Sparks the Matchmaker

CHAPTER 6

In spite of having slept only a few hours, Ollie found himself awake much earlier than usual. He hovered obsessively over the collection of thoughts left over from yesterday as he showered and got ready. Today’s the day. He found himself more nervous about committing to a decision with Sparks on his future than he was yesterday when he was proposing to Anne.

Sparks had said something about strings being attached to his momentous decision. Ollie found it hard not to worry about what those strings might be. I hope I don’t end up face down on the softball field again. He wasn’t sure if he was going to be up to the challenge of someone giving him real direction in his life.

Ollie sat down for breakfast alone. He poured his cereal into a bowl and flooded it with milk, sitting down at the table to eat. His hand dipped the spoon in.

“Morning, Ollster!” Sparks shouted from behind.

Ollie’s hand reflexively jerked up and away, launching a bite of milky breakfast into the air like a rocket, sending the bowl spinning like a top across the table and onto the floor. He wheeled around to face his assassin.

Sparks whispered, “You still scream like a girl.”

Ollie smiled uneasily. “I guess I should probably start locking the doors at night.”

“A rational idea. C’mon. Grab your bag and we’ll talk on the way to class.”

“You’re helping me clean up first.”

“Is that right?”

Ollie threw a dishrag at him.

Ollie had to grab a granola bar on his way out. Sparks didn’t ask for one, and Ollie wouldn’t have given him one anyway. That’s what you get when you mess with a man’s breakfast.

Stepping out of Tall House into the cold outdoors wasn’t as shocking as it could have been. There were probably only ten degrees of difference. But that’s mild compared to how I feel when I step out of the warm shower each morning.

Even with the chill of the morning Ollie was starting to warm up to Sparks. There was something good about him. As they walked toward his first class, he decided to dive right in and get it over with. “I miss her like crazy, man. I thought about her all night and finally came to a conclusion. Then I woke up this morning and had to start the entire mental process over again. Still… I think I know what I need to do. It’s time to move on, isn’t it?”

“Are you asking me or telling me? Because that’s for you to decide. Not me.”

“I guess I’m doing a little of both. I’m telling you it’s time to move on… start over, find a new girl. And I’m asking you if I’m stupid for deciding that.”

“What about Anne?”

“Looks like I don’t have much of a choice, huh? After last night, I mean. I could try to wedge my way back in and try to get things the way they were before, but I’m not sure that would be a good idea. We weren’t exactly America’s most exciting couple.”

“No kidding. Okay, go on.”

“So… help me find the girl for me. Will you do that?”

Sparks grinned that obnoxious grin and said nothing.

“Someday I… I want it all: the perfect job, the perfect house with the white picket fence, all that—”

“Cuz that’s what life’s all about, right?”

“No, it’s not. But if you’d let me finish, I was gonna say that right now I’m really only worried about one thing. The right girl. Match me with a girl that’s good for me. And you know what, I think I can take it from there on my own. ”

Ollie wasn’t sure what reaction he’d get, but he was relieved when Sparks cheered him. “Sounds good. We’ll get you the girl.”

“Just like that?”

“Just like that.”

“You’re not going to pull any tricks or get me punched in the ear all along the way, are you?”

“That kind of stuff is all up to you. Remember, you deserved it. If you get damaged along the way, it’s not my fault.”

“Okay. Okay. I shouldn’t have brought that up. I’ll let it go.”

“You may get yourself punched anyway though, even if you don’t deserve it.”

“Why? Who?”

“Remember when I said you’d have to do something in return? Well, a guy is going to come into your life and you’ll have to really be on your toes with him. He’s most likely going to sock you in the nose at some point, though it’s pretty hard to tell exactly when or why.”

“And I won’t deserve it? What kind of guy does that?” It seemed evident to Ollie that Sparks not only found the thought entertaining, but also that he was looking forward to it.

“You won’t deserve it, at least as far as you’re concerned. But in his eyes you will. When you’re not expecting it: pow!”

“You think this is funny, Bomber? What kind of friend is this guy?”

“I never said anything about him being a friend. Anyway he won’t be the same kind of friend as, say, Keith is. But yeah… he’ll be a friend of yours. In a way.”

“Stop being cryptic.”

“I’m not being cryptic, I’m explaining stuff to you in advance.”

“You are being cryptic; listen to you.”

“A guy explains stuff in advance and he’s told he’s being cryptic.”

“Just stop it. You are.”

“It’s kinda hard not to be cryptic when that’s how the whole thing works anyway, okay?”

“Alright, alright.”

“I know, okay. I’ll be nice.”

“Just whatever. Are you gonna help me get the girl or what?”

“Yup.”

“Do you already have someone in mind? I mean, you already know who she is?”

“Sure do.”

“And you’re sure I can get her?”

“Pretty sure. How many ways are you gonna ask me the same question?”

“Look, this is all new to me. I’m still trying to figure out the rules or whatever. How long are you, ya know, gonna help me?”

“That’s up to you, ultimately. You can kick me out right now or you can keep me around forever.”

“But I won’t keep you around forever, will I? You already know that, too, don’t you?”

“Yup.”

“All right then. I don’t want you hanging around forever, so as soon as we kiss you take off.”

“Not a bad idea.”

Ollie’s eyes squinted slightly. “You’re up to something. You’re not going to take off, are you? You’re thinking that you won’t want to split right when things start to get juicy.”

“Cross my heart. As soon as you want me gone, I’m gone.”

“When we kiss, right?”

“As soon as you want me gone.”

Ollie squinted his eyes again, then decided to jump to the next topic. “Okay, so first things first. How do I get started? When do I get started? How do I meet this girl? Want me to go bump into her or sit next to her in the library or something?”

“Relax, Ollster. You’ve already seen her before. She’s in one of your classes. You’ve just never talked to her. We’re gonna take care of that today.” Sparks was grinning.

“Okay. So I’ll go meet the girl, dazzle her a little, and before you know it...”

“Yes and no. “Ollie,” Sparks said, stopping. “You’re all wrapped up in stuff that doesn’t really matter. In the end, if we’re gonna do this, you’re going to have to do things my way.”

Ollie thought about it. “Yeah. I figured that.” He wasn’t quite sure he wanted to know what Sparks meant by that.

“I’m here to help you, all you want, but you’re going to have to help me with some other things along the way.”

“And that’s when I meet my new friend? The guy who’s gonna sucker punch me?”

“Yup.”

“Fine. So which class do I share with this girl, already?”

“History.”

“What? That’s where I’m going right now!”

“Yup.”

***

Ollie sat in his history class thinking about his future. His eyes darted from one pretty face to another, wondering which girl would soon be on his arm. Sparks, who was sitting next to him, was smug. Ollie was wearing his suspense on his face. He had expected that Sparks would have informed him by the time class started, but that didn’t happen. Of course. He’s maximizing his investment in my misery.

The professor began talking about Tiananmen Square. Ollie decided he couldn’t wait any longer. He put the back of his hand to his mouth and whispered out the side of it, “Tell me who.”

“What? I can’t hear you.”

A little louder, “Who’s the girl?”

“Huh? Speak up.”

Ollie pretended he was clearing his throat. “AH-Who?!” People heard him that time, and some turned to give him looks. He flushed crimson.

“I was just kidding,” Sparks said. “I heard you the first time.”

“Jerk.” Ollie said it much too loudly. Half the class, including the professor, stopped to look at him. “Sorry,” he said. “Those Chinese army guys were jerks. You know,” he gestured to the slideshow image of the student confronting the tank in Tiananmen Square.

Class went on.

Sparks leaned in. “That’s not going to help you catch the girl. She heard you loud and clear with that one.”

Ollie forgot about the history lesson and scanned the room again. She must be sitting somewhere close. He knew she would have to be attractive, or Sparks would never feel confident in what he was doing. In thirty seconds he narrowed his investigation down to two suspects.

He looked at Sparks and then pointed to a beautiful curly-haired brunette one row in front of him and 4 chairs to the right. He raised his eyebrows as if to ask, Is it her?

Sparks nodded, and Ollie felt a jolt of excitement run through him. He wasn’t sure whether or not Sparks would tell him who the girl was, even if he guessed right. He felt like something was going to happen in his favor for once. His future finally had a face. And it’s gorgeous! A smile spread itself luxuriantly across his face.

He spent the rest of his class time studying. But not history.

He carefully observed the way she chewed her bottom lip as she concentrated. He memorized every curl in her long brown hair. He took mental notes on every tiny detail.

Hearing other students start to rustle around, Ollie looked up at the clock and saw that the bell was soon to ring. Ollie didn’t move. There was only one person in the class who was still listening to the lecture and she was the only other person who hadn’t begun to pack up her books, waiting for the bell to ring. So he sat and studied her some more.

“You’re going to need to stall a little,” Sparks said after the bell finally rang. “She’s planning on sticking around after class to ask the professor something.”

“I’m going to meet her right now?” He was getting nervous.

Ollie waited just outside the classroom, trying to look nonchalant. He watched as students from other rooms and lecture halls began pouring into the hallway. He was tall enough to be able to monitor the many heads tightly packing in together as the stream of students gradually grew larger and larger, flowing toward the exits. From his vantage point he eventually saw a familiar curly brown head slip into the stream, so he bravely dove into the current that swept toward the doors where it opened up outside into an ocean of college students.

“Just keep following a few steps behind her for now,” Sparks said. “See how she didn’t close the zipper on her backpack all the way?”

“Is it going to pop open? Shouldn’t I say something?”

“You’re going to let it happen so you can help her with her books.”

“Why can’t I just help her zip it up? Then she doesn’t have to be embarrassed by the scene.”

“I have my reasons. Trust me.”

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. You didn’t mind me making a fool of myself at the softball game last night. Why would she be any different?”

“Your fault, not mine. And I know you’re still thinking about telling her about the zipper. Don’t.”

“Fine. I’ll let her feel like an idiot. I know you like that.”

She took small steps, but her little legs took so many of them that she easily kept the same pace Ollie was used to. She had on a blue backpack that was so full of books she leaned forward as she walked. He realized for the first time that she did look familiar to him, but he couldn’t put his finger on why. He wondered whether it was because he’d been sitting behind her in class, but a part of him thought it had to be something different.

“Here it goes,” Sparks said, breaking Ollie from his reverie.

As the students bustled around on the sidewalks, someone bumped into her. The weight of the contents in her backpack proved too much for the zipper, spilling its contents onto the concrete. Ollie felt even worse than he thought he would: papers, books, all kinds of stuff crashing down, spreading out and getting tripped over.

“Oh no,” she said. “I just bought this backpack a few weeks ago.”

Ollie had thought the zipper would just pop open and he’d be able to introduce himself as they shoved the books back in. But as they gathered them up, it was clear the zipper was completely broken. “Let me help you carry them for now,” he said, stealing a glance toward Sparks to see if he approved.

The girl smiled at Ollie and reached for the books he was holding. “Thanks. I think I can manage, though.”

“Really,” Ollie said. “I don’t have anywhere I really need to be right now. I’m not going anywhere important.”

“We’re just going to the Wilkinson Center,” Sparks said quickly.

Ollie gave him a look of confusion that the girl didn’t see.

“Oh! Well in that case I’ll take you up on your offer,” she said, smiling at Ollie and handing him a book to carry. “That’s where I’m going too.”

“Cool,” Ollie grinned. He knew the Wilkinson Center as well as any of the other students. It was one of the most frequented buildings on campus; with auditoriums and offices, a bowling alley, even a food court. He knew exactly where it was on the eastern side of campus, but he didn’t know what he was going there for. Was he going to end up paying for a bowling lane for the two of them? Was he going to buy her a taco?

“Joy,” she said.

“Huh?”

“That’s my name,” she laughed. “Joy.”

“Oh. Ollie. Sorry. And this is my friend, Sparks.” He had wasted no time at all walking himself right into an embarrassing moment, which he was sure could have and should have been avoided if Sparks had just told him her name beforehand.

“I know,” she said. “Well, I knew your name, anyway. Sparks, it’s nice to meet you too.”

“You know?”

“Yep,” she smiled. “You practically live next door to me. You live in Tall House, right? I’m in the small apartment right behind you guys.”

“Oh man,” he muttered under his breath.

“Don’t worry,” she said. “It’s not like you forgot my name or anything. We’ve never met before.”

“So how do you know my name, if we’ve never met?”

“I don’t remember. I must have heard it in class or something,” she said. “Ya don’t meet too many people named Ollie, so for some reason it stuck.”

“Oh,” Ollie said nervously. He felt a slight bump in his confidence level knowing that she already found him important enough to remember his name, even though she couldn’t remember where she’d heard it. That could only be a good thing. “I should probably make more of an effort to get to know the people on my block.”

“That’s all right,” she smiled. “You don’t seem antisocial to me. I’ve seen you come into the bookstore with that girl a number of times, so I’m guessing you’re plenty busy with your circle of friends.”

“Yeah,” he said, looking down at the ground. “Looks like I’m going to need to make a new circle now.”

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude,” she said.

“Oh, no. No worries,” he said. His early missteps made him uncomfortable, but making her feel awkward was even worse. He didn’t want his first conversation with Joy to be based around the girl who dumped him less than twenty-four hours earlier.

Thankfully, she quickly changed the subject. “So, what are you going to the Wilk for?”

“The ride board,” Sparks said, as Ollie looked to him for a lifeline.

“Really? That’s a funny coincidence,” she said. “So am I.”

They got to know each other a little more while they walked. Joy said she used to live in Boulder when she was a teenager, but her dad got promoted, and with that came a transfer to St. Louis. So she had to move with her family halfway through her senior year of high school. She waited a few years after that before starting college, so she was a twenty-two year-old sophomore on the path to becoming an elementary school teacher.

Ollie had seen the ride board before, but he’d never used it. It was a large map near the front entrance of the Wilkinson Center where students would go if they were either needing a ride somewhere or offering a ride for other people to go along. If you were offering a ride, you would put your information on a small blue piece of paper and stick it in the slot near the place you were planning to go. If you needed a ride, you’d fill out a yellow slip of paper and put it into the same spot. Anybody could go rummaging through the slips of paper to find someone to split gas money with.

Ollie began to wonder where on that map he was about to go. Standing behind Joy, who was busy with the map, he looked at Sparks a little desperately.

“Are you offering a ride, or are you hoping to get one from someone else?” she asked.

“Ollie’s driving to Denver to see his aunt this weekend,” Sparks said.

Joy looked at him. The smirk on her face was all at once both delicious and razor sharp.

“She’s always telling me I need to come see her, and I finally have a weekend free,” Ollie said.

“You’re funny,” she said, smiling at him.

He looked at Sparks for any cue he might have been be missing. “Anyway, I could always use someone to help chip in a little for gas.”

“Denver, huh? Now I’m starting to think you’re stalking me.”

“What? No. No, I’m not. Honestly, I—”

“Relax!” she laughed. “I’m just kidding. Anyway, stalker, not even my roommates know I’m planning on going to Denver this weekend. Um, is anyone else riding with you?”

Ollie turned to look at Sparks. “Are you coming with me? I know you’ve been considering it. Did you make up your mind yet?”

“I think I’ll stay here,” Sparks said. “Since you have someone to split gas with, you don’t need me.”

“Well, if it’s okay with you,” Joy said, “I think I’d feel a little more comfortable if we found someone else to come along. It’s not that… it’s just… riding alone to Denver with a guy I’ve barely met and all…”

“Of course,” Ollie said, feeling like the world was right for the first time that day. “That’s a great idea.”

“There’s only one person in here,” she said as she pulled the yellow slip of paper out of the Denver slot.

“Do you want to call her or should I?” Ollie asked.

“Probably better for me to call,” she said, laughing. “I know I’d feel more comfortable accepting a ride from a strange girl than from a strange guy.”

Ollie watched as she pulled a cell phone from her pocket and punched the number in. While she made the call, he wandered a little away from her, thinking of what kinds of things they might be doing on their trip. Though thanks to Sparks he had seen it all coming, it was still moving pretty quick. Only minutes earlier he had caught her name for the first time. Now they were planning a weekend getaway together. Only minutes before that, he had awakened to her existence for the first time, and now they were going to take a romantic drive up into the Rocky Mountains to get to know each other better. Maybe he would take her to a Colorado Rockies baseball game and Sparks could tell him which seats to buy in order to catch a foul ball. That would be so cool!

She probably already had plans for the weekend, though. She clearly wasn’t planning a random trip with a stranger just to meet someone.

As he leaned against the wall not far away, another guy walked up to Joy as she was talking on the phone, and put his arm around her waist. Ollie looked at Sparks, questioning, but he just pointed him back to them. Ollie tried to fit the puzzle together. Her lack of surprise told him she was used to that arm being around her waist. But her lack of enthusiasm, as if the guy weren’t even there, told Ollie far more.

She had never mentioned him, which probably meant she didn’t want him to come. That could only be good news for Ollie. On top of that, Sparks didn’t seem the least bit concerned about him, which told him not to worry. Still though… I don’t like that arm being there.

Joy finished and hung up. “Whatcha up to, girl?” the guy with the intruding arm asked.

“I’m going to take a trip to Boulder,” she said curtly, without looking him in the eyes.

“You are? But what about the John Mayer concert?”

She finally looked at him. “Sorry, I feel like I really need to go.”

“What’s going on in Boulder?” he asked with disdain. “I thought you didn’t go back there much anymore.”

“I know,” she said. “I know, but…” she turned away from him and hid behind her hair a little. “It’s just been so long since I’ve seen, you know, my old high school friends,” she wrapped her arms around the thick book she held, and pawed at the tile floor with one foot. “…Or even kept in touch with them. I really need to go this weekend.”

Joy was giving out so many nonverbal cues that Ollie couldn’t believe this guy wasn’t picking up on them. Or maybe he’s choosing to ignore them. She wants to get away from you, dude. He approached them. “So, did you get it all figured out?” he asked Joy, ignoring her accoster for the moment.

“You going with these guys?” the accoster asked as he eyeballed Ollie and Sparks, scanning them up and down.

“Ollie and Sparks,” Joy said.

Ollie offered his hand and the guy shook it lamely.

“He happens to be going this weekend,” Joy said. She handed the yellow paper from the ride board to Ollie. It had a number and a name: Lynn. “We’ve got another girl from the ride board that’s going too.”

“Well, would it be alright if I jumped in with you guys too?” he asked.

“We’re going to be pretty crowded already,” she said.

Ollie smiled, realizing she was looking for any excuse to keep this guy out of their car. He knew they still hadn’t discussed how many seats his car had. For all she knew, he could drive a school bus.

“Come on. We can cram in there,” he said. “You and I can share the back seat. We’ll be fine.”

“Nope.” She meant it.

Ollie took a pen from Joy’s backpack and wrote his number on the yellow paper next to Lynn’s. He looked at Joy, wanting to step in to help her, but it was clear she was the mature one in the relationship— such that it was. The unwanted guy knew he wasn’t wanted, but he was still trying to manipulate her, to work his way into the trip anyway.

She wasn’t budging, though, and that made things awkward for everyone— including Ollie. He left them there to settle things between them while he made his way back home.

He felt sure that Joy was going to kick this guy to the curb. Besides, with Sparks coaching him, what could go wrong? Shall I count the ways?

“Mission accomplished,” Sparks said once they were on the sidewalk outside.

“Oh yeah?” Ollie said. “That hardly seems to be the case. You’ve got me going on a trip with a girl who’s still trying to break it off with her jealous boyfriend. How smart are you, Bomber?”

“Oh come on. Trust me a little. Your aunt will be excited you’re coming. Besides, you’re nowhere close to being ready for your history test. You can spend the weekend getting ready for that.”

“I’d like to spend the weekend studying something else.”

“Oh yeah, like Joy’s going to go crazy for Total Stranger Guy over the weekend. Can you say rebound? Double rebound? Double the rebound or your money back? You guys would be a couple of regular racquetballs.”

“Okay, Bomber. What about the boyfriend guy?”

“He’s not a threat. Look, she’s been hoping for a while now he was gonna take the hint, but he’s a little slow.”

“Ya think?”

“She’ll break everything off before you leave Friday. She’s not attached to him at all.”

“You’re sure she’ll break it off before this weekend?”

“Pretty sure. Yeah.”

“Well, ain’t that great. And typical.”

“Hey, you get what ya pay for.”

“Yeah? And what is that? You still haven’t told me what strings you’re attaching to this. What’s it costing me?

“All in due time.”

Ollie shook his head and moved on. “I haven’t even seen my aunt in about two years. It’ll be kinda random and awkward to just show up. You know… without Anne.”

“Trust me. It won’t be awkward. You’re going to enjoy the weekend. Joy’s gonna have a great time, too.”

Ollie started asking all kinds of questions about Joy, but Sparks told him it would be much be better if he just found out for himself. “Don’t you want to have something to talk about in the car?”

“I just don’t wanna screw it up, okay?”

“Ollie, you couldn’t screw this up if you tried.”

“Really?” Ollie was genuinely surprised.

“No. Not at all,” Sparks said. And then he grinned.

“Shut up, Bomber. You’re a jerk. You know that, right?”