I tried paying half the entry fee, but Toben, being who he is, insisted on taking care of it. He used the candy against me, said I'd already payed a fair amount of the overall cost. Little does he know, I raided Dollar Tree.
The young man admitting cars seemed fed up with the world; as we drove and parked, the boys and I took turns guessing what was wrong. In the end, as we were getting out of the truck, I said, "Poor dude still has the whole night ahead of him. Think he likes Tootsie Rolls?"
"Bro, who doesn't?" Coven shoved my arm, eyes searching for the man. He's gone from the spot he stood five minutes ago. I shrugged away from the touch, pushing my door shut and stretching.
"Copin's allergic to chocolate."
Coven laughed, circling the truck and setting my bag on the ground. Teddie dived for it, dumping the contents onto the grass. I swept down and stole the bag of suckers, keeping them cradled in my right arm.
That brings us to now.
The girls showed up ten minutes later, hair in matching braids. I complemented them on it; it takes a lot of effort to care that much about appearances. Jetta's hair is red and slightly shorter than Rowie's, and seems to always be straightened. She told me, when we first met, that her hair is naturally curly.
Wow. We met three years ago. Talk about feeling old.
I take a blanket from Toben's backseat, fanning it out and laying it across the width of the open trunk. Rowie helps me with this task, and we get it done within minutes. There's something about her that I love and hate at the same time; her determination. She won't stop until everyone knows she's right. That trait has given her a job, a job that requires turning people down. She knows people are intimidated by her, and she loves it.
I wish I was that confident.
I like to think that I was hired because of my grades and love for music. Picking apart decisions like that is hard. Copin most likely had something to do with my being hired. He's one of Borderline's biggest stars, and we can't afford to lose him. Our other artists are shockingly amazing, but he has the biggest, most loyal fan base. I'm proud to call him my uncle.
I climb onto the trunk, leaning back and crossing one leg over the other. The guys are sitting on the ground, picking over the candy and chatting about what they're going to get at the Snack Bar. I release a deep breath, letting myself relax. The blankets are warm, my suckers are safe, and nothing has gone wrong. Good.
The big white screens come to life, and a high-pitched woman's voice begins announcing what'll be happening. "The Anderson family welcomes you to their drive-in movie theatre! We've worked our hardest to perfect your late night experience. That means, of course, that our snack bar will be up and running all night. Bathrooms are located inside the house; please ask a staff member for details on how to get there. If you need anything, let our staff know, and we will try our best to fix your problem. A payphone is located on the West side of the building. Now, here are a few words from our sponsors. Twenty minutes remain until first movie plays."
I rub my eyes, taking in the scenery. Boston is crazy beautiful, and you don't really notice until you can sit, put the world aside, and stare. Just stare. I wish I had more time to do nothing but stare. But I don't, and that's one of the cons of being an adult. You can't do the things you loved to do as a kid. It's always work. Work comes before leisure.
Someone lays next to me, and I have to blink a few times to recognize the face. It's Toben. I roll over on my side, and he does the same, fixing the blankets when they bunch up underneath his body. I smile wearily, struggling to keep my heavy eyelids open. Friday nights aren't ones that I tend to stay up very late on, only because of how hard the week hits me. People who can go out and drink all night and stay awake the next day amaze me. You go, person. Live your life.
"Hey, sleepy."
"Hey, Toby."
"Why don't you call me Ben? Everyone else does."
"I like being different."
His eyes dart back and forth, from my eyes to my lips and back again. I cover my face with both hands when a commercial promoting push-up bras plays on the screen, saying loud and clear that it'll help pick up dudes. The boy watching me can't stop laughing. "Real men don't care about that."
"Yeah, I wish. I just don't even get why they're considered attractive." I shiver out of mere disgust, uncovering my face. "You're a guy- explain it."
"Really, June, I don't care about looks. Personality matters more. I'm not going to try and get with a girl who wants me cause I'm hot." His face shows the sincerity in his words.
I lick my lips, thinking of a response. He's pretty hot, no doubt in that. "The world needs more guys like you, Toben Marazo."
He grins, looking down at the bag of suckers between us. He lays his hand on the plastic, pinching at one of the suckers that's missing a wrapper. I reach down to open them, but he moves his hand so it brushes against mine. My breath catches in my stomach. His hands are rough and warm, the opposite of Coven's. I mindlessly pull my hand back, shoving it in my pocket. He sits up and gets the groups attention, leading them towards the snack bar.
Why does he have to be like that? I swear, he loves messing with my feelings.
I force myself up, taking the ten dollar bill from my pocket and walking after them. I swore that I'd pay for food, and even though Toby's bound to protest again, I'm not going back on that promise. I wait around the corner while they choose what they want. When I hear Jetta's voice asking for money, I round the corner, leave the money on the counter, and start jogging back to the truck.
Apparently, the Andersons chopped down some trees in the process of setting this place up, because when I'm two cars away from my destination, gravity decides it hates me and helps me trip over a badly cut stump. I hit the ground so hard that the breath leaves my lungs. I must've shrieked, because a man from the car next to ours comes to my side, asking what happened. I can't respond. The pain in my knee comes in waves of harsh, needle-like pricks. I have to grit my teeth together to keep from sobbing or calling out for one of my friends.
Just when I thought the night would be painless, something had to go wrong.
-+-
I succeeded at writing a chapter on Monday!! Woohoo!! I had both Social Studies and Math homework, too!!
How is everyone? Hopefully you had an amazing day!
What's your opinion on the characters so far? Any ships? I haven't even thought about ship names yet- I'll leave that up to you guys!
All the love, Molly xx
