Chapter Two: He Was A Punk, She Did Ballet
"Ooh. Who's number are you holding?" Hazel asked Manuela, who was practically running down the hallway.
"I can't say, but it's not that important anyway." She folded the piece of paper and tucked it into her Gucci purse.
"If it's not important, why didn't you throw it out?" Ashley wondered.
"Chill out with the questions guys. I didn't even notice that trash can over there, otherwise it would've been totally gone, alright?" Manuela rolled her eyes, rushing to the passenger side of Hazel's car.
"When's your dad going to get you that Saturn you wanted?"
"Eww. I so don't want a Saturn, but an Eclipse. As soon as I start making all A's, which is like impossible." Manuela applied clear lip gloss to her lips.
"Well, if you get that English grade up." Manuela tuned her out, noticing Marco walk by. He hadn't even noticed her, but she noticed him walking with two girls. Liberty and Mona. Who did he think he was, trying to play her like that? She rolled her eyes.
"Let's go."
"I would but I'm giving Jimmy a ride today." Hazel answered.
"You've gotta be kidding. Jimmy lives like forty-five minutes out of town. What about football practice . And I have ballet in an hour and a half."
"I could take you home first." Hazel offered.
"Fair enough. Now, if Jimmy would bring his-"
"You called?" Jimmy smiled, hopping into the back-seat of Hazel's car.
"Shouldn't you be practicing for the big game tonight?" Manuela rolled her eyes, annoyed by his presence.
"Naw. Coach doesn't believe in working us the day of the game, which is why I didn't get home until nine thirty last night." Hazel nodded, pretending to be interested. "I thought you were taking me home." Jimmy commented as Hazel took a left, which was opposite from where Jimmy lived.
"Manuela has ballet and it starts at four or something like that. You'll get home. Chill and stop acting like a spoiled brat." She demanded, not being able to hold back a negative comment towards Jimmy.
"Please don't start you two. Wait until I'm gone." Both Jimmy and Hazel nodded. As soon as Manuela left chaos would break through.
"Are you serious mother?" Liberty wondered, dropping the dance pamphlet onto the living room table. "I can't be seen taking dance with Rock Hill Academy of Dance. I'd never be able to live it down."
"I know how you feel about ballet . your father and I have been talking about it for a while. I don't like you hanging around all those guys." Ms. Whittier told her daughter.
"Mona isn't a guy mom and I've known Cody and Marco since Junior High. I don't even have a graceful bone in my body." Liberty argued, outraged at this news. She was going to be dancing at Manuela's dance studio. How golden.
"Your father will come to the performances." Ms. Whittier urged.
"So you two are on speaking terms? How ironic. You've already ruined each other's lives, now you're back to ruin mine? I can't believe you would do this to me mom! I would expect this out of dad because he's never here. I thought you understood me!" She exclaimed, growing more and more emotional. Her parents had been divorced for two years, but separated for four years prior to that and her less-than-perfect family was still a sensitive subject. She'd lost her only other sibling to her father and her life was miserable without him.
"I do understand you Liberty. How bad can it be?"
"You were the dancer in the family mom . you and dad. NOT ME! Okay, I do not want to follow in your footsteps." Liberty ran up to her room, threw a few things in her bag, climbed out the window, down the tree running to Marco's house.
Liberty threw a pebble at Marco's window. He didn't answer, probably listening to music. She moved her bag to the side of her body and started to climb up a tree that was near his window. She'd have to take a big leap, but it had been done before. "Marco!" She yelled, throwing another pebble at his window.
Moments later, he stuck his head out of the window. "Liberty? Your mom knows that your here." Liberty stopped climbing and sat where she had stopped.
"How?"
"You always come here. She's on her way." Marco yelled, closing the window and rushing outside of the house. "What happened?"
"Looks like I'm taking ballet with your girlfriend." Liberty rolled her eyes. By now, she was almost done climbing down the tree. Marco picked her up, by the waist, and helped her the rest of the way down. Hiding her blush, Liberty continued. "I'm gonna be a ballerina now."
"No way."
"Yes way. My mom's completely lost it and now I'm gonna be . I don't even want to think about it. Soon she'll be forbidding me to hang out with you guys. I can't give up skateboarding. It's my world."
"I thought she already did that." Marco stated.
"You know what I mean." Liberty walked to Marco's front door as they sat on the porch swing. "Isn't this great?" She asked, noticing that her mother had arrived. She had a bag with the words Bloch on it.
"They're waiting for you." Reluctantly, Liberty got up and followed her mother to their car and onto Rock Hill Academy of Dance. "Hey, let me know when your first performance comes around." Marco laughed. Liberty held back the urge to flick him off. After all 'mother dearest' was around.
"The princess has left the car." Jimmy commented, moving into the front seat.
"Aren't we observant?" Hazel waved to Manuela, quickly backing out of the yard.
"Look, if you want me to take you to Homecoming, you've got to be a little more appreciative." Jimmy explained.
"Meaning?"
"Meaning that you've gotta stop being such a hag." Hazel stopped the car.
"I'm like two seconds from dropping your ass in the middle of this street and making you walk home." Hazel kept driving. "Don't ever call me a hag again."
"If the shoe fits." Jimmy continued.
"You think I'm bluffing? Get out." Hazel demanded. "Get out now." Jimmy didn't budge. "I can't keep doing this with you Jimmy. You want to know why we hate each other? This is why. You treat me like shit, I treat you like shit. It's as simple as that."
"Why do you always take offense to everything that everyone says. Chill out girl."
"How are we ever going to go to Homecoming together without killing each other?" Hazel sighed. "You might as well change your mind and take Ashley. She still loves you, you know?"
"You're wrong. Ashley never loved me. And I never go back."
"Cause you found Reagan." Jimmy nodded. They traveled the rest of the way in total silence, except for the radio, which Jimmy had turned on after a while. "You can get out now." Hazel told Jimmy as the car made it to its way to his front yard.
"If you don't relax and chill out I'm not taking you to Homecoming." He threatened.
"Is that a threat?"
"A promise. Girl, stop playin like you don't want this." Hazel shook her head. Jimmy always tried to prove that he was black by quote-unquote "acting black."
"Boy, stop trippin. You wish I wanted that, but I don't. Now get out." Hazel reached past him, unlocking the door.
"Aight. One." Hazel lifted her chin in response, pulling off.
"I guess if my mom was white, I'd be acing like that too." She said to herself, making the thirty minute drive back to her house.
Liberty reluctantly walked into Rock Hill Academy of Dance. All the other girls looked like they had been doing this for years. She walked past the girls that were stretching and rested on the couch, which awaited her in the lobby area. Spotting Manuela, she turned the other way. She wasn't going to be able to hide for long.
"Ooh. Who's number are you holding?" Hazel asked Manuela, who was practically running down the hallway.
"I can't say, but it's not that important anyway." She folded the piece of paper and tucked it into her Gucci purse.
"If it's not important, why didn't you throw it out?" Ashley wondered.
"Chill out with the questions guys. I didn't even notice that trash can over there, otherwise it would've been totally gone, alright?" Manuela rolled her eyes, rushing to the passenger side of Hazel's car.
"When's your dad going to get you that Saturn you wanted?"
"Eww. I so don't want a Saturn, but an Eclipse. As soon as I start making all A's, which is like impossible." Manuela applied clear lip gloss to her lips.
"Well, if you get that English grade up." Manuela tuned her out, noticing Marco walk by. He hadn't even noticed her, but she noticed him walking with two girls. Liberty and Mona. Who did he think he was, trying to play her like that? She rolled her eyes.
"Let's go."
"I would but I'm giving Jimmy a ride today." Hazel answered.
"You've gotta be kidding. Jimmy lives like forty-five minutes out of town. What about football practice . And I have ballet in an hour and a half."
"I could take you home first." Hazel offered.
"Fair enough. Now, if Jimmy would bring his-"
"You called?" Jimmy smiled, hopping into the back-seat of Hazel's car.
"Shouldn't you be practicing for the big game tonight?" Manuela rolled her eyes, annoyed by his presence.
"Naw. Coach doesn't believe in working us the day of the game, which is why I didn't get home until nine thirty last night." Hazel nodded, pretending to be interested. "I thought you were taking me home." Jimmy commented as Hazel took a left, which was opposite from where Jimmy lived.
"Manuela has ballet and it starts at four or something like that. You'll get home. Chill and stop acting like a spoiled brat." She demanded, not being able to hold back a negative comment towards Jimmy.
"Please don't start you two. Wait until I'm gone." Both Jimmy and Hazel nodded. As soon as Manuela left chaos would break through.
"Are you serious mother?" Liberty wondered, dropping the dance pamphlet onto the living room table. "I can't be seen taking dance with Rock Hill Academy of Dance. I'd never be able to live it down."
"I know how you feel about ballet . your father and I have been talking about it for a while. I don't like you hanging around all those guys." Ms. Whittier told her daughter.
"Mona isn't a guy mom and I've known Cody and Marco since Junior High. I don't even have a graceful bone in my body." Liberty argued, outraged at this news. She was going to be dancing at Manuela's dance studio. How golden.
"Your father will come to the performances." Ms. Whittier urged.
"So you two are on speaking terms? How ironic. You've already ruined each other's lives, now you're back to ruin mine? I can't believe you would do this to me mom! I would expect this out of dad because he's never here. I thought you understood me!" She exclaimed, growing more and more emotional. Her parents had been divorced for two years, but separated for four years prior to that and her less-than-perfect family was still a sensitive subject. She'd lost her only other sibling to her father and her life was miserable without him.
"I do understand you Liberty. How bad can it be?"
"You were the dancer in the family mom . you and dad. NOT ME! Okay, I do not want to follow in your footsteps." Liberty ran up to her room, threw a few things in her bag, climbed out the window, down the tree running to Marco's house.
Liberty threw a pebble at Marco's window. He didn't answer, probably listening to music. She moved her bag to the side of her body and started to climb up a tree that was near his window. She'd have to take a big leap, but it had been done before. "Marco!" She yelled, throwing another pebble at his window.
Moments later, he stuck his head out of the window. "Liberty? Your mom knows that your here." Liberty stopped climbing and sat where she had stopped.
"How?"
"You always come here. She's on her way." Marco yelled, closing the window and rushing outside of the house. "What happened?"
"Looks like I'm taking ballet with your girlfriend." Liberty rolled her eyes. By now, she was almost done climbing down the tree. Marco picked her up, by the waist, and helped her the rest of the way down. Hiding her blush, Liberty continued. "I'm gonna be a ballerina now."
"No way."
"Yes way. My mom's completely lost it and now I'm gonna be . I don't even want to think about it. Soon she'll be forbidding me to hang out with you guys. I can't give up skateboarding. It's my world."
"I thought she already did that." Marco stated.
"You know what I mean." Liberty walked to Marco's front door as they sat on the porch swing. "Isn't this great?" She asked, noticing that her mother had arrived. She had a bag with the words Bloch on it.
"They're waiting for you." Reluctantly, Liberty got up and followed her mother to their car and onto Rock Hill Academy of Dance. "Hey, let me know when your first performance comes around." Marco laughed. Liberty held back the urge to flick him off. After all 'mother dearest' was around.
"The princess has left the car." Jimmy commented, moving into the front seat.
"Aren't we observant?" Hazel waved to Manuela, quickly backing out of the yard.
"Look, if you want me to take you to Homecoming, you've got to be a little more appreciative." Jimmy explained.
"Meaning?"
"Meaning that you've gotta stop being such a hag." Hazel stopped the car.
"I'm like two seconds from dropping your ass in the middle of this street and making you walk home." Hazel kept driving. "Don't ever call me a hag again."
"If the shoe fits." Jimmy continued.
"You think I'm bluffing? Get out." Hazel demanded. "Get out now." Jimmy didn't budge. "I can't keep doing this with you Jimmy. You want to know why we hate each other? This is why. You treat me like shit, I treat you like shit. It's as simple as that."
"Why do you always take offense to everything that everyone says. Chill out girl."
"How are we ever going to go to Homecoming together without killing each other?" Hazel sighed. "You might as well change your mind and take Ashley. She still loves you, you know?"
"You're wrong. Ashley never loved me. And I never go back."
"Cause you found Reagan." Jimmy nodded. They traveled the rest of the way in total silence, except for the radio, which Jimmy had turned on after a while. "You can get out now." Hazel told Jimmy as the car made it to its way to his front yard.
"If you don't relax and chill out I'm not taking you to Homecoming." He threatened.
"Is that a threat?"
"A promise. Girl, stop playin like you don't want this." Hazel shook her head. Jimmy always tried to prove that he was black by quote-unquote "acting black."
"Boy, stop trippin. You wish I wanted that, but I don't. Now get out." Hazel reached past him, unlocking the door.
"Aight. One." Hazel lifted her chin in response, pulling off.
"I guess if my mom was white, I'd be acing like that too." She said to herself, making the thirty minute drive back to her house.
Liberty reluctantly walked into Rock Hill Academy of Dance. All the other girls looked like they had been doing this for years. She walked past the girls that were stretching and rested on the couch, which awaited her in the lobby area. Spotting Manuela, she turned the other way. She wasn't going to be able to hide for long.