19
Amy
Tap. Tap. Tap.
I jolted awake from the rapping sound on my window. With narrowed eyes, I rolled over in my bed and looked at my closed window. To my surprise, Sonic was outside of the glass, knocking his bandage-wrapped knuckles against the surface. I caught a glance at the digital clock on my nightstand as I climbed out of bed. It was five o' clock in the afternoon. I didn't remember falling asleep - not an unusual occurrence lately. I'd been sleeping way more than usual, anxious to escape reality and my intrusive thoughts. I thought I was doing a bit better with the idea of possibly confronting my mom, but then Sonia told me that Sonic had gotten into it with Shadow and Jet.
The tension in school was at an all time high. While Sonic wasn't officially affiliated with the Bloods, they still had his back out of respect for his father. The heir of one of their leaders fighting with two of their enemies set all of them on alert. Everyone was on edge, waiting for something to pop off. The rumor was that Sonic swung without notice or warning, and Shadow and Jet were waiting for the perfect moment to do the same. Sonic didn't seem worried about it; his thoughts appeared to be anywhere but on the situation. All week, he'd been zoning out, intensively thinking about something he hadn't said aloud yet. I didn't push him to talk about it. I knew he'd open up when he was ready. For now, I was just concerned about his safety. Shadow and Jet weren't who they used to be - and I really wished Sonic wouldn't underestimate them.
"Hey," I said as I opened my window. I moved aside, so he could climb inside.
"Are you alright? I've been texting you."
"Yeah, I was asleep. What's up?"
"Silver and his girlfriend invited us to go roller skating with them. Do you wanna go?"
I smiled. "Yeah, I'd love to. Can you give me like an hour to shower and get dressed?"
"Sure." He wrapped his hands around my hips and pulled me close. Gently, he pecked a kiss at my forehead. "I'll be back in an hour."
After he left, I headed into the bathroom to take a quick shower. I avoided looking in the mirror as I dried myself off. The dark clouds were already at the helm of my consciousness, waiting for the right moment to pounce. I did not need another thunderstorm wreaking havoc on my mind - not on a night like tonight. I just wanted to hang out with my friends and have fun. I promised myself we were going to have fun.
In my room, I dressed myself in a burgundy long sleeved baby doll top, a pair of dark wash skinny jeans, and a pair of black UGG boots. I spritz some curl activator on my curls, sprucing up my natural pink curls. Taking a page out of Cat's book, I reached for my small pile of makeup. I added bronze eyeshadow to my eyelids and swiped some liquid eyeliner to create a winged look. Carefully, I coated my eyelashes with mascara. As I was rubbing some magenta colored lipstick on my lips, I had to admit I was quite impressed with myself. I looked really pretty - and it was all thanks to Cat's long lectures about the skills she was learning in her cosmetology program and her observations at the salon.
Smiling, I snapped a mirror selfie and sent her the photo.
She immediately replied.
Cat: You're absolutely gorgeous!
Cat: Where are you off to?
Me: Roller-skating with Sonic.
Cat: Wait, wait, with WHO?
Cat: EXCUSE ME, MA'AM
Cat: AND WHEN WERE YOU GOING TO TELL ME Sonic ASKED YOU OUT?
Me: He literally asked me to go like an hour ago.
Me: He didn't call it a date…
Cat: I just came into his room.
Cat: He's putting cologne on, so it's definitely a date.
Me: You're ridiculous, and I love you.
I grabbed my favorite perfume and sprayed some on my neck and wrists. As I was slipping on my hoop earrings, I saw Sonic lift my window and climb inside.
"I'm gonna fuck up your best friend if she keeps barging into my room like she owns the place," he spoke as he came in. He was clad in his favorite black hoodie with neon graffiti designs splattered across the front and sleeves, dark wash jeans, and a pair of Nike's. His eyes fell on me and a grin spread across his lips. "Don't you look beautiful," he purred.
Blood rushed to my cheeks as he slowly walked towards me. "I just put on a little makeup," I said with a shrug.
His arms slithered around my waist, caging me against him. His head fell onto my shoulder, and he buried his face into my neck. "You smell good too," he whispered, his lips brushing against my skin.
Butterflies swirled in my stomach, tickling my rib cage. My arms rose, looping around his shoulders. "Thanks. So do you."
He pecked a kiss at my cheek as he raised his eyes. His arms released me, and he offered me his hand.
Smiling, I wrapped my fingers around his and allowed him to lead me down the steps.
As we passed the living room, I yelled out to Papa that I'd be home in a few hours. He raised an eyebrow at the sight of Sonic and our intertwined hands as he nodded.
"Oh shit," Sonic said after we walked out the front door. "I forgot something." He towed me over to his porch. "Stay right here. I'll be out in a second." He rushed inside and, as promised, returned after a moment or two. In his hands was his favorite letterman jacket from Tony's gym; it was black with the gym logo of red boxing gloves plastered on the back and Sonic's last name stitched in white cursive on the front.
I looked down at the jacket as he set it over my shoulders. "What's this for?" I asked.
"Just a reminder that I'm still working towards being yours."
Together, we walked across town to the skating rink. On the outside, there was a huge neon pink sign with blinking lights spelling out the name of the rink. Teens and young adults approached from all directions towards the building. Inside, the lobby was a bright neon blue with a sales booth and waiting area for those who were waiting for others to arrive.
Silver , and his girlfriend, were there waiting for us. He and Sonic greeted each other with a brief handshake. Blaze sent me a sincere smile. She was a beautiful girl with a head full of kinky black curls that was currently tamed in a high Afro-puff, dimples in her cheeks, and voluptuous curves. "Hi, I'm Blaze," she said, offering her hand.
Shaking it, I said, "I'm Amy. It's nice to meet you."
"You're really pretty; your eyes are gorgeous!"
I smiled. "Thanks - you're beautiful too. I love your hair!"
She patted her curls, her smile widening. "Thanks! It took a lot of Shea Moisture products, Gorilla Glue and strength to pin it up like this." She tilted her head. "What do you use for your hair? It's so long!"
"Uh, Shea Moisture and Cantu, mostly. A lot of leave-in conditioner and curl-activator; my curls dry out really fast. My best friend helps me manage it; she's in a cosmetology program at school, and she uses me as her guinea pig all the time."
"Is she looking for another person to experiment on? Because I'd love some tips on how to take better care of my hair. I usually wear it in braids, but I'm letting it breathe for a few more weeks."
"Oh, always! I'll give you her number, and the two of you can chat." I pulled up Cat's number on my phone and showed Blaze.
She quickly typed Cat's number into her phone.
Distracted by our conversation, we hadn't realized the boys had left our sides to head into the sales line. They were laughing when I looked over at them, Sonic gently shoving Silver 's shoulder.
"Do you go to school with Silver and Sonic?" Blaze asked, content waiting for the boys in our current spot.
"Yeah; I'm in the grade below them. Cat, the friend I was telling you about, is Sonic's sister. I live next door to them."
"Oh, that's nice!"
"Where do you go to school?"
"St. Mary's Prep; it's down near Finnegan Road."
"Oh yeah, I've heard of that school! Do you like it?"
She shrugged. "Yeah; it's nice. It could be a little more diverse, but I like it otherwise."
"How did you meet Silver ?"
"I met him at one of Sonic's matches a while ago. We grabbed food that night, and-"
"She's been my girl ever since," Silver finished, throwing his arm over Blaze's shoulders. He grinned at me. "I see Sonic finally grew a pair of balls and asked you out. So what's the deal: are y'all boyfriend and girlfriend now?"
"Not yet," I answered.
Sonic came to my side, being a few steps behind Silver . "She's making me do the whole 'make it official' bullshit."
Silver laughed. "Damn. She's really tying your ass down, isn't she?"
I looked at Blaze. "You made Silver formally ask you to be his girlfriend, right?"
"Of course," Blaze replied. She held up her hand to show off the Pandora bracelet with a heart clasp. "He complained about it too, but he did it."
"I would give Sonic some time, Amy," Silver said. "He's probably going to need to grow another set of balls before he can ask you to be his girlfriend."
Sonic kicked at his friend. "Shut up, esé."
I giggled as he towed me towards the neon orange locker room.
We all picked up our roller skates and locked our belongings in a locker. With our skates on, we wobbled out into the dark main area of the rink.
Loud music boomed through the speakers, rumbling through our ears. The skating floor was a large wooden circle with dark hallways that were lit with neon colored shapes scattered across the wall. The hallways were a maze of sorts, each a different tunnel that circled around the building and led back out into the large wooden circle. People could come in and out of the pathways, exiting and entering different areas of the circle as they did so. The room itself was lit with multi-colored neon lights and flashing strobe lights. A DJ booth sat within the wall above the skating floor, playing popular pop and hip hop music. Arcade games lined the perimeter of the
sitting area with benches littering the space. Beside the sitting area was a concession area with cushioned booths and glowing overhead menu.
Sonic wasted no time tugging me onto the skating floor.
I held onto his arm for dear life at first, still wobbly on the roller skates. I hadn't been roller skating since middle school. The clunky wheels under my feet felt both familiar and foreign.
Sonic didn't seem to mind my grip on his forearm. He towed me along with him into one of the hallways.
I looked around at the colorful shapes around us in awe. The songs corresponded with the lights, changing colors and pulsing in unison to the mood and beats. I watched the colors change from a bright, flashing blue to a gentle purple that faded in and out as the songs changed. By the time we reached the end of the tunnel, I felt more comfortable on my skates. Slowly, I let go of Sonic's arm and glided a few meters ahead of him. The wind against my face, and the smooth movement beneath my feet made me feel like I was flying.
Sonic's fingers wrapped around my hand as he returned to my side. He tugged me closer and pressed a kiss at my temple. "Do you wanna play a game?" He asked.
"Sure. How do you play?"
He lightly poked me in my ribs. "Tag, you're it," he said before taking off into one of the hallways.
Giggling, I raced after him. It took me a few minutes to catch up to him. His dark attire helped him blend against the crowds of people, but the colors on his hoodie were distinct under the ultraviolet lights. I found him cruising a few feet ahead of me, glancing over his shoulder every so often.
His eyes caught mine as I approached him. Grinning, he accelerated, ducking out of the hallway and entering the crowd on the main floor.
I weaved in between the couples and groups of friends on the floor. My eyes stayed on Sonic as he whipped around the masses.
He made an abrupt turn into another one of the hallways, and I followed him. This hallway was much emptier, so it was easier to catch up to him.
"Tag, you're it!" I exclaimed as I tapped him on the back of the shoulder.
He chuckled as I hurried to run away on my skates.
It didn't take long for Sonic to catch up to me. I wasn't as fast as he was on the skates. Within minutes, he was at my side, poking me in the ribs again. He held up the middle finger as he skated away and disappeared into the crowd.
We chased, and tagged, each other for about an hour. I was on the search for Sonic
when I felt his arms wound around my waist.
"Truce for a second," he yelled over the booming music. "I'm hungry! Do you want something to eat?"
"Sure!" I intertwined our hands and followed him to the concession area.
Sonic paid for a large order of cheese fries for us to share, a few slices of pizza, and two drinks. I helped him carry our dinner to an empty booth against the wall furthest from the rink.
"Damn you're fast," I sighed as I sat down. I leaned back against my seat. "I'm ready for a nap."
He smirked. "You can take a nap right here, mamas," he said, patting his lap.
I rolled my eyes. "You're annoying."
"Isn't that why you like me?"
I shook my head, trying to fight the smile that tugged at my lips.
We ate in a peaceful silence, enjoying the music blaring from the speakers. Shortly after we finished, we threw our trash away and headed back out onto the rink.
Sonic didn't make me chase him this time. Instead, he held my hand and skated around the maze with me. I was grateful for the slower, more romantic pace. I enjoyed holding his hand as we glided across the glossy wooden floor. My smile stayed on my face without much effort. For once, I was sincerely happy. Simply skating around with the boy I loved summoned small balls of light to my tummy, adding warmth to the fluttering butterflies. I didn't want the night to end. I just wanted to continue blissfully roaming around brightly lit hallways with the handsome boy next door.