Abi

Day 34...Date With Victor...AGAIN (part 2)

We finally got to the roller rink.

It was a dark place with a mini food court, lockers, skate renting section, and a big disco bowl above the rink.

It's a Friday evening. Lots of people were here but it's a good thing we reserved our tickets.

"I'm gonna go get my skates," I told Victor. He nodded while he sat down to put on his. I walked over to the rental section.

"Hi. Size seven, please."

The guy gave me a pair of blue skates. I went to Victor, put them on, and stood up...

And almost fell!! Luckily, he grabbed my wrists and saved me from a concussion.

"My hero."

He chuckled and we went on the rink. The DJ played "Bounce, Rock, Skate, Roll" by Vaughan Mason & Crew. Fun fact: that song is from...Roll Bounce, haha.

Roll, bounce!

Rock, skate!

Rollerskaters celebrate the disco way!

Give your feet the freedom

Let's bounce today!!

He and I were in perfect sync...and by perfect sync, I mean I was all wobbly and weak at the knees while he skated like a pro. He grabbed my hand and suddenly, we were in perfect synch (actual perfect sync).

After half an hour of skating, we went to the food court.

"What do you want?" he asked. "My treat."

I looked at the menu. There were chicken nuggets, French fries, burgers, pizzas, slushies, hot dogs, and cookies.

"Mmm...maybe chicken nuggets?"

"Chicken nuggets, it is. Oh, look at that. You can get a box of thirty. Wanna share one?"

"Nenhum problema!"

He got a box of thirty nuggets with two raspberry slushies and four sauce packets.

"You actually like honey mustard?" I asked.

"Yes! It's good. Try it."

"No way. Honey and mustard should not go together. I stick with the basics: Sweet n' Sour or BBQ sauce."

"C'mon. Trust me. You'll love it." Victor took one nugget, dunked it in the yellow sauce, and put it near my mouth. I rolled my eyes and ate it.

First chew. I tasted the sweetness.

Second chew. Oh, there's the mustard.

Third chew. Huh...wow.

Fourth chew. I surrender.

"Well?"

I squinted. "Hm. It's...fine."

"Ah, you like it."

He was right. I did like it but I'm stubborn. Nobody has to know that I like it. I dunked a nugget in the BBQ sauce and put it at his mouth...then I accidentally (purposely) got the sauce on his nose.

"Hey! This nose is a masterpiece. Seriously, it won the town's nose contest...three times in a row."

"Ha ha. Very funny. It is a nice nose, though."

"Your nose is nice. It's cute."

"What, this?" I pointed at my nose. "When I was twelve, kids would make fun of me for it."

I grabbed a chunk of my hair. "After that, they made fun of my hair. And to top that, my dark skin. Told my parents if I could get a perm, skin bleaching, and a nose job...and they said this;

Why get rid of something unique just because people can't handle something different?"

"That's good. Besides, your skin and hair are beautiful. Speaking of hair, thank you for doing my little sister's hair."

"Oh, it was my pleasure."

"No, seriously, my mom can't handle her hair. It's usually messy buns...and not the cute messy buns."

"Well, she was an angel. I used to do my little cousins hair. Kalika is so cute."

He slightly smiled and looked down. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you that she's autistic. People tend to not accept her and if you can't accept my sister's neurodiversity, you can't be near me."

"It's ok. I understand why you didn't tell me. Lots of people are ableist but not I. Especially not with Kalika. Just FYI, those braids will only last two or three days. They need to be changed."

He rubbed his chin and gave me puppy eyes. "Could you...do them again?"

"Depends. She should switch it up every few days. How are...Fulani braids?"

"Those are cute but they look complicated. You sure?"

"Or maybe something simple, like space buns. You can do those. Nothing a toothbrush, some Eco Styler and hair cream can't fix."

"W-Why would there be a toothbrush?"

Unbelievable. Does he really think that my edges are laid naturally? Uh uh! No way, honey!! "Vic...you will find out soon enough. Whatever you do, don't overdo it."