The Right Stuff » Weird Science (1985)

six

"LISA?"

Gary squeaked. We all stood shellshocked, I had my arm slung around Wyatt's. Lisa has taken us into a club. I've never been in a club before, and I can probably say the same for the boys. It's almost as if the music's stopped and everyone's staring at us losers in the doorway.

"Yeah?" Lisa replies, a smile on her face while the rest of us are completely daunted by the situation.

"I don't think we belong here,"

I think about Gary's statement momentarily. The three of us have never really belonged anywhere, that's why we were misfits. It makes sense that we wouldn't belong here either.

"Don't be silly. It's a public place!" Lisa almost shrieks.

"We'd love to stay, but we're not 21-" Wyatt begins, all of us readying ourselves to bolt out of there. But then Lisa digs through her magic clutch and hands us all IDs. Wyatt picture even has him with a mustache. He looks slightly horrified.

We continue to stand around awkwardly, waiting for Lisa to say it's okay to leave.

"Maybe you'd feel better if you mingled?" Lisa pipes up. She's far too perky for us pessimists.

"We don't mingle," I state firmly.

"Then we'll invite these people to your house and we could all mingle there!"

Wyatt looks at me with that worried look in his eye that never seems to fully go away.

"We'll mingle,"

-

Gary is trying to act cool in front of a bunch of older guys.

It's not working.

I tune out after he makes the daft statement that 'she's into malakas' because I know he's probably going to continue embarrassing himself. I lean back into the comfy couch and cross my legs, waiting for Wyatt to return from the bathroom.

As the men seated around Gary start handing him drinks, Lisa turns her attention to me. She gets up from her seat next to Gary and makes herself comfortable next to me. She has this grin on her face like she's up to something. I've known her for an hour at most but I feel as if I can read her like a book.

"What's on your mind?" I ask her, taking a sip of the hopefully alcohol free coke I ordered.

Lisa's grin only widens. "I've been thinking..."

"Thinking about me?"

"Yes, and your love life," Her smile

"Ah, yes. Non-existent, the way I like it," I grin back at her. Lisa's smile fades to a face of concern.

"Really?"

I shrug. "I mean, it doesn't really bother me either way, but-"

"It would be nice, wouldn't it?"

I nod, a little embarrassed to admit it would be nice to have a bit of affection thrown at me.

"I think I may have the right thing for you," Lisa claps her hands together lightly. I chuckle.

"And what's that?"

She points in front of us to the boy who's not only slightly tipsy, but brandishing a cigar now.

"Gary? You're kidding!" I slap my knee.

"Think about it! You know each other inside and out!"

"No way! I am a closed book, man," I cross my arms stubbornly.

"What's Maxine's favourite band?" Lisa asks as Wyatt returns from the bathroom, looking a little jilted.

"A-ha," Both Gary and Wyatt say in unison. I grumble.

"Thats too easy..."

"Your favourite movie is The Evil Dead," Wyatt said, slurring a little.

Gary laughs, throwing peanuts at "No it's not! That's just what she tells everyone! Max has never even seen Evil Dead!"

My face goes red. "How did you know that?"

Lisa smiles. "Because he knows you,"

"Then what is Max's favourite movie?" Wyatt asks.

Oh no. Please tell me he doesn't know the real answer. I've never told anyone. Surely he can't know.

"Star Trek," Gary says a matter of factly. I curl up into a ball.

"No way... Max always makes fun of Star Trek!" Wyatt shakes his head.

"Because she's embarrassed about it! She has a box full of magazine cut outs under her bed of Mr. Spock,"

"Shut up Gary!" I shout at him. He just winks at me and I ball up my fists in fury. Lisa pats my leg. She's gotten what she wanted out of Gary.

"I'm going to the bathroom..." I stomp away from everyone, making my way to the less than hygienic ladies room.

I wash my hands for no reason and look at myself in the mirror. I resemble what I looked like before Lisa cast her computer spell on me. My face is all red and blotchy, thanks to Gary making me angry and embarrassed. I groan again and kick at the floor, I can't believe he knew all of those things about me. Gary is an idiot, I didn't know he was so observant. I didn't know that he would care enough to know so much.

I shake my head, disappointed in myself that I let Gary get under my skin (well, really I let Lisa get under my skin). I decide to just pace around in the bathroom for a few minutes until I get bored and leave, quietly taking my seat. Lisa has moved back to beside Gary, who is currently telling these full grown men of his failed high school romances.

"...I called her every night for like a month," Gary continues. I think he is very much over dramatising the story in his drunken state. I remember it very differently.

"Every damn night?" One of them asks.

"Every night!"

"On the telephone? What's this boy talkin' about, on the telephone?"

"He called her every night, but he hung up on her," I say with far more clarity than what Gary would have.

"You know what the bitch did to me? She kneed me in the nuts!"

How many times in one day does he want to tell this story?

"In the family jewels, man?"

"Broke my heart in two!"

"Forget that other one. You got this fine jewel sitting by you!"

"Aw man, I got two fine jewels here! Two of em!"

The men turn their eyes to me, and I give them a little wave like I hadn't been sitting there the entire night.

"Maxine! Maxine is fine, Maxine is absolutely gorgeous tonight!" Gary shouts before falling over and making even more of a fool of himself. I pat my warm cheeks in hopes to soothe the rosiness, before getting up to help Wyatt and Lisa with Gary.

"Party's over!"

Wyatt grabs Gary's arm and slings it over his shoulder, and I do the same. Wyatt's smaller stature means Gary's weight is mostly on me. We begin to make our way through the club with Lisa in toe.

"I'll bet that boy won't make it through the club," I hear one of the men say as we try to lead a stumbling Gary around. He begins to sing in a high pitched voice, poking my face and grinning at me.

"Woo, baby... You know I love you..."

___

Boii I am back

This chap was cute I like it

Sorry for the long wait I've been so busy but this is so easy and fun to write.

When you've been listening to 'the living daylights' by a-ha so much its coming out in ur writing.