A/N: Here's Chapter 13, as promised! I hope you enjoy this. Please RR.
CHAPTER 13: Skating Lessons
Our car left as I entered the Roller Rink. I'm guessing that this is a night event because only a few middle school kids were there at the moment. Some were with their parents; some were with their older siblings; and some were with their friends.
I walked around the big rink in the middle of the venue. The Rentals Station was on one side. The snack bar was around the corner and so were the bleachers, tables, and chairs. There were also some people setting up some pink balloons and party stuff. Looks like someone's having a kiddie birthday tonight too.
I bought a soda, and then found a seat and table where I could wait.
Twenty minutes passed.
More and more people were coming in.
Fifteen more minutes passed.
Some middle-schoolers started skating already. Two guys were carrying a big pink cake. They placed it near the balloons and party hats.
Where are the people I'm waiting for?
Ten more minutes.
It was taking too long. My soda was almost finished. I made a decision to leave if the Heffleys didn't show up in 5 minutes.
Four minutes.
I took my last sip of the soda. A minute left and I'll be going back home.
"What's lil' lady Prescott doing here?" a familiar, startling but annoying, voice came up behind me.
"Stop doing that!" I turned and faced him.
"Doing what?" Rodrick sat across me, grabbing my soda that was placed on the table.
"You're always sneaking up behind me. It's annoying," I replied with a frown.
"This is empty!" He threw the soda container, hitting a poor kid sitting on the bench. The kid looked at him, and Rodrick glared, causing the kid to run away in panic.
"You're so mean, just saying," I told him.
"So what are you really doing here? Gonna go skating with your middle school amigos?" he laughed at his own joke.
I was about to answer back when Mrs. Heffley saw me and went to our table, "Oh April! I'm so glad you were able to make it! Thank you so much. I'll be right back." She left us and went somewhere.
"What the heck is going on?" clueless Rodrick asked.
I placed my arms on the table and leaned closer to him. "Rodrick, your mom and my mom are friends, remember? I was literally forced to go here and bond with your family," I said it slowly so he could catch it.
He cursed under his breath, "I'm gonna look for my friends."
Just as Rodrick stood up, Mrs. Heffley, who was carrying two pairs of roller skates, approached our table again and ordered him to sit.
"Now you two, go have fun and skate," she handed us one pair of roller skates each.
I replied, "Mrs. Heffley, you didn't have to-"
"Don't worry, dear. It's fine," she beamed.
"Sorry, I don't really know how to skate so you didn't really need to rent a pair for me," I showed a tiny smile.
"Oh, Rodrick could teach you. Right Rodrick?" she turned to her son.
"What?! No, mom. I don't know how to skate too," he lied. (How did I know that? It was obvious.)
"Rodrick, we went here last month and you were making fun of Greg in the rink because you know how to skate and he doesn't."
"But mom, I'm not in the mood to skate right now!" he whined like a little boy.
"Rodrick," his mom said firmly.
"Mrs. Heffley, you really don't have to force Rodrick to teach me. I mean, I can skate some other time," I said in the most polite way I can.
Rodrick kept nodding in a quick pace, showing that he agrees with me.
Mrs. Heffley sighed and spoke after a few seconds of silence, "I insist. It's going to be fun! Now wear your skates. Chop chop!" she clapped her hands as she turned her back on us and walked away. I guess she was trying to look for Greg.
"Why were you even teasing me about why I'm here, when you're here too?" I questioned Rodrick while I removed my chucks.
"No, I wasn't," he shrugged while putting on his skates.
''Uh, yes you were."
"Nope."
"You're hopeless," I said as I tried to stand up on my skates. I wobbled and sat down again.
"Noob," Rodrick muttered and laughed at me while he was tying the shoelace of one of his roller skates.
"Shut up," I snapped.
This guy is so weird. Yesterday he was all kind to me and now he's acting like nothing happened.
I tried to stand again. Same thing happened. Stupid skates.
Rodrick got up and smoothly skated in front of me, "Piece of cake, Prescott."
I glared at him, while he just stood there and smirked at my actions.
I carefully stood up, holding on to the table for support. "Ha, piece of cake," I kept my voice and my entire body from shaking as I tried to move forward.
"Wo-woah!" I got off-balanced. I almost toppled to the floor when Rodrick held out his arm so I can grasp it.
I looked up at his face that was holding back laughter.
"You really suck at this," he grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the rink.
"Thanks a lot," I muttered sarcastically.
"Hold on the railing. It's designed for newbies like you," Rodrick said as we got on the rink.
I held on to the railing and rolled my eyes while he showed off his skating skills in front of me. I looked at the other kids who were skating. There were a few younger teenagers and middle school kids. I spotted Greg and Rowley, who were also struggling to make it across the rink.
"Hey, come on!" Rodrick called.
He watched me as I coggled my way towards him, letting go of my only support (the railing).
I moved slowly and extended my arms to maintain balance. I started to move faster. I'm actually skating!
"Haha, I can skate now! In your face, Rodrick!" I bragged. My skates rolled faster, too fast actually. I soon lost my balance and stumbled on the floor.
I scowled at him while he laughed hysterically, "You just have to balance. Move your right and left foot, and then skate! I can't believe you couldn't pull off something this easy, Prescott." He stood around 3 feet away from me.
"When I get there, Rodrick Heffley, you are going down," I snarled as I made an effort to stand up.
"Oh really?" he snickered. "Come and get me then," he stayed put on where he was standing and spread his arms like he was vulnerable.
I moved slowly towards him, careful not to lose my balance. But every time I got closer, he stepped backward.
"Hey, stop moving! That's unfair!" I sounded like a little girl being bullied. Well, that's kinda what's happening.
He didn't listen to me. He kept moving back 'til he reached the wall of the rink. He leaned on the railing and watched me as I struggled to make my way towards him. I'm in the middle of the rink, around 5 feet away from him, with nothing to hold on to.
I decided to go with my instincts, so I increased my speed. I was almost there when I slipped and landed face first in front of Rodrick's feet.
He really was entertained with the consequences of my stupidity in skating.
"Fine," I raised my hands when I got up. "I'm done here."
I got ahold of the railing, and I used it to find my way out of the rink. Rodrick's laughing stopped as I got near the exit. He pulled and spun me around, so we were facing each other. He held both of my hands, and started saying stuff like, "Move your left foot. Yeah, that's right."
"Dude what are you doing?" I asked, confused.
"Teaching you," he whispered, but he looked uneasy. "Follow my lead. Left foot-"
I looked to my left and realized that Mrs. Heffley was checking if Greg and Rowley were okay, and if Rodrick was teaching me properly.
I rolled my eyes and followed his instructions anyway. He held my hands tighter and assisted me so I won't fall. His eyes occasionally moved from mine to his right so he could see if his mom was still there.
I was looking down at my feet as he guided me accordingly. I moved my feet - left then right. Wow, Rodrick's teaching me well.
I noticed that Mrs. Heffley left already, but Rodrick hasn't stopped or thrown me away to the other side of the rink yet.
He moved farther from me, so now his arms were extended. But he didn't let go of my hands. He moved back, while I moved forward.
"Yes, that's good," he stopped moving back and commented as I moved my feet and we got closer to each other. And then...
I don't know how it happened. He just looked straight into my eyes, and I was looking at his, and there was just this long, awkward stare. I never noticed how attractive his brown eyes were.
Shoot, no. Did I just say that? Scratch that. Nope. I did not say that, okay?
"Um, what are you doing?" the voice of the middle-schooler snapped us back to our senses.
"Nothing," we both said. Rodrick let go of my right hand, and scratched his head.
Greg frowned, "Okaay? Nevermind. Let's go Rowley."
Rowley shrugged and they tried to move across the rink. Unfortunately, they didn't even make it 2 inches from where they were standing. They just reached for the railing and leaned back.
I noticed that Greg was staring dreamily at something – or someone.
Rodrick probably noticed it too because he pulled me and skated towards the two boys.
He traced where Greg was staring at. "Oh, hahaha, Holly Hills? She'll never talk to you," he snickered and teased his brother.
Greg raised his eyebrow and looked at Rodrick blankly, "Uh, I just talked to her like 4 minutes ago."
"Oh really?" he said sarcastically.
"Yeah so leave me alone. Go skate with your girlfriend or something."
"Ew, Excuse me? I am not his girlfriend!" I butted in.
"Ew, what the hell twerp? She's not my girlfriend. She's not even my friend!" Rodrick said defensively.
"You guys are still holding hands," Greg snorted.
Apparently Rodrick was still holding my left hand since he started teaching me. Both of us realized that just now. We immediately let go of each other's hands and shrugged the thought off.
"No we're not," Rodrick said as he wiped his hand on his jeans.
I was also wiping off the Rodrick germs from my hand by rubbing it on my pants.
Greg rolled his eyes and looked at Rowley. They both shook their heads and Rowley tried not to laugh.
"Whatever," Rodrick leaned closer to Greg. "See that clock over there? They play slow songs at the top of every hour. If you're so confident, ask the girl to skate." he pointed at Holly who was talking to her friends.
Greg's ears perked up. He glanced at the clock. It was already 8:58pm. He whispered stuff to Rowley. I bet they were thinking of a way to get to Holly before the clock strikes 9.
I looked at this Holly Hills... She must be Heather's sister. Their faces resembled each other a lot. I looked around the rink. No sign of Heather. I looked outside the rink, and got a glimpse of her who was standing there, texting, and rolling her eyes on her parents who were saying something to her.
I realized that it was quiet for a long time, and no one was bugging me.
"Rodrick?" I looked over to my left and right. He wasn't there. He just disappeared and left me in the rink.
I skated around, looking for him. Well yeah I did learn a bit of skating from Rodrick, but I'm not yet an expert.
Suddenly this slow, cheesy love song played. "Rockers and hardcore skaters, off the rink. Unless you're looking for love," the DJ said.
The boys in the rink started asking random girls to dance with them. Greg was a standing a few inches behind Holly, though I didn't see how he got there because I was busy looking for Rodrick.
Then I saw him running outside the rink. He saw me. He gestured and mouthed the words, "Wait, I'll be right back."
I narrowed my eyes and whispered "What?! Where are you going?"
He brought up his index finger to his lips and did the "Sshh" sound. He ran again, and I no longer saw where he went.
A few seconds later, the slow song stopped. "Enough of that total lameness, 'cause who's ready to rock?! Yeah!" the DJ screamed from the top and started playing this rock song.
I looked up and saw two people imitating some rock moves – the DJ guy, and... Rodrick.
A swarm of punk rocker skaters, or whatever they're called, invaded the rink in full speed...
Oh. Okay, I get it. Rodrick tricked Greg into getting in the middle of a hardcore rock skating session.
And then I realized that I was also in the rink. Dammit. How will I get out now?
I skated carefully as I tried to make my way towards the exit. I moved left and right to avoid getting hit by these people who were probably the same as my age, or older.
I slipped past the skaters and got nearer and nearer the exit. Then everything happened so fast. When I was about to step out of the rink, someone bumped me hard and I fell on the floor. My leg hit the edge of the rink and I'm just thankful that it didn't break. But it still hurts so much because it was the same leg that got the wound yesterday.
I pushed the floor so I could stand, and then I skated and moved my feet with caution, going back to where we were sitting before we started skating.
I folded up my jeans so I could check on my leg. There was a purple, brownish bruise about the size of half of my hand. It wasn't bleeding but it was very hard to walk.
"Greg Heffley," a woman's voice echoed through the entire venue. "This is your mother," Mrs. Heffley spoke very loud even though she was already using the mic. "Everything is going to be fine. Just stay where you are, and your father will come rescue you. I repeat, everything is going to be okay."
Whoa, that was embarrassing. I looked at Greg who was standing in the middle of the rink. His face was so red from what just happened. The music and all skaters stopped when Mrs. Heffley started talking. Everyone stared at Greg as Mr. Heffley came in and carried him out of the rink. Everyone went back to their own businesses after that.
Since they were in the other side, I didn't really see what happened, but I caught a glimpse of Rodrick appearing out of nowhere and bugging is brother, and Greg getting himself into the cake of the birthday girl.
I ignored all of them for a while and focused on my problem. I decided to change back to my shoes so I'd be ready when I have to go home. I looked under the chair, but my shoes weren't there. I shouldn't have left them here. Another stupid move, April.
I saw some Rodrick's bandmates who were laughing out loud and throwing this pair of black chucks at each other. How the heck did they get ahold of those?! Well yeah it was lying around under the table with Rodrick's shoes... Oh, right. Rodrick! I knew it.
"Hey!" I screamed at them.
They looked at me cluelessly but they didn't respond.
"Give me back my shoes!" I couldn't really stand and skate over there because of my leg.
"Oh, these are yours?" said the short guy with pointy hair. They walked closer and dangled my favorite pair of shoes in the air.
"Are you that dumb? I just told you they're mine!" I crossed my arms and glared at the boys.
"No way will we give these back," the guy with blonde hair said. They laughed crazily at their statement.
"Don't wait 'til I get there." I frowned and gave them the death glare.
There was an abrupt stop in their laughing. They threw the pair of shoes which landed in front of me.
As I was carefully removing my skates, Rodrick came over with a menacing grin.
"Did you see that? Hahaha! That was epic!" he said, proud of what he accomplished.
I didn't answer and just continued with wearing my shoes.
He kept talking about how he did it. It went on for a few minutes til he realized that I wasn't responding.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"You gave my shoes to your bandmates."
"Oh yeah! I thought you'd look for them. Hahaha!"
"I don't see why this is funny."
"It's a prank, duh. It's supposed to be funny."
Very much annoyed already because he didn't realize it yet, I pointed to my bruised leg, "Did you see this?!"
"No, where did that-"
"Well, I got bumped and my leg hit the edge because of your stupid prank on Greg. Now I can't walk properly and this is ALL YOUR FAULT!" I folded my jeans back down after I exploded.
"Oh I didn't mean to-"
"Save it," I said firmly.
"Whatever, Ms. Cranky," he got up and looked for his friends.
A few minutes later, Mrs. Heffley informed me that we'll be having dinner outside. I told her that my parents will pick me up in the roller rink so I have to go back here.
"I already called your mom, April. We'll be bringing you home," she said assuringly.
I nodded as she walked away.
Dinner plus a ride with them. Great. Just great.