Skipper's Heartbeat (PRN)

six

"Where are you going out to dressed like that? I know you don't think you're going to just walk out of the door without saying goodbye." My mother speaks to me from behind the kitchen wall. She stands there, on the phone like always, gossiping for days about work and neighborhood drama with her friends. This how she chooses to spend her Saturdays and I'm cool with that. I'm never home on a Saturday. There is too much to see in the world to be at home on a Saturday.

"Mom, I was about to say bye. I'd barely got my shoes on!" We laugh as I zip up my boots and strut over to her with open arms. "I'm going to the carnival to hang out and Lindsey's going to be there," I say into her arm as we deeply embrace.

I didn't really lie. Lindsey is going to be there. I won't be with her the whole time. I'll be with Prince... but Lindsey will be there.

"Okay, I will have dinner for you tonight." She sighs with her hand over the speaking end of the telephone. "You've been acting strangely calm..."

"I'm fine, mom."

The infamous side eye of her's suspiciously looking at me, my mother studies my body language. "Mhm. I think Skipper's warming up on you and you just don't wanna' admit it."

"Sureeeeeee, mom." I kiss her cheek before I head for the door.

"Don't miss curfew!" My mother shouts as I exit. I give her a thumbs up to signal that I'll be on time for dinner.

Walking down the street, I am now blocks away from home and in front of Lindsey's house. I'm greeted by her little strawberry blonde sister, Georgina but we call her Gigi. Gigi is a 40 pound bag of sass and pure cuteness. She is jumping rope on the sidewalk as Lindsey and her second oldest sister, Lauren, sit on the steps. They carefully watch her while gossiping on the latest school drama.

"Hi, Mo!" Gigi shouts at me. She stops jumping rope and runs over to hug my leg. "You going to to carnival too?" Her arms latched around my thigh. The older Gigi gets, the shorter I felt. Gigi's excitement always makes it hard for her to talk. "Are you– Are you uh..." She turns around to Lauren, "Lauri where we going again?" Her toddler-like lisp transfers Lauren's name into Lowi. I just love this kid, man.

"To the carnival, sweetie."

Gigi jumps up at me, "Yeah, that! You goin' to the carnival with us?"

I nod my head. I lift her up to rest on my hip, walking with Gigi in my arms I approach my two friends. "I'm ready when you guys are. I told him I'd meet him there at one o'clock."

Lauren lifts up her wrist to check her pink and brown watch. She says, "It's twelve thirty. We better get going."

The four of us get into Lauren's 1973 Chevelle and rush off. The whole ride, she is giving me all types of advice. With Lauren being a senior and the beauty she is, I'm sure she's been through this. "If he touches your thigh it can mean one of two things..." She looks at me through the rearview mirror occasionally while talking. "If it's closer to your knee he's just being nice." I nod my head at every detail she tells me.

Lindsey joins in, "But if it's by your–" Gigi's sneeze reminds her that we aren't alone. "Bless you."

"You can't say anything, Lindsey. You're sixteen and you've been on how many dates?" Lauren laughs at her sister's attempt.

"I know things that you told me, secondhand experience is all I need." Lindsey is not ugly, she just had bad luck with boys. Either she talks too much for their likings or she somehow does not talk enough. It's always one or the other for her, which really sucks because Lindsey and all of her sisters are gorgeous. "It doesn't matter because you're literally dealing with a Prince... Older guys seem exciting. I mean he's a year older than me so it's no biggie but for you it is!"