hMan… I haven't written in ages…sorry to the readers! I know I'm really slow, but I promise that I have ALL the plot in my head and ON PAPER! Well not really, but like on document?I'm serious…. Anyway…I just watched OrangeCountythe movie) and Jack Black is in it… HE IS SO FUNNY! JACK BLACK ROCKS MY SOCKS! (I made this phrase up I think? Or maybe I just thought I did…)
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Chapter 7: The Grandma and the Wrench
"Hey Freddy…"
"Hmm…" Freddy replied quizzically while examining their entangled hands (A/N: aww…ain't it cute?).
"You know where we're going right?"
"We're going to the go-cart arena right…"
"I mean you know HOW to get there right?" The pair had been wandering around after dinner and Summer was getting a little worried. Let's just say Freddy didn't have the best sense of direction. He looked at Summer, then thought about her question.
"Yeah, I know how to get there…" Freddy trailed off while averting his eyes guiltily. He really didn't know how to get there, but he wasn't about to shatter his macho big strong leader man image in front of Summer. Freddy didn't know why it mattered what Summer thought of him, but it just did. He would figure it out eventually.
"Okay Freddy. I… I trust you." Summer whispered the last part. It was highly inaudible, but Freddy heard it and that was all that mattered. Summer didn't know why only Freddy mattered, but he just did. He looked up away from the ground and smiled shyly into Summer's eyes. Then the blast of guilt came. Freddy started to wish that he had not lied to Summer in the first place and quickly turned his eyes to the ground. It would be okay, right? Just a little thing. Not like this was a matter of life and death right?
Right.
As Freddy's thoughts wandered, Summer's quiet gaze meandered from Freddy's guilty face to the surroundings. It was a quiet night with Heaven's candles flickering the distance; the light breeze gently tickled Summer's bare legs and spaghetti top-clad shoulders. She shivered and put her arms around herself, trying to warm up. Freddy saw Summer's attempts at creating heat out of the corner of his eye. As the gentlemen he was, Freddy started to take off his grey button-up.
"Uh… Freddy? What are you doing? Don't go stripping on me now okay… It's scary…"Summer said skeptically as she eyed Freddy suspiciously.
"No, I'm not stripping Summer. I'm taking my shirt off so you can wear it…"
"Why in the world would I want to wear your shirt? I mean it's like all sweaty and smells like you…" Summer said in a seemingly disgusted voice, though the shirt was not sweaty, but in fact smelled clean like a big bar of scented soap. In fact, the thought of wearing Freddy's shirt was actually kind of appealing.
"Because you're cold Summer!"
"I am?"
"Yes, you are. Look at you, you're shivering."
"No I'm not."
"Yes you are."
"No I'm NOT."
"Yes YOU ARE"
"NO I'M NOT!" Summer screamed at Freddy. He opened his mouth to yell back, but stopped. Freddy just sighed, then started to put his shirt back on. He had lost again. First, during dinner, and now, again. Summer was one of the only girls that could make Freddy back down. It was oddly comforting to him.
Summer smiled triumphal. Though on the inside, she regretted it. Wearing Freddy's shirt would have been pretty cool. It was a big sign saying, "I'M HIS GIRL!" Summer wanted everyone to know, but she didn't know why. She was supposed to hate Freddy, right?
As Freddy watched the tiny person next to him shiver again, the compassionate part of him wanted to do something, but he didn't know what. Suddenly, he knew what he should do, but he didn't know if he could do it. He debated it in his head for a while, tossed the idea around. What if she refused? She took Tae-kwon-do right? What if she like back-flips him onto the ground or something? Suddenly, Summer shivered again. Freddy groaned slightly, rolled his eyes and gave in to his inner-conscience. Tentatively, he lifted his arm and rested it around Summer's shoulders, pulling her closer, lending her his body heat.
As Summer felt a warm pressure around her shoulders, she relaxed, soaking in the welcomed warmth. She became aware of a light scent of clean pretty bars of soap. Suddenly, Summer found that her body was touching Freddy's as it was HIS heat that was so comforting. His scent that was so clean. The pressure around her shoulders was Freddy's arm. As nervous as he was, Summer ran her arm around Freddy's waist, resting her thumb on a belt loop.
He glanced down as he felt a gentle touch around his torso. As Freddy laid eyes on Summer's delicate arm, he smiled, looking away. Somehow Freddy felt like he had to be careful in order not to break that fragile arm.
And there they were, two 13-year-olds seemingly lost in their own world.
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Suddenly, the go-cart arena appeared. Freddy did not know how or when he had managed to get them there – he had just been walking around aimlessly. Maybe some strange twist of fate wanted this date to actually be a success. On the other hand, the go-cart arena seemed kind of sketchy. There was graffiti all over the side of the building and the neon sign had a missing 'e' in the "arena", making it "Go-Cart Ar na". The building was extremely dilapidated and looked about to cave in any time. There were constant bone-crunching crashing sounds radiating from inside the building, as if an accident occurred every two seconds. A lonely go-cart lay outside, its frame almost completely broken. How it was broken, Freddy and Summer did not want to know. Summer looked up at Freddy warily and he responded with a weak smile and a squeeze on the small hand resting on his hipbone.
"Shall we?" Freddy asked like a gentleman. Hardly the words for the occasion.
"I guess, we're already here right…" Then Summer continued, "Hey Freddy…"
"Yea?"
"If the roof came down on us, you would hold it up for me right?"
"I'll try?" Freddy said quizzically. The roof wouldn't really fall down, now would it?
Would it?
Summer smiled and the two slowly approached the building. A look at the handle and Freddy wanted to call the Health department. As his hands touched the grimy surface, he silently wondered how many other people had touched this handle in the last century, and wondered how many times it had been cleaned in the last millennium. As he swung the door, it felt like the door was going to be torn off. As Freddy wiped his hands on his pants, the pair bravely stepped into the arena. The inside of the arena was almost as bad as the outside, however the arena was actually filled with people. They were mostly high schoolers who looked at the pair and laughed at the two middle-schoolers. On the track itself were a number of go-carts. Most of the go-carts were already occupied by somebody else and were currently whizzing around the track at a tremendously high speed. Feeling intimidated by the ridiculing high-schoolers, Summer looked up at the towering Freddy. He gave her a little smile, trying to be courageous even though he was afraid himself. Sure in middle school, eight graders were the kings and queens, but against high-schoolers they were a bunch of nothings. Suddenly they were approached by a plump old lady with a wrench in her hand. She smiled kindly at the two and pushed a plate of cookies towards them. The old lady reminded them of a grandma, except in grease-covered overalls and a wrench in the one hand.
"Hey kids, take a cookie…" said the old lady as she wondered how long it had been since she had seen such young teenagers. Though Freddy wasn't sure how clean the cookies were considering the place they were in, the wafting aroma pulled his hand towards the plate to take two cookies for Summer and him. It even reminded him to say 'thank you'. As Summer bit into the warm cookie, the old lady continued.
"I don't ever remember seeing you guys here before. This must mean that you guys are first-timers, because I've been running this gig since a long time ago…"
"Oh, yea, we've never been here before, Ma'am" Freddy said through bites of cookie.
"Oh, don't call me Ma'am. It sounds ridiculously formal. My name is Lolatte. Don't ask what my parents were thinking…." The old lady exclaimed with yet another big smile.
"Just call her Grammy Lola. Everybody does…" A high-schooler with a red beanie shouted from across the arena.
"STOP TELLING EVERYONE NEW TO CALL ME GRAMMY LOLA! I'M NOT THAT OLD!" Lolatte screamed laughingly at the boy. Then she continued at the bewildered teenagers, "No, its okay, everyone calls me Grammy Lola…just call me that too." Freddy and Summer smiled, relieved. They really did not want to witness a fight between a high-schooler in a red beanie and a Grandma with a wrench.
"So kids, you want a go-cart?"
"Yes, please." Somehow, this grandma look-alike made Freddy remember all his manners.
"Do you guys mind taking a couple go-cart? All the working single ones are taken."
"There are couple go-carts?" Summer exclaimed. Go-carts were normally tiny! How were they supposed to fit two people!
"Yeap, true and blue honey. I invented them a couple years ago. Not very romantic though…"
"Well, that's okay. We're here more for the excitement factor. We'll take the couple go-cart." Freddy intercepted Lola. She smiled and let the way to the couple go-cart. Freddy paid up as Summer started to get into the go-cart.
"Oh, and I forgot. There's only one steering wheel in the go-cart." Freddy immediately hopped into the go-cart. The two stared at each other evilly, then the steering wheel. They both reached for the wheel at the same time. Meanwhile, Lola had powered up the go-cart's motor. As the two were jostling for the wheel, Freddy's foot accidentally landed on the wheel, and they were off to the roaring start.
Even though they were already going, both still did not want to lose possession of the wheel.
"Freddy! Ladys' first!"
"I thought you were a feminist, SUMMER!"
"Even so! JUST GIVE ME THE WHEEL FREDDY!"
"NO! I WANT IT SUMMER." As the wheel was being the battled for, the go-cart whizzed across the track, taking sharp turns and coming to sudden stops, and then starting up again. Many of the high-schoolers were now looking at the two, and some even started laughing with a look that said 'typical middle-schoolers". The pair was still oblivious to the fact that they were careening out of control.
"DAMN IT SUMMER! FOR ONCE BE A NICE PERSON AND GIVE ME THE DAMN WHEEL!"
"NO! I'M NOT GIVING YOU THE WHEEL!"
"YES YOU ARE" The two of them were being thrown from side to side as they zigzagged the arena.
"NO I'M NOT"
"YES YOU ARE"
"NO I'M NOT"
"YES YOU ARE"
"WHY DON'T YOU GIVE ME THE WHEEL THEN, FREDDY?"
"Uh… Summer?"
"I DON'T CARE FREDDY! I'M THE LADY, AND I'M DRIVING!"
"Summer!"
"WHAT FREDDY! I'M NOT GIVING YOU THE WHEEL!"
"SUMMER! THE WA….."Freddy screamed as they crashed into a wall with a tremendous boom! And the whole arena burst into laughter and applause.
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"Sorry kids, I love you guys and stuff, but you crashed! I can't have people crashing my go-carts! So you're banned from here and have a cookie each." Lola said kindly as she pushed the two out the door. Freddy and Summer, astonished and wide-eyed, took a cookie each and said thank you. The last 15 minutes had been a blur to them. After the crashed, both could hear the faint echo of laughter as they were pulled out of the wreckage unharmed. They were brought into Lola's office and watched her pace around for a few minutes and then shoved out of the arena with high-schoolers cheering them on the way out.
After munching their cookies dumbly outside the door, both Freddy and Summer suddenly burst into laughter as what happened finally cleared up.
"We…w..we crashed!"
"I know! It was…. FUN!"
"We should crash things more often…" Summer said laughingly.
"Haha! Agreed!" Then the two were silent again. But then, the two teenagers starting laughing again. And again, and again, and again.
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Freddy and Summer stopped outside her house as the night drew to a close. Tired, Summer let go of Freddy's hand and smiled softly. Though she was bushed, she felt happy. She couldn't remember the last time she had had so much fun. In fact, this might just as well have been the best time of her life. Meanwhile, Freddy was wondering if he should kiss her. Normally, after every date, he would kiss the girl without a thought. It just came naturally. But this time, Freddy was afraid of something. Something he didn't know and couldn't fight. But then, Freddy's chance was gone as Summer ran up her porch.
As she turned the knob, Summer heard Freddy's voice saying a simple "Good-night, Summer." Even though it was such a normal and simple phrase, it felt something special to Summer. She turned around, ran down the steps and did one of the boldest things she had ever done in her whole life.
She kissed Freddy.
As Summer strained forward on her tippy-toes to touch his lips, Freddy's arms instinctively reached out to steady her waist. Her hands rested daintily on his chest as he bent his head down forward to accommodate her height. Or lack of height. Their lips met and touched each other. It was a child's kiss, full of innocence and purity, but Freddy enjoyed more than any other kiss he had ever had. There was that something he didn't know and couldn't fight. Then slowly, they withdrew from each other, Summer still in Freddy's arms. As the Summer leaned her head against his chest, Freddy hugged Summer tightly, feeling the need to protect her. Suddenly, he felt like talking.
"Summer? I think what they said w…" he whispered in her ear. Wait! Freddy wasn't going to say what he thought he was going to say, was it? Or was it? Did he really think that? If he was, did that mean that he….
"Hmm? Freddy?" Summer said quizzically, her head turned towards his, as Freddy suddenly stopped whispering and stiffened.
"Oh, it's nothing Summer. Just nothing." Freddy smiled reassuringly. Reluctantly, they pulled apart and Summer went up her porch again. As she turned around, she saw that Freddy was already walking away. Suddenly, he turned back and waved. And Summer waved back shyly with a quiet smile painted across her blushing face.
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Woah! It's been LONG since I've written… SORRY! But as you see, I've made it up with a LLLLLOOOONNNNNNNG chapter. Well long for me anyway! Well, I hope you guys liked it! Review, kay?
Luv,
Yun
P.S. I watched raise you voice yesterday, and Hilary Duff was okay, but not the best. BUT I LOVE SLOANNE AND KIWI! THEY ROCK! THEY ARE THE CUTEST CUTEST CUTEST CUTEST! LOVE THE MAKE-OUT SCENE IN THE ROOM WITH ALL THE DRUMS STUFF!
They are really cute.