Disclaimer: I don't own The Rocky Horror Picture Show
A/N: This was (sort of) inspired by a conversation I had with Little Collie Lovett and some fan theories of mine. I've got so many ideas about Denton and Brad & Janet. This takes place in the 1950s (like A Most Unconventional Childhood) because the only thing stopping RHPS from being a film about the '50s is Nixon on the car radio. The play is about the 1950s, at least! So... it's the 1950s
Sorry about all the 'Janet is so pretty' nonsense in this chapter. It's meant to sort of be from Brad's point of view. Also, I hope everyone is in character.
The month was June, the year 1954. A hundred or so teenagers were very excited to be almost free from school. Denton High was abuzz with conversation as every student told their friends about what they'd been doing over the summer and every teacher tried to convince the students that they should be working since there were still a few days left of the year.
One of these students was a young man – aged 17, to be exact – named Brad Majors. He was an average American kid in most ways, though he preferred books over baseball. That wasn't a bad thing, mind you. It meant he'd probably get into a good college in the very least. His father – Robert Majors – liked that idea. Anything was better than a punk on a motorbike, like old Professor Scott's nephew!
Now, in the year 1954 Brad was a high school junior. Next year he'd be a senior and an adult. That meant lots of responsibilities and less fun.
After school one day – three days before the last day of 11th grade – he was discussing this with his good friend Ralph. They sat outside the local library. Brad had just been inside said library looking for a book.
"We've got to really live in the moment. Brad. There's so little time left for flirting with girls and being young," Ralph said, smiling slightly.
"What do you want to do?"
"Well, you've got to ask out that girl, the one you're always staring at."
"There isn't any girl," Brad insisted.
"Liar. I've seen the way you've been over Janet Weiss, from Dr. Scott's Earth-Space Science class," Ralph replied good-naturedly.
Brad chuckled. "Gee, Ralph… she's out of my league!"
"Ha! That's what you say about girl in town. You've got to ask somebody out, it's your job. Janet can't ask you out since she's a girl. It's the man's job to ask people on dates," Ralph told his friend, smiling slightly.
Brad sighed. "Ralph, I… you know Janet's a real nice girl and her family is very respectable-"
"So is yours!"
"I know. But there's also the fact that she's Catholic and I'm… not. I've heard her father gets very-"
"I'm not asking you to marry her. Just ask her if she wants to go see a double feature matinee at the picture house. I'll ask that friend of hers, Betty Munroe, and it can be a double date."
"Gee, Ralph…"
"Come on Brad, you've never dated anyone. You're always reading and not talking to anyone besides your male friends. We're getting to old for all that!"
They stood there in silence for a moment. After carefully thinking it over, Brad gave in.
"Fine. You ask Betty, I'll ask Janet."
So, two days later – the last day of 11th grade and a Friday – the two boys made their way to the local diner. That's where all the kids hung out after school. Girls flirted, guys bought them shakes, and everybody had fun. The town adults approved it of because there really wasn't any way much kissing could happen. Or anything deviant, for that matter.
Like in most 'respectable' places, kissing – and more than kissing – wasn't discussed by anyone. It happened, but nobody really said anything because of some unspoken rule. Dr. Scott's nephew Eddie was shunned because of his tendency to say things he shouldn't say and sing rock n' roll songs about things people did but didn't say anything about.
Really naïve people – like Betty, Janet, and Brad – didn't know much about the kissing or anything about the more-than-kissing. Nobody openly mentioned it, so how were they to know?
Anyway, when Brad and Ralph made it to the diner they walked straight to where Janet, Betty, and their friends sat. The girls were talking about something that made them giggle.
For some reason this made everyone (well, Brad) more nervous.
Ralph cleared his throat. "Hello Betty, Janet, Susan and…?"
"Ruth," said the girl.
"Right. My friend Brad here has a question for Janet. Don't you, Brad?"
"Yes. Er, willyougotothepictureswithmetonight?" he asked.
A look of confusion appeared on Janet's face. In Brad's opinion, it somehow made her cuter. And it made everything more intimidating.
"What did you say?" she asked softly, blinking prettily.
Ralph sighed, shaking his head. Then he elbowed Brad and spoke into his ear: "I think you need to say that slower."
"Janet. Miss Weiss. Sorry… will you go to the pictures with me tomorrow? For the Saturday matinee?"
"Oh, I'm ever so sorry but I can't. Maybe some other time," Janet said sweetly.
After hearing such a terrible statement, Brad was crushed. He stood there frozen, almost as if he'd been turned into a statue, which caused Janet's friends to giggle nervously.
Ralph tapped his friend on the shoulder. "Come along, now. I think we'd better get going."
And so, the boys went to Brad's house. There his mother had just finished baking cookies. Even though she didn't exactly like being the housewife, Violet Majors (nee Carter) behaved as society wanted her to. Like Brad being all but forced to ask Janet Weiss on a date.
"Hello, boys. Would you like a snack?" Brad's mother asked.
"Yes we would, Mrs. Majors," Ralph replied.
Then, Mrs. Majors gave them a plate with a few of the cookies. After that she began to leave the room.
"Father is in the backyard playing ball with Tom," she said, as she left.
Tom was Brad's younger brother (aged 14). Only two years later he became the laughing stock of his class because his name resembled that of a 'spaceman' mentioned in the David Bowie song Space Oddity. That is a story for another time, however.
Brad and Ralph ate the cookies in solemn silence. Of course, such silence couldn't last forever. The latter of the two (meaning Ralph) spoke first.
"Let's hope whatever girl I marry one day is as good a cook as Mrs. Majors."
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