Lady in Red Ch. 28

"He's very good with his hands," agreed Gwen with a smile. "It didn't take me long to learn that."

"On that note, we'd better head home," laughed Ashley. "We had a great time."

"Thanks for having us, Naomi. We didn't hang out much in school, but we should have. You're pretty cool. You just always seemed so aloof and reserved. I regret not being friendlier to you," admitted Becky.

"Well, I was pretty focused and a bit angry, so it wasn't anyone's fault but my own. Hopefully, we'll become friends now. Thanks to all of you for coming. I was pretty rude earlier, but Gwen and Jordan set me straight. I thank you both for that. Would it be okay if I kissed your boyfriend good-bye?" asked Naomi.

"Go for it, but remember that your dad's right here. Don't force him to thrash Steve for taking liberties with his lovely daughter," warned Gwen as Naomi wrapped her arms around Steve and kissed him gently on the lips."

"Don't worry about me!" laughed Jeff Wilson. "Remember I saw Steve shoot. Kiss her all you want. I bet that I'll be able to stand it longer than Gwen will."

"What nice people," observed Charlie as the group drove back to Becky's home. "Will we ever go anywhere that Steve doesn't have a beautiful girl pining over him?"

Early the next morning, Mrs. Summers fed everyone breakfast before they headed back to Sparta. Becky rode with them to attend the graduation ceremonies that evening.

It was early afternoon and Steve was going for a run when he decided to hit the trail through the hills above the high school. He saw some activity on the athletic field, where the graduation ceremonies were taking place. There was a newly constructed stage sitting near the edge of the field. In front of it were several thousand chairs. The school board had decided to hold the ceremonies outside where they could accommodate what was expected to be a very large crowd.

He recognized Amber's van and realized she was probably going to video at least some of the festivities. He was thankful that he had no active role in the graduation, other than accepting his diploma. This was going to be Gwen's night to shine. She and Charlotte had worked hard to attain the top two positions in the class and he was very content to sit back and enjoy their success.

Steve saw some photographer's setting up tripods on platforms. They were likely paparazzi hoping to get some interesting photos of Gwen, Jordan, or him. How could people spend their lives annoying other people? Then Steve noticed a van parked along an old trail behind the athletic field. It wasn't too far from the river and it wasn't unusual for people to park there and walked down to the river to fish. He saw two men digging coolers out of the van and grinned to himself. These guys were going to drink some beer while they spent the afternoon drowning worms. He idly wondered if they were Bronco fans since their coolers were mostly orange with some blue trim.

Steve finished his run just in time to shower and shave before he got Uncle Joe into the car. By the time they arrived at the school, hundreds of people were already waiting and it was over half an hour before the scheduled start. Steve greeted dozens of people as he led Joe over to the section he and Gwen had determined to have their families sit.

"Hey, Steve!" came a voice Steve knew had to belong to Kate. "This is going to be the best attended graduation the school has ever had. Look at those guys taking pictures of you. Once Gwen and Jordan show up, they'll leave you alone. I came with your grandfather, aunt and cousin. They thought it would be polite to wait for Mom and Dad, but I told them I'd come ahead and save our seats.

"Hello, Uncle Joe. You must be pretty proud of your nephew. He's a TV and movie star now. Pretty soon he'll be a midshipman and then a SEAL. Pretty cool, isn't it?"

Before Joe could respond, Kate wrapped her arms around Steve. "Everyone here is watching you, and now me. I may even get my picture in the tabloids and get rumors started about Gwen's beautiful little sister. How about a kiss to give them something to talk about?"

Steve held Kate in his arms and looked down at her. She was getting more beautiful every day. She was going to make some lucky guy very happy, if he could handle her wit and enthusiasm for life. He picked her up and kissed her gently on the lips. Then he set her back down.

"Wow! You kissed me! All the other girls are so jealous now. You finally kissed me. That's way too cool. You can do that anytime you want from now on, okay?"

"Here comes your sister and parents. Don't let them find out or we'll both be in trouble," cautioned Steve.

"Gwen! Steve kissed me in front of everyone! You should have seen it, Mom. Everyone else did. I'll be on the front page of the Star Watcher, unless they find another space alien, or Elvis shows up again."

Steve just laughed as he greeted Gwen's family and then his own. He had more relatives attending his graduation than he ever knew he had before coming to Sparta. He heard his named called and turned to find Becky jumping into his arms.

"I saw you kiss Kate! I don't think it would be fair if you didn't give me one, too. I know Ashley would like one, but she's a teacher, so give me two!" insisted Becky.

Steve quickly gave in and kissed Becky lightly. As he stepped away from her, Stephanie was in his arms. She didn't say anything. She simply stared at him until he bent over and kissed her. Then he felt a tapping on his shoulder and found Naomi smiling at him.

"You don't want to show favorites, or have people think you're not an equal opportunity kisser, do you?" she asked as she moved in close to Steve and kissed him on the lips.

"Come on, Steve. We'd better get you up on the stage before your lips get chapped," urged Gwen as she pulled him toward the steps leading up to the platform and his seat. Many of the kids had already taken their places. Gwen's seat was up front since she was giving the valedictory address. Steve went to his seat, which was assigned alphabetically. He was three seats from the right side in the third row, between Mike Gullone and a very pleased Lori Henderson.

"What's Gwen wearing under her robe? I heard most of the girls were going to be in their underwear since it's so warm. I'd like to see...."

Seeing Steve's stony stare, Mike Gullone decided to contemplate his fingers for several seconds before Steve laughed. "I think they all decided to go naked under their robes," offered Steve to his much relieved classmate. "What about it, Lori? Are the girls naked under the robes?"

"I can be if that's what you want!" responded Lori with a chuckle. "Want to help me get my damn bra off?"

"I will!" volunteered Mike Gullone, much to Lori's dismay. "It looks like we have some Syracuse fans here and they plan to party after we graduate."

The stage had filled and the principal was about to start the proceedings as Steve gave his classmate a quizzical look.

"I saw a couple orange coolers under the stage. I climbed up from the back and I slipped and fell. There were two beer coolers under each end of the stage. As soon as this is over, I'm going after a beer. I don't care who they belong to. It'll be party time for this high school graduate!"

Just then the principal asked everyone to stand as Gwen and Jordan sang the national anthem. As usual, they did a tremendous job and the audience applauded and cheered loudly. Steve had been given a copy of the program and knew that Gwen wasn't going to speak for another fifteen minutes or so.

As he listened to the principal drone on about the future and how well the class had done, he tried to decide why he had a nagging feeling of concern. What had happened to upset his balance? He tried to remember everything he had done and said in the last twenty minutes. Lori suggested that he could help her remove her bra, but that was hardly a reason to feel anxious. Mike had volunteered for the job, but that was predictable. He had also wondered if Gwen was wearing just underwear under her robe. Steve had pretended to be annoyed, but it was a typical teenage barb that caused no hard feelings.

Then he thought about the beer coolers under the stage. Why would kids try to hide them there? He decided that they would do that only if they were drinking during the ceremony. Steve was well aware of how possible that was, but he looked over the graduating class and saw no indication of kids drinking on stage. He remembered back to how he had seen men unload coolers from a van parked in the woods above the river and behind the school.

Steve decided that he had to check out the coolers. It just seemed incongruous, and he had learned long ago to trust his instincts, but not coincidence. Hoping no one would notice, Steve stood and slipped down the row and quickly ducked behind the sitting graduates. He dropped to the ground and easily located the two coolers.

The stage was about three feet high, but was heavily braced, so crawling to the coolers was not easy and it took him longer than he expected.

Paula noticed Steve immediately when he stood and slipped behind the other students. She wondered if he was feeling poorly, or had to go to the bathroom badly. He had never given any indication of a weak bladder or a weak stomach before. As the minutes ticked by, she became more concerned.

"Ted, would you go look behind the stage as see if Steve is having a problem. He's been gone a few minutes and I'm worried."

Ted dutifully left his seat and circled around to the back of the stage. When he got there he saw an orange cooler on the ground and no sign of Steve. Then he saw another cooler slide out from under the stage, followed by Steve.

"What's going on, Steve?" asked Ted. "It isn't like you to sneak a beer during an event like this."

"Ted, I don't think these coolers have beer in them, but I hope they do. I'm worried that they're bombs. I don't want to let anyone know that I found them, or the bomb maker may detonate them. I'm going to carry them into the woods, where any explosion will be less likely to hurt anyone. When you go back to your seat, don't let on that I'm doing this. If there's a panic, the bomber will detonate them, and who knows what else."

"I hope you're not suggesting that I'm not man enough to help you here," countered Ted immediately as he bent and picked up one of the coolers. "We'll get them there out of here faster if we each carry one. Let's hurry!"

It only took a few minutes to carry the coolers back into the woods. Steve quickly found the same older van parked under the forest canopy. He walked up to it and tried the back door. It was locked, so he picked up a softball sized rock and smashed the small window in the back door. Then he reached in and unlocked the door.

"My God!" exclaimed Ted as he stared at the contents of the van.

"Ted, we need to move fast. Something's going down tonight and it's going to be very bad if we don't do something," stated Steve as he picked up a handgun from a tool box filled with guns. He checked the magazine and handed the gun to Ted. "This is the safety, push it ahead and it's ready to fire. Keep pulling the trigger and it'll keep firing. You'll know when to use it. We've got to get back to the stage."

As he spoke Steve gathered several more handguns, checked their loads and shoved them in his waistband, with two in front and one in back. Then he placed the two coolers in the back of the van and covered them with a towel that had been lying on the floor. "Here! Carry these for a ways while I make some calls," insisted Steve as he handed Ted two vests.

Steve dialed 911 as they walked rapidly back toward the graduation ceremony. "This is Steve Hammer. I have it on very good authority that terrorists plan on attacking during, or immediately after the graduation at the high school. Have responders wear body armor and come in silent. It's likely that there are bombs involved and a loud police arrival may nudge the bombers into detonating the bombs. Ambulances will probably be needed."

When he disconnected, he quickly pressed another button on his cell. "Hello. This is Steve Hammer reporting another terrorist attack on Sparta High School. It's going to begin in the next ten or fifteen minutes. Do what you can!"

Steve stopped and pulled his robe off and began fitting the vest over his shirt. "Take off your jacket and put that on. Then put your jacket over it. We don't want anyone to know we're on to them."

Paula was relieved when Ted returned to his seat. He looked agitated and was sweating profusely. "What was wrong? Are you okay? What happened?" whispered a concerned Paula to her husband.

"Paula, don't ask. Just be ready to get down when the shit hits the fan. Do not panic, but tell the girls to be ready to get down. It's a matter of life and death that they do not act frightened right now. Do you understand? I'm trying to help Steve."

Paula had been terrified at Ted's curt speech, but found immediate relief when she heard that Steve was involved. She turned to Kate sitting next to her and whispered instructions.

"Steve and your father feel there's going to be some serious trouble. You need to be ready to duck down as soon as something starts. Tell Lisa and have her pass it on to Naomi, Becky and Jen. Tell them that they must remain calm or Steve could be badly hurt," warned Paula, knowing that the mention of Steve would reassure the girls.

The kids sitting behind, and near Steve, had seen him leave and had wondered about it. When he finally returned, he whispered into the ear of the girl sitting on the end. She quickly rose and moved down to take Steve's empty seat while he sat down in hers. He began listening to the speaker while watching the audience. The speaker was Ms. Walker announcing the totals for the fund raising effort.

"To my absolute amazement, this senior class has managed to raise just under twelve million dollars for the hospital building fund, and the number will continue to climb. All of the students worked hard on this and I thank them all. This is a feat we will likely never see equaled. Future generations will benefit from the hard work and generosity of this class. I salute you all!"

When the applause died down, the principal again took the microphone. "We have some new awards this year, compliments of the CBC Network and Clyde Davis. They will be awarded every year going forward. They will be in several new areas. We have the 'Gwen Anderson Medical Student Award' to be given to a graduating senior planning on a career in medicine. The first year's award is going to Charlotte DeVries, appropriately enough. This scholarship is for five thousand dollars and is to be used to buy, books, supplies, lodging, whatever the student feels is needed to pursue his or her goal of a career in medicine. Gwen, would you come forward to award this honor to your friend, Charlotte?"

Charlotte and Gwen were both in tears as Gwen handed the envelope to her friend. They acknowledged the applause and returned to their seats.

"Next is a five thousand dollar scholarship named after our own Jordan Quick. It goes to the senior planning on pursuing a career in music. Shelly Malloy is this year's recipient. I understand that she has already written a song that has been recorded by Jordan and will be used in an upcoming major motion picture. Jordan, would you care to award this honor to Shelley?"

Jordan was shaking slightly as she moved from the back to hand Shelley the envelope. She managed to gather herself enough to acknowledge the cheers and shake Shelley's hand. It was obvious that it was a very emotional moment for Jordan.

"Finally, we have the 'Steve Hammer Military Career Award' which is given to a senior pursuing officer training in college or at a military academy. Steve, please come forward and award this scholarship to Jared White, who will be enrolled in officer training while in college."

Steve's eyes were everywhere but on Jared as he walked to the front of the stage. He noticed two police officers moving across the parking lot toward the ceremonies. He accepted the envelope from the principal, handed it to Jared, and then embraced him. While in that embrace, Steve whispered in Jared's ear.

"I think some bad shit's going down here tonight. Reach in my left sleeve and take the gun from my hand. Keep it hidden in your robe until you need it. I hope you won't, but be ready."

Jared hardly blinked as he seemed to adjust his embrace, but slid his hand up Steve's sleeve and took the gun Steve offered and then carefully moved his hand back. He used his other hand to be sure the robe covered the gun. Nodding, the two friends parted and went back to their seats.

"I have another announcement to make and then we'll have the valedictory address. This afternoon I was given an advance copy of 'Rolling Stone Magazine". I feel confident that this school has never had graduating students appear on the cover before this issue. This is the magazine as it will appear in newsstands and stores starting tomorrow. The cover features Gwen Anderson and Steve Hammer with the banner 'America's Royal Couple?'. Yes, it does end with a question mark, so they haven't ascended to the throne, yet."

The principal allowed the applause to quiet down before announcing, "And now Gwen Anderson with the valedictory address."

"Thank you, Sir. Thank you, all. Traditionally, valedictorians speak about the future, and their hopes and dreams. Tonight, I want to tell all of you some of what I've learned in my senior year at Sparta. I've learned about life, death, love, and hatred.

"You all remember the hatred we were exposed to when those deranged terrorists attacked our school and our very way of life. They were consumed with hatred of an ideology, of a philosophy, of freedom and personal choice. This hatred prevented them from living a healthy, productive life. It consumed them and led to their deaths. Did we deserve any of the evil they brought to our school? I am here to state that we did not.

"Life is precious and this fall, we learned firsthand how precious it is. Three of our classmates perished that day, as did a wonderful father and husband that worked as a custodian here. Their lives were taken; these people were taken from us. That's a void that can never be filled. That's what death does. We still grieve for our loss.

"Lives were saved that cold afternoon last fall when two toddlers plunged into the frigid waters of Emerson River. We saw a hero willingly risk his life to save others. Lives were saved the day of that horrible attack on our school. Billy Marsh and Jared White used their bodies to shield Charlotte and me from the killers' bullets. In doing so, both of these fine men were seriously injured. Many others stayed behind in a gym containing explosives to render medical and moral assistance to those injured in the attack.

"I can only explain these heroic acts this way. They were acts of 'love'. When people risk death or injury to help others, they are guided by love. When people line up to donate blood for others, the motivation is love for fellow man. That love shown so many times by the Spartan Nation has proven to be far stronger than hatred and despair. It gives life meaning and purpose. Of all the emotions, I believe love is by far the strongest. The Spartan Nation has been tested. It was badly hurt when we lost four wonderful people that horrible day. But the Spartan Nation has shown the world that love trumps hate, that we'll fight for life and dignity, and that we'll never yield to terror and fear!"

The crowd cheered and applauded long and loud as Gwen finished her speech. Tears were shed and eyes turned red as people recalled that fateful day referred to by Gwen.

As Steve sat back down after applauding Gwen, he noticed the van that had been parked in the woods was driving slowly along the road on the hill above the school. It was about a quarter mile away when he saw the van stop.