For the third or fourth time that evening, she came back to the here and
now. Her plate was empty, and she didn't care to refill it. She felt
kinda sick. She got out of her chair to lay down on the cool grass and
look up at the stars that were beginning come out with extraordinary
clarity. She didn't care to remember anymore tonight. She didn't really
regret coming here. She was just disappointed that it hand't turned out to
be what she had expected. But what had she expected? For TJ to have come
up to her on bended knee to beg her forgiveness and ask that they continue
their relationship? Well....maybe, in the very back of her mind that's
what she wanted to happen. But what she had wanted more than anything else
was for him to realize that she was not just the Spinelli with a constant
murderous rage. She did not only take pleasure in violence and mud.
Occasionally, she liked to think that she was actually the G word. She
sometimes would have liked to be told at the very least that she was easy
on the eyes. By somebody other than her parents. That was the real reason
she had worn the torture heels and the blue gown. She had gotten some
revenge though. She smiled grimly, as the memory began to come back. But
she was tired, so tired of remembering. She would leave the rest of the
story to somebody else.
Gretchen was busy telling the story to everybody else, but she had left out one of the key parts. The part about which few knew. He smiled wryly and rubbed his jaw in thoughtful remembrance.
It had taken him the better part of an hour and a half to extract everything from Ashley Q who was busy trying to ask him why he had wanted ice. Of course, it had been for a sex game he'd had in mind, but he hadn't counted on his prom date showing up at the door. When she had finally told him all he needed to know, he went into a sort of panic. This had not been a part of the plan. So he pulled on something to cover his lower region, borrowed Ashley Q's bubble gum pink sports car, and sped over to Spinelli's house. He knew he was in trouble. From the second he rang the doorbell, and heard her boots stomping down the stairs to answer. The door flew open, and he registered the shocking fact that her face was streaked with tears, dried and fresh. Then his thoughts suddenly centered around a terrible ache in his jaw, and he noted that he was now looking down at the sky. He even wondered if that was normal, before another blow hit him, square in the nose. Okay, he hadn't come here in order to get the shit beaten out of him. He needed to speak.
"Spin! No! Let me explain.."
"Explain what? Why you tore my heart out and crushed it under your feet? Why you chose not to tell me you were already screwing around with another Ashley?"
"NO! I just want you to know why I did what I did!"
"And why the fuck would I care why?" Spinelli screamed "Remember how we always used to call you the Prankster Prince? Well, you should be happy to know that you just pulled the biggest prank of your life on me!" Tears began to spike her eyelashes, but she refused to let them fall. TJ gaped with his mouth open. There was no smooth reply at his lips. He had really and truly hurt this girl, and there were no words, no matter how cajoling, no actions, no matter how chivalrous that could take back what he had done. And for that, he was sorry.
"Hey Spin, I'm sorry," he said truthfully.
"Get out of here in less than five seconds, and I won't beat anymore shit out of you." When TJ didn't respond, she grabbed a fistful of his flesh, and shoved him down her front stairs. He landed face down on the pavement. A loud thud told him her door and been shut. Thoroughly miserable, he forgot completely about the car, and walked down the street all of two houses to his own home.
"They didn't speak anymore that year. TJ and Ashley Q broke up not long after prom. Nobody's exactly sure who dumped who. And Spinelli and Teej haven't met in ten years until this night." Gretchen finished with a flourish. The group sat in silence for a moment, before Gus broke the silence.
"But TJ, why?" The one questioned looked up for the first time since the story began.
"The reason is really stupid. I realized that while lying on the pavement in Spin's driveway. I don't really want to talk about it anymore. Leastways not 'til Spinelli knows, and she's so stubborn, she may never." Without another word, he got up and headed for the snack bar.
She had thought that she didn't want food. She was very wrong. She fought a furious battle with herself. 'Just stay for fifteen more minutes, then go get Gretch, nd leave without even looking at the snack bar.' All of her resistance was shattered when a plate of giant M&M cookies was set onto the table. She practically ran to the table. She snatched two of them for herself,and spun around to go back into her quiet, dark corner. Upon turning, she smacked right into the very person that had consumed her evening, yet the one she most wanted to avoid. Her precious cookies went tumbling to the ground. She dove after them, and they were retrieved.
"Five second rule," she muttered more to herself as she straightened. When up to her full height, she found herself looking yet again into his endless blue eyes. She closed her own tightly, hoping that when she opened them, TJ would be gone. It was a game she had used to play as a young child. She had found that it rarely worked. Such was the case now.
"SPinelli, we need to talk," was all he said.
Gretchen was busy telling the story to everybody else, but she had left out one of the key parts. The part about which few knew. He smiled wryly and rubbed his jaw in thoughtful remembrance.
It had taken him the better part of an hour and a half to extract everything from Ashley Q who was busy trying to ask him why he had wanted ice. Of course, it had been for a sex game he'd had in mind, but he hadn't counted on his prom date showing up at the door. When she had finally told him all he needed to know, he went into a sort of panic. This had not been a part of the plan. So he pulled on something to cover his lower region, borrowed Ashley Q's bubble gum pink sports car, and sped over to Spinelli's house. He knew he was in trouble. From the second he rang the doorbell, and heard her boots stomping down the stairs to answer. The door flew open, and he registered the shocking fact that her face was streaked with tears, dried and fresh. Then his thoughts suddenly centered around a terrible ache in his jaw, and he noted that he was now looking down at the sky. He even wondered if that was normal, before another blow hit him, square in the nose. Okay, he hadn't come here in order to get the shit beaten out of him. He needed to speak.
"Spin! No! Let me explain.."
"Explain what? Why you tore my heart out and crushed it under your feet? Why you chose not to tell me you were already screwing around with another Ashley?"
"NO! I just want you to know why I did what I did!"
"And why the fuck would I care why?" Spinelli screamed "Remember how we always used to call you the Prankster Prince? Well, you should be happy to know that you just pulled the biggest prank of your life on me!" Tears began to spike her eyelashes, but she refused to let them fall. TJ gaped with his mouth open. There was no smooth reply at his lips. He had really and truly hurt this girl, and there were no words, no matter how cajoling, no actions, no matter how chivalrous that could take back what he had done. And for that, he was sorry.
"Hey Spin, I'm sorry," he said truthfully.
"Get out of here in less than five seconds, and I won't beat anymore shit out of you." When TJ didn't respond, she grabbed a fistful of his flesh, and shoved him down her front stairs. He landed face down on the pavement. A loud thud told him her door and been shut. Thoroughly miserable, he forgot completely about the car, and walked down the street all of two houses to his own home.
"They didn't speak anymore that year. TJ and Ashley Q broke up not long after prom. Nobody's exactly sure who dumped who. And Spinelli and Teej haven't met in ten years until this night." Gretchen finished with a flourish. The group sat in silence for a moment, before Gus broke the silence.
"But TJ, why?" The one questioned looked up for the first time since the story began.
"The reason is really stupid. I realized that while lying on the pavement in Spin's driveway. I don't really want to talk about it anymore. Leastways not 'til Spinelli knows, and she's so stubborn, she may never." Without another word, he got up and headed for the snack bar.
She had thought that she didn't want food. She was very wrong. She fought a furious battle with herself. 'Just stay for fifteen more minutes, then go get Gretch, nd leave without even looking at the snack bar.' All of her resistance was shattered when a plate of giant M&M cookies was set onto the table. She practically ran to the table. She snatched two of them for herself,and spun around to go back into her quiet, dark corner. Upon turning, she smacked right into the very person that had consumed her evening, yet the one she most wanted to avoid. Her precious cookies went tumbling to the ground. She dove after them, and they were retrieved.
"Five second rule," she muttered more to herself as she straightened. When up to her full height, she found herself looking yet again into his endless blue eyes. She closed her own tightly, hoping that when she opened them, TJ would be gone. It was a game she had used to play as a young child. She had found that it rarely worked. Such was the case now.
"SPinelli, we need to talk," was all he said.