Why did I offer to help Jordan Catalano? More importantly, why did he
say yes? Wasn't he totally pissed off at me for the other night? Maybe I
just shouldn't ask so many questions. It was the end of school and the bell
just rang to let us out. I was opening my locker when I was greeted by
Ricky and Rayanne.
"What do you think is better? Doing it under the blankets or on top of the blankets?" Rayanne asked me.
"I say under the blankets that way they can't see all your bodily flaws," Ricky told us. I chuckled.
"Bodily flaws?" I wondered.
"Yeah. You know, like wrinkles and stuff," he told us again.
"I say on top of the blankets. It makes it seem more...dirty?" said Rayanne. She was pondering now.
"Well, I think I am embarrassingly far away from ever making that decision," I concluded.
"So am I," Ricky agreed and put his arm around me. "Sometimes I think we're lucky, you know? We don't have to worry about keeping somebody else happy or buying them gifts, or saying the wrong thing, or worry about somebody breaking our heart." We were walking out of school now.
"Just because we don't have a significant other doesn't mean that our heart can't be broken. Instead of worrying about all that stuff we have to worry about when that will ever happen," I told him pessimistically.
"Can you ever be happy?" Ricky asked me. "But I guess you have a point."
"Man, you guys are depressing. We need to go out. Like tonight," Rayanne suggested.
"Yeah! Where? When?" Ricky asked all enthusiastic.
"Um, The Garage. We can go watch bands, and scope out the hot band guys," Rayanne said nudging me in the arm.
"Normally, I might say yes, but I kind of have something I need to do tonight," I told them.
"Like what? You're Angela Chase, you don't plan things with people other than us," Rayanne told me. "Angela, what are you doing?" They were all concerned.
"I'm helping someone with homework. I'm sorry. Maybe we can go to The Garage tomorrow night. After all it is only Friday," I said. They were all bummed out.
"Fine. Ricky and I will watch Rocky Horror Picture Show at my house then tomorrow might we will go party at The Garage," Rayanne planned.
"We watched R.H.P.S. last weekend, Rayanne, can't we watch something with the Corey's?" Ricky pathetically asked. I laughed.
"Fine. Ricky and I will watch The Lost Boys tonight and tomorrow we will go to The Garage," Rayanne said losing her temper. We were almost to my house now.
"Have fun tutoring, tutor girl," Rayanne said making fun of me. I walked up my sidewalk while Rayanne and Ricky kept walking and Rayanne flopped her arm around Ricky. I walked in my front door and right into a white curly ball.
"Brian? What are you doing at my house?" I asked all freaked out. "How did you get here before me?"
"Oh, I don't use my locker I just carry all my books, it's easier that way," he told me. I nodded still really confused.
"Why are you at my house?" I asked again.
"To say thank you for working in English class today. It took guts," he told me. I raised me eyebrows.
"Go home, Brian. You're freaking me out." He shook his head and walked out the door. I ran upstairs to start getting ready for my study date with Jordan. Was it a date? I paused on the stairs and thought. I shook my head and forgot about it. If it is a date, I will know.
Angela VO: Have you ever sat in public alone just waiting for someone? You feel like you have to shout that you're not really by yourself so people stop looking sorry for you. It's like you have to keep moving because if you sit still then it might be true. You might be by yourself.
I was sitting in one of those little booths by the window. I came in and the waitress said, "Just one tonight?" I said no. After all I assumed Jordan was coming. It was practically his idea to begin with. I had been waiting for him for ten minutes. I kind of closed my eyes, tiredly and zenfully.
"Hey, let's do this," Jordan came in quickly and plopped down opposite of me. I couldn't help but smile. He scared me yet intrigued me.
"Okay. Well here, read the first stanza," I told him. We sat in silence for a few minutes while he was trying to decipher the words that were unfamiliar to him. I just stared at him, intrigued again. He lips looked so soft. He looked up and I looked up trying to cover the fact that I was staring at him. "Keep reading and see if you can tell the relationship between the narrator, Poe, and Lenore."
As I told him this and he looked down again I remembered something. He never told me at the dance what I was like. This was all I could think about for several minutes. "You know at the dance, when we were outside?" I waited for some kind of response but he was so into the poem. "You were saying that I was like something but you never said what. You just left. What did you mean? What am I like?" He finally looked up.
"I get it. The poem is about Poe's grieving over Lenore. They were lovers and she died. The raven is there to remind him that she is gone forever and she won't ever come back," He told me. I was so shocked. Okay, he didn't answer my question, he probably wasn't even listening to me but he got it and I helped him.
"Yes, that's it. Good job. So did you like it?" I wondered.
He nodded, "Yeah, it was pretty good." I smiled.
"Good. I'm glad you liked it," it was like we were connecting on a whole new level.
He got up, "Well, thanks for um like helping me or whatever."
"Sure," I got up to.
"Do you like need a ride?" He asked.
"Sure." We walked out to his car and got in. We drove to my house in silence, like always. He pulled up to the curb. I turned to him.
He leaned in so I did too. He kissed me this quick romantic kiss. It wasn't a peck but there was no tongue. It was in between. I turned away and got out of the car. This time I contained my smile until after I shut his car door. I guess it was a date after all.
"What do you think is better? Doing it under the blankets or on top of the blankets?" Rayanne asked me.
"I say under the blankets that way they can't see all your bodily flaws," Ricky told us. I chuckled.
"Bodily flaws?" I wondered.
"Yeah. You know, like wrinkles and stuff," he told us again.
"I say on top of the blankets. It makes it seem more...dirty?" said Rayanne. She was pondering now.
"Well, I think I am embarrassingly far away from ever making that decision," I concluded.
"So am I," Ricky agreed and put his arm around me. "Sometimes I think we're lucky, you know? We don't have to worry about keeping somebody else happy or buying them gifts, or saying the wrong thing, or worry about somebody breaking our heart." We were walking out of school now.
"Just because we don't have a significant other doesn't mean that our heart can't be broken. Instead of worrying about all that stuff we have to worry about when that will ever happen," I told him pessimistically.
"Can you ever be happy?" Ricky asked me. "But I guess you have a point."
"Man, you guys are depressing. We need to go out. Like tonight," Rayanne suggested.
"Yeah! Where? When?" Ricky asked all enthusiastic.
"Um, The Garage. We can go watch bands, and scope out the hot band guys," Rayanne said nudging me in the arm.
"Normally, I might say yes, but I kind of have something I need to do tonight," I told them.
"Like what? You're Angela Chase, you don't plan things with people other than us," Rayanne told me. "Angela, what are you doing?" They were all concerned.
"I'm helping someone with homework. I'm sorry. Maybe we can go to The Garage tomorrow night. After all it is only Friday," I said. They were all bummed out.
"Fine. Ricky and I will watch Rocky Horror Picture Show at my house then tomorrow might we will go party at The Garage," Rayanne planned.
"We watched R.H.P.S. last weekend, Rayanne, can't we watch something with the Corey's?" Ricky pathetically asked. I laughed.
"Fine. Ricky and I will watch The Lost Boys tonight and tomorrow we will go to The Garage," Rayanne said losing her temper. We were almost to my house now.
"Have fun tutoring, tutor girl," Rayanne said making fun of me. I walked up my sidewalk while Rayanne and Ricky kept walking and Rayanne flopped her arm around Ricky. I walked in my front door and right into a white curly ball.
"Brian? What are you doing at my house?" I asked all freaked out. "How did you get here before me?"
"Oh, I don't use my locker I just carry all my books, it's easier that way," he told me. I nodded still really confused.
"Why are you at my house?" I asked again.
"To say thank you for working in English class today. It took guts," he told me. I raised me eyebrows.
"Go home, Brian. You're freaking me out." He shook his head and walked out the door. I ran upstairs to start getting ready for my study date with Jordan. Was it a date? I paused on the stairs and thought. I shook my head and forgot about it. If it is a date, I will know.
Angela VO: Have you ever sat in public alone just waiting for someone? You feel like you have to shout that you're not really by yourself so people stop looking sorry for you. It's like you have to keep moving because if you sit still then it might be true. You might be by yourself.
I was sitting in one of those little booths by the window. I came in and the waitress said, "Just one tonight?" I said no. After all I assumed Jordan was coming. It was practically his idea to begin with. I had been waiting for him for ten minutes. I kind of closed my eyes, tiredly and zenfully.
"Hey, let's do this," Jordan came in quickly and plopped down opposite of me. I couldn't help but smile. He scared me yet intrigued me.
"Okay. Well here, read the first stanza," I told him. We sat in silence for a few minutes while he was trying to decipher the words that were unfamiliar to him. I just stared at him, intrigued again. He lips looked so soft. He looked up and I looked up trying to cover the fact that I was staring at him. "Keep reading and see if you can tell the relationship between the narrator, Poe, and Lenore."
As I told him this and he looked down again I remembered something. He never told me at the dance what I was like. This was all I could think about for several minutes. "You know at the dance, when we were outside?" I waited for some kind of response but he was so into the poem. "You were saying that I was like something but you never said what. You just left. What did you mean? What am I like?" He finally looked up.
"I get it. The poem is about Poe's grieving over Lenore. They were lovers and she died. The raven is there to remind him that she is gone forever and she won't ever come back," He told me. I was so shocked. Okay, he didn't answer my question, he probably wasn't even listening to me but he got it and I helped him.
"Yes, that's it. Good job. So did you like it?" I wondered.
He nodded, "Yeah, it was pretty good." I smiled.
"Good. I'm glad you liked it," it was like we were connecting on a whole new level.
He got up, "Well, thanks for um like helping me or whatever."
"Sure," I got up to.
"Do you like need a ride?" He asked.
"Sure." We walked out to his car and got in. We drove to my house in silence, like always. He pulled up to the curb. I turned to him.
He leaned in so I did too. He kissed me this quick romantic kiss. It wasn't a peck but there was no tongue. It was in between. I turned away and got out of the car. This time I contained my smile until after I shut his car door. I guess it was a date after all.