It was off to the races after that. Some students felt it would require far too much time, money and effort, but the idea took root and grew. By the end of the meeting, each student pledged to do as much as they could for whatever fund raisers they attempted. Even if the money were left in a fund of some sort that was earmarked for a children’s wing, it would be a start and others may be encouraged to contribute over time.
“There’s just one more thing, and then I’ll let you go. I told you that I had the idea while reading the names of those in this year’s senior class. The name that caused me to dare this folly was yours, Gwen. You practically have a lock on valedictorian. You want to be a surgeon. And lately, you’ve been garnering a great deal of publicity, all of it good, by the way. You’re limited only by what you can imagine. I want you to be the chairperson for this year long fund raising project, and the sky is the limit. Work with Dave Kite, or at least be sure he is aware of your schedule and plans. He’s done a marvelous job of developing a web presence for us. Let’s use it to our marketing advantage. We’ll try anything if it isn’t illegal, or obviously immoral. This class will the very best this school has ever had!” predicted Ms. Walker to the enthusiastic seniors.
Steve congratulated Gwen as everyone filed out of the auditorium. He then turned and headed for the locker room to prepare for football practice. Gwen and Charlotte walked together to Gwen’s car.
“Thanks for helping set that red headed witch straight about Steve,” began Gwen as they walked. “It isn’t easy trying to live up to what I need to be to keep him interested in me. There’s a lot of very good competition walking those halls and I feel like they’re all after him.”
“Let me tell you a few things, Gwen. They are after him! The girls are going to be careful what they say in front of you, but they’re all setting their sights on your boyfriend. But,” added Charlotte before Gwen could voice her displeasure, “you’ve got nothing to worry about. I’ve been getting to know Steve better and he’s big on honesty and loyalty. He’s also mesmerized by “The Lady in Red”. Did you see the video of you and Steve at the pool yet?”
“I didn’t even realize that Dave had his video camera with him,” admitted Gwen. “It sounds like we’ll have to assume that everything we do is going to be on YouTube and conduct ourselves accordingly. What video did he post of the pool party? Did I look fat?”
“I’ve told you before that I’m not going to spend all my time trying to build up your self esteem,” chided Charlotte. “If you thought the dance looked great on YouTube, wait until you watch Steve and you in swimsuits. ‘Hot’ is the word that comes to mind.”
The first week of school, two and half days actually, sped by for Steve, He was determined to do as well as possible in his school work, excel at football, and keep Gwen interested in him. He found that the girls in his classes were overly friendly. Most flirted shamelessly and a few were even more direct. On one level, it was amusing. Steve knew that being the team quarterback as well as the new kid in school made him a target for the more romantically inclined. He also knew it would fade with time. After all, he was just another senior in a class of almost three hundred. The novelty would wear off before long. On another level, Steve found the attention distracting and annoying. He had his sights set on Gwen and didn’t need any rumors or stories getting started. He struggled to be patient, polite, and firm when dealing with the girls. They just didn’t interest him.
For her part, Gwen was quite busy. She always spent time studying, but now she had the responsibility of the fund raising chairperson, and she had no idea how to proceed. She spent time searching the internet, as well as consulting fellow students and teachers. Ms. Walker’s goal was to raise a substantial sum to put toward a new wing at the hospital, but how much would be enough, and how would they raise it? Most senior classes were lucky to donate a couple thousand dollars when they graduate. Added to all of that was her burgeoning romance. Steve was always considerate, but the groupies that he managed to attract were getting to Gwen. Some extremely attractive girls were quite obviously vying for his attention.
Friday night’s game was at home, against Oxford High. They had lost the first game of the season by twenty points and Sparta anticipated little problem defeating them. Steve sat the bench for the last quarter of the game after building a 52-12 lead. The final score was 52-26 as the Sparta coach emptied the bench part way through the last quarter. Gwen, Kate, Paula, and Ted all enjoyed the game as well as the attention they received from friends and neighbors. They had always been popular in their home town, but it seemed as if everyone knew that Gwen and Steve were an item. It mostly increased the warmth of the greetings they received. Lisa had returned to college for her junior year, so she did not attend with the family.
“Gwen, it looks like your boyfriend is going to shatter all the passing records at Sparta by midseason,” observed Ralph Smith as they filed out of the stands. “He’s good enough that a lot of colleges will be taking a long look at granting him a scholarship. I don’t know if schools like Stanford will be interested, or not. They play with the big boys for the national championship. Still, he could land a scholarship to a state school and have a free ride in college.”
“Mr. Smith, I haven’t talked to Steve about colleges, but believe me, Stanford would be foolish to think he can’t play with the “big boys” next year,” replied Gwen with some emotion. “He’ll be able to pick and choose schools by the end of the season. You can take that to your bank!”
Ralph Smith and Ted Anderson exchanged glances with each other at Gwen’s strong support of Steve. Paula just patted Gwen’s back and smiled to herself. Her daughter was growing up.
The school gym was the setting for the after game dance. Gwen met up with Charlotte and Bev and went inside. Gwen knew that Steve wouldn’t be there for another fifteen minutes or so. To her surprise, boys started asking her to dance as soon as the music started. The dances were fast ones and she knew the boys, so she joined them on the floor. She couldn’t help think about dances that she had attended in the past where she sat and wished some boy would ask her for a dance. Being taller than many of the boys had always made Gwen self conscious, but since she had been with Steve, she paid less attention to it. Gwen realized that the reason for that was that she used to be looking at dance partners as possible boyfriend material. Now that she had that item taken care of, the height of her dance partners really didn’t matter very much. Steve was at least five inches taller than she was.
During a lull in the activities, Gwen was approached by Ms. Walker. “I was wondering, Gwen, if you would be willing to dance to “The Lady in Red” with Steve this evening? Dave Kite just told me that his YouTube videos of you and Steve have so many hits that Google has contacted him for permission to advertise. Dave has promised to donate all proceeds to our senior class building fund. It won’t be much right now, but I’ve a hunch that you and Steve will achieve great things and the more exposure you receive, the better it’ll be for the fund. I know this will sound strange, but would it be possible for you to wear red as often as possible? I think it’ll help marketing the two of you on the web. “Lady in Red” will become synonymous with Gwen Anderson, dancer, scholar, swim suit model, and who knows what else by the end of the year!”