Part 147
"What's up?" Nick asked Aaron as he saw the camera crew from a local tv station.
"Dunno, something about the key to the city?"
"That's cool, my little bro, King of Baton Rouge!" Nick laughed, grabbing Aaron in a headlock.
"Knock it off, Nick!" Aaron struggled to get loose, and as he finally slipped away, he heard a quiet giggle.
"Don’t look now," Nick whispered, "But you've got an admirer."
"Let me GO you dork!" Aaron said in a stage whisper. Nick let him go and Aaron stood up, straightening his clothes.
A young girl of about fourteen stood next to a man they assumed was the mayor. Tall for her age, she had long strawberry blonde hair and a sprinkling of freckles across her nose.
Aaron smiled at her and she blushed from head to toe, smiling shyly.
"So?" Nick said under his breath. "Go over and say hello."
Aaron glared at him when he gave him a gentle shove toward the girl, but as he turned toward her he smiled. "Hi, I'm Aaron."
She giggled, and extended her hand. "I knew that already. I'm Kathy."
Aaron groaned, rolling his eyes. "Sorry, that was pretty dumb, huh?"
"That's okay, it's really neat to meet you. Umm, that's my dad over there, he's the mayor."
"Yeah? Cool!" Great, he thought wryly, knock 'em dead with the small talk just like his dorky brother.
"Oh, I think they need me back again. Come on, we need to make a presentation."
Aaron and Kathy joined her father, who was already deep in conversation with Nick.
Aaron introduced her to Nick, and she and her father made the ceremonial presentation of a certificate and keys to the city as the local news team captured it all for the nightly report.
Long after the crew had gone, Aaron and Kathy stood deep in conversation, finally sitting down on the edge of the stage, their legs dangling over the edge.
"You're coming tonight aren’t you?" he asked her.
"Well, I guess so, we were given comp tickets."
"Where are your seats?"
Kathy pointed toward the back of the arena. "Somewhere back there."
"That sucks," Aaron snorted. "You can sit down here with Becca."
"Who?"
"Nick's wife. You'll like her a lot. Look, I gotta go do sound checks. Ask your dad if you can hang with us afterward tonight for a while? That'd be really-"
"Cool, right?" she laughed. "I'll ask, and I'll see you at the show."
"Great! See you later, I'll leave your name with security for a pass." Impulsively he leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek before heading for the wings.
"Bye!"
"Wait! What's your last name? I need it to put on the list."
"Cleveland," she called out. "Like the city."
"Well, okay then, Kathy Cleveland, see ya tonight!"