Eighth-Grade Foreshadowings
Chapter 1
Busby
They were becoming friends again; it was evident. They'd sit on whoever's porch, one leaning against the railing androgynously, the other filing her nails. They'd talk about guys, of course. Jackie would get visibly excited and goofy at the mention of anything with a penis, while Donna tried to keep her cool but lost the battle with her dopey smile.
It all seemed sort of haphazard, their two very different personalities nearly clashing. But it wasn't always like that. The girls had been friends a few years before. In fact, they had been in their fourth- grade classes together (the one class, interestingly enough, that Eric had not shared with Donna).
They had exchanged phone numbers and talked a lot about new flavors of Bonne Bell, kickball, and other such things. Though young Donna was a Tomboy, she wasn't as much of one as she would now like you to believe. Jackie was sweet, innocent, good-natured. Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice. That would have to explain the friends.
As their lives progressed, the two embarked on a wild journey called Junior High School, and, more specifically for this story, the eighth grade.
Donna had just grinded Eric's face into the ground with the toe of her Chuck Taylors. She greeted her fellow 13-year-old at her locker, where Donna noticed the new magnetic mirror that was sticking to the door. Jackie was smoothing her hair out and applying more gloss to her lips.
"Oh hi, Donna," She said, looking up only for a second.
"Hey, Jackie," The redhead replied, frowning slightly. "When did you get that?"
Jackie smacked her lips. "Oh, the other day."
The two walked to lunch, and Jackie insisted on a rather inconvenient stop to the bathroom.
Under the bright glow of the bulb in the light fixture above the sink, Donna saw darkened lines around Jackie's eye. "Jackie, are you wearing make-up?"
Jackie turned to her friend and shrugged. "I got a date tonight."
Donna's eyes widened. "What? With who?"
"Kyle Eastwood," Jackie replied coolly. Donna gave her a side-long glance, trying to get a face to go along with the name.
Donna gasped as it registered. "No way.he's that Sophomore, right?"
Jackie giggled. "Yeah, it's pretty bitchin, huh?"
Donna opened her mouth, but could think of nothing to say. "I guess.yeah, I guess it's cool."
They stood next to the sinks in silence.
"So, uh," Donna fumbled with the blue binder she held in her hands. "Where're you going?"
"The drive-in," Jackie answered. "He's picking me up after school in his convertible."
"Jackie, this is your first date-not only with Kyle, but ever. Are you sure you don't want to just go out to the Hub or something and get some fries.?" Donna asked.
Jackie laughed humorlessly. "Donna, he's a Sophomore. As in High School? French fries are so juvenile."
Donna bit her lip. "Don't you think he's gonna wanna.you know?"
"What, make out?" Jackie asked instantly. Donna nodded. "I'm ready."
Donna studied Jackie's expression. It was a perky, confident one that scared Donna a little.
"All right."
The day continued, and after a giggling fit over Eric's impression of their Gym teacher, Donna nearly forgot about Jackie's date. She even absent- mindedly waited outside the school for a few minutes, puzzled that Jackie hadn't accompanied her to walk home.
The telephone rang in Donna's room at around eleven o'clock that night. She had had to scramble to answer it before it awoke her parents.
"Hello?" She said irritably.
"Donna, thank GOD you're still up!" Jackie squealed. Donna rolled her eyes and considered complaining about her ridiculously early wake-up call, but decided against it.
"Did you just get back?" She asked.
"Yeah," Jackie replied, smacking her gum into the speaker. "He drove me home and I had to climb in through the window."
"Are you serious? How did you get away with that?" Donna asked in disbelief.
"My parents were at Daddy's work party," Jackie answered slyly.
"Wow, Jackie.that's pretty lucky." Donna sat up in her bed and felt the chilly night air attack her.
"I guess so," Jackie clicked her teeth. "I'm gonna need someone to cover for me next time.Donna?"
"What! Jackie, you want me to lie to your parents just so you can make out with some greasy High School jock in the back of some junky car?" Donna asked, hoping Jackie would ignore the fact that Donna had never seen Kyle or his car.
Donna paused. "Speaking of which.did you do anything?"
Jackie giggled meaningfully, and Donna cringed. "How much?"
"A lot.we made out for a really long time, and he sort of starting touching me.we got our shirts off and stuff.I think he even kinda.ejaculated a little bit." Jackie explained, her voice soaked with mischief.
"Damn, Jackie," Donna exclaimed, "How do you kinda ejaculate?"
"Well, I don't ejaculate at all, only guys ejaculate, Donna," Jackie said matter-of-factly. Donna rolled her eyes.
"So you got half-naked on your first date?" Donna continued.
"Yeah," Her friend said. "He said he wanted to go all the way the next time, and I said I would."
"Jackie, you're kidding me!" Donna practically screamed. Rustling in the next bedroom lowered her voice to a whisper. "You're not really going to do it, are you?"
"Don't say 'do it'. It's making love," Jackie said. "And yeah, I have a date this Saturday with him."
Donna gaped at the telephone. She tried to think of something else to say. "Ah.at the drive-in again?"
"I guess so," Jackie said. "Well, I have to get my beauty rest. See you tomorrow Donna."
"Bye," Donna said emotionlessly as she dropped the phone into its cradle. She sat staring at it before she turned over and greeted an uneasy sleep.
Chapter 1
Busby
They were becoming friends again; it was evident. They'd sit on whoever's porch, one leaning against the railing androgynously, the other filing her nails. They'd talk about guys, of course. Jackie would get visibly excited and goofy at the mention of anything with a penis, while Donna tried to keep her cool but lost the battle with her dopey smile.
It all seemed sort of haphazard, their two very different personalities nearly clashing. But it wasn't always like that. The girls had been friends a few years before. In fact, they had been in their fourth- grade classes together (the one class, interestingly enough, that Eric had not shared with Donna).
They had exchanged phone numbers and talked a lot about new flavors of Bonne Bell, kickball, and other such things. Though young Donna was a Tomboy, she wasn't as much of one as she would now like you to believe. Jackie was sweet, innocent, good-natured. Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice. That would have to explain the friends.
As their lives progressed, the two embarked on a wild journey called Junior High School, and, more specifically for this story, the eighth grade.
Donna had just grinded Eric's face into the ground with the toe of her Chuck Taylors. She greeted her fellow 13-year-old at her locker, where Donna noticed the new magnetic mirror that was sticking to the door. Jackie was smoothing her hair out and applying more gloss to her lips.
"Oh hi, Donna," She said, looking up only for a second.
"Hey, Jackie," The redhead replied, frowning slightly. "When did you get that?"
Jackie smacked her lips. "Oh, the other day."
The two walked to lunch, and Jackie insisted on a rather inconvenient stop to the bathroom.
Under the bright glow of the bulb in the light fixture above the sink, Donna saw darkened lines around Jackie's eye. "Jackie, are you wearing make-up?"
Jackie turned to her friend and shrugged. "I got a date tonight."
Donna's eyes widened. "What? With who?"
"Kyle Eastwood," Jackie replied coolly. Donna gave her a side-long glance, trying to get a face to go along with the name.
Donna gasped as it registered. "No way.he's that Sophomore, right?"
Jackie giggled. "Yeah, it's pretty bitchin, huh?"
Donna opened her mouth, but could think of nothing to say. "I guess.yeah, I guess it's cool."
They stood next to the sinks in silence.
"So, uh," Donna fumbled with the blue binder she held in her hands. "Where're you going?"
"The drive-in," Jackie answered. "He's picking me up after school in his convertible."
"Jackie, this is your first date-not only with Kyle, but ever. Are you sure you don't want to just go out to the Hub or something and get some fries.?" Donna asked.
Jackie laughed humorlessly. "Donna, he's a Sophomore. As in High School? French fries are so juvenile."
Donna bit her lip. "Don't you think he's gonna wanna.you know?"
"What, make out?" Jackie asked instantly. Donna nodded. "I'm ready."
Donna studied Jackie's expression. It was a perky, confident one that scared Donna a little.
"All right."
The day continued, and after a giggling fit over Eric's impression of their Gym teacher, Donna nearly forgot about Jackie's date. She even absent- mindedly waited outside the school for a few minutes, puzzled that Jackie hadn't accompanied her to walk home.
The telephone rang in Donna's room at around eleven o'clock that night. She had had to scramble to answer it before it awoke her parents.
"Hello?" She said irritably.
"Donna, thank GOD you're still up!" Jackie squealed. Donna rolled her eyes and considered complaining about her ridiculously early wake-up call, but decided against it.
"Did you just get back?" She asked.
"Yeah," Jackie replied, smacking her gum into the speaker. "He drove me home and I had to climb in through the window."
"Are you serious? How did you get away with that?" Donna asked in disbelief.
"My parents were at Daddy's work party," Jackie answered slyly.
"Wow, Jackie.that's pretty lucky." Donna sat up in her bed and felt the chilly night air attack her.
"I guess so," Jackie clicked her teeth. "I'm gonna need someone to cover for me next time.Donna?"
"What! Jackie, you want me to lie to your parents just so you can make out with some greasy High School jock in the back of some junky car?" Donna asked, hoping Jackie would ignore the fact that Donna had never seen Kyle or his car.
Donna paused. "Speaking of which.did you do anything?"
Jackie giggled meaningfully, and Donna cringed. "How much?"
"A lot.we made out for a really long time, and he sort of starting touching me.we got our shirts off and stuff.I think he even kinda.ejaculated a little bit." Jackie explained, her voice soaked with mischief.
"Damn, Jackie," Donna exclaimed, "How do you kinda ejaculate?"
"Well, I don't ejaculate at all, only guys ejaculate, Donna," Jackie said matter-of-factly. Donna rolled her eyes.
"So you got half-naked on your first date?" Donna continued.
"Yeah," Her friend said. "He said he wanted to go all the way the next time, and I said I would."
"Jackie, you're kidding me!" Donna practically screamed. Rustling in the next bedroom lowered her voice to a whisper. "You're not really going to do it, are you?"
"Don't say 'do it'. It's making love," Jackie said. "And yeah, I have a date this Saturday with him."
Donna gaped at the telephone. She tried to think of something else to say. "Ah.at the drive-in again?"
"I guess so," Jackie said. "Well, I have to get my beauty rest. See you tomorrow Donna."
"Bye," Donna said emotionlessly as she dropped the phone into its cradle. She sat staring at it before she turned over and greeted an uneasy sleep.