July Apple Pies

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

 

 “PLEASE PUT THAT THING ON right now and let me take a picture,” Nora said as she stared at the dress that lay on Jack’s bed.

Convincing Jack to let her see his costume and convincing Ryder to stay for a little bit longer had proved to be more difficult that she had though. In the end, though, she had lawyered them both into doing as she asked. She was good at that. And now, the three of them where in Jack’s room, standing beside the bed, staring down at the horrible dress.

“Trust me. You don’t want to see that,” Ryder said. He was trying very hard to sound serious, but it was hard to keep his smile at bay.

“Why?” Jack said. “Are you afraid she’ll fall for my hotness again and leave you to come back to me?”

Nora huffed and rolled her eyes.

Ryder chuckled. “Yeah. That’s the problem here. It’s not that that thing is way too girly and, well, tight for you.”

This time Nora did smile. “Come on, Jack. Put it on,” she pleaded.

“Never,” he said with a grimace.

“You lost the bet, man,” Ryder said as he shook his head lightly. Nora could tell he felt sorry for Jack. After all, Jack had three older brothers and around thirteen cousins who would never let him forget the day he wore a dress. “Besides, you were the one who came up with the idea of the loser wearing the dress.”

“I didn’t think I would loose!”

“Loose what, Jackie?” Mrs. Kremlin asked as she entered the room. She was holding a large plate filled with beef ribs on her hand. As soon as Nora saw the food, her mouth watered.

“Oh, that stupid bet?” Mrs. Betty Kremlin Ross said when she saw the three of them around the bed. “I told you Porter is way better at toe wrestling than anyone else in the family.”

Nora turned to stare at Jack with wide eyes, forgetting all about Mrs. Kremlin’s delicious smelling ribs. “I want to see that,” she said.

Ryder burst into laughter. “Trust me,” he said between chuckles, “that is something you wouldn’t want to see.”

“It was awful,” Mrs. Kremlin said as she handed the plate to her son. “My poor baby got smashed by his thirteen year old cousin.”

“Thirt–” Nora stopped herself and tried very hard to hide her laughter, after all, Mrs. Kremlin seemed genuinely sad about her son’s defeat.

“Yes. The kid is thirteen years old. Now please stop laughing or you won’t get any ribs,” Jack said, irritated.

“Don’t be mean to Nora,” his mom apprehended him. “Thou shall never be mean to pretty girls.”

“Mona,” Ryder said with mock horror, totally at ease in his best friend’s home. “Are you suggesting it is okay to be mean to ugly girls?”

Mrs. Kremlin rolled her eyes and turned to the door. “Don’t be a smart ass, kid. Nora won’t like that.”

Ryder frowned. “Why?” he said as he turned to look at Nora herself.  “Because she likes being the only know-it-all in the room?”

Mrs. Kremlin gasped, but Nora laughed.

“That’s exactly the reason,” Nora said as she took one of the ribs off the plate and took it to her lips.

Mrs. Kremlin shook her head as she looked back at the three teenagers, a smile on her lips. “Do you want to stay for dinner, kids? You are more than welcome to if you want,” she said.