The next morning was similar to yesterday, the typical scurrying around
trying to make myself look presentable while dragging two teeners out of
bed and making breakfast and coffee for a man that didn't even care if we
were alive. However, this morning he announced he was leaving on business
for a week-maybe longer. Then the great news came-Lexie and Nikki were going to be spending the weekend at my dad's sister's house two towns over in Lakeside while he was gone. He said I deserved a little time to myself after all I had taken on. It seemed like part of his old self was starting to come back. A honk at the driveway signified that his airport shuttle was
here. He gave me the car keys and told me to drop my sisters off at my
aunt's after school. And with that he was gone.
Soon after, the familiar honk from the red convertible parked in the driveway sounded and I ran out of my house. I was a little nervous getting into the car, I was almost positive Andy knew nothing about Ace but there
was still a little part of me that wondered if Ace Merrill sold me out. "Hey babe." Andy said as I climbed into the car. I smiled back. It was a pretty typical ride to school, I broke the news to him that it was girls night out and that he would be without me for the night. He pretended to be pissed off, but I'm sure he was looking forward to a night of boozing with his friends. And he'd probably end up hooking up with some little freshman
and denying it later.
"Anyway my boys and I went after that fucker who was in my spot last
night."
My eyes widened. OH NO! Please GOD don't let Ace have said anything.
"Andy! Why?" He rolled his eyes. "Because he needs to learn some respect. That street hood has no right to be messin with someone like me." Right then we pulled
into the school parking lot, where Andy's spot was unoccupied.
"Someone like you?"
He laughed. "Rory, you're cute but sometimes you aren't too bright. Ace
Merrill and his little friends the...what the fuck are they called? The
snakes or turtles or some shit? In this world, people like them mean absolutely nothing. They're gonna end up in jail or pumping gas married to
some bimbo with seven kids in a 4 room shack. They aren't gonna make anything of themselves, unlike me who's gonna go to college, get a kick ass job and be able to fire people like Ace Merrill. He should learn the order
of operations now before he meets someone that's not as nice as me." That was it. I had taken a lot of shit from Andy Watts in time we had been dating but that was enough. I looked over at him as he put the car in park. "You're a fucking asshole." I couldn't believe the words had come out of my
mouth.
His mouth dropped. "What did you say to me?"
A newfound confidence entered me. "You heard me! I'm cute but I'm not bright? That's a real sweet way of saying 'I like to sleep with you and how you look but NOTHING ELSE and I date you for my image.' And who the hell
are you to trash the way Ace Merrill and the COBRAS not the turtles you dumbass live their lives. They answer to no one and don't worry about what
everyone else thinks, which is something that can't be said for you."
He glared at me. "What the fuck has gotten into you?"
I laughed. "Some common sense. It's over Andy, go screw your little freshmen." I exited the car and slammed the door and confidently strut into the school. My first reaction was to go and tell Jess and the girls how I had just dumped Andy, but as I walked, I caught sight of Ace and his gang.
Ace's eye was black and his lip was a little swollen. I walked over to where they were sitting and the looks of shock on those boys' faces were
absolutely priceless. Well, all except for Ace. He just grinned cockily at me. "Well well well,
Scanlon, you like your boyfriend's handiwork on my face here?" I looked back at him. "I've seen worse. If you get a chance today, take a
look at the King of the Jungle's ego. It's pretty beaten up today
considering he just got his ass dumped."
Ace nodded. "Ahh smart and beautiful, what a combination."
I smiled. "So will you be casually driving by Blue Point this evening?"
He looked me up and down. "Where else would I be?"
I looked over at the Cobras, and I made the assumption that view kids like
me didn't often talk to them, much less hit on the biggest hood of the group. But right then, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around and
faced Jess who had a strange expression of shock and flirtation on her
face.
"Rory! What's going on?" She exclaimed.
I shrugged. "You wanted boys for tonight, I got us boys for tonight."
Her mouth dropped open, then she looked over at the guys. "I'm just gonna steal her for a minute." She dragged me into the school and to where our
lockers were. Abby and Marianne were standing there talking.
Jess looked at me with an expression of complete shock on her face. "Are
you out of your mind? Andy is gonna kill you!"
"Why? What happened?" Marianne looked at us. "Actually I dumped Andy this morning. In the car like twenty minutes ago.
So, if Andy cares, its not my problem."
"You dumped Andy?" Abby exclaimed.
"Why would he be pissed? What's going on?" Marianne asked.
Jess laughed. "Well ladies, Rory got us boys for tonight. And they're a tad
bit unconventional."
"Who?" Mair and Jess asked together.
"Ace Merrill and the Cobras." I shrugged.
"NO! Rory Scanlon you're kidding!" Marianne went pale.
"Nope. Listen, before you freak-" I started.
"Before we freak? It's a little late for that!" Abby yelled. "OK! Well, Andy's a jerk, we can all agree on that right?" They all nodded. "And what would piss Andy off more than having his precious ex girlfriend
hanging out with the thing he hates most?"
"So this is all because of Andy?" Marianne asked. "No, its because of me. I'm sick of being the perfect little girl. I come
to school and have to be Andy Watts' little girlfriend and little miss popular cheerleader. Then I go home and I have to be my mother and clean my house and cook dinner and help my sisters with their homework. It's all too much for me. I need a release. A no strings attached way to have fun and
break character, you know? And if you guys don't wanna go tonight, you don't have to. But I'm gonna do it. Ace has been cool to me and I have NO REASON to expect that his friends would mess with us. So, ok now you know
why and I hope you don't hate me." They just stared at me for a few seconds. Then Marianne came and gave me a
hug. "I had no idea you were so overwhelmed."
I shrugged. "I tried not to let on."
"Well, I dunno about you two, but I am SO IN!" Jess squealed.
"What?" Abby was shocked.
"Listen, it's a guaranteed good time and I'm not gonna let Rory go by herself! And its not like our parents would ever know, we'll just tell them we're going out to dinner and to the drive in and sleeping over someone's
house."
"But what if Ace and them try something?" Marianne asked.
"Then we're there to help each other out. It will be fine I swear. Ace
wouldn't mess with me, I think he respects that I dumped Andy, so I'm
really not worried." I said.
Abby and Marianne looked at one another and finally turned to us. "Ok,
we'll do it."
I gave them both a hug. "You won't regret this, I swear."
Abby rolled her eyes. "I'm not so sure about that."
Just then, Andy walked over to us with a pack of his friends. "Ror, we need
to talk."
"No we don't." I smiled up at him. He looked uncomfortable. "I didn't mean to call you stupid and I know I'm
not perfect."
I laughed. "Andy, that's the problem. You ARE perfect, just the wrong kind of perfect. So why don't you go bone the little freshman you have on the
side and leave me alone?" Then the bell rang and I walked away, feeling
more confident than ever and anticipating tonight.
for a week-maybe longer. Then the great news came-Lexie and Nikki were going to be spending the weekend at my dad's sister's house two towns over in Lakeside while he was gone. He said I deserved a little time to myself after all I had taken on. It seemed like part of his old self was starting to come back. A honk at the driveway signified that his airport shuttle was
here. He gave me the car keys and told me to drop my sisters off at my
aunt's after school. And with that he was gone.
Soon after, the familiar honk from the red convertible parked in the driveway sounded and I ran out of my house. I was a little nervous getting into the car, I was almost positive Andy knew nothing about Ace but there
was still a little part of me that wondered if Ace Merrill sold me out. "Hey babe." Andy said as I climbed into the car. I smiled back. It was a pretty typical ride to school, I broke the news to him that it was girls night out and that he would be without me for the night. He pretended to be pissed off, but I'm sure he was looking forward to a night of boozing with his friends. And he'd probably end up hooking up with some little freshman
and denying it later.
"Anyway my boys and I went after that fucker who was in my spot last
night."
My eyes widened. OH NO! Please GOD don't let Ace have said anything.
"Andy! Why?" He rolled his eyes. "Because he needs to learn some respect. That street hood has no right to be messin with someone like me." Right then we pulled
into the school parking lot, where Andy's spot was unoccupied.
"Someone like you?"
He laughed. "Rory, you're cute but sometimes you aren't too bright. Ace
Merrill and his little friends the...what the fuck are they called? The
snakes or turtles or some shit? In this world, people like them mean absolutely nothing. They're gonna end up in jail or pumping gas married to
some bimbo with seven kids in a 4 room shack. They aren't gonna make anything of themselves, unlike me who's gonna go to college, get a kick ass job and be able to fire people like Ace Merrill. He should learn the order
of operations now before he meets someone that's not as nice as me." That was it. I had taken a lot of shit from Andy Watts in time we had been dating but that was enough. I looked over at him as he put the car in park. "You're a fucking asshole." I couldn't believe the words had come out of my
mouth.
His mouth dropped. "What did you say to me?"
A newfound confidence entered me. "You heard me! I'm cute but I'm not bright? That's a real sweet way of saying 'I like to sleep with you and how you look but NOTHING ELSE and I date you for my image.' And who the hell
are you to trash the way Ace Merrill and the COBRAS not the turtles you dumbass live their lives. They answer to no one and don't worry about what
everyone else thinks, which is something that can't be said for you."
He glared at me. "What the fuck has gotten into you?"
I laughed. "Some common sense. It's over Andy, go screw your little freshmen." I exited the car and slammed the door and confidently strut into the school. My first reaction was to go and tell Jess and the girls how I had just dumped Andy, but as I walked, I caught sight of Ace and his gang.
Ace's eye was black and his lip was a little swollen. I walked over to where they were sitting and the looks of shock on those boys' faces were
absolutely priceless. Well, all except for Ace. He just grinned cockily at me. "Well well well,
Scanlon, you like your boyfriend's handiwork on my face here?" I looked back at him. "I've seen worse. If you get a chance today, take a
look at the King of the Jungle's ego. It's pretty beaten up today
considering he just got his ass dumped."
Ace nodded. "Ahh smart and beautiful, what a combination."
I smiled. "So will you be casually driving by Blue Point this evening?"
He looked me up and down. "Where else would I be?"
I looked over at the Cobras, and I made the assumption that view kids like
me didn't often talk to them, much less hit on the biggest hood of the group. But right then, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around and
faced Jess who had a strange expression of shock and flirtation on her
face.
"Rory! What's going on?" She exclaimed.
I shrugged. "You wanted boys for tonight, I got us boys for tonight."
Her mouth dropped open, then she looked over at the guys. "I'm just gonna steal her for a minute." She dragged me into the school and to where our
lockers were. Abby and Marianne were standing there talking.
Jess looked at me with an expression of complete shock on her face. "Are
you out of your mind? Andy is gonna kill you!"
"Why? What happened?" Marianne looked at us. "Actually I dumped Andy this morning. In the car like twenty minutes ago.
So, if Andy cares, its not my problem."
"You dumped Andy?" Abby exclaimed.
"Why would he be pissed? What's going on?" Marianne asked.
Jess laughed. "Well ladies, Rory got us boys for tonight. And they're a tad
bit unconventional."
"Who?" Mair and Jess asked together.
"Ace Merrill and the Cobras." I shrugged.
"NO! Rory Scanlon you're kidding!" Marianne went pale.
"Nope. Listen, before you freak-" I started.
"Before we freak? It's a little late for that!" Abby yelled. "OK! Well, Andy's a jerk, we can all agree on that right?" They all nodded. "And what would piss Andy off more than having his precious ex girlfriend
hanging out with the thing he hates most?"
"So this is all because of Andy?" Marianne asked. "No, its because of me. I'm sick of being the perfect little girl. I come
to school and have to be Andy Watts' little girlfriend and little miss popular cheerleader. Then I go home and I have to be my mother and clean my house and cook dinner and help my sisters with their homework. It's all too much for me. I need a release. A no strings attached way to have fun and
break character, you know? And if you guys don't wanna go tonight, you don't have to. But I'm gonna do it. Ace has been cool to me and I have NO REASON to expect that his friends would mess with us. So, ok now you know
why and I hope you don't hate me." They just stared at me for a few seconds. Then Marianne came and gave me a
hug. "I had no idea you were so overwhelmed."
I shrugged. "I tried not to let on."
"Well, I dunno about you two, but I am SO IN!" Jess squealed.
"What?" Abby was shocked.
"Listen, it's a guaranteed good time and I'm not gonna let Rory go by herself! And its not like our parents would ever know, we'll just tell them we're going out to dinner and to the drive in and sleeping over someone's
house."
"But what if Ace and them try something?" Marianne asked.
"Then we're there to help each other out. It will be fine I swear. Ace
wouldn't mess with me, I think he respects that I dumped Andy, so I'm
really not worried." I said.
Abby and Marianne looked at one another and finally turned to us. "Ok,
we'll do it."
I gave them both a hug. "You won't regret this, I swear."
Abby rolled her eyes. "I'm not so sure about that."
Just then, Andy walked over to us with a pack of his friends. "Ror, we need
to talk."
"No we don't." I smiled up at him. He looked uncomfortable. "I didn't mean to call you stupid and I know I'm
not perfect."
I laughed. "Andy, that's the problem. You ARE perfect, just the wrong kind of perfect. So why don't you go bone the little freshman you have on the
side and leave me alone?" Then the bell rang and I walked away, feeling
more confident than ever and anticipating tonight.