Roller Rink Rebels
Of Gummy Bears and Pizza Slices
"Do you think my expressions should match how it is on the inside to say..."
AUGUST
“Right there, next to Mr. Way,” the teacher, a red headed women with deep frown lines and angry looking, uncaring eyes instructs. She flutters her hand in the general direction of a dark-haired boy who’s got the eraser end of a pencil shoved between tiny teeth. He doesn’t even look up as I pull the chair next to him away from the desk, sinking into it as quietly as possible.
About halfway through the lecture, I feel eyes on me. My desk partner, whose first name I haven’t gotten, scoots his chair a little closer to mine. I slide over half an inch, my left leg is hanging out over the desk. In response to this, the boy shift in his seat. What the hell is his problem? Shooting him a dirty look, I scoot again, perched right on the edge of the grey plastic seat.
“Do I know you from somewhere?” The stranger’s words catch me off guard, my butt slipping from the chair and hitting the cold linoleum floor seconds later. A snicker goes up through the classroom. The frowning face of my teacher stares back at me as I lift my gaze. Shit.
Getting up off the floor, I sit back down, moving my chair as far away from the boys as possible. “No, you don’t.” I hiss at him.
“I swear I do,” he muses, shoving the pencil back between his lips, continuing to work away at the eraser with his teeth. “My names Gerard, by the way.”
“Elizabeth,” I answer curtly, hoping he’ll drop the conversation. I’m not really in the mood to make friends. My head throbs from last nights partying and the fluorescent lights in this room aren’t helping any. I’m doing my best to concentrate on not depositing this mornings breakfast and whatever alcohol is left in my system onto the tabletop.
“Do you work at the roller rink on Griffin?” Gerard whispers, turning his body slightly so he’s facing me instead of the front of the classroom.
Rolling my eyes I nod, “Yeah.”
A set of coffee stained teeth appear as Gerard gives me a smile. “I knew I’ve seen you before. My friends and I are there almost every weekend.”
His tone suggests that I’m supposed to remember him and whatever group he spends his time with out of the hundreds of people that come in and out of my workplace every day. I hate to shatter his dreams, but picking out individual people, aside from the ones that push others down or hurl in the bathroom, is pretty much impossible. “So is half this shit hole of a town.”
My deskmate chews his bottom lip, “Yeah. I guess you’re right.”
“Mr. Way,” angry eyes stare down at Gerard. “I suggest, if you’d like to pass this class and be set free into the adult world, that you save your flirting for another time.”
Gerard’s face goes deep red as he sinks down in his chair, trying to put as much distance between himself and our teacher as possible. He whispers a quick apology before shoving his face into his hands. I can’t help but snicker. He set himself up for that one.
“You too, Ms. Foster,” the redheaded women says sternly before walking back up the aisle to the front of the classroom. It’s Gerard’s turn to laugh.
“Bite me,” I grumble, shutting my notebook and shoving it into my backpack as the bell chimes, signaling the end of class.
“Where are you headed next,” Gerard questions, following me into the overcrowded, locker-lined hallway. His overly inquisitory demeanor is starting to get on my nerves, pushing the little button inside me, willing me to lash out at him. Instead, I take a deep breath, trying to keep my cool. I’m supposed to be making friends as the only one I’ve got is leaving me at the end of this year to go to college.
“Study hall. Then I’ve got pre-calc, world history, lunch, art, and then French,” I answer filling in the rest of my schedule so that Gerard doesn’t have to keep asking over and over.
“Our lunch and art classes are the same periods,” Gerard says cheerily before waving goodbye, ducking into a classroom. What an interesting dude.
“Hey asshole,” I announce my presence, dropping my bag to the floor before sitting down at one of the chemistry tables next to my only friend in this whole school. I’ve been giving him shit ever since he told me he was planning on applying for colleges after we finished high school. I’m happy for him, but more so bummed. I don’t know how I’m going to get by without him.
“Honestly, Liz, how long are you going to be pissed at me?” Frank questions, twisting in his seat and throwing his legs over my lap.
I shrug, wrapping his black shoelace around my finger, causing the tip to go purple. “Until you decide to not leave me here all alone.”
“It’s only an hour away,” Frank insists, giving me a grin. “Besides, I thought we decided that you were going to make new friends.”
Letting out a groan, I slide my chair back, propping my feet up on the black workbench that acts as a desk. “New friends are overrated. I’ve already got the best so trying the rest is pointless.”
“While I appreciate how highly you think of me, we made a deal.”
“No-” I answer back, swatting Frank’s hand away as he tries to steal a gummy bear out of my bag, “-I was strong-armed into making a pinky promise. Besides, you didn’t want to go to college until you started dating Jaclyn. What happened to seeing where music got you?”
My best friend lets out a long sigh, running his fingers through his hair. It’s shaggy, hanging past his ears, parts covering his eyes. “We’ve talked about this, Liz. Music is a hobby, it’s not a job.”
Rolling my eyes, I shove Frank’s legs off of me, putting in my earbuds, “You didn’t always think that way.”
Jaclyn is the drummer in Frank’s band. I knew from the second I saw them interact that they’d end up together. She’s into everything Frank is and if she wasn’t already, she was more than happy to change. The only thing she won’t compromise on is college. Jaclyn threatened to break up with Frank if he didn’t apply and go. He never even cared about continuing his schooling until his girlfriend put her foot down. Frank’s always wanted to do music. When we were younger it was all he ever talked about. Watching him give up his dream for some girl is painful.
The next two periods pass by uneventfully. Jaclyn is in my history class. We make a point to avoid each other. While I used to be friends with the brunette drummer, we’ve severed ties. She puts up with Frank and I hanging out because she has to. Jaclyn thinks I’m a bad influence, a burnout that will never amount to anything. She’s probably right. Either way, I’d rather be a burnout than a fake.
By lunch, I’m ready to go home. My head throbs, my vision is blurry, and I'm doing well to not fall asleep in my classes. I should have never let my co-workers convince me to go out last night. From now on, Sundays are going to be for homework and binge-watching old Nirvana music videos. Dumping my paper bag lunch onto the plastic tabletop, I take a seat at my usual table in the corner. Unfortunately, Frank and I do not have the same lunch period. It’s like the school is trying to make my senior year as miserable as possible. As I go to put my earbuds in, hoping to drown out the roar of others in the lunchroom, the chair next to me is pulled out. “No.”
“You really want to eat alone?” that’s Gerard. Why can’t this kid just leave me alone? Why is he so insistent that we talk? It’s not like we know each other. I’ve never even had a class with him before. So maybe he’s seen me at the roller rink, but that doesn’t mean anything. Up until this morning, we’d never even spoken.
Glancing up at him, I roll my eyes, “Fine, but we’re not talking and this doesn’t make us friends.”
The boy next to me nods as he sits, scooting his chair in closer to the table, “Don’t worry, I would never assume that we’re friends.”
“As long as we’re clear,” I answer, picking at the sandwich I packed myself this morning. It’s got turkey, cheese, mayonnaise, and something else on it. Pulling the bread apart I wipe my middle finger through the brown substance, shoving it between my lips. Peanut butter. I would’ve done better to just buy school lunch. Packing mine never works when I wake up hungover. Shit.
“Peanut butter and mayo?” Gerard questions, his eyes lifting from the table to me as I close my sandwich again.
“It was a rough morning.”
Letting out a sigh, the boy next to me pulls out a plastic knife, cutting his piece of pizza in half. “It’s from Dominos. Sorry, it’s just cheese. No one in my family eats meat. Sundays are pizza days so it was just ordered last night.”
As Gerard goes to continue, I cut him off, taking the half of pizza he’s offering me. “Thanks, I guess." I take a bite chewing slowly. I don't know how well my stomach is going to handle to food being deposited in it. As I continue to eat, I feel eyes on me. Glancing sideways, I notice Gerard watching me. "This still doesn’t make us friends.”
The dark haired boy nods, giving me a smile, “Understood.”
AUGUST
“Right there, next to Mr. Way,” the teacher, a red headed women with deep frown lines and angry looking, uncaring eyes instructs. She flutters her hand in the general direction of a dark-haired boy who’s got the eraser end of a pencil shoved between tiny teeth. He doesn’t even look up as I pull the chair next to him away from the desk, sinking into it as quietly as possible.
About halfway through the lecture, I feel eyes on me. My desk partner, whose first name I haven’t gotten, scoots his chair a little closer to mine. I slide over half an inch, my left leg is hanging out over the desk. In response to this, the boy shift in his seat. What the hell is his problem? Shooting him a dirty look, I scoot again, perched right on the edge of the grey plastic seat.
“Do I know you from somewhere?” The stranger’s words catch me off guard, my butt slipping from the chair and hitting the cold linoleum floor seconds later. A snicker goes up through the classroom. The frowning face of my teacher stares back at me as I lift my gaze. Shit.
Getting up off the floor, I sit back down, moving my chair as far away from the boys as possible. “No, you don’t.” I hiss at him.
“I swear I do,” he muses, shoving the pencil back between his lips, continuing to work away at the eraser with his teeth. “My names Gerard, by the way.”
“Elizabeth,” I answer curtly, hoping he’ll drop the conversation. I’m not really in the mood to make friends. My head throbs from last nights partying and the fluorescent lights in this room aren’t helping any. I’m doing my best to concentrate on not depositing this mornings breakfast and whatever alcohol is left in my system onto the tabletop.
“Do you work at the roller rink on Griffin?” Gerard whispers, turning his body slightly so he’s facing me instead of the front of the classroom.
Rolling my eyes I nod, “Yeah.”
A set of coffee stained teeth appear as Gerard gives me a smile. “I knew I’ve seen you before. My friends and I are there almost every weekend.”
His tone suggests that I’m supposed to remember him and whatever group he spends his time with out of the hundreds of people that come in and out of my workplace every day. I hate to shatter his dreams, but picking out individual people, aside from the ones that push others down or hurl in the bathroom, is pretty much impossible. “So is half this shit hole of a town.”
My deskmate chews his bottom lip, “Yeah. I guess you’re right.”
“Mr. Way,” angry eyes stare down at Gerard. “I suggest, if you’d like to pass this class and be set free into the adult world, that you save your flirting for another time.”
Gerard’s face goes deep red as he sinks down in his chair, trying to put as much distance between himself and our teacher as possible. He whispers a quick apology before shoving his face into his hands. I can’t help but snicker. He set himself up for that one.
“You too, Ms. Foster,” the redheaded women says sternly before walking back up the aisle to the front of the classroom. It’s Gerard’s turn to laugh.
“Bite me,” I grumble, shutting my notebook and shoving it into my backpack as the bell chimes, signaling the end of class.
“Where are you headed next,” Gerard questions, following me into the overcrowded, locker-lined hallway. His overly inquisitory demeanor is starting to get on my nerves, pushing the little button inside me, willing me to lash out at him. Instead, I take a deep breath, trying to keep my cool. I’m supposed to be making friends as the only one I’ve got is leaving me at the end of this year to go to college.
“Study hall. Then I’ve got pre-calc, world history, lunch, art, and then French,” I answer filling in the rest of my schedule so that Gerard doesn’t have to keep asking over and over.
“Our lunch and art classes are the same periods,” Gerard says cheerily before waving goodbye, ducking into a classroom. What an interesting dude.
“Hey asshole,” I announce my presence, dropping my bag to the floor before sitting down at one of the chemistry tables next to my only friend in this whole school. I’ve been giving him shit ever since he told me he was planning on applying for colleges after we finished high school. I’m happy for him, but more so bummed. I don’t know how I’m going to get by without him.
“Honestly, Liz, how long are you going to be pissed at me?” Frank questions, twisting in his seat and throwing his legs over my lap.
I shrug, wrapping his black shoelace around my finger, causing the tip to go purple. “Until you decide to not leave me here all alone.”
“It’s only an hour away,” Frank insists, giving me a grin. “Besides, I thought we decided that you were going to make new friends.”
Letting out a groan, I slide my chair back, propping my feet up on the black workbench that acts as a desk. “New friends are overrated. I’ve already got the best so trying the rest is pointless.”
“While I appreciate how highly you think of me, we made a deal.”
“No-” I answer back, swatting Frank’s hand away as he tries to steal a gummy bear out of my bag, “-I was strong-armed into making a pinky promise. Besides, you didn’t want to go to college until you started dating Jaclyn. What happened to seeing where music got you?”
My best friend lets out a long sigh, running his fingers through his hair. It’s shaggy, hanging past his ears, parts covering his eyes. “We’ve talked about this, Liz. Music is a hobby, it’s not a job.”
Rolling my eyes, I shove Frank’s legs off of me, putting in my earbuds, “You didn’t always think that way.”
Jaclyn is the drummer in Frank’s band. I knew from the second I saw them interact that they’d end up together. She’s into everything Frank is and if she wasn’t already, she was more than happy to change. The only thing she won’t compromise on is college. Jaclyn threatened to break up with Frank if he didn’t apply and go. He never even cared about continuing his schooling until his girlfriend put her foot down. Frank’s always wanted to do music. When we were younger it was all he ever talked about. Watching him give up his dream for some girl is painful.
The next two periods pass by uneventfully. Jaclyn is in my history class. We make a point to avoid each other. While I used to be friends with the brunette drummer, we’ve severed ties. She puts up with Frank and I hanging out because she has to. Jaclyn thinks I’m a bad influence, a burnout that will never amount to anything. She’s probably right. Either way, I’d rather be a burnout than a fake.
By lunch, I’m ready to go home. My head throbs, my vision is blurry, and I'm doing well to not fall asleep in my classes. I should have never let my co-workers convince me to go out last night. From now on, Sundays are going to be for homework and binge-watching old Nirvana music videos. Dumping my paper bag lunch onto the plastic tabletop, I take a seat at my usual table in the corner. Unfortunately, Frank and I do not have the same lunch period. It’s like the school is trying to make my senior year as miserable as possible. As I go to put my earbuds in, hoping to drown out the roar of others in the lunchroom, the chair next to me is pulled out. “No.”
“You really want to eat alone?” that’s Gerard. Why can’t this kid just leave me alone? Why is he so insistent that we talk? It’s not like we know each other. I’ve never even had a class with him before. So maybe he’s seen me at the roller rink, but that doesn’t mean anything. Up until this morning, we’d never even spoken.
Glancing up at him, I roll my eyes, “Fine, but we’re not talking and this doesn’t make us friends.”
The boy next to me nods as he sits, scooting his chair in closer to the table, “Don’t worry, I would never assume that we’re friends.”
“As long as we’re clear,” I answer, picking at the sandwich I packed myself this morning. It’s got turkey, cheese, mayonnaise, and something else on it. Pulling the bread apart I wipe my middle finger through the brown substance, shoving it between my lips. Peanut butter. I would’ve done better to just buy school lunch. Packing mine never works when I wake up hungover. Shit.
“Peanut butter and mayo?” Gerard questions, his eyes lifting from the table to me as I close my sandwich again.
“It was a rough morning.”
Letting out a sigh, the boy next to me pulls out a plastic knife, cutting his piece of pizza in half. “It’s from Dominos. Sorry, it’s just cheese. No one in my family eats meat. Sundays are pizza days so it was just ordered last night.”
As Gerard goes to continue, I cut him off, taking the half of pizza he’s offering me. “Thanks, I guess." I take a bite chewing slowly. I don't know how well my stomach is going to handle to food being deposited in it. As I continue to eat, I feel eyes on me. Glancing sideways, I notice Gerard watching me. "This still doesn’t make us friends.”
The dark haired boy nods, giving me a smile, “Understood.”
Notes
So the general format of this story is going to be a "month" from Elizabeth's POV and then a "month" from another character's POV. The months will be in bold at the beginning of every chapter. I'm gonna have a quote or song lyrics at the top of each chapter in italics. All songs will be listed in the notes section so you can find them. There should be an Apple Music playlist with the same name as the story if you wanna listen to the songs as well. :)
SONG: You Used to Say (Holy F**K)- The Front Bottoms
