"Veronica, you won't believe what happened!"
JD didn't look up at the sudden shout in the cafeteria, opting to keep his head buried in his book and just half listen.
"Oh, hey Martha." A girl ,who JD presumed was Veronica, said; her tone suggested she was weary. He commended her for not getting irritated with her friend, who was practically bursting with so much excitement it was cringe worthy.
"It's the Heathers." Martha sat down at the table beside her friend, lowering her voice so only the other rejects would hear whatever news she was desperate to tell. JD was practically immobile in his seat at the very end of the three tables pushed close together, though he knew he wasn't really sitting with them per say. JD didn't even know any of them, but experience told him these were the kids who were least likely to give him grief for coping a squat.
Veronica kept half her attention on her own text book, along with a sheet of paper she took notes on; everything about her screamed studious, from the penmanship, the focused gaze, the swift scribbling, and the obvious disregard for appearances if her clothes and mussed hair said anything. A reject with drive; JD could respect that. Too bad there wasn't any point in getting to know her. Or really anyone.
"They all got a week of detention from Mrs. Fleming." Martha stage whispered. "She found them in the bathroom out of class without a hall pass."
"Wow, the Heather's getting held to the rest of the lowly public's rules?" Veronica asked dully as she gave her friend a half smile. "That is news."
"Do you think they'll actually serve it out?" Martha wondered curiously. "I mean, even the teachers don't bother them….I get chewed out for writing too loudly." she sighed and swiped a fry in a glop of ketchup, chin bobbing up and down as she ate.
"I doubt it, but I guess anything's possible." Veronica sighed once more. "Mrs. Fleming sounded really smug when she told them. Bet you anything she's been waiting for an opportunity to bust them."
"How did you know?"
"I was just leaving the bathroom." Veronica shrugged. "I had a pass though."
"Lucky she didn't get you too." Martha's wary expression was swapped with a giddy smile. "We have our movie date after school!"
"Yeah. I almost wanted to step in and say something, but," Veronica chewed on the end of her pencil.
"Veronica, tell me you weren't thinking of…" Martha looked around, but at this point no one else was really listening, too absorbed in their own conversations. "You know, forging their names on your pass? It's not worth it. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should."
JD himself had the pleasure of only making the acquaintance of one Heather in a previous class and he wasn't looking forward to meeting the other two. Needless to say, though JD's gaze continued to scan his book and his mouth remained shut, he couldn't help silently agree with Martha.
"No, I know. And I didn't. I was thinking if I did them a favor, maybe they'd owe me." Veronica explained, trying to sound as if the idea hadn't been seriously knocking around in her mind. "But come on, they'd think it was something owed to them. Besides, if Mrs. Phelgming saw through me, I'd get in trouble and I am not compromising my freedom for them."
Martha nodded. "I'm glad. It's not worth getting detention."
"Not even just that Martha. What if it went on my record? Once this year is done, I'm out of here. If I'm lucky, I'll be in a university a few thousand light-years away from this dump." Veronica told her bitterly. "I mean it, if anything gets in the way of me and an acceptance letter, I will flip my shit and torch this place to the ground."
JD smirked to himself. "Not a bad idea at all."
"Veronica, um, you'll come back to visit though now and then, right?" Martha made imprints in the soggy mash potatoes with her fork. "I was going to stay in state; it's my best option. I'm not as smart as you...I couldn't go to Duke or Harvard or anything."
"Martha, that's crazy. Your grades are just as good as mine and you've done more extracurricular crap. Willingly." Veronica added; her cynical smile softened as she looked over Martha's doubtful shrug. "Look, if by some sick twist of fate you don't at least get to the border of Ohio, and even if you do, I'll keep in touch. Letters, calls, and visits."
"Oh, but you'll be busy getting settled...you'll probably make all these friends and have a whole new life." Martha quickly smiled. "And I'd be happy for you. But, at least promise you won't forget about me? Even if you're studying abroad in Spain or France or something, you'll still save me a croissant?"
Veronica laughed. JD would say it was a nice laugh; that is, if he thought there was any reason to bother talking to her.
"Are you kidding me? You're my best friend. I wouldn't leave you alone in this hell hole of a town."
Martha smiled tentatively at Veronica's sincere grin.
"And you know what? When we're business savvy, successful, self made women of sophistication, I'll make sure we find time to go on girl's only trips. Whether we're married or have no husbands or kids, it'll be just two freewheeling bitches on the town. You'll see; this place isn't everything. We'll survive."
Martha's beamed brightly. "You're right." she sighed a little in relief and rested her chin in her hand. "It's too bad though, isn't it? I mean, what the heck happened to us?"
J. D. wanted to laugh. "What always happens ladies. Just be glad you only have one year left in one school dealing with the same brand of assholes."
"I don't know. It's like the older we get, the worse we get. Look at adults. Have you seen a bigger bunch of apathetic jerks, oblivious to everything that isn't affecting them? That's us someday."
Martha shook her head. "No way. You're still nice. And I think I'm still nice…"
"Not even. You're a saint compared to the dicks we have to see every day."
"Not every day. Weekends are free!"
"Yeah, if they're not monopolizing the best hang outs like mall-maggots. And then they'll grow up, work at the gas stations and the Denny's and they'll be pathetic, but just as big of jerk offs, only balder and fatter." Veronica rolled her eyes. "Face it, we won't be able to get away from them if we stick around here. This town's too small."
"You're too pessimistic." Martha nudged Veronica with her elbow. "Come on, it won't be that bad. Even now isn't too bad; it could be worse."
"Yeah, I hear you."
JD didn't continue to listen as they began talking about colleges.
"It could be worse, but it's already shit."
JD flipped to the next page and found he had lost his place. He was envious; after all, maybe their twelve consecutive years of attending public school with the same posers and skanks and generally impossibly awful people was hell, but at least they were surviving the hell together. They had a place, their own little niche. They had time.
JD had six weeks top, eight if his dad was feeling lazy. Granted, it was the same variety of hell, the same pattern, pretty much every single school; the only thing JD had working for him was experience. It was like his life was on loop despite his address constantly changing.
"Well, cheers to them." JD thought as he closed his book and headed to his next class; on the plus side, no one had really done anything to mess with him as of yet. JD knew he'd be peachy just moving along like a ghost, tolerating the half assed attempts to educate him, and generally being anonymous.
And so, mercifully the day came to an end and JD found himself free to wander around his new environment; he couldn't help compare it to being a new animal introduced to the zoo, and JD wasn't even referring to high school specifically. Each town was oddly similar when a person stopped to look. Or not look.
A town hall, a dingy bar, a greasy spoon, a library, the commonplace stores and fast food chains, and a string of sub par public schools and some nicer ones more geared to helping the youth leave to move on to better things. On that note, most towns had the haves and the have nots, even if there was a marginal difference in status and wealth, god forbid it not be acknowledged and picked up on and inserted into the minds of each person.
But JD couldn't care less. It was hard to be concerned with the knowledge it was all temporary. And besides, there was only one place JD wanted to check out; he sped through the unfamiliar streets on his motorbike, head swiveling this way and that to find it, that one single chain of establishments, a single paradise of junk food and stained, sticky tile floors and whirring snack machines and dead eyed employees.
Luckily for him, it was a hop and a skip away from the school. After parking and locking his bike, JD breathed in the smell of a new 7-Eleven; he stood for a moment to take it in with his eyes. As soon as he stepped through the automatic sliding doors, JD found himself taking in the sounds of an electric guitar, a catchy drum bat, and the almost lazy, yet somehow energetic voice of Billy Joel and a less refined one harmonizing along.
"You may be right, I may be crazy-"
The young woman, who JD assumed was typically behind the counter, was turning up the volume on the portable radio as she swept the floor, using the handle like a mic, and then a guitar as the saxophone solo came up.
"Hey! But it just may be a lunatic you're lookin' for~!"
JD briefly thought of silently sneaking past her to the nearest aisle to save her embarrassment, but then again, where's the fun in that?
"Excuse me?" JD lightly tapped her arm; he could see both her shoulders hunch as she jumped.
"Oh!" The woman's look of surprise melted to a relieved laugh. "Sorry, you startled me. It's been dead in here all day, and whenever I hear this song I get too amped up to sit still."
"Pardon me for the intrusion." JD offered a vague smile. "But I was wondering where the slushie machine is?"
"Oh, let me show you." The woman leaned the broom against the side of a rack of candy. "It's in the back, around the corner- real smart place to put the thing we sell the most of, right?"
"Choice." JD felt what he assumed was the warmth of falling in love all over again as the dispenser came into sight.
"A bad choice." she laughed; her steps were still bouncing in time to the remainder of the beat. "Hey, are you new in town?"
"Observant. Or is it obvious?"
"Oh, it's a small town. Most of the kids already know where everything is." she told him as she took a second to tidy up the row of overpriced sunglasses hanging in pairs; her eyes glanced over her wristwatch. "In fact, I bet you're from Westerberg High. It's about that time they start pouring out of the school."
"That would be correct."
"So you're a new kid huh?"
"That would also be correct." JD said with a stretched smile that he hoped portrayed he wasn't in the mood for more inquiries of whether he was making friends or getting lost or where he had come from.
"Welcome. Tell you what, first slushie is free." The woman patted the top of the machine. "Call it my thanks for not bursting out laughing at that little spectacle back there."
"That wasn't intentional? Here I thought all 7-Eleven's provided an amateur night."
The woman cackled. "You've got jokes too. Yeah, I can tell, you'll be fine."
JD watched as she made her way back to the broom and picked up a dustpan to get the pile of dust and crumbs; if only she knew. He helped himself to a cup and looked down the row of flavors.
"I'm thinking….cherry. No, lemon. A toast to the end of summer and the start of a new year. Or half year most likely." JD pressed down on the button and watched the half melted ice fall into the cup. He frowned slightly once it was full; chances were the days would fluctuate between hot and chilly. "Maybe I should have gone with cherry."
When JD made his way back down the aisle to the counter, the woman was behind the counter and looking at him strangely.
"Earth to-" JD glanced down at her nametag. "Mel?"
"Short for Melanie." she smiled dryly at his raised brow. "I had a choice on what they could print. And sorry, was I staring at you?"
"Yes indeed, but something tells me I can't be that fascinating."
Mel laughed sheepishly. "Sorry about that, I spaced out. Is that all you wanted?"
"Yep." JD said.
"Alrighty. Now get out." Mel tried to snarl, but she erupted into a giggle a second after saying it. JD must have looked hesitant because she resumed a more serious expression. "Don't worry, I won't get in trouble for a freebie. I'm the first person who's worked here that hasn't slipped some money from the register into their pockets, so I get some more leeway."
JD smiled. "And so you decide to share the wealth with the strange drifter?"
"Drifter? What, not staying long?"
"Nah. But who knows? We must expect the unexpected. Maybe I'll try to stick around if the slushies here are as good as they look."
"They're all the same wherever." Mel laughed.
"You don't say?"
"I did. Didn't you hear me?" Mel gave him a confused look before letting out another cackle. "Sorry, don't mind me, you go a little cuckoo when you work here long enough."
JD took a sip of his drink. "So, I know social etiquette dictates I refrain from making certain assumptions, so I'll ask now; would you be offended if I wanted to know how old you were?"
"Not at all. Why, how old do I look?" Mel leaned over slightly and cocked her head to side with a winning grin.
JD leaned forward on his elbow. "Well, from the comment you made earlier concerning kids like me and the fact you seem to be working here during school hours, you're definitely not a high schooler."
Mel nodded. "And do I look it?"
"Of the top of my head? I'd guess seventeen."
Mel looked surprised. "Wow, that's older than usual. But no, you're off by six years."
"Then if my math classes have served me well, that'd make you….twenty three?"
"Yup. You're better than me, I'd need to use my fingers to count." Mel gave him a strange look as JD proceeded to practically chug down his slushie with through the straw. "Whoa, careful kid, you'll get brain freeze and then you'll have to use your fingers like me."
"Hey, I'm no kid." JD smiled around the straw, teeth clamped on the end. "I'll soon be of legal age ma'am, free to join the army, the navy, the list of fatalities in automobile accidents, become a high school drop out, all that good stuff."
Mel chuckled. "Then drink responsibly and stay in school. Gotta be careful; adults tend to make the biggest screws up you know."
JD opened his mouth to ask another question, but thought better. "Well, much obliged," he raised his cup to her. "Hope the next time we meet you're not in a straight-jacket."
"As long as no one takes my tunes away, I think I can survive." Mel said as she patted her radio.
"My regards to Mister Joel." JD flashed the devil horns and left her laughing behind the counter as she checked inventory; he leaned up against his bike and began downing the rest of his slushie. The throbbing in JD's head coupled with the rush of wind from his speeding motorbike was more than welcome as he made his way to the place he slept and ate. Using the term 'home' would be stretching the truth. He smiled despite the pain; he only had so long to relish in the distractions, might as well make the most of it.
"Now the only question left is how do I survive?"
