The Valley

Chapter Seven

At seven o'clock sharp, the night finally began. Showered, teeth brushed, and deodorant slapped on twice over for extra protection, Tony went through his closet trying to find the perfect outfit.

His phone began to ring, and he sighed, cussing as he walked over to the phone only to see that Payton was calling him, and not Marc for the third time in the past ten minutes.

"Hello?"

"Where are you at?" Payton demanded. "You promised you'd come if I taught you how to skate."

"I'm at my house, and I'm coming, so you better keep your word!"

"You're still home? I know you never come, but Marc should know better."

"What are you talking about?" he asked, confused.

"The line's wrapped around the building and if you don't get here early enough, you'll be in line trying to get in for over an hour. Hurry up and get here, and you guys can cut and stand with me and Buffy."

"Alright, I'm leaving to go to Marc's now. I think his brother is driving us, his parents are still pissed about what happened last time he borrowed the car." Tony grabbed a shirt out of the closet and began putting it on.

"Okay, but hurry!" she pleaded. "If you get here too late, we won't be able to let you guys cut up front with us."

Tony moved like his life depended on it. He put on his pants and socks in record time and grabbed a pair of shoes. Without even making sure they matched perfectly, he yanked them on and ran out of his bedroom, making it halfway down the stairs before realizing that he'd forgotten his wallet and phone.

"Shit!" he yelled, turning back around and racing up the stairs before coming right back down.

Marc and Josh were standing on Marc's back deck waiting. Finally, they saw Tony running out of his back door and crossing the street. Marc walked over to his own door, opened it, and yelled, "Tony's here, let's go!"

"Why is it that when I tell you, we need to be there at seven, and I text you at six-fifty we're about to leave, 'Where are you?' you reply, 'About to shower, be at your place soon'? But then I text Payton to call you, and you're at my door in under thirty seconds, and you're wearing the plain jane whites when we both know that wasn't what you were planning on wearing," Marc said, making a point to be over the top with his timing.

"Do I really need to spell it out for you?" his older brother asked. "Josh, educate your boy before I have to hurt his feelings."

Josh just stared at Scott with a blank face, unsure what he was getting at. Scott just shook his head. "It's shocking that any of you ever had girlfriends," he said with true disappointment. "You have the blind leading the blind. Now I honestly feel a little bad about egging the hell out of your ex's house."

"Kiss my ass," Josh commented sarcastically, unable to think of a wittier comeback under the pressure.

Scott bowed his head in mock sorrow. "There is no hope for you." He turned to Tony. "Do yourself a favor and don't ever listen to either one of them when it comes to girls, or life in general for that matter. Do that and you might just not die a virgin."

As the huge white van pulled up in front of Skateland, the line had already started wrapping around the side of the building. Marc and Josh got out of the van first. "Hold up!" Scott said to Tony as he hunched over, getting ready to jump out.

Scott had pulled up to the perfect spot, right in front of where Buffy and Payton were. Of course, there were people standing between them and the van. Lingerers, the people who didn't really know anyone in line, but had seen them around, and made small talk in hopes of cutting the line. That barely ever worked, of course, because the rink's owner, Old Man Spike, would send cutters packing. But sometimes cutting did the trick and was worth the risk of being sent the very back right before the doors opened.