Page 9 of Cocky Origins: May and Jerald Cocker

A sassy smile is his happy answer.

May and I are staring at each other.

But the doll with glasses jumps on his warning. “Peter’s right, Lily, we have to get out of here!”

She gets swatted away with a perfunctory, “Sable, hush!”

“I mean out, out!”

Lily meets her eyes and realizes she had misunderstood. “This is why I love you!”

“What do you mean out?” Hank jogs his thumb back to the gymnasium building. “Don’t you mean in?”

Sable rolls her eyes. “Lily has a bright idea that’ll be my undoing, that’s what I mean!”

May’s pretty lips part and I stare at them as she says, “I didn’t get your name.”

“Didn’t you hear the Sister?”

“I would like to hear you say it.”

I tip my hat and give her a smile. “I’m Jerald Cocker. Nice to make your acquaintance, May.”

A smile grows that is so charming I can’t look away.

Gertie tugs on her dress. “May, we really should be going! Now!”

Lily throws her hand out, palm down, fingers graceful. “Listen boys, we’re taking this party to Sable’s house? You game?”

Peter shrugs like he could stay or go. “Sure, I don’t see why not. Lead the way.”

“You boys have a car, right?”

I’m about to offer mine, but Marvin beats me to it, holding his hand a little too high. “I do! I have one!”

He’s got eyes on the sourpuss. Must love carrying a bucket uphill.

That leaves the cute brunette standing next to May,for my brother. He knows it, too, because he offers his arm. “Shall we, Gertie?”

She lights up with surprise, and slides her hand through it while the eight of us stroll to the parking lot, talking amongst ourselves.

May is by my side, but we aren’t touching. I’ve got my greedy fingers in my pockets, and she’s turning a ring on her right hand. “That’s pretty.”

She smiles, “It’s my mother’s. She let me borrow it tonight. I wasn’t supposed to come here, you know.”

“Me neither.”

A creaking behind us makes us look back in time to see Sister Charlotte open the door to their gymnasium, the same two sisters just behind her. Positively horrified, she yells, “Girls!”

All eight of us break into a run.

“Girls! Get back here!”

Marvin hollers, “That one is mine!” pointing at a burgundy Chrysler Saratoga up on the far right. He, Peter, Lily and Sable make a dash for it.

Lucky for us, I parked a little closer. At Dad’s black Lincoln Continental, I grab the passenger door and tell May and her friend,“Get in!”

Hank stays by the door, last to jump inside while I race around to drive. He’s in the backseat with Gertie, and he reaches over at the same time May does, to shut the door. “Thanks!”

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