We start this chapter in the thick of Jon's open house. It's super
loud there because people have just been continuing the arguments
they had in class. It's also quite a crowded room. Folks seem to be
sitting on the furniture and floor, and probably leaning against the
walls. Matt is there. I really hope he doesn't know Devon lives
there. Anyway, there's a redheaded girl next to Devon who Devon sees
making eyes at Jon. The girl decides to try to go after him a little
and sits at his feet, looking up adoringly. When Jon is done
relighting his pipe, he sees the redhead and smiles. Devon realizes
she's jealous. Then Jon looks up at her and winks with a wicked
sparkle in his eye. You've got nothing to worry about, Devon. She
cautions herself not to fall in love with him, but then she laughs at
herself. She's fallen in love many times before and knows exactly
what it feels like. This isn't it. Of course, she's usually only
“in love” for about three dates. She then dwells on Jon's faults
and virtues. Jon looks up to see her watching him again and he looks
more serious now, with a bit of a question in his eyes. Yeah, okay.
You're totally not in love, Devon. Not even a little bit.
Devon looks away, but manages to catch Matt's eye, who's been
watching the whole exchange. Whatever. That's his problem. Devon
gets up to get some snacks. There's a boy next to her loading up his
plate with food and he gets all doe-eyed and wobbly kneed at her.
Devon doesn't really need another boy with a crush on her at the
moment. He's a grad student, even though he looks much younger.
They don't get to chat much longer, because Matt reaches possessively
around Devon for some chips and glares at the kid. He basically yips
and runs away. Seriously, Matt? You're already an abusive person.
Do you have to fit more of the criteria? Anyway, Matt's mad that
Devon was checking out Jon. Devon points out that Matt thought Jon
was the bee's knees awhile ago. Well, yeah, he's great politically,
but he reads poetry! ...does that matter? I mean, it does to Matt,
but I don't care about his opinion. Devon's embarrassed because
those are her books on the bookshelves. Matt asks why girls are
going gaga over Jon and Devon replies that it might be because Jon
knows girls have minds as well as bodies. Then she walks away. Oh
snap! Also, Jon was watching the whole exchange.
Then, the mayoral candidate walks in with Jon's dad. Oh shit! Devon
knows that Mr. Seth Hardesty has no reason to take note of her, but
she's still nervous. Also, he happens to sit next to her. Jon
thinks this is all quite amusing. Devon vows revenge. In another
part of the room, folks who had been arguing about the upcoming
campaign gather around the mayoral candidate and talk with him. Of
course, Devon finds herself talking with Seth. He's also alarmed
that she might work for a newspaper, and she assures him that she
doesn't. Devon says something about how the only issues folks are
taking a stand on are the ones the party has discussed, not the human
issues. Seth is about to ask her something, but a student interrupts
with a question about the last presidential election and Devon makes
her escape to the snack table. Devon decides not to draw attention
to herself and to leave with the first group of folks.
Of course, Seth finds her at the snack table and asks what she means
by the human issues. Here's her list: education because students are
not being well taught on a national scale, women's rights especially
the Equal Rights Amendment, and trying to lessen alcoholism, which
would be difficult and probably unwise politically to do all the way.
Seth is impressed at her thought on these issues and her reasoning
and such. He asks if she's considered running for office. From
behind her, Jon replies that Devon doesn't even vote. Then he says
that Devon should follow that for her midterm project and, if she
puts a good plan in action, he might take it to the Senate. At some
point in here, Seth wanders away. Jon is confident of getting to the
Senate, and Devon says he'll need to put all this in writing. He
offers to seal it with a kiss. Devon says not to joke about that and
apologizes for getting in an argument with Jon's dad. He replies
that his dad needs that every so often, and that he wasn't joking
about the kiss. Devon tells Jon her plan to leave with the first
wave of students, but if she does, he threatens to embarrass her so
much she'll never live it down. Apparently, he wants her to meet his
father.
The party winds down and only Devon and Seth are left in the room.
Seth offers her a ride home, and she declines, saying that she loves
to walk everywhere. Seth continues to try to recruit her for his
political party, which is never named, by the way. Devon objects and
Seth agrees that she might be a bit young and need some work in tact
and diplomacy, but she should still totes consider politics. Jon
walks in and agrees that she has all kinds of promise. Anyway, Seth
offers her a ride home again and Jon interrupts Devon's vague denials
to say that she lives there. Bam! Seth is in shock. Then he laughs
and is totally fine with this. Devon earnestly tells him that she
and Jon aren't lovers, and he says that if that's true, his son is
dumber than he thought. Jon and Seth agree to meet at Seth's hotel
for breakfast the next morning. Seth isn't gone long before Jon asks
Devon if she's coming to bed. Of course, she demands to know what he
means, and he says that's up to her. When she throws an ashtray at
him, which misses, he asks if that means she has a headache before he
runs away.
I get it. It's a Stockholm syndrome/Beauty and the Beast kind of
thing. Sure he's grumpy and inclined to gloss over rape, but he's
got a heart of gold...ish. Also, in at least one version of the
Beauty and the Beast tale, every night after dinner Beast asks Beauty
to marry him. That's kind of like being propositioned constantly.
Ish.
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