"Hey Karyn. It's me. The shoes. I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot yesterday."
Karyn did not respond. She kept walking down the hallway as though she did not have a voice speaking to her in her head.
"Hah-hah, get it? Wrong foot. It's shoe humor!"
Karyn still remained silent, still maintained her pace and direction.
"Listen, yesterday I was pretty mean to you, but I spent a lot of time with Jon last night and I think I understand him better. I think I understand you better. And I want to help."
Karyn stopped. "If I'd realized Jon was wearing the same shoes I wore yesterday, I would never have traded with him."
"I know. That's why I told him to trade. I want to make it up to you."
"How?"
"However you want. Look, I know my methods weren't great, but I did get you to look a bit nicer, didn't I? And I got you on the cheerleading squad, right? You've been enjoying having those in your life."
Karyn glanced around at the other students in the hallway: there weren't too many still hanging around. Still, better safe than sorry, she turned a corner and exited a side door out the building.
"Okay," the girl said as the door shut behind her, "between the time when I left the locker room yesterday afternoon and the time when I put you on just now, I was feeling reasonably good about myself. But what else can you give me that I don't already have?"
"I can give you a boyfriend."
"I've got Jon."
"You have Jon as a friend. Be honest, you barely even see him as a boy, don't you? He's wearing a tartan skirt as we speak. It looks fabulous on him, but not very manly."
"I got to second base with Sarah yesterday."
This was news to the shoes, but they rolled with it. "You don't really consider Sarah to be anything long-term, do you? She was just a temporary little toy."
This was a gamble. The shoes didn't want to exert any influence here, they really did want to help Karyn now and didn't want to do something that might damage trust. If Karyn didn't agree with this line of thinking, things would get tricky.
But she did agree. "I guess you're right. Maybe I do want to know what it's like to go steady. Someone to do cute romantic things with."
"Atta girl."
"So you do you propose?"
"Look over by the bleachers."
Karyn did so, and saw a boy in a football jersey. "Is that Biff?"
"That is your next boyfriend."
"Biff Meadows?"
"Bifferson Roderick Meadows."
"That's not his real name."
"No, his real name is Milhous, but do not let him know that you know. Just keep calling him Biff."
"You think it'll work out?"
"You're a cheerleader. He's the quarterback. What better match?"
Karyn squinted at the boy, considering him. It did make sense, in a way. And maybe with the shoes' help, it could work. Karyn never thought she'd ever be a cheerleader, but here she was.
"Okay, let's do it." And Karyn Black marched out to the bleachers, and out to Biff Meadows.
