The Punk and the Ballerina

Chemistry

Sebastian's point of view. September 2005.

I think Ari was getting under my skin. She's annoyed me for years but I always managed to shrug her off. I couldn't seem to do that now. Maybe after the play was over, we could bury the grudge and be civil, not friends, but not enemies either. That's what Ari was turning into, the in-between of friend and enemy, a weird gray area that didn't have a name.

My shift was going by quickly. Fridays ended up busier than most days, I think people got paid that day and wanted to splurge on something from the store. After selling a TV, two cameras, and a bunch of CDs, the Friday night rush slowed down.

"How's it been working with princess?" Jeremy said after his checkout line finally ended.

"She's actually not that bad. Her friends are worse," I sighed. "I don't know why she hangs out with them when she's better than them."

Jeremy got a wild smile on his face. "She's better than her friends? Don't tell me you're going soft on her."

"Hell no, bro. I just think she's a decent person compared to her snobby friends."

"Do I see you blushing?" Jeremy playfully slapped my face.

Was I blushing? No, Jeremy was just being his goofy, dumbass self. Speak of the devil, Ari entered the store with a group of girls. I assumed they were her mother and sisters since they all looked alike. The smaller girl ran towards the CD section, she was probably looking for Kidz Bop or something kiddish like that.

"What are the odds," Jeremy muttered.

I watched as Ari combed through the racks of CDs. There was something about her brown eyes as she took all the albums in, I wondered what thoughts graced her mind. Some pop song played over the speakers. Ari and her sisters danced in the aisle. Ari looked whimsical as she twirled with her long dark hair in her face.

"Stop drooling, fool," Jeremy broke me out of my trance.

"Fuck off," I shoved him away.

Ari and her family arrived at the register. Yes, it was definitely her family. Her mother was tall with long eyelashes and slender body but full hips. She looked like an older version of Ari. Her two younger sisters looked just like Ari, except Ari was darker than them. I think I remembered her once saying her father was white, which would explain why their mother was darker than her daughters.

Ari snuck a smile to me.

Her youngest sister put a Queen album on the counter. That surprised me, maybe the family had decent taste in music. Here I was judging her sister when I never even seen her before.

"Are you sure you want that, Lily?" Ari's mom asked with an edge to her voice.

"After hearing that song from Ella Enchanted, my new favorite band is Queen," Lily said boldly.

"What song?" I asked, never seeing the movie. It looked like another cheesy chick flick.

"Somebody to Love," Ari answered. "She keeps playing the scene when Anne Hathaway sing it."

I didn't know Anne Hathaway could sing especially a big rock song like that, I might need to find that scene online somewhere, especially since Somebody to Love was my favorite Queen song.

Ari's mother paid for the CD. "I never got into rock music. It sounds so angry and hateful. Too many druggies in that world."

Those were fighting words. But I wasn't about to argue when I was on the clock, you bite your tongue a lot in the workforce. Ari gave me a final grin before she and her family left the store.