end this conversation."

"Oh, thank God," I said quickly and jumped up from the table. After  putting my dishes in the sink, I headed towards my bedroom but was  stopped by the sound of the phone ringing.

"Hello?" I said as I answered.

"Hey, Bit. What are you doing?"

"Just finished dinner."

"Wanna go shoot some hoops with me?"

"You mean watch you shoot hoops while I try to throw a round thing into  an impossibly small hole?" I had never been very athletic, so playing a  sport with Asher was usually pretty pointless.                       
       
           



       

He laughed. "Yeah, that."

"Let me ask my dad." I held my hand over the mouthpiece of the phone and  yelled through the house. "DAD! Is it ok if I go to the elementary  school and play basketball with Asher?" My dad came around the corner  and I smiled at him sheepishly.

"You've got school tomorrow, so be home by nine. And tell Asher I want  to talk to him before you leave." I felt my eyes darting all around the  room, trying to figure out what my dad wanted to say to Asher. My dad  turned and walked away, leaving me nervous.

"Uh, yeah, I can go but my dad wants to talk to you before we leave."

"That's cryptic."

"Just get over here." I heard the line go dead and knew he'd knock on  the door soon so I went and changed into some hoop-shooting clothes.  When the damn doorbell rang, and rang, and rang, I headed downstairs to  find Asher already inside and my dad closing the door behind him.

"You ring that doorbell every time only because you know how much I hate it."

He smiled a big toothy grin. "Not gonna lie, Bit. It's the highlight of my day."

"Asher, come with me into my study," my dad said.

"Ok," he replied and started to follow my father. I started following  too, but made it only a few steps before my dad stopped me without even  looking back.

"Charlie, wait in the living room." I stopped in my tracks and watched  Asher disappear into the study with my father. I had no idea what he was  going to say to him, but I knew it made me nervous. I wandered into the  living room and sat on the couch bouncing my knee up and down, trying  to distract myself. Ten minutes later I heard the door open and walked  towards it. I saw Asher come out first and my dad's hand was on his  shoulder. They were both smiling, although Asher's smile looked a little  forced.

"Can we go?" I asked, desperately.

"Yup. Nine o'clock, Charlie," my dad said as he raised one eyebrow at me.

"Got it." Asher and I walked out of the house and started the mindless  walk to our elementary school. A walk I could take blindfolded I'd done  it so many times. We were silent for half the walk and finally I  couldn't take it anymore.

"What did my dad say to you?"

"Not much."

"Asher Carmichael, don't you lie to me."

He laughed at me. "You sound like my mom," he said through his laughter.

"Asher, tell me right now what he said to you!"

"Ok, jeez, Bit. Take it down a notch." He took a breath in and let it  out loudly. "First he asked me what happened on the first day of school  and made me tell him exactly what that guy in the hallway had said to  you."

"Oh my gosh. How embarrassing." I dropped my head into my hands.

"Then he thanked me for sticking up for you and defending you. He  followed that up with an anti-violence campaign," Asher said, laughing  again.

"Then what?"

"That was it."

"No. You were in there with him for ten minutes. What else did you talk about?"

"Just drop it, Bit."

"No! Tell me," I begged.

"He just wanted to make sure I knew that you couldn't date until you  were sixteen," he said quickly. My eyebrows scrunched up in confusion.

"Why would he tell you that?" He didn't answer me. "Asher? Why did he say that to you?"

"I don't know, Charlie." He sounded a little angry. "I think he just  wants me to remember that you aren't allowed to date anyone." I shook my  head, still not really grasping what was going on.