Bad Romance in the Dark
Tuesday, 20th October, 2015
Ohhhh-oooh-whoa, caught in a bad romance,
Ohhhh-oooh-whoa, caught in a bad romance,
Rara ah-ah-ah, ro-roma-ma
Gaga ooh-lala, want your bad romance
Rara ah-ah-ah, ro-roma-ma
Roma, ro-roma-ma,
Gaga ooh-lala, want your bad romance
" Marlene! Shut that rubbish off!"
Marlene didn't hear her mother calling her. With her bedroom door shut, she refused to let the outside world in. So, as she so often did when the door was closed, the music and contagious beat transported her to another planet entirely. Jumping and dancing around her shrine to Lady Gaga, she began to belt out the words to her favourite song of all time.
I want your ugly,
I want your disease,
I want your everything as long as it's free,
I want your love,
Love, love, love,
I want your love.
Hey!
I want your drama,
The touch of your hand,
Hey!
I want your leather-studded kiss in the sand,
I want your love,
Love, love, love,
I want your love,
Love, love, love,
I want your love.
You know that I want you,
And you know that I need you,
I want it bad,
Your bad romance,
I want your love and I want your revenge,
You and me could write a bad romance!
" Marlene! Did you hear me?"
The seventeen year old girl gasped in mid-jump. As her mother's footsteps climbed the stairs, Marlene dashed over to the computer switch off iTunes and before her mom could see her messy bed, she grabbed a schoolbook, leapt onto her bed and pretended to read. Jennifer arrived a few seconds later. Phew.
" Hi, Mom!" she cried cheerfully, trying to sound innocent.
" You're actually…studying?" her mom asked in disbelief.
" Yeah. Got that big test on Friday. Gotta be prepared, Mom!" she answered, swallowing nervously.
Jennifer folded her arms, knowing what her daughter had really been doing. " Next time wear headphones, huh? Well, anyway, you've got a phone call. You comin' to answer it?"
" Who is it?"
" Griff Tannen." The girl jumped up, anxious and nervous. " Which I don't approve of, by the way," Jennifer carried on. " The Tannens are bad news. Why, your grandpa was miserable for years before standing up to that big bully Biff."
Marlene rolled her eyes. " You're just saying that 'cause he's my friend."
" Nuh-uh. Candi and Lindsay are your friends. People who bullied you and your brother in elementary school are not."
Marlene's mind was cast back to the day when a six year old Griff pulled one of her pigtails and pushed her into the sandpit. " He's different now, Mom. It's OK, he's cool. We're cool."
" Well, I don't want you to get hurt. But if you want to stay friends with him, that's fine," replied Jennifer sincerely. After a brief pause, she added, " Come on, then. Don't want to keep him waiting, do you?"