I climbed into Cameron's station wagon and smiled. "Where are we going?" I asked, looking at his pale face. I was nervous, talking deliberately, but I was nothing compared to Cameron.
"Carter's Fun House?" Cameron suggested. It was an arcade/ pizza buffet downtown. It was in a newly renovated, worn out building that had once been a clothes factory.
"Sure," I said, shrugging, "I love that place." We drove a couple miles from Lindsay's downtown home. We pulled into the crowded parking lot or CFH and climbed out.
We walked to the buffet. Cameron loaded his plate with pasta, pizza, and a little bit of salad. I grabbed a few breadsticks and a water bottle. We sat down in the fifties style dining room and ate while a rerun of I Love Lucy played on an old TV.
"Is that all you're going to eat?" Cameron asked.
I blushed. It'd been two years since I'd undergone treatment for anorexia but my habits weren't back to normal. I nodded, smiling.
"Okay," Cameron said, shrugging, "We should go play skee-ball."
I smiled brilliantly. "Yes!" I love ski-ball. "I own at that game!"
"Oh yeah?" he said, pulling a cocky smile, "Me too."
"It's on!" I exclaimed. I put my plate and tray up before practically running to the arcade.
I swiped my play card and grabbed a ball. It rolled up the gray ramp and fell in the 5,000 point hole. "Told 'ya," I said to Cameron with attitude.
He raised his eyebrow and snorted. "Watch," he said, then pitched his ball. It landed in the 10,000 point hole. "See."
I scoffed and threw another ball. 10,000. "Ha!" I said. And then it was on. We were in the zone. We'd laugh at each other when we missed and scowl at each other when we made it. In the end, Cameron won by a thousand points. He smirked when I saw my devastated expression.
"C'mon," he said, putting his hand on the small of my back and leading me away. I shivered at the touch, almost squirming away. He picked up on it and removed his hand. I felt kind of bad for him right there.
"Hey!" he said, pointing at something. "Karaoke!" I looked and saw a huge karaoke machine and grinned. "Let's go!" He and I ran over to the machine, swiped our cards and stood on the little stage. After a minute of deliberating on the song we picked one of my favorites.
The music started. There was a quick drum bit that was over in a second then the guitar whaled. I laughed, I loved this song. I pointed at me, indicating I would sing first.
"I saw him dancin' there by the record machine
I knew he must a been about seventeen
The beat was goin' strong
Playin' my favorite song
An' I could tell it wouldn't be long
Till he was with me, yeah me
And I could tell it wouldn't be long
Till he was with me, yeah me, singin'"
Cameron joined in for the chorus. We head banged while we sang. Cameron did his little dances and I flipped my hair around.
"I love rock n' roll
So put another dime in the jukebox, baby
I love rock n' roll
So come and take your time and dance with me"
"Ow!" I shouted. Cameron took the next verse.
"He smiled so I got up and asked for his name
That don't matter, he said,
'Cause it's all the same!"
I took the next bit. When I stopped head banging I saw a woman and her son watching us.
"Said can I take you home where we can be alone
An' next we were movin' on
He was with me, yeah me"
Cameron took over and a bunch of girls stopped to listen to him.
"Next we were movin' on
He was with me, yeah me, singin'!"
We both sang the chorus.
"I love rock n' roll
So put another dime in the jukebox, baby
I love rock n' roll
So come an' take your time an' dance with me!'
"Ow!" Cameron shouted.
"Said can I take you home where we can be alone," I sang,
"Next we were movin' on
He was with me, yeah me,
An we'll be movin' on
An' singin' that same old song
Yeah with me, singin'"
Cameron and I sung together, rocking out.
"I love rock n' roll
So put another dime in the jukebox, baby
I love rock n' roll
So come an' take your time an' dance with me!"
I looked over at the crowd we had accumulated. There were about fifteen people watching us. Some were singing along. A man in a mullet looked like he'd been transported back to his glory days.
"I love rock n' roll
So put another dime in the jukebox, baby
I love rock n' roll
So come an' take your time an' dance with
I love rock n' roll
So put another dime in the jukebox, baby
I love rock n' roll
So come an' take your time an' dance with"
The crowd became louder and joined in the last two verses with us.
"I love rock n' roll
So put another dime in the jukebox, baby
I love rock n' roll
So come an' take your time an' dance with
I love rock n' roll
So put another dime in the jukebox, baby
I love rock n' roll
So come an' take your time an' dance with me."
I laughed and hugged Cameron, who was in full rock star mode. Some of the people applauded, others just left. I smiled at Cameron and he took my hand. We went to the bumper cars.
At seven we had run out of money and were getting tired anyways. We made our way to the ticket counter. I bought tree cheap bracelets and a ring along with a balloon with my 1,658 tickets. Cameron bought some ridiculous sunglasses and a fake mustache.
We climbed into his station wagon and laughed. He drove up to my house. I saw Damian sitting outside of his house watching the stars.
"What's he doing?" Cameron asked.
"Staring at the stars," I told him, watching Damo, "He loves them. When were twelve we'd name them. My favorite was Zelda his was Marc." I said with nostalgia.
"Are we going to do this again?" Cameron asked.
"Yeah," I told him, "but Cameron."
"Yeah?" he looked at me with dread.
"I think we should just be friends," I told him. I hadn't felt much more than that when we were out that night.
Cameron sighed. He thought for a second. "Yeah," he said distantly, "Yeah, okay…"
"Sorry, Cameron," I said, feeling the need to explain myself, "I just-"
"It's fine, Marissa, really!" Cameron said.
I sighed. "Bye Cameron, I had fun," I said. I felt like such a bitch when I got out of the car. I watched him speed away.
I face-palmed, walked over to Damian and laid down next to him. He asked me how it went. I groaned.
"That bad?" he asked.
"No, I had fun," I told him, "I just didn't see us going anywhere."
"Mars!" Damian groaned, "It's high school, you're not supposed to go anywhere with the people you see!"
"Then what the point of dating?"
"To live a little!" he groaned, "What are you afraid of?"
"Oh I don't know," I said sarcastically, "Getting my heart broken, crying myself to sleep at night…" I trailed off.
"Mars, you're supposed to get your heart broken, its part of life!" he cried, "What's the point of breathing if you're not going to live?"
I frowned, knowing deep down he was right. "I just…" I trailed off again, not knowing what to say.
Damian sighed. "You're impossible, Mars… People come and go in our lives. That's just how it is."
I scowled in thought, reviewing his words. "Will you?"
"What?"
"Leave me?" I felt the need for his security.
He took my hand and squeezed it. "Of course not."
We laid there for an hour or two. We just held hands, not saying anything.