Disclaimers and summary on first chapter
Notes: Aw, little Marky and his crazy, tortured Roger are back! And so's Maureen. Fun in the cafeteria.
And hey, we have a jukebox in OUR cafeteria. :P
Chapter 52 -We Have To Stand Up For The Cause-
+Mark's POV+
I stare sadly at Roger's empty desk in Trig. He's missed a week of school now, I hope I'll be able to help him catch up before his grades suffer from it. I didn't see him at all over the weekend. He made it clear he didn't want me around while there was a chance his father would be there, and though I wanted to be there for him, for his safety and mine I decided to keep away. When the bell rings I meet Maureen by her locker and walk with her to study hall. She happily tells me about a solo she got in choir and I smile for her and congratulate her. She keeps talking for a while longer, about school in general and how horrible it is, which I nod and agree with, then she turns to look at me with a serious expression.
"Where's Roger?" She asks me.
I look over at her and try to hide my shock. "Oh. Uh, at home."
She raises an eyebrow. "Isn't he supposed to be trying to pass? Why has he missed so much school?"
"You noticed?"
"Yeah, I usually work with him in history for partner stuff. He's hopeless at it, but he can be fun. He hasn't been here forever. What's up?"
I shrug. "Stuff at home." I tell her.
"Like what?"
I sigh. "I don't think he'd want me to tell you."
She narrows her eyes. "Why not?"
"He didn't want to tell me, at first. Ask him when he gets back, if you want to know. Maybe he'll tell you then."
"I will." She says stubbornly, then changes her tone. "I think it's cute."
"What is?"
"You and him."
I blush. "Shut up Maureen."
"No really! I do! You're just so. . ."
"Not that I don't appreciate it, but will you shut up when we're in the hallway?"
"Oh." She smiles apologetically. "Sorry."
When I see her face I laugh slightly. She makes a face at me, laughs as well, and shoves me. I collide with another person, who curses at me, which makes us laugh harder.
"I think I've missed you." I tell her.
"Oh?" She says, surprised.
"You know, like hanging out. I mean, I don't see you as much anymore."
"Whose fault is that?" She asks.
"Well, mine. You should hang out with me and Roger. . ." I stop when I see her face. "What?"
"Marky, not that I don't like Roger, cause I do. But I can't compete with him for you. When it's the three of us you hardly pay attention to me and you know it." When I protest she gives me a look. "Don't play dumb, it offends me."
"It offends you?" I ask sarcastically.
"Yeah. Like that girl's outfit!" She yells loudly, pointing at a popular girl who gives her the finger.
"You wish!" Maureen yells.
"Mo, stop it." But I'm laughing.
We reach the cafeteria where our senior/junior study hall is. We take a table in the back and spread our junk over it so no one will sit by us. We talk for a few minutes, Maureen makes fun of some random girls at a table near ours and then she casts a glance over at the dusty jukebox by the vending machines.
"Hey, Marky. You got any quarters?"
I dig into my pocket and come up with two. She grabs them from me and hurries over to it. One guy sees her go and groans. She scans the track list briefly and then shoves the money in the slot. She runs back to the table and pushes our stuff on the floor.
"What are you doing?" I ask her and she climbs on the table. She holds out her hands.
"C'mon Marky, dance with me!" I roll my eyes and try to protest but she pouts at me so I grab her hands and step up beside her.
-You put the boom boom into my heart. You send my soul sky high when your lovin' starts-
"Oh Jesus! Mo you're killing me!" I say as she starts pulling me into a sloppy sort of swing dance that I stumble through. "It's WHAM!"
"What's sadder?" She asks. "That I'm playing it or that you recognize it?"
-wake me up, before you go-go. Don't leave me hanging on like a yo-yo-
I blush and shut up, allowing her to humiliate me. The study hall teacher comes over and asks us to get off of the table.
"You can't harness us forever! We must break free of your primitive social standards!" Maureen exclaims, releasing me and throwing her arms up. I start to get down but she grabs my arm.
"You can't back down, Marky! We have to stand up for the cause!"
I roll my eyes, but stand beside her staring down the teacher. What the hell? We're already outcasts.
+++
Though I'm listening to Maureen talk excitedly about our 'protest' during study hall as we walk, I'm really thinking mostly about Roger. Maybe I should go over there, even though he told me not to. I haven't heard from him since the last time I saw him, and I'm afraid to call. I suppose if his mom answered the phone I could ask her how he was, but if his father did all I could do was hang up. Maybe it's worth a try at least. Best of all situations, Roger could pick it up, though I don't think he would. A masculine voice floats over Maureen's, a car horn follows it. Maureen smacks me in the arm and I see Roger's car by the curb. I hurry toward it excitedly, but he's already out of it. I wrap my arms around his waist and hold him tightly, not caring that we're outside in broad daylight.
"Where have you been? Are you ok?" I ask him, breathless.
He laughs, kisses my forehead. His eye still looks a little swollen and dark, as does the bruise on his cheek, but he seems happy. And he didn't wince when I hugged him. I reach for his hands and realize I'm not touching skin on his right hand. I look down to see what I think is a cast.
"What the fuck! He broke your arm?" I ask him.
He shakes his head. "Sprained my wrist. It'll be fine." He says dismissively. "I can't play my guitar for another week or so though, and I'm really not supposed to be driving, but I had to find you!" He pulls me close to him, whispers in my ear. "When he sprained my wrist my mom had a fucking fit, she thought he broke it. She practically threw him out herself! Told him she'd call the police if he ever came back. She's never stood up to him like that before." He pulls away, smiles down at me. "I think that's it. She doesn't want him around anymore, I don't think he's coming back this time."
I kiss him lightly, quickly. "That's great! That's awesome, for both of you!" I pick up his wrist. "But this, does it hurt?"
He shakes his head. "Not really. Unless I try to do something that involves a lot of. . . Hey Maureen. I didn't see you before."
She comes up behind me, pouting. "Yeah, ignore me, nice." She sees his arm. "Oh, you're hurt! Want me to kiss it better?"
Roger winks at me, holds out his arm. "Be my guest."
She puckers and plants a kiss on his brace, leaving a lipstick print. He laughs and grins at her.
"Feels tons better. How do you do it?"
"Just the magic of Maureen!" She strikes a pose and pouts at us suggestively.
"Mo," He says, still laughing. "Anyone ever tell you you're out of your fucking mind?"
+++
Despite her earlier protests, Maureen decides to spend the night with me and Roger at his house. Although from the looks of it, she had brought her entire John Hughes collection. It looked as though we were in for a night of Molly Ringwald and her badly dressed 80s friends. Roger groaned when he saw the cassettes.
"You're killing me!"
"Oh shut up! These are classics! Right Marky?"
"Sure." I say, turning my camera from Roger's doubtful face to her exuberant one. She blows a kiss at the camera and I zoom in on her for a moment, then out again and turn it back on Roger.
He looks exhausted. His face is both tired and sad but at the same time content. He takes my hand with his not injured one and pulls me next to him. He sits on the far end of the couch, I sit beside him in the middle. When Maureen comes back from slipping Sixteen Candles into the VCR she sits beside me. Roger puts his arm around me and I lean against him. He kisses my forehead and tilts his head to the side to rest on top of mine. She makes a face at us.
"Cute, but in moderation. Are you always like this?"
"No. We're doing it just to annoy you."
"Great." She crosses her arms and moves away. I reach out and pull her against me. She struggles at first, but then settles and wraps an arm around me and gets comfortable. Roger falls asleep not even halfway through the first movie and I join him soon after. Sometime later I hear Maureen reach for the remote and shut the TV off. We'll all be rather sore when we wake up, but for now it's a great moment.
+++
Notes Continued: Aw, I love Molly Ringwald. I'm such a loser for 80s teen movies. ;) Be back soon children. :P
Notes: Aw, little Marky and his crazy, tortured Roger are back! And so's Maureen. Fun in the cafeteria.
And hey, we have a jukebox in OUR cafeteria. :P
Chapter 52 -We Have To Stand Up For The Cause-
+Mark's POV+
I stare sadly at Roger's empty desk in Trig. He's missed a week of school now, I hope I'll be able to help him catch up before his grades suffer from it. I didn't see him at all over the weekend. He made it clear he didn't want me around while there was a chance his father would be there, and though I wanted to be there for him, for his safety and mine I decided to keep away. When the bell rings I meet Maureen by her locker and walk with her to study hall. She happily tells me about a solo she got in choir and I smile for her and congratulate her. She keeps talking for a while longer, about school in general and how horrible it is, which I nod and agree with, then she turns to look at me with a serious expression.
"Where's Roger?" She asks me.
I look over at her and try to hide my shock. "Oh. Uh, at home."
She raises an eyebrow. "Isn't he supposed to be trying to pass? Why has he missed so much school?"
"You noticed?"
"Yeah, I usually work with him in history for partner stuff. He's hopeless at it, but he can be fun. He hasn't been here forever. What's up?"
I shrug. "Stuff at home." I tell her.
"Like what?"
I sigh. "I don't think he'd want me to tell you."
She narrows her eyes. "Why not?"
"He didn't want to tell me, at first. Ask him when he gets back, if you want to know. Maybe he'll tell you then."
"I will." She says stubbornly, then changes her tone. "I think it's cute."
"What is?"
"You and him."
I blush. "Shut up Maureen."
"No really! I do! You're just so. . ."
"Not that I don't appreciate it, but will you shut up when we're in the hallway?"
"Oh." She smiles apologetically. "Sorry."
When I see her face I laugh slightly. She makes a face at me, laughs as well, and shoves me. I collide with another person, who curses at me, which makes us laugh harder.
"I think I've missed you." I tell her.
"Oh?" She says, surprised.
"You know, like hanging out. I mean, I don't see you as much anymore."
"Whose fault is that?" She asks.
"Well, mine. You should hang out with me and Roger. . ." I stop when I see her face. "What?"
"Marky, not that I don't like Roger, cause I do. But I can't compete with him for you. When it's the three of us you hardly pay attention to me and you know it." When I protest she gives me a look. "Don't play dumb, it offends me."
"It offends you?" I ask sarcastically.
"Yeah. Like that girl's outfit!" She yells loudly, pointing at a popular girl who gives her the finger.
"You wish!" Maureen yells.
"Mo, stop it." But I'm laughing.
We reach the cafeteria where our senior/junior study hall is. We take a table in the back and spread our junk over it so no one will sit by us. We talk for a few minutes, Maureen makes fun of some random girls at a table near ours and then she casts a glance over at the dusty jukebox by the vending machines.
"Hey, Marky. You got any quarters?"
I dig into my pocket and come up with two. She grabs them from me and hurries over to it. One guy sees her go and groans. She scans the track list briefly and then shoves the money in the slot. She runs back to the table and pushes our stuff on the floor.
"What are you doing?" I ask her and she climbs on the table. She holds out her hands.
"C'mon Marky, dance with me!" I roll my eyes and try to protest but she pouts at me so I grab her hands and step up beside her.
-You put the boom boom into my heart. You send my soul sky high when your lovin' starts-
"Oh Jesus! Mo you're killing me!" I say as she starts pulling me into a sloppy sort of swing dance that I stumble through. "It's WHAM!"
"What's sadder?" She asks. "That I'm playing it or that you recognize it?"
-wake me up, before you go-go. Don't leave me hanging on like a yo-yo-
I blush and shut up, allowing her to humiliate me. The study hall teacher comes over and asks us to get off of the table.
"You can't harness us forever! We must break free of your primitive social standards!" Maureen exclaims, releasing me and throwing her arms up. I start to get down but she grabs my arm.
"You can't back down, Marky! We have to stand up for the cause!"
I roll my eyes, but stand beside her staring down the teacher. What the hell? We're already outcasts.
+++
Though I'm listening to Maureen talk excitedly about our 'protest' during study hall as we walk, I'm really thinking mostly about Roger. Maybe I should go over there, even though he told me not to. I haven't heard from him since the last time I saw him, and I'm afraid to call. I suppose if his mom answered the phone I could ask her how he was, but if his father did all I could do was hang up. Maybe it's worth a try at least. Best of all situations, Roger could pick it up, though I don't think he would. A masculine voice floats over Maureen's, a car horn follows it. Maureen smacks me in the arm and I see Roger's car by the curb. I hurry toward it excitedly, but he's already out of it. I wrap my arms around his waist and hold him tightly, not caring that we're outside in broad daylight.
"Where have you been? Are you ok?" I ask him, breathless.
He laughs, kisses my forehead. His eye still looks a little swollen and dark, as does the bruise on his cheek, but he seems happy. And he didn't wince when I hugged him. I reach for his hands and realize I'm not touching skin on his right hand. I look down to see what I think is a cast.
"What the fuck! He broke your arm?" I ask him.
He shakes his head. "Sprained my wrist. It'll be fine." He says dismissively. "I can't play my guitar for another week or so though, and I'm really not supposed to be driving, but I had to find you!" He pulls me close to him, whispers in my ear. "When he sprained my wrist my mom had a fucking fit, she thought he broke it. She practically threw him out herself! Told him she'd call the police if he ever came back. She's never stood up to him like that before." He pulls away, smiles down at me. "I think that's it. She doesn't want him around anymore, I don't think he's coming back this time."
I kiss him lightly, quickly. "That's great! That's awesome, for both of you!" I pick up his wrist. "But this, does it hurt?"
He shakes his head. "Not really. Unless I try to do something that involves a lot of. . . Hey Maureen. I didn't see you before."
She comes up behind me, pouting. "Yeah, ignore me, nice." She sees his arm. "Oh, you're hurt! Want me to kiss it better?"
Roger winks at me, holds out his arm. "Be my guest."
She puckers and plants a kiss on his brace, leaving a lipstick print. He laughs and grins at her.
"Feels tons better. How do you do it?"
"Just the magic of Maureen!" She strikes a pose and pouts at us suggestively.
"Mo," He says, still laughing. "Anyone ever tell you you're out of your fucking mind?"
+++
Despite her earlier protests, Maureen decides to spend the night with me and Roger at his house. Although from the looks of it, she had brought her entire John Hughes collection. It looked as though we were in for a night of Molly Ringwald and her badly dressed 80s friends. Roger groaned when he saw the cassettes.
"You're killing me!"
"Oh shut up! These are classics! Right Marky?"
"Sure." I say, turning my camera from Roger's doubtful face to her exuberant one. She blows a kiss at the camera and I zoom in on her for a moment, then out again and turn it back on Roger.
He looks exhausted. His face is both tired and sad but at the same time content. He takes my hand with his not injured one and pulls me next to him. He sits on the far end of the couch, I sit beside him in the middle. When Maureen comes back from slipping Sixteen Candles into the VCR she sits beside me. Roger puts his arm around me and I lean against him. He kisses my forehead and tilts his head to the side to rest on top of mine. She makes a face at us.
"Cute, but in moderation. Are you always like this?"
"No. We're doing it just to annoy you."
"Great." She crosses her arms and moves away. I reach out and pull her against me. She struggles at first, but then settles and wraps an arm around me and gets comfortable. Roger falls asleep not even halfway through the first movie and I join him soon after. Sometime later I hear Maureen reach for the remote and shut the TV off. We'll all be rather sore when we wake up, but for now it's a great moment.
+++
Notes Continued: Aw, I love Molly Ringwald. I'm such a loser for 80s teen movies. ;) Be back soon children. :P