FRIDAY:
The sound of the last bell rang throughout the entire school complex as hundreds of kids and the overwhelming clamor that is filled with the beginning of another weekend. Panning through the view of the school is the forest of buildings, skyscrapers and high-rise and the usual clamor of traffic that is commonplace in any large city. As more kinds continue pouring out through doors, the world slowly turns gray and a young man's voice is heard. He had a voice of any typical twelve-year-old with unbroken vocal cords, but with the vitality that is nearly second to none. Plucky, if the term serves him well, yet there is a sense of earnestness in his conviction as he starts to talk about the beginning of the usual weekend.
"Ah, Friday afternoon; what's not to enjoy except the next fifty hours of crazy fun until the next usual doomsday full of books. You may wonder if the sound of my voice may be your conscience, or that guy on TV who begins by saying Nothing is wrong with your television… with all the static and such. But I can assure you that I'm in the flesh.
"I might be one of the jocks," the view showing the school's basketball team, "or the real uber nerd…" A bunch of nerds checking out usual nerd and geek stuff like comics or JPEG images or action figures, "or maybe…" a bunch of Goths stare miserable at the camera. "Okay, I'm not THAT depressed in life."
A hand stretches out in view and grabbed the edge of the picture to take a full view of the young man behind the voice. He seems ordinary to look at, with jet-black hair, a fair complexion and blue eyes like the summer sky. He sports a red shirt that look like it has seen better days, a blue jacket with the logo of the Giants emblazoned on the left side of the breast and faded jeans and moth eaten Chucks.
"Heya! Danny Pisalinni here! I know what you're thinking that I may almost be named after a 12th century Italian leaning tower, hence the name. How did I know that? Well, I wouldn't bore you with that history lesson, I mean, it's a weekend! No school!
"Yo Danny! We're gonna grab some Chug-A-Freezes or what?"
Danny's world regains its color as three other kids his age gathered near the exit leading towards the outside.
"Yeah, be there a sec!" Danny answered and the world grays out to him.
"My three bestest best friends in the world and we grew up in the same neighborhood, in the same school since the first grade. Come on, I'll introduce you to them!"
"I think we should all fly if we are to make it to the Chug-A-Freeze stand for the first batch of syrup." The young man grumbled as Danny took his post on his left.
"Yep, the tall kid next to me is Justin McLaughlin, with short brown hair and a mouth as big as his heart, well depends if he uses his mouth first, or his heart. Either way he's a good guy who loves play sports and to eat. And believe me, folks, that the latter is an understatement."
"Surely you could think of something else beside your stomach, I mean, you can eat a party-sized batch of nachos without getting fat or whatnot." That was Cor, Cor Martin, the blonde with the glasses and her nose stuck in a book. Typical bookworm, but with a father from the Army, she seems to know a great deal of strategy and combat techniques, you know, for protection and all that.
"Well, if you ask me, I'd rather that we go and play some pool at Funville. At least we have free Chugs for every hour we play." And that is Chanelle Purcel, the spunky mulatto gamer, as you can tell by the way she's mashing the buttons on her PSP to a pulp, and her other collection of portable gaming devices and consoles back at her place which she can just open her own game store."
"Yeah, we're quite a motley crew here, kinda like mixing the good stuff with the bad. Well, not like we're bad or anything, but what's lemonade without the tang in it?"
The crew gave their own way of consenting to Chanelle's vote to go to Funville as they headed off towards the busy streets of 5th Ave. As they approach their usual hangout, Danny spots a large poster just outside the amusement center as the four huddled to see what it is.
"Check it out!" Justin points out. "Funville's giving away some free cash for anyone who joins the pool tournament this weekend!"
"Far out!" Chanelle shouts out, as the other three stares blankly at her. "What? Doesn't anyone say 'far out' anymore?"
"If you ask me, the term 'far out' is pretty much a pseudo-progeny of the early Seventies that described to the usage of illicit substances that is capable of…"
"Blah-blah-blah and all that stuff." Chanelle interrupted as she moved her hand like a talking puppet towards Cor. "Honestly, as if I were to use that stuff in me." She grabbed her backpack and opens it, revealing just about every handheld gaming device she has. "To me, gaming is the new addiction!"
'I suppose it does have an effect in your so-called wit." Cor mumbled to herself before sighing."
"Aw geez, don't fight, girls!" Danny steps in between the two. "We're all here to have some good-quality-time fun. We can't let last week's episode ruin this. I mean, what would happen to us in the following weeks? We'll slowly fall apart and end up like total strangers! Then the world as we know it will fall under the influence of aliens that will suck our brains out and use our skins to slowly propagate among the rest of the human…"
"EEWWWW! Too much info, Danny!" Justin shouts out and cups Danny's mouth shut before he hyperventilates.
Chanelle took this opportunity to talk as Justin had Danny on a headlock. "I don't know about you, guys, but ever since I won last week's pool game that someone in this group seems miffed about it."
"We're not angry." Danny said after Justin released him. "I mean you could take us both on and you'll still win in a handicap."
"You know what I mean." Chanelle pointed out.
Danny and Justin both exchanged a nervous glance as they knew who Chanelle was referring to. Cor suddenly tears herself away from the book and glared icily at Chanelle, who was also doling out her stare at Cor.
The world grays out as Danny steps in to explain this rather interesting development.
"I suppose you would like to know what happened here. So instead of just describing to you what happened, I prepared a video." He holds out a remote and clicks it on the picture. The countdown reel begins to play and a black and white grainy picture appears.
LAST SUNDAY:
Danny and Justin watches intently as the two girls fight it out on the table and the usual patrons gathered around to watch the game. It was a game of 9-ball and Cor has the pocket.
"Watch and observe, that I Corrien Valerie Anne Benedictine Saint Nichols-Martin…"
Everyone stared at her, rather stumped at Cor's unusually long name. Cor cleared her throat and lets out an embarrassed grin as she guides the cue stick on the table. It was the longest best-of-five game against "Pool Shark" Chanelle and both girls are now gunning for the final rack. Everyone watched with eyes nearly popping out of their sockets and bated breath as Cor glided the tip of the stick in practiced strokes before connecting to the cue ball. With one final tug and a lung full of air, the desired strength was achieved and Cor grinned inwardly for her imminent victory.
Until a rather annoying ring tone breaks the silence like a baseball through a window.
Cor suddenly jerked her head towards the source that it caused an involuntary spasm on her arm and the timing was thrown off by a millisecond. The stick connected with the cue ball and dozens of eyes followed it until it collides with the nine-ball. Cor watched in horror as the nine-ball hits the up most corner of the pocket and rolling safely away.
Cor snapped her head towards Chanelle as she held her cell phone up her ear with a sheepish grin on her face.
"Mom, now is NOT a good time to call. Believe me."
FRIDAY: PRESENT DAY
The four friends entered the amusement center and headed towards the pool area, where ten tables were placed and all of them used. At the far end of the area is the counter and a large REGISTRATION sign was propped up on top.
"We wanna sign up for the tournament." Justin announced as Danny, Cor and Chanelle followed.
The man in his mid forties took something from behind the counter and pulled out two sheets of paper.
"The contest is for a team of two and Sunday's gonna be the final match to decide the winner." The manager said in a throaty kind of voice.
Danny faced Justin with a knowing grin when he was suddenly jerked away by both girls each on his arm.
"Justin plays with me." Cor grunted.
"Oh no, missy! He is playing with me!" Chanelle growled.
"Danny, I think my arms are gonna be torn apart! HELP!" Justin yelped with a look of terror carving his face.
Danny watches this startling revelation as he groaned. Immediately he wrapped his arms around Justin's waist and pried him off the two girls.
"What's with you guys?" Danny shouted at the two girls. "We're supposed to be friends here and you're trying to break a wishbone on Justin!"
'This is a matter of regaining my lost honor and to vindicate myself of the humiliation that has spawned this hostility against that… that cheater!" Cor shouts out.
"Me? A cheater?" Chanelle shot back. "And I suppose you don't have 'sore loser' in that ridiculously long name of yours."
"How dare you call me a sore loser!" Cor seethes.
"Oh! Did I say 'sore loser'? I meant 'neurotic twit' who twitches from the slightest noise!"
"You interrupted my game with that stupid ring tone of yours!"
"And it's not my fault my mom keeps tabs on me!"
"And your momma is so tall she tripped over a rock and hit her head on the moon!"
The silence was immediately broken by the unwarranted 'Yo Momma' joke that Chanelle tightened her fist and her blood was boiling to an all-time high. Just before she could throw a mean slap on Cor, Justin rushed between the two girls and holding a paper.
"Yo Danny, I signed up for the both of us!" Justin grinned, totally oblivious to the tension.
"You did what?" Cor glared at Justin.
Justin was about to explain when a pair of small hands grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket only to find a pair of death glares from Chanelle and somewhat twitching
"Do you see my eyes twitching? You remember what happens to me when my eyes start twitching?"
Justin blanched and begins to quiver uncontrollably as he looks at Danny for support. Danny could only breathe a sigh of resignation as he took the paper.
"Guys, I'm not exactly the best pool player around, but if this is what it takes to get you both to stop fighting then I'm playing pool with Justin."
"Danny, no offense, dude, but this match is between me and Cor here." Chanelle softened as she explained.
"Yes, Danny," Cor spoke, "we just want to settle this once and for all."
"But you don't understand," Danny whined, "Since last week you two have totally ignored each other and often exchanged catty remarks. It's either you two play as a team, or don't play at all."
"And I can honestly say," Justin added and took his stand with Danny, "is that it's beginning to ruin our years of trust and friendship. C'mon, we were never like this. Oh sure we have our disagreements at one point or the other, but it never stopped us being friends."
The two girls hung their heads in shame as Danny and Justin observed. After a few moments of silence, Cor broke the tension by taking the piece of paper and after writing on it for a few seconds, she showed the paper to Chanelle, which she nodded in agreement and showed it to the boys. The paper had their names on it.
"You're right, Danny," Cor smiled, "we've always be friends for so long."
"Yeah and to think it's tearing us apart because, well…" Chanelle paused and racked her head to choose the right words.
"Hey, hey, hey! No apologies needed! Now that everything's been settled, let's start practicing so we could win that money!"
The gang nodded in agreement as they went to an empty table to play some pool.