Spotlight- A Cool Story, chapter 5
-The next day-
Emmy, Spider, Jaxon and Leo looked slightly uncomfortable in my large house, and it probably didn't help matters that my mother and I were arguing in the next room.
"They're not punks, mom!"
"I don't like looks of that Tarantula."
"Spider! His name is Spider!"
"Whatever!"
"Mom!"
"If any of them touch anything, or anything's missing when they leave, I'm grounding you until you're forty five!"
"You'll be dead by then!"
"Maybe TELL me next time that you invite four random people off the street to come into our home!"
"They're not random--" But she was already going upstairs. I sighed, nearly growling, then went back into the kitchen, grabbing a coke. "Moms." I said, simply, and they smiled nervously. "C'mon. Let's go downstairs."
Everyone was tuning guitars, Spider and I by our ears, Leo and Emmy by their tuners. My dad, looking strained from the latest sound of screams, was happy as a clam to set up Jaxon's drums and help him sort out a few new beats.
"Now, punk. If you take my place as the world's best rock drummer, I might not allow you to kiss my daughter in my ex-wife's front yard." My father said in a weird Godfather movie-type voice. Jaxon blushed, and looked down, clearing his throat. Leo, trying to break the tension of me staring at my father and Jaxon's looking facinated at the floor, did an old fashioned wolf-whistle on his guitar. We all laughed, and moved on. A few minutes later and we were trying to organize ourselves to play When I Come Around.
"Dad. Maybe you could..."
"Come onto your little hottie bandmate. How you doin'?" He wrapped an arm around quiet little Emmy, and she squeaked, terrified.
"Dad! She's underage!"
"Oh." He quickly withdrew his hand, and after a few awkward seconds, he ran upstairs screaming something along the lines of "OMGPLEASEDON'TSUEME!!!" Everyone looked at me smacking myself in the head.
"Welcome to my life." Spider started playing 'Welcome to Paradise.' "I said my LIFE! Not Paradise!"
After Stella came, about halfway through, Leo kept trying to do stupid riffs and throwing everyone off, so we all smacked him on the back of his blonde head and went out to a McDonalds. There wasn't enough seats in the booth, so I sat on Jaxon's lap, Stella sat on Leo and Emmy and Spider looked awkward. I ate fries, while everyone else had a burger. It was silent. Guess we just had nothing to talk about, since it wasn't an awkward silence. I heard a familiar voice ordering a big mac and a milkshake.
Jason.
"Fuck." I whispered, as I slid off Jaxon beside Emmy.
"What?" He whispered, then looked up to see my ex-boyfriend, clad in black pants and hoodie, a baseball cap over his eyes, and sunglasses. "Oh." I could hear a slight twing of anger in his voice. I remembered what he had done to me, outside Jaxon's house. I took a few deep breaths, closing my eyes.
"Relax." I grabbed Jaxon's hand under the table. Everyone at our table was looking at Jaxon, then me, then Jason and looking at Jaxon again. They looked like turkeys. I saw him turning, and my breath caught in my throat. He'd seen me. His eyes flashed in anger as he picked up his tray and stalked to us. He stopped in front of our table, and I was suddenly glad that Emmy was between us.
"Never thought that you'd fall for a prep, baby." He purposely used one of the names I despised. "But since you dumped me after our first time, you were just using me for sex." I was pissed, I'll admit it. But suddenly I felt my arm pull back and I saw it hit him in the face, his nose bleeding, chocolate shake and tray and a big mac flying with him. The entire restaurant was silent, with a few finishing gasps.
"I would never have sex willingly with a bastard like you, Jason." I screamed, stepping over Emmy and Jason's fetal-position body and running out of the McDonalds. Why would no one let me forget that? Why couldn't they just leave it alone? I was so obviously over it, why couldn't they be?
-Later-
Before I knew it, I was under the grundgy, greasy 12th street overpass, dozens of guys dressed just like Jason surrounding trash-can fires, sitting on dumpster-quality sofas and chairs, pornographic magazines everywhere. There were no girls. I had only been here once, with Jason. But a girl by herself in this place was fair game. Sex, food, money. An ultimate resource. I crossed my arms around my chest, and tried not to look terrified. All at once, they smiled, wolfish snakes with bad hair and teeth.
"Well, hello sexy."
"Where's Jay-Boy?"
"Why don't you hook up with a real man, girly?" I didn't like any of their looks, but they're like dogs. They sense fear, and if you run, they run faster and suddenly you're a piece of meat. I gave a small smile, and walked slowly to an abandoned sofa with ripped cushions.
Insantly I was surrounded by at least fifty guys, all leaning in and undressing me with their eyes. I wanted to gag, but decided against it. I giggled, and put my shoulders on the back.
"I'm not here to stay, boys."
"Then we'd better make the most of it." One screamed, and everyone laughed. I pouted, and stood up, starting to get out. It was a clear path to out of here, and then it's just a few blocks home. They groaned as I stood up, and started punching the one who called out. They were distracted, I could get out. But suddenly, there were ten guys blocking my path.
"We heard about what you and Jay-Boy did."
"In the STREET. Finally, a classy girl." They were forcing me back under the pass.
"How much did you sell your Virginity for?" I stopped, and they kept coming to me. "22.95." I said, passively. Not one laughed, but a few checked their pockets and wallets. They were only inches from me now, and I didn't want to touch them, so I started walking back. I bumped into a huge guy with a shaved head and no shirt. I was surrounded.
Emmy, Spider, Jaxon and Leo looked slightly uncomfortable in my large house, and it probably didn't help matters that my mother and I were arguing in the next room.
"They're not punks, mom!"
"I don't like looks of that Tarantula."
"Spider! His name is Spider!"
"Whatever!"
"Mom!"
"If any of them touch anything, or anything's missing when they leave, I'm grounding you until you're forty five!"
"You'll be dead by then!"
"Maybe TELL me next time that you invite four random people off the street to come into our home!"
"They're not random--" But she was already going upstairs. I sighed, nearly growling, then went back into the kitchen, grabbing a coke. "Moms." I said, simply, and they smiled nervously. "C'mon. Let's go downstairs."
Everyone was tuning guitars, Spider and I by our ears, Leo and Emmy by their tuners. My dad, looking strained from the latest sound of screams, was happy as a clam to set up Jaxon's drums and help him sort out a few new beats.
"Now, punk. If you take my place as the world's best rock drummer, I might not allow you to kiss my daughter in my ex-wife's front yard." My father said in a weird Godfather movie-type voice. Jaxon blushed, and looked down, clearing his throat. Leo, trying to break the tension of me staring at my father and Jaxon's looking facinated at the floor, did an old fashioned wolf-whistle on his guitar. We all laughed, and moved on. A few minutes later and we were trying to organize ourselves to play When I Come Around.
"Dad. Maybe you could..."
"Come onto your little hottie bandmate. How you doin'?" He wrapped an arm around quiet little Emmy, and she squeaked, terrified.
"Dad! She's underage!"
"Oh." He quickly withdrew his hand, and after a few awkward seconds, he ran upstairs screaming something along the lines of "OMGPLEASEDON'TSUEME!!!" Everyone looked at me smacking myself in the head.
"Welcome to my life." Spider started playing 'Welcome to Paradise.' "I said my LIFE! Not Paradise!"
After Stella came, about halfway through, Leo kept trying to do stupid riffs and throwing everyone off, so we all smacked him on the back of his blonde head and went out to a McDonalds. There wasn't enough seats in the booth, so I sat on Jaxon's lap, Stella sat on Leo and Emmy and Spider looked awkward. I ate fries, while everyone else had a burger. It was silent. Guess we just had nothing to talk about, since it wasn't an awkward silence. I heard a familiar voice ordering a big mac and a milkshake.
Jason.
"Fuck." I whispered, as I slid off Jaxon beside Emmy.
"What?" He whispered, then looked up to see my ex-boyfriend, clad in black pants and hoodie, a baseball cap over his eyes, and sunglasses. "Oh." I could hear a slight twing of anger in his voice. I remembered what he had done to me, outside Jaxon's house. I took a few deep breaths, closing my eyes.
"Relax." I grabbed Jaxon's hand under the table. Everyone at our table was looking at Jaxon, then me, then Jason and looking at Jaxon again. They looked like turkeys. I saw him turning, and my breath caught in my throat. He'd seen me. His eyes flashed in anger as he picked up his tray and stalked to us. He stopped in front of our table, and I was suddenly glad that Emmy was between us.
"Never thought that you'd fall for a prep, baby." He purposely used one of the names I despised. "But since you dumped me after our first time, you were just using me for sex." I was pissed, I'll admit it. But suddenly I felt my arm pull back and I saw it hit him in the face, his nose bleeding, chocolate shake and tray and a big mac flying with him. The entire restaurant was silent, with a few finishing gasps.
"I would never have sex willingly with a bastard like you, Jason." I screamed, stepping over Emmy and Jason's fetal-position body and running out of the McDonalds. Why would no one let me forget that? Why couldn't they just leave it alone? I was so obviously over it, why couldn't they be?
-Later-
Before I knew it, I was under the grundgy, greasy 12th street overpass, dozens of guys dressed just like Jason surrounding trash-can fires, sitting on dumpster-quality sofas and chairs, pornographic magazines everywhere. There were no girls. I had only been here once, with Jason. But a girl by herself in this place was fair game. Sex, food, money. An ultimate resource. I crossed my arms around my chest, and tried not to look terrified. All at once, they smiled, wolfish snakes with bad hair and teeth.
"Well, hello sexy."
"Where's Jay-Boy?"
"Why don't you hook up with a real man, girly?" I didn't like any of their looks, but they're like dogs. They sense fear, and if you run, they run faster and suddenly you're a piece of meat. I gave a small smile, and walked slowly to an abandoned sofa with ripped cushions.
Insantly I was surrounded by at least fifty guys, all leaning in and undressing me with their eyes. I wanted to gag, but decided against it. I giggled, and put my shoulders on the back.
"I'm not here to stay, boys."
"Then we'd better make the most of it." One screamed, and everyone laughed. I pouted, and stood up, starting to get out. It was a clear path to out of here, and then it's just a few blocks home. They groaned as I stood up, and started punching the one who called out. They were distracted, I could get out. But suddenly, there were ten guys blocking my path.
"We heard about what you and Jay-Boy did."
"In the STREET. Finally, a classy girl." They were forcing me back under the pass.
"How much did you sell your Virginity for?" I stopped, and they kept coming to me. "22.95." I said, passively. Not one laughed, but a few checked their pockets and wallets. They were only inches from me now, and I didn't want to touch them, so I started walking back. I bumped into a huge guy with a shaved head and no shirt. I was surrounded.
