Post Fifteen - Secrets

Post Fifteen - Secrets - Estacado Heart - (c) 2013 J. Scott Vernon DRAFT


School was buzzing with stories from Kaci's 18th birthday party. The girls were giddy with praise about the southwestern veggie salad, the decorations, the white twinkle lights that streamed from the large beams over the patio and the little chocolate party favors wrapped in colorful mesh Jaylene had prepared for Kaci to give to her guests. They gushed of "how sweet" it was to be part of such a joyous occasion and how they would all be best friends forever. Kaci smiled and accepted the compliments with grace but privately thought, "it was just a party and once I graduate, I'm out of here, friends or no friends." She wasn't one to get caught up in the adolescent hyperbole. She loved her friends but had greater ambitions than to live and die in Llano working as an insurance clerk for Dr. Jasper or whatever the other girls aspired to in school.

The boys had different stories from the party. They talked of tits and ass in ways only known to high school boys. The guys were crude. Each girl was rated on a scale of one to ten. Desperate as they were, the boys scored all the girls pretty generously. Except for poor Amelia. Her flat chest and skinny legs left little for the boys to judge. She scored a four. Hector Gomez called "bullchit" and gave her a nine. He liked her.

Kaci scored well. Her mother Jaylene scored a ten. She was the standard by which the boys judged. The boys' imaginations ran wild. They had visions of being with a supermodel, however, their courage dissipated when Jaylene would offer them more sweet tea or lemonade. They would get tongue tied, avert their eyes from her chest and manage a meager, "yes ma'am."

As the school day progressed Kaci would learn more about her party than she expected. Katy Jo confessed that her and Hank, had hooked up behind the pool house. She giggled and told Kaci that Hank was "all man" and fumbled for several minutes with the knot on the back of her bikini. Once he liberated her ample bosom he acted like a newborn calf to its mother's udder. He rooted around and his lips smacked with pure joy. Katy Jo wasn't certain how it was supposed to feel, so she closed her eyes and run her fingers through his black hair. She was ready to go to the next level when she heard everybody begin to sing happy birthday. Hurriedly she and Hank dressed, straightened their hair and got back to the party. They had remnants of grass and gravel stuck to their knees.  Their lust would have to express itself another time.

In fifth period Yearbook class,  Mr. Jackson teased Kaci about her party. He had overheard some of the boys talking in the quad area during lunch. They were bragging about having beer hidden in the toolboxes across the bed of their trucks. During the party the would sneak out and shotgun a beer or two. By the end of the party they were buzzed. Hector was drunk and tried to fondle Amelia in the jacuzzi. She did not resist, she had little to protect. Izzy made sure to get Hector home after the party. They were cousins and having a beer or two wasn't frowned upon in their families. Cerveza was to them what wine would be to Italians, it was a part of their culture. His dad and uncles would drink lots of beer at the end of a hard day at work. At times they would get into fist fights and the sheriff would be called out. Nothing ever came of their squabbles.

Kaci wasn't surprised at this revelation and told Mr. Jackson, "I know, I had a couple of shots of my parent's Bacardi rum myself. It was a good time! You should of been there!"

Mr. Jackson said, "Yes, that could have been fun. You are legally an adult now Kaci. Life is just beginning and you have much to learn. Explore. Be brave. Let your spirit shine." She liked how Mr. Jackson could excite her inner thoughts, her dreams, her emotions. She too wanted to blossom and experience life untethered. For a young woman in a small town she felt constricted. She had a more global perspective of what was possible. She did not share the rigors of conservative thoughts. Though not a flaming liberal, she was well grounded by her rural environment, she had a free spirit and a willingness to be her own person. She would chart her own path no matter how rocky or twisted it might become. Springtime germinated the seeds of her desires. Her soul was irrigated with occasional contraband wine from her parent's abundant wine cellar. Mr. Jackson's weed would bring her world into a hazy, euphoric focus.

She hadn't intended on staying so late working on the yearbook. She wanted to finish a few more ads so she could keep on deadline. Katy Jo and her were the only ones left as the sun went down. The other students had left at 5:00 o'clock. Mr. Jackson remained at his desk reading copy. Katy Jo fretted about picture placement and the spelling of names. Kaci - hunched over, her eyes squinting, her right hand moving the mouse around - was designing ads and staring at the little screen on the MacIntosh. Uncertain of how to place a graphic, she called Mr. Jackson over....