Mileven One-Shots 2

Roller Skating

Spring Break, 1986

"What do you wanna do?" El asked Mike. The two sat beside each other on the sofa, Mike's arm around El. It was Mike's second night there for spring break, and they were trying to come up with an idea for a date. 

"Mike, you should take El roller skating," Joyce suggested.

"What is...roller skating?" El asked.

"Basically you put on a pair of shoes with wheels on the bottom and use them to move around," he said. El's face lit up and Mike smiled.

"That sounds so fun!"

"Just make sure not to fall on your face," Will said. He and Mike laughed and El looked a little worrisome.

"Oh you'll be okay. I won't let you fall," Mike chuckled.

"Well come on, hop in the car and I'll take you," Joyce giggled. The two jumped up excitedly and followed Joyce to the car. It wasn't far away, but it was still too chilly to walk, and of course neither of them could drive or had cars yet.

"I'll be back to get you guys at ten. On the dot," she said as they jumped out of the car.

"Ten on the dot!" Mike called back. She laughed and rolled her eyes as she pulled away once they were inside safe. It was decently busy. El saw a few people she recognized from school. But two people in particular stood out to her as her eyes landed on them. The two always blowing spitballs in her face in class. The two who pick on her relentlessly. Surely, the ones who would laugh when she fell. Or, even, be the cause of her falling. Jake and Angela.

She stayed close to Mike's side as he led her to the counter and paid so they could get their skates. They went and sat down somewhere where there was less people to put them on.

"You ready?" Mike asked, holding his hands out to her. She took them, a wide smile on her face, holding on tight as they stood up. Okay, not so bad. But then, as they started to move towards the rink, the wheels moved. What else did she expect? She couldn't quite catch herself in time though, and she fell backwards, landing on her butt on the floor and pulling Mike down with her. They broke out in a fit of laughter.

"We didn't even make it two feet!" He said and she blushed. "Okay, come on."

He grabbed the chair behind him to get back to his feet and she followed his example. She stayed close to the wall as they made their way towards the rink.

"I'm gonna fall again!" She said as they moved onto the floor.

"You won't. I'm right here," he said, holding her hands tightly in his. They were passed by a lot of people, who she studied to see how to master the skill of roller skating. Finally, she got confident enough to let go of Mike with her other hand.

"See, you got it! You're a natural!" He gazed at her with so much love in his eyes, watching the excitement in her face as she skated. He loved getting to see the moments where she got to experience things like this. Finally getting to live a relatively normal life, just like she deserved.

Then, the lights in the roller rink dimmed a little bit. For a moment, fear registered on both of their faces. In their world, dimming or flickering lights meant danger. But then "Take My Breath Away" by Berlin played in the radio, and they relaxed when they realized it was just one of those cheesy couple's skates. Mike pulled El closer to him and turned his head to face her. They skated slowly, their foreheads pressed together, both wearing wide, joyful smiles.

Mike's heart raced as he opened his mouth to speak. "Did I ever get to tell you that I love you?"

She giggled, her own heart skipping beats. "You tried. I love you, too."