Chapter 3 'The Third Visit Part I'
The front wheel of the bicycle clanged against his dad's toolbox placed haphazardly on the floor. Zach immediately froze and muttered a string of hushed curses under his breath. He was well on his way out the side door of the garage at 11 PM, trying his best to channel his inner Tom Cruise and pull off this Mission Impossible- level scheme.
"Hurry up!" he heard Magenta whisper-shout at him from the bushes through the open door.
He took a deep breath and lifted his bike over the obstruction and wheeled it out onto the path that would lead him past the trash cans and towards the side gate. Magenta scurried out from the foliage and trailed behind him. Once he opened the back gate, he and Magenta rolled the bike down the driveway and onto the sidewalk. And once they were out of view from any of his house's windows, he mounted the bike and Magenta hopped onto his basket before shapeshifting into a guinea pig. Then, they fucking booked it down the street.
His adrenaline was pumping the more distance he was putting between him and his house. Holy shit. He was actually doing this. How the hell did he fucking end up sneaking out of his house the night before a really big test with Magenta riding shotgun? Actually gambling with the notion that his dad would punish him with the force and fury of Satan himself if he found out?
Well…
Since coming back from the hospital, Zach had started seeing a therapist. It had been awkward at first- it was not as if he hadn't been vocal about his feelings before- he could talk up his friends no problem. But it was just weird doing it for a person he had never met before. It took a couple of sessions until he could really delve into the nature of his problems.
Therapy was a surprise. He was learning more and more about himself every time he went. It was kinda strange but affirming to realize the stuff he would hyper-fixate on and overthink things, just anticipating things that might not happen every time he would go to school was all due to his anxiety. It had explained so much.
It wasn't until about a month after the locker room incident with Dwayne that his therapist, as well as Stephanie suggested that it was about time to report what happened to the school. Although nothing as bad happened since then, Dwayne was still managing to reign terror on his life in smaller ways. All the guy had to do was round the corner and bump into him for Zach to feel a hint of a chill on the back of his neck.
Zach did eventually manage to gain enough courage to go through with it, especially after having told his friends about his anxiety, and knowing that they, Stephanie, and, for once, his dad had his back he felt more emboldened to walk into the principal's office on Monday morning.
Principal Powers had been as understanding as she was quick to dish out a prolonged detention sentence- and suspension he later found out- for Dwayne. Turned out, after listening to Zach's story and digging into the conflicting testimonies of staff whereabouts- Dwayne was found guilty of impersonating several staff members in order to get test answers as well as extorting other students.
And apparently word had gotten around that Dwayne was going down for all of his crimes, which got other students to also come forward in hopes that it would extend his suspension in order to at least finish out midterm season without him. Zach felt kind of shitty for not having come forward before now knowing other people have suffered because of Dwayne, but his therapist had explained that it had been Dwayne's fault for putting him in a difficult situation.
Principal Powers knew how to carry out the situation with the utmost discretion, so Dwayne himself had never been in the same room as Zack or the other victims while they were making their statements- so their freaking tormentor never knew who it was that first blew the whistle on him.
Needless to say, Dwayne was out of their lives for now. But with the knowledge of Zach being the one to have had the hand in that being a need-to-know information for his friends, his friends were out there making sure he was all good and that Dwayne's friends weren't giving him trouble. Will had been inviting Zach and Ethan over a lot more to play video games, Layla had been growing some strawberries, his favorite, at various times while they waited for the bus- little stuff like that to cheer him up and to put his mind at ease.
Zack could see how other people could find this stifling or would say they were babying him- but he didn't mind. The weeks preceding the locker room incident, he had felt so isolated. He was the kind of guy who thrived when he was socializing, hanging out and talking to people, so he welcomed the company and attention wholeheartedly.
The whole Dwayne situation resulted in them hanging out more at the mall (where he was constantly trying to scope out that Santo and Johnny record) or at the Paper Lantern, mostly catching Warren at the end of his shift and just eating the food in takeout boxes out in the parking lot. Magenta had been there for some of it. She mostly could make the day trips like the mall or hanging out at either one of the groups' places but she couldn't stay for too long.
Speaking of the shapeshifter- even though he and Magenta didn't have a lot of one-on-ones at school, ever since the night of his last panic attack, he would be treated with a weird, random text from Magenta from time to time. Due to Halloween vast approaching in a week, he had recently received a picture of a glow stick at Spirit with the caption 'it's you'.
It was ridiculous, but it had made him smile.
Zack was currently holed up in his room, probably the first time in a while that he didn't have his friends over or be over at any of their places. Oh, what he would give to play Call of Duty at Will's right about now. But since he had a very important midterm the next day, he had to make sure he knew the material.
He had been cautiously optimistic right around when Dwayne had been suspended, just waiting for the other shoe to drop. But fuck it, he was in such a good mood lately, and the medication he was taking had been helping, and even though he was subjected to looking at inequalities and variables for the rest of the night- he didn't know, he just felt like he was on top of the world.
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five was blasting through his speakers (at an appropriate volume as to not piss his dad off). The bubbly melody- sampled from the Tom Tom Club, was oddly reminiscent of that Orange Juice song he had been listening to the night Magenta broke into his room. It turned out to be yet another opportune time for it to play because right at Kidd Creole's verse, he heard tapping on his window.
Zach couldn't hide the smile that grew on his face. He tossed the pencil he had been holding aside and rubbed his hands together, psyching himself up. It had been a while since Magenta paid him a visit, and he couldn't help but look forward to whenever she would come by.
After the weeks of hanging with everyone as a group on the weekends and everything, he had been itching to have some alone time with her. Although the last time she had come by unannounced was marked by a low point in his life, he would often think about those minutes when their hands were entwined and they were huddled near his bed, hearing the sound of her voice- if anything was worth reliving that day, it would be that...
Fuck. He sounded like a sap. He needed to play this differently.
He needed to be more cool and confident. Lately, he couldn't help but be more self-conscious around Magenta whenever Warren was around, who was the poster boy for cool and confidence. He wasn't blind, he could see that they were more each other's type if it weren't for the fact he was dating Bridget, the one with the icy powers.
They were also both huge bookworms, often exchanging books and book recommendations. Sometimes at lunch, Warren would say something so deep about postmodernism literature or some shit like that, and Magenta would say something like, 'Respect, man,' and it just- ugh, it would get Zach's blood boiling sometimes.
And he didn't mean to. He liked Warren, he was a standup guy, but Zach knew he couldn't compare sometimes; he wasn't some deep poem junkie or some brooding buff like that, but he couldn't help but think that Magenta would rather be talking to Warren, would rather be climbing through the hothead's window instead of his…
He rolled his chair over to the window and slid it open, ready to be just as snarky and sarcastic as Warren, "A knock, that's a change-" he began but fell over backwards when he saw that Magenta was not alone. He landed on the floor to the sounds of her laughter.
Great start.
"Oh my god, Zach! Are you okay?" The surprise guest popped her head into the room and he saw her face framed by swinging red braids.
Zach popped back up, brushing himself off and kicking his desk chair aside, "Oh hey! Layla! I'm fine. All good. All good," He took in the sight of her and Magenta, elbows perched on his windowsill, staring innocently up at him, completely unaware that she was crashing his party.
"Whatcha…. Whatcha doin' here?" He was so badly trying to be normal while at the same time shooting looks at Magenta who merely shrugged. He could tell she was taking some sort of pleasure from pulling one over him.
The redhead was sporting her usual braids with daisies intertwined in her locks and was matching Magenta with a baggy sweatshirt, most likely Will's, but unlike Magenta, she was super apologetic about coming over unannounced, "Hey, so sorry to drop in like this, but apparently Magenta said this was a way to sneak 'contraband'" she mimed the quotes, "into your house. Also I needed some help bringing it up here."
Zach zeroed in on a box she had beside her. He gulped, forgetting Plan Cool for second, "Layla, if you're telling me you found a way to grow weed, I don't think I can handle that right now, especially when I-" and he locked eyes with Magenta "-we," he gestured to the both of them to Layla, "got a big test tomorrow."
Layla scrunched her nose at the thought, "No, silly," Then she lifted the box and balanced it on the sill until Zach was able to haul it inside and put it on his bed, "this is for you."
He opened it and was gobsmacked, "No way."
Inside were records. Just a whole bunch of records. He eagerly, but carefully, picked each of them up inspecting the sleeves, admiring the cover art and reading the sticker labels on the corner- a way to organize them by genre by the looks of it.
"I know you've been trying to replace your mom's record. And I know this isn't it, but my mom and dad were going through their stuff and they had all these other records from their travels. I thought you'd want to have them."
He sifted through the different records, "Egyptian reggae? Japanese funk?,"
He was in such awe, that he didn't care that none of these were that Santo and Johnny record. He knew there was this global influence he wanted to tap into, but he wasn't sure where to start. There were so many records from different countries, some of the sleeves he couldn't even read because they were in a different language altogether, "Damn, Layla your folks went to a lot of cool places."
"They were eco and animal activists that traveled all over with an organization. It's actually how they met,"
His shoulders drooped. This box had so much history. It was almost too valuable for him to have. He couldn't possibly-
"Are you sure they don't need these anymore?"
Layla waved it off, "Nah. They did keep their favorites. We're trying to clear out our basement to make this cool greenhouse/lab thing for my parents to work in,"
He leaned over the window and wrapped the resident hippie in a warm hug, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"Consider it an early, early birthday present," She gave some friendly pats on his back before breaking the hug. She turned to Magenta, beaming, "Thanks for bringing me up, M."
"You sure you wanna head back by yourself?"
"Yeah. I got it," Layla shot her friends a wink, which made Zach put up a mental reminder to ask what that was about. Then, she summoned a thick branch from the nearby tree her way and she hopped on board, "See ya guys tomorrow."
Magenta and Zach watched Layla walk onto the branches with ease before safely hopping off the tree and darting towards the street, but not before happily waving at the two.
"Early, early birthday present, huh," Magenta remarked while crawling through the window. She held a hand out to try to steady herself while bringing her other foot around, but Zach grabbed it making it easier for her to get in.
With both feet on the ground now, Magenta raised an eyebrow before letting go, most likely refraining from making a sarcastic comment of how gentlemanly the gesture was.
"Uh yeah, it's a week after Halloween," He went for the bed rather than his chair this time so he could browse through the new additions to the collection. He plopped down, kneeling in front of the box. Magenta went to sit on the chair, sliding it back towards his desk.
"Hmm… good to know," she said, almost absentmindedly while glancing over the practice sheets and notes on his desk with more interest.
"Are you dressing up for Halloween?"
"Not sure yet,"
"Weren't you just at Spirit?"
"Yeah, getting a costume for my little brother. He wants to be a Power Ranger,"
Well that was new. "Didn't know you had a little brother,"
"He's in 5th grade, so it's a big deal for him," She shook her head before standing up and joining him in checking out Layla's gift, "Any luck finding the record?"
"Yeah, the store near the 7-Eleven had it. But I'm practically broke so… gotta find a way to raise some money,"
"Don't you get an allowance?"
"Nope. My dad thinks since we're family, he doesn't have to pay me,"
"What a dick,"
"I just use Christmas cash from grandma when I go to the mall. I blow it on new music anyway,"
"How much is the record?"
He set a record down then blew a raspberry, "60 bucks?"
"Well shit,"
"Turns out the record I broke was one of their lesser known albums. And it was a special edition. The store is gonna hold it for me for a few days but after that- not sure," Just his fucking luck.
"Hmm… have you thought about trading any one of these for it? Some music stores buy old CDs and records and stuff, or you can exchange it for in-store credit,"
Zach vehemently shook his head, "Layla gave me these. I just can't…"
He wasn't sure if he was coming from a music lover's standpoint or he was just super sentimental, but you couldn't just give away music that's been gifted to you. If someone had taken the time and money to curate a collection- it was special and meant a great deal to them at one point.
One of the last things his mom did was pass down her collection on to him, he took keeping guard of her music seriously. And now that Layla's parents have indirectly gifted their collection to him, he wanted to take good care of it too.
"I didn't get a chance to listen to them yet. What if I find something golden in here?"
Magenta crossed her arms, "Okay, then let's just listen through some of them. If there's a record you're not a fan of- we can set it aside later," Zach opened his mouth to argue, but she went on, "Just in case! You need that money, Glowworm." Then she picked a random record, one that looked like it didn't have dust on it, and went to his player on his desk to switch with Grandmaster Flash.
"It'd make the studying go by faster, but I'm not gonna sell anything!" He went to sit down at his desk. He thought about asking the shapeshifter if she wanted to study with him, since it's for their class but all of the sudden the room roared to life with trumpets and a hearty laugh. The bluesy rhythm that followed made him jump to his feet. It sounded so familiar.
"Wait a minute, I've heard this one before," He closed his eyes and swayed, not caring if Magenta was staring, he just needed to remember where he heard this from.
She read from the record sleeve, "Um… It says it's The Sunglows,"
"I know that, but… " Then it hit him, "The Tubthump."
Magenta was confused, "The Chumbawamba song?"
"No," Zach looked at her, surprised, "You've never been? It's that diner over on Koepenn, it's been there since forever. It's near that really dingy gas station."
She shrugged, "Seen the gas station. Don't really get around town a lot. Not really familiar with that part of town."
"It's pretty cool. It used to be a bowling alley,"
And the last time he checked, it was bowling themed too. He remembered the food was pretty good, but the milkshakes were ingrained in his memory, they were legendary and they would always add more whipped cream than he could consume. He had gone there all the time when he was younger, not as much these days. He found himself getting excited at the thought of going again.
Then he had a crazy idea. A ballsy idea that someone who was cool and confident could be sure to pull off.
"It opens till really late,"
Magenta smirked, immediately getting what he was hinting at, "Glowworm, are you seriously considering sneaking out of the house? I mean- "She pointed to his studying setup on his desk, "there's that. And aren't you in a bit of a financial bind right now?"
Then it was his turn to shrug, "It's whatever. A couple milkshakes wouldn't hurt. I'm willing to part with some cash if it means taking you to, like, the coolest spot in town."
Magenta eyed the notes on his desk as well as the door. "You sure?"
"That's not a no," He tried to shift focus.
"That's not an answer,"
He knew that he should be working on midterms right now and there was the known fact between the two of them that he had never snuck out of the house before. The threat of his dad grounding him until graduation was too great for him to risk it. But, this was his chance to show that he could do something as rebellious and be nonchalant about it.
Also, he kind of wanted to make it up to Magenta after what she did to bring him down from his panic attack. And he also felt bad that she constantly had to leave early and miss out on stuff they were doing as a group.
And, the milkshakes were the bomb and he was kinda craving them.
Zach smiled and nodded, "I'm sure," he lied.
It didn't seem like she fully believed him but she decided to go with it, "Then, yeah. I'm in," And she made a move for the window, but then stopped and swiveled around, "But how are we gonna get there? Koepenn is too far to walk."
The blonde scrunched his face into an almost wince but was trying to smile for Magenta's benefit- he knew how, but he could easily get caught before he could even leave the house. But what the hell.
"How about a moonlit bike ride?"
*******
It had been a 20 minute trip to the diner. On the way there, Magenta had to change back halfway through, apparently the basket was not super comfortable and seeing as it didn't have guinea-pig seatbelts- it had proved to have been a real bumpy ride for her. Unfortunately, in the process of her shape shifting back into human size, she had broken the basket, which had Zach stop the bike to help Magenta off the ground.
Her easy solution had been to ride on his handlebars, which had Zach nearly crash into light poles. Not because he couldn't see with a person obstructing his field of vision. But because Magenta had to lean back to rest on his shoulder and hold her legs up in order to not get caught by the wheel, but in trying to keep balance, her face was insanely close to his.
This led to many, many, lapses of judgement when maneuvering the bike.
They rolled up to the place at around 11. The Tubthump was nestled between other businesses in this sort of small town-esque shopping plaza but it had a great number of trees around it too. It turned out that the statement of the diner having been renovated from a bowling alley was partly true. It had been this huge building but most of it was forced to be torn down to make room for the other businesses. But it was still larger than most diners he had come across and was also a circular building which Zach thought was kinda cool.
What more could Zach say about the place. It was set up in usual diner fashion- illuminated with blues, pinks, and reds in its neon glory. It was actually how you could tell it was the Tubthump from a mile away at this time at night as well the tall sign with its giant pink arrow directing more of your attention towards the joint.
Magenta hopped off just as he locked the bike up, having grabbed his chain lock before heading into the garage and sneaking out. He held the door open for her and they strolled in. There were quite a number of patrons in the diner from the looks of it, as if it wasn't close to midnight on a Thursday night.
"How come this place is busy this late?" Magenta asked as she slowly took in the crazy sight that was the Tubthump. The whole place was, ironically, bowling themed, with bowling pin shaped clocks, framed pictures of the lanes back in the day, and since it was a circular building, the bar area was just one big circle, with the fountain sodas, beverage fridges, and the waitresses working the register in the center.
Zach whistled. He thought his memory embellished a few things but damn, it was just as great as it was when he was kid. The vibe might have been different- there was this kind of restlessness in the air. Then he noted the officers in uniform taking station on the barstools, looking beat, "It's the only place in town all night. I guess a lot of cops and other night owls come here for a bite." He surmised but wasn't too sure. He had never been here at this hour.
The bar looked busy so they slid in a booth overlooking the street and a waitress came by to take their milkshake order. Chocolate for Zach and strawberry for Magenta. Both with whipped creams and cherries on top, which they agreed was the real way to take a shake.
While they were waiting, Zach decided to bring up the subject of his box of new records, "So, why did you bring Layla to my roof?"
"Like she said: contraband. I had a feeling your dad wouldn't be too stoked about you having more music in the house,"
Zach let a little laugh. He himself had forgotten that detail, but he should have known to leave it up to Magenta to catch that detail from the first time she had snuck into his room, "You're not wrong."
Speaking of music, he recalled something else from his times in the diner. He craned his neck to try to search for it and found it right where it had been all those years ago, "There's the jukebox. Where I heard the song from the record you played."
"Shit. I've only seen those in movies,"
They immediately headed over to the opposite side of the room. It was more angular, less like the ones that the ones Magenta had mentioned would be in movies. Upon a closer look, the jukebox looked like it had seen better days. It had been collecting a little dust on the acrylic covering. Didn't look like it had been recently played but it was still plugged in, seeing how the lights were still on.
Zach was able to find the song he had heard in his room. He took out a quarter and slid it in the slot but was able to find some more coins in his pockets and ended up putting them in as well as selecting some more songs while he was at it. Then the trumpets and the bluesy beats flowed out of the machine no problem.
The previous somber mood in the diner seemed to dissipate with the addition of the bop. A couple people raised their heads and stared at the jukebox, some probably having forgotten that that thing even worked.
Then, the waitress came back with their milkshakes and signaled to the two from the other side of the room. Taking their cue, they returned to the table, amidst a few stares from the other patrons, and got to work on their milkshakes.
Zach drank through the straw and immediately tasted the sweet, sugary goodness. His memory had undersold it.
He watched Magenta take a sip and her eyes grew wide. Seemed to be a hit with her too. He then did what he usually did with his milkshakes and plucked the candied cherry and dipped it in his shake before taking it in his mouth. He must have been putting on a bit of a show with his weird ritual because he caught the shapeshifter watching him intently.
He raised an eyebrow and it had seemed to snap Magenta back to normal. He could have sworn she was getting red in the face but it was hard to discern with the low lighting inside the diner and the bright neon lights from outside.
"Um… uh I was trying to figure out how I knew that song,"She began, realizing it had been getting a bit too quiet between them, "The Fugees song. Turns out my mom had the Roberta Flack album. She heard it growing up too."
"Huh, no kidding,"
"There was that other song she did. Heard that in that Clint Eastwood movie where some crazed girl got obsessed with a radio DJ and was out to kill him," She then made the move to scope out for potential threats, "So watch out." She joked.
Zach shook his head, laughing nervously, "I'm not a DJ."
"You look like one to me,"
"Still haven't set up my stream yet,"
The girl across from him made another sweep around the room, "You don't see it?" she said incredulously, "all these people who love your jukebox songs?"
Zach followed her gaze around the room and saw a couple of the police officers bobbing their head to the beat of the song- the music having had changed a few seconds ago from The Sunglows to the Delegations, more of a slow and sensual kind of vibe.
He did hear a couple of noises of approval and recognition, other people inching towards the jukebox to look at the title of the song. Even an older couple who had been sitting a few tables away had even gotten up to engage in a slow dance near the jukebox. It was a bit magical, Zach had to admit.
"I mean, it's songs that the jukebox already has," he brushed off. It would have been more impressive producing new tracks, all he was doing was playing other people's hits.
"Yeah, but you seem to know what to pick. Gauging the room. Some real nostalgia shit you got going on, cuz you have me remembering a CD my mom used to play when I was a kid and haven't thought about that shit in years."
Zach kept looking around the diner, still in awe that the songs in the jukebox had flipped some sort of switch. People were having more animated conversations. "Seems like they're remembering good times, I guess."
Magenta pursed her lips then decided to change the subject, "First time sneaking out, huh. How is it?"
"Don't really wanna make it a habit though. You sort of kinda met my old man. You know how he'd get though,"
"Yeah," Magenta took another sip of his shake, getting dangerously close to the bottom of the glass, "But your stepmom has always been cool when we come over. Her snacks," She mimicked a chef's kiss, "Like this fucking shake."
"You know she covered for you at the hospital?"
"You're giving me more reasons to love her,"
"She's great. Really," Zach sighed, "But it was my mom who actually brought me here when I was younger. Was our spot and they always played good music. She would get a peppermint shake- she said she liked how extra chilly it was going down her throat. Never got it. We always went after piano lessons too,"
"You play piano?" Magenta seemed to be amazed by that fact.
"Used to. I tried to continue with the lessons but my dad… wanted other things for me."
"I get it. It's always dads isn't it? Why do we have a problem with our dads?"
"You too?"
"I mean, generally. Like everyone's got 'daddy issues'," The girl hastily went on to slurp the rest of her shake.
Zach was getting a better grasp on the girl's tells, he continued to press, "Maj." he said in a knowing tone.
She lifted her head. "Yeah," she sighed.
"What does he do?"
"Let's just say, he's super overprotective but kinda clueless when it comes to other stuff. How does it feel though, rebelling against your dad right now?"
"Fucking scary. But liberating. Feels… good," He played with his straw, churning the remnants of the whipped cream, "I mean, wouldn't you know? I'm pretty sure your folks wouldn't be too happy, you sneaking into a boy's room and all. Going to a part of town you don't know," he teased.
"Yeah, but I never got any satisfaction from it. I don't know. I mean, I can't say that really. I'm having… a pretty good time," She threw a smile his way and it nearly made him glow… literally, "But," she continued in a more serious manner, "sneaking out was never something I took pride in. I mean, I could rebel against every fucking institution from here to I don't know, New York City. But the thought of going against my dad…"
"You afraid of him?"
"No… I just feel bad for him," she furrowed her eyebrows and divulged further "I think when you know too much or seen too much of your parents- it's a little hard to be afraid of them…. Or even be mad at them. I guess that's why rebelling against them… just seems so pointless to me if it's not coming from a place of wanting to piss them off. What upsets them… upsets me too in a way,"
"Then why do you do it?"
"I do it for them, I guess. It's…," she trailed off. There was something she didn't want to talk about just yet. But Zach was learning more and more about her than what he thought was possible.
"I didn't know you were that close with your family,"
His remark made her scoff, "Me neither… until now."
The revelation barely had time to be registered among the two of them when suddenly a man approached their table.
"Excuse me, young man," Zach turned to face the guy. He was a balding gentleman with a hulky figure. He had grease stains on his shirt and a towel over his shoulder. It appeared as if he might have emerged from the back where the kitchen was, "Did you pick those songs?"
"Uh… yeah?" Zach's heart started to race, was he not supposed to have used the jukebox. He didn't want to get in trouble. He knew he was gonna get some sort of comeuppance for sneaking out.
"You know those songs?" The man continued with his hands on his hips. He didn't seem to be showing signs of hostility, merely curious on how a boy this young was able to pick more of the obscure songs rather than the Four Tops or Frankie Vallli.
"How could I not know The Sunglows?"
The big man broke out into a toothy grin and gave a strong pat on Zach's shoulder, nearly rocking him into the table, "Damn, did ya hear that Rose? This kid knows the greats!" The woman working the register nodded and gave a thumbs up, eyes not leaving the register, "Play another one for us. You got taste, kid."
Zach let out a breathless laugh in disbelief, not really sure this moment was real. Everything about this place, maybe even this time of day, when everything just seemed like a dream. He was getting requests, someone wanted him to play them something, and he thought he had good taste in music. Like what the hell was even happening.
"I would, sir," he began politely, "but I'm all out of coins."
The man immediately fished for some change in his pocket and nearly the quarters on the table "Aight, here ya go. We trust ya."
The guy seemed to be speaking for the diner because other people who had overheard the conversation were giving signs of encouragement. He almost sunk further into his seat from all the attention, getting a bit of performance anxiety. Then, he threw a glance back at Magenta who was also basically telling him to go for it.
"Are you sure?" He said to the man who just kept on nodding. Zach got up with a round of light applause and he gave a weak wave to his… fans? He walked up to the jukebox with a sense of pressure on his shoulders.
He spent more time than he should flipping through the songs and seeing which one would make a great addition. He ended up choosing the Bad Seeds and it would follow it up with something a bit newer with ELO.
Once he heard the guitar strums of the first song, the diner's energy was renewed once again- many others recognizing the song, probably thinking it had been originally a Ramones song.
He received some high fives from the other patrons on his way back to his and Magenta's table.
"I love this song!" The big guy exclaimed, "Like those songs that are sad but it hurts so good, ya know? I listened to this song when I needed to try and get over a gal. You really know how to pick 'em. I got about 100 songs in that box, I forget what we even have in there. I sometimes swap some out with some current shit, but I haven't seen nobody pick the tunes as you have," He observed the young teen with newfound admiration, "Who are ya, kid?"
"I'm Zach," He held his hand out and the man eagerly shook it.
"Nice to meet ya Zach. And this lovely lady here?" He addressed the shapeshifter.
She shook the man's hand as well. "Magenta,"
"Shit, were your parents Mr. and Mrs. Crayola or somethin'?"
"I'm set to inherit the crayon empire once I become of age," She went off without missing a beat.
The man whistled, clearly smitten with the girl's quick wit and sense of humor. Me too, buddy, Zach thought.
"You two are quite the pair. I'm the owner, Martinez. You can call me Teeny," Then he leaned closer to the two and whispered: "Anything you guys want, it's on the house."
"Uh w-wow thanks," Teeny apparently had to help run the kitchen that night and left in a bit of a hurry.
The teens gawked at the man's retreating form before sharing a laugh. Magenta raised her glass at Zach as if to toast him, "Look at you. Haven't been here for 30 minutes and you already got sway with management,"
He lifted his right back at her, "What can I say, I got sway." To his surprise, Magenta giggled at that.
"So… uh, you have a brother. Must be nice to have a sibling around," Zach had always wanted siblings growing up. He figured it would have been fun, to have someone to play with while dad was busy at work.
"Must be nice not having to share snacks, toys, a bathroom, etc." she retorted. It was a fair point, ""And two. Got a sister."
"Oh. What's she like?"
"She's a raging bitch," She deadpanned, "Believe it or not, I'm the nice one in my family."
"I'd pay to see that,"
"Hold your horses, you barely covered shakes,"
"Well… a gentleman should always pay,"
"Pay next time, once you get your financials in order. Teeny got you this time,"
His breath hitched, "Next time?" he whispered, trying not to sound too hopeful.
She took a bite out of her cherry, but he could see her eyes twinkle in earnest. They sat there, engaged in this one look and like the other day sitting and listening to her talk, Zack felt like he could bask in this moment forever.
A/N:
I know I deviated from the 5 times plus 1 format, but I like writing lengthy chapters and wanted to have more Zack and Magenta moments. So technically you're getting two chapters in this update rather than one. You're welcome :)
Also the new records that Zach gets from Layla was roughly inspired by the Youtube Channel 'My Analog Journal' that plays a lot of cool records from different countries around the world. I highly recommend checking it out, good playlists of songs to jam out or chill to.
Songs Mentioned:
'It's Nasty' by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
'It's Okay' by The Sunglows
'Oh Honey' by The Delegations
'Can't Seem to Make You Mine' by the Bad Seeds
'Sweet Talkin' Woman' by Electric Light Orchestra (ELO)