San Pueblo University
Part 3: Bad Hair Day
Aura Thundera
deonii@yahoo.com

***

    Keith wordlessly held his arms out to Cabe.  She ran to him and snuggled her head under Keith's chin as he hugged her as tightly as he could.

    "I missed you so," Cabe said.  "Every boy I looked at or talked to, I compared him to you and they just didn't measure up to your standard.  You spoiled me."

    "That's sweet of you," Keith murmured in her ear.  "Now, you were talking about how you wanted to see me dressed in spandex?"

    "Not necessary," Cabe said, kissing Keith's cheek as they parted.  "I know that it was degrading for you to wear that.  Your mother told me."

    Keith folded his arms across his chest as though making sure that his snug brown shirt was still there.  His big hazel eyes bore traces of pain and fear at the memory.

    "You have no idea what they did to me at that photo shoot,"  Keith said, his voice trembling.  "Do this, do that.  Every single pose felt filthy.  I refused to allow them to photograph me while I was taking off my shirt.  They didn't like that idea, and they tried to force me."

    Cabe realized that she had never seen Keith with his shirt off; she had only ever seen photos of his bare chest.  He had never gone barechested in her presence except when he was swimming.  He was merely very modest, and didn't go barechested when he could cover up.

    Keith leaned in for another kiss, but before he could connect, Shirley called them to the dinner table.  Keith shot Cabe a regretful look that promised that he was saving that kiss for later.

    After dinner, Cabe returned home, wanting to work on an illustration for an Art History project.  Keith decided to go with her and keep Cabe company, and she agreed.  She was simply glad to be able to spend time near Keith after they had spent so long apart.

    As Cabe pulled into her driveway, she thought that she saw a car that didn't belong in the neighborhood.  It was big and gray, with huge tailfins and rust spots filled in with blue paint.  Cabe felt a tinge of nervousness; Braden had gotten into a similar car in the parking lot at San Pueblo University.  What if he had followed her?  But Braden didn't emerge from the car, and Cabe felt silly.

    Later that night, Cabe packed her inks back into her box and took it up to her room before returning to the living room.  Keith was stretched out on the floor in front of the fireplace, half-asleep.  Cabe tackled him playfully, and they rolled across the rag rug.  Keith's eyes snapped open, mischief glittering in their hazel depths.  Orange firelight caught in his deep brown hair and sparkled in the green and brown swirls of his eyes.

    Cabe was caught for a moment by his sheer beauty.  The flickering light of the fire threw his dimples into stark light and shadow.  Keith merely used the situation to his advantage and rolled Cabe over and pinned her.  His lips easily caught Cabe's in a marvelous deep kiss.  For the first time in months, Cabe shared a long, tender kiss with her beloved Keith.

    Reluctantly, they parted.  But Keith had early class the next morning, and he needed to get some sleep that night.  Cabe gave him a reluctant goodbye, and he walked home.

    The next afternoon, Cabe paid a visit to the Partridge house after her classes were over.  Keith's car was already parked outside the garage, so she knew that he was there.

    Shirley answered Cabe's knock and let her in.  "Keith, Cabe is here!" Shirley called.

    Keith's distinctly miserable voice answered from the second floor.  "Tell her to go away."

    "KEITH PARTRIDGE!" Shirley yelled at her son from the foot of the steps.  "That was rude!  Get down here and talk to Cabe like a gentleman.  She loves you--would you at least try to act like you love her?"

    "No," Keith's miserable voice said again.

    "NOW!" Shirley's tone allowed no further argument.

    Cabe heard Keith's footsteps shuffle across the floor and he slowly descend the steps.  His usually proud head was bowed.  Then Cabe saw why he was ashamed.  His glorious mane of long, dark hair was gone.  The remnants of it were clipped short and lay close to his scalp.

    "Keith!" Cabe exclaimed.  "What happened to you?"

    "I bent over a Bunsen burner in the chemistry lab today, and my hair caught fire.  The professor put it out with a beakerful of water, but a lot of it was burned and the burn was uneven.  This was the most that the barber could save of it," Keith said, sounding sad.

    Cabe embraced Keith, stroking the sleek remains of his hair.  "I don't love you for your hair, Keith," Cabe whispered into his ear.

    Tears glistened in Keith's eyes.  "You don't understand.  I feel naked without my hair.  It was a part of who I was."

    Cabe shrugged.  "It will grow back, Keith.  Besides, I'm thankful that it was just your hair that got burned and not you!  But if you're so worried about it,  I'll tell you something that you can do.  A few years ago, when I was learning to play the guitar, I was told to drink gelatin to strengthen my nails, and it made my hair grow.  I don't know if it will work for you, but I can show you how to make a gelatin shake."

    Keith followed Cabe into the kitchen, and Shirley watched him go with a pang in her heart.  Shorn of his mane, Keith reminded her too strongly of his father.  She ached to have her silly and sweet Keith back, America's heartthrob with the flowing hair.  Seeing a living and breathing young replica of Michael Partridge was too painful for Shirley to endure for very long.

    Within a week, Keith was displaying the effects of Cabe's hair-growing potions.  His bangs were growing back, along with the rest of his hair, and he was feeling happier with every passing week.

    Keith and Cabe still spent every possible evening together, working on their homework and cuddling.  Cabe could sit for hours, running her fingers through Keith's hair.  She claimed that it was beneficial scalp massage that would help his hair grow.  Keith claimed that Cabe just enjoyed playing with his hair.

    One afternoon, Cabe went into downtown San Pueblo.  She had run out of Prussian blue oil paint and needed it to finish a project for one of her classes.  She hoped that she would be able to get it quickly, since the painting was due in a week and it still needed a lot of work.

    Cabe parked her car and walked down the block.  Much to Cabe's dismay, Braden and a few of his football-player cronies were hanging around the art store.  Involuntarily, she backed up several steps.

    "Hey there, Pretty Flower, I haven't seen this boyfriend of yours.  I think you were lying about having one," Braden said.

    "Get lost, Braden," Cabe spat.  "I'm not interested."

    "Hey, Little Flower, don't say trash like that.  How about dinner tonight?"  Braden said, grabbing her shoulder and turning her to face him.  He smelled sweaty and his breath reeked of beer.

    "Get your hands off me," Cabe snapped, and she jerked her shoulder out of Braden's grip.  She ran for her car and took off before Braden's mildly inebriated brain could register what had happened.  She headed for the Partridge house, hoping that Keith would be there to give her some sort of advice about how to deal with Braden.

    Keith was outside, wielding the hose and helping Danny wash the bus.  Cabe pulled up along the curb, and Keith aimed the spray nozzle on the hose at her as though he intended to get her wet.  Cabe scowled at him.  Keith gave her an impish wink and squirted Danny instead.

    "Keith, I want to talk to you," Cabe said, her tone serious.

    Keith dropped the hose and looked serious.  He dashed over to her car and got in to sit next to her.  "What's the matter, Cabe?"

    "I didn't tell you about this, because I didn't want to make you worry.  There's a creep named Braden who has been hitting on me since the beginning of school, and he won't take no for an answer.  He's hanging around outside the art store and he won't leave me alone."

    Keith face turned stormy with anger.  "Why didn't you tell me this sooner?  I can see that he scares you."

    "I thought that I could take care of it myself.   But now he thinks that I was lying about having a boyfriend."

    "Go to the art store.  I want to make sure that this clown knows that you're mine."  Keith told Cabe.

    "Are you sure?  Braden is nearly twice your size," Cabe said, doubtfully.

    "Yes.  I'm just going to tell him that you weren't lying and that I am your boyfriend.  He should listen to reason once you've got proof that you weren't lying."

    When Cabe pulled up in front of the art store, Braden was still hanging about.  Upon seeing Keith, Braden shouted to his friends.   "Look, my Flower has got a fairy with her!"  He turned and yelled to Cabe.   "Is that all that you could scrape up to pass off as your boyfriend?"

    Keith's face reddened with rage.  Cabe gripped his hand tightly.  "Ignore him, Keith.  We'll leave and eventually he will get the picture that I'm not interested."

    "No," Keith hissed.  "You're mine, and I don't want him hitting on you anymore."  Keith got out of the car and walked over to where Braden was leaning on the wall of the store.  Cabe followed him, hoping that she could at least manage to get into the store and get her paint.

    Braden had other ideas though.  He blocked the door and shoved Keith roughly away from Cabe.  Before she could react, Braden's hand was clamped around her wrist.

    "C'mon, Flower, let's blow this joint," Braden said, dragging her toward his ugly gray car.  "Let that fag go and I'll show you what a real man is like."

    "No," Cabe attempted to jerk her hand away, eventually succeeding.  "Keith is my boyfriend, and more of a real man than a pig like you could ever be."

    "You've just never had a real man before, so you can't compare.  Once you try me, you'll never go back to your fairy boy!" Braden proclaimed.

    "She said no!" Keith snarled, his face twisted in anger.  Keith's hands were balled into fists, and he was clearly ready to fight for her.

    "Keith, no!" Cabe yelled.  "He'll pulverize you, that's why I didn't want you confronting him!"

    "What makes you think that you're going to stop me, fairy boy?"  Braden said, easily lifting Keith by his shirtfront.  "You should've listened to your....my new girlfriend."  He turned and threw Keith into the wall.  Keith slid down to lie motionless on the sidewalk.

    "Keith!" Cabe shrieked.  She ran to the small, limp heap that was her boyfriend.  "No, Keith, wake up!"
 


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