Classic Rock Shorts

Dealor: Childhood Friends

Roger watches out the window as the moving truck backs into the vacant home's driveway. He picks at the mark on his hand, once he meets his soulmate the black smudge will become bright and colorful. Someday, one day it will.

A station wagon pulls in front. Roger got real excited when he saw a little boy get out with brunette hair and shining green grey eyes. He's hugging a teddy close to his chest.

Roger scampers out of there with a little basket of chalk. He bounces some and races over, "Hey! Want to play?!"

The boy seems startled, "S-Sure?"

Roger grabs a rock from his pocket, "I'm Roger."

"J-John."

Roger giggles and takes him to the driveway, "Dads at work so we can draw all day!" Roger says, laying the bucket between them.

John hugs his teddy more and watches as Roger scribbles on the smooth ground. His fingers wrapped in bandages from previous adventures. Even his knees were littered with bandaids too.

“Wow you got a lot of boo boos!” John whispers,

“I know I fell out of a lot of trees!” Roger giggles drawing a mass of scribbles on the ground,

“What ya drawing?”

“Boat in water.” Roger grins,

“So cool!” John bounces some and helps him.

Once they’re done. They run to the wood fighting away at nasty plants and beating each other with sticks. John’s teddy stayed in John’s overall pocket during their venture. Roger grabs a branch and swings over the puddle of water, John frowns and tries to leap over it without grabbing a branch.

He squirms and looks at Roger for help, “Swing from the branch I’ll catch you!”

John looks at him petting his teddy’s head, “Promise?”

“I promise or stick a fork in my eye.” Roger says, holding his right hand up.

John sticks his tongue out and runs back holding the branch. He launches himself over the puddle and crashes into Roger’s open arms.

There’s a moment of silence even the birds seem mute as the two get themselves to realize what happened. Roger covers his mouth, “Tooth!”

“Tooth?”

“My tooth is gone!” He flaps his blood smeared hand sending blood all over, “The tooth fairy won’t come now!”

He looks like he is on the verge of tears. John whimpers and tears up as he searches the ground, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Don’t cry!” John began crying, covering his face with his sleeves.

Roger sniffles and hugs John, “It’s okay John! I didn’t like that tooth anyways!”

Roger’s eyes bugged as he saw a glimpse of his arm, how the colors spilled out in splashes of vibrancy, how it curls up to his shoulder where a small flower will form. He pulls John back holding his shoulders, “John!”

“What, Roger?”

Roger points to his arm and John gasps, yanking his pant leg up. The bright colors spilled down his calf and into his shoe. It seemed to go up to his thigh but Roger couldn’t see it that far up well enough.

John tears up again gripping his teddy tight, “I got cooties!”

Roger hushes him as they walk back through the woods. John was sniffling and in a panic, they climbed onto Roger’s back porch and came in through the back door. The old lazy hound lounging in the corner glances at them but doesn’t move an inch.

“Mama! Mama!” Roger runs in, “Mama!!”

“What sweetheart? Did the neighbor’s dog bite ya again? I told you to stop poking it’s butthole with your finger.” Winifred calls from the laundry room.

"No mama!" Roger stomps his foot, "John gave me cooties!"

Winifred raises a brow and walks out of the room, "Now what is this nonsense?"

They show their marks off to her and Winifred kneels down smiling, "Oh honey that just means you're soulmates."

"Soulmates?" Roger repeated, "What's that?"

"He's your true love." She ruffles his hair.

Roger and John giggle, "Cootie buddies for life!"

Roger glances at his mother and sees her black smudge on her arm, but she's married to daddy. He shakes his and forgets about it. The boys hug each other tight before running back out to play.

"Follow me John!" Roger grabs John's hand and drags him across the street and down the road.

John grips his plushie tight, struggling to keep up the pace. Roger stops as John loses his grip and hurts his ankle. Roger carries John on his back, wobbling some. They make it to a nice home with a big garage.

Roger bangs on the door, "Freddie! Freddie!"

Freddie swings open the door his curly hair sticking up and frizzy, someone has clearly woken up from a nap, "What is it, Rog?"

Roger helps John off his back, "You said you're making a band so lookie! Isn't he perfect!"

John blushes and giggles holding his plushie. He sticks his hand out hiding his face behind his plushie,  "I'm John."

"Freddie." He shakes his hand grinning,

John's eyes flicker to his teeth but he bites his lip as he hears his mama's words in his head, "If you say something mean to someone Satan will take someone you love."

John just smiles sweetly at Freddie watching the boy lead him to the garage. He didn't even put shoes on! Freddie coughs some, "We're starting a small band and we need people to play."

"Oh." John bounces some, "Daddy taught me some bass"

"Okay I'll ask baba if he has one." Freddie says pushing the drums out and a guitar,

"Can you play guitar for now?"

"Sure." John bounces,

Roger reaches for the drumsticks and Freddie stops him, "You found your soulmate?" He points to his arm,

"Yeah." Roger blushes some giggling,

"Who is it?"

Roger giggles and takes John's hand, "He's my cootie mate."

Freddie smiles some, he's always though of himself as a Romeo of sorts since he's always gotten the most ladies but he hasn't found his soulmate. Freddie shakes his head and rubs at his large mark on his chest,  "Come on now let's play."

John squeezes Roger's hand, "Come on cootie mate." He sets his plushie in his pocket and has a jam session with his new best friend and cootie mate.

Roger can't help but sneak glances at John, he can't believe he's found his soulmate this young, it feels like a dream come true.

Once they're done with band practice the two lay beneath the big oak tree in Freddie's yard. John cuddles into Roger's side holding his plushie, Roger keeps an arm around him. They start drifting off to sleep cuddled against each other as the sun goes down. Roger can't wait to tell the others at school what happened.