-ＤＡＵＮＴＬＥＳＳ- 𝑗𝑜ℎ𝑛𝑛𝑦 𝑙𝑎𝑤𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒

𝟒 • 𝐒𝐂𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐄𝐒

🅢🅒🅡🅐🅟🅔🅢
─────•~❉᯽❉~•─────

We pay for the two-hour passes to the roller skating rink and make our way through the maze of arcade games to the doorway that leads into a large room. The purple reflections of the disco ball dance on the paint of the walls, causing a luminous effect to flood the rink. We find our way to the rental area and stand in line for a good five minutes before we receive our roller skates.

"This is going to be embarrassing for you if you're rusty." Andie playfully cracks her knuckles with a sigh.

"Don't get your hopes up, you were always a stride behind." I shrug, tying my laces in a tight bow. She responds with an irritated tut and shakes her head as she jumps to her feet, offering her hand to me. I reach for it, suspicion written across my features before she pulls away with a snicker and glides onto the crowded rink.

"Catch me if you can, slow poke." She playfully shouts whilst skating backward.

"Don't worry I will," I mutter to myself as I get to my feet, skating off after her. We circle the rink dozens of times, whipping through the rest of the teens that struggle to balance, their hands gripping the boards with no means of letting go. I seem to let myself grow careless with my movements as I begin to get caught in the moment, Andrea gliding at my side as the laces around my right ankle loosen. I lose control of my skate and trip, grabbing onto my sister for support.

"Sammy!" She screeches, catching me abruptly with wide eyes.

"Thanks," I sigh, my chest pounding rapidly as we move over towards the exit. We roll off the rink as my skate dangles unfastened from my ankle. "I don't know how it unraveled, I double knotted it," I state, scrunching my eyebrows in confusion as I take off the other skate and Andrea does the same.

"Eh, it's fine. The pass will expire in ten minutes anyways." Andie shrugs, slipping her shoes over her heels. We return the skates and make our way towards the arcade, the subject now cleared from our minds. I pause mid-sentence as I feel as if I'm being watched. I glance a few feet to my right, meeting Johnny's amused blue eyes as he leans against the wall, his arms crossed.

"Who's that?" Andrea asks, sensing the tension.

"Nobody, c'mon. Mom has dinner ready for us at home."

"I hope it's the meatloaf." She gazes into space with a smile on her face. "Mom's meatloaf..."

I playfully shove her away. "You weirdo."

"Not even gonna say hi? I thought we knew each other better than that, Emmerik." Johnny comments, catching up to us. The group stays back, watching our interaction as we stand beside the exit.

"We really don't," I respond, bluntly.

"Maybe we could." He winks,

"You've really got the moves, Lawrence, let me tell ya." I reply sarcastically, visibly humbling him just enough for him to back off.

"What do you mean by that, huh?" He interrogates, visibly irked as he follows Andie and I outside.

"Let's make the list: you beat up my friend the second day I was here for whatever reason, you're my best friend's ex-boyfriend, and trust me, I've heard the stories, and you're overall just a prick. Does that give you enough of an explanation?" I ask as I almost reach my car.