Free Class of '59 (American Journey Book 4) by John A. Heldt Page B

collected money for Waylon West, a custodian who had broken his hip and required surgery.
    Piper stepped to the last table, opened her purse, and retrieved one of twenty five-dollar bills Mary Beth had given her Monday night. She had asked for the cash after the four time travelers had made a quick trip to 2017 to collect the sisters' belongings and other essentials.
    Mary Beth watched as Piper straightened the bill, smiled at the girl managing the janitor's recovery fund, and dropped the banknote in a jar. She chuckled when Piper turned around.
    "That was nice of you."
    Piper grinned.
    "I'm feeling generous today."
    Piper walked toward the opposite side of the lobby and saw even more giving opportunities. She smiled as she approached the first station and saw pictures of a boy named Tom Cain and a girl named Sue Finn. Each wore a paper crown. The couple vied against four others for prom king and queen. Students voted for couples by placing money in one of five jars.
    Piper winced when she gave Sue's photo a closer inspection. Sue looked a lot like Sarah Benchley, a high school classmate who had died in a car accident in April 2017. Tom looked like a boy who needed a friend. Piper put a five-dollar bill in Tom and Sue's jar and moved down the line, a step ahead of an older sister who undoubtedly wondered what she was doing.
    She left a Vegas nickel in each of the next two jars. She didn't feel a connection to the couples and figured they would do well even without her financial contribution. She put two dimes in the fourth jar to rid her purse of change and moved on to the last station.
    Piper laughed when she reached the station and looked up at a photo of the man who would be king. She smiled at the picture. Ben Ryan smiled back.
    Mary Beth laughed.
    "It looks like Ben is a BMOC."
    "It sure does," Piper said.
    "That's funny," Mary Beth said. "He didn't mention that on the trip."
    Piper ignored her sister's comment and gazed at the photo of Ben's running mate. Vicki Cole, queen wannabe, was a stunning blonde with a dazzling smile.
    Piper scanned all five stations and noticed that students had given more pennies and nickels to Ben and Vicki than to any other couple. They had given slightly fewer to Chip Bennett and Bunny Martinez, the fourth couple and Ben and Vicki's closest competitors.
    "I wonder who Vicki is," Piper said to Mary Beth. "Do you think she's Ben's girlfriend?"
    "Does it matter?" Mary Beth asked.
    "No. I guess not."
    "Let's go. We have an appointment to keep."
    "Wait," Piper said. "I'll just be a second."
    Piper stepped toward the girl managing Ben and Vicki's jar.
    "Excuse me. I'm new here and don't know how the prom works."
    The girl smiled.
    "Just ask."
    "OK. I will," Piper said. "Who decides the candidates for king and queen?"
    "A committee does. We pair boys and girls who look good together."
    "Do the king and queen go to the dance as a couple?"
    The girl nodded.
    "I think it's a law or something."
    Piper stifled a laugh.
    "Do you think Ben and Vicki will win?"
    The girl nodded again.
    "The most popular students usually do."
    Piper looked at Mary Beth, who pointed at her watch, and then at the young woman behind the pickle jar. She wondered how one became a money collector.
    "I have just one more question," Piper said.
    The girl sat up in her chair.
    "OK."
    "Are Chip and Bunny nice people?" Piper asked.
    The girl beamed.
    "They are."
    Piper reached into her purse and retrieved three five-dollar bills. She walked to the fourth table, stuffed all three bills in the jar, and then returned to the girl at station five.
    "Thank you," Piper said. She smiled. "I hope to see you around."
    Piper glanced at the grinning girl at station four and then stepped toward her sister. She could hear Mary Beth's laugh even before she could see her smiling face.
    "What was that all about?" Mary Beth asked.
    "You heard the girl," Piper said. "Chip and Bunny are nice. They deserve to win."
    Mary Beth laughed.
    "Sometimes I think