The Gang

It was the Monday following the performance of the school play on Friday. They performed once every night for the weekend, now Lola was glad it was all over. She was never going to allow herself to go through that experience again.

The halls were full of students once more. The blonde rabbit was coming around the corner. She was heading towards the last class of the day when she ran into her friend. They nearly crashed into each other.

"Hey Lola," said Rodney, "how are you?"

"I'm ok," she answered after a nervous chuckle

"Are you doing anything afterschool?"

"Not really, with the play over and all…"

"Well, do you wanna come over to my Dad's shop and check out the bikes?"

"I…don't know…maybe,"

"Why not?"

"I don't know what my mom would…scratch that, my mom wouldn't let me anywhere near a motorcycle. She says they're too dangerous…"

"Not if you know what you're doing…besides, you don't have to ride the bike if you don't want to…"

"Well, ok. But only for a little while,"

"Alright, I'll meet up with you in front of the school then we'll head out together."

"Ok, see you then,"

Afterschool…

Lola followed Rodney to the Garage that his family owned. It was atop a hill at the edge of town. When they entered, Rodney's father was attending a few costumers at the desk. He waved at them. Lola waved politely to him.

"Here we are," said Rodney as he came to a door, "here are some of our best bikes."

He opened the door and Lola saw a large room filled with various types of motorcycles, lined up in a showcase style. There were Harley Davidsons, Yamahas, and various others.

"Wow! This so cool! You guys collect 'em?"

"Yeah, it's my dad's hobby,"

"I don't know much about bikes but, these look awesome!"

"Thanks, we're quite proud,"

Rodney's father came in through the door.

"Hey Rodney, who's your friend?"

"She's Lola,"

"Nice to meet you Lola,"

"Likewise," she replied

"Come to show off the collection I see..."

"Sorry Dad," shrugged Rodney

"It's alright son, just be sure to lock up afterwards,"

"Sure thing Dad,"

He left the teenagers in the show room and went back to work.

"He seems nice," commented Lola

"Yeah, he's cool,"

Lola went over to one of the Harleys and caressed the leather seat.

"The guys come here sometimes…" said Rodney

"The guys?"

"My buddies, Andy and the rest of the gang,"

"Oh…"

Lola felt uneasy at the mention of Andy's name. She turned away from Rodney and scratched her arm nervously.

Rodney heard a rumble in the distance

"Ah, that must be them now,"

She felt herself tense up even more.

Rodney opened the garage door. Surely enough, it was Andy and a group of other guys pulling in to the driveway. When Andy caught sight of Lola, he smirked.

Rodney came out to them. He greeted them with some kind of a handshake. Rodney turned to Lola, she hoped no one noticed her, but now it was too late.

"Hey Lola, come out here, I want you to meet my friends," said Rodney

Lola hesitantly came out of the garage and into the sunlight. Rodney came towards her and pulled her to where the guys were standing with their bikes.

"The really tall guy is Tony,"

Tony was indeed tall and buff. He was a rabbit by species. He gave her a little wink. Lola didn't like that.

"The dude with the greasy hair is Chris,"

Chris was a lion with a greasy mane. He didn't seem very intimidating as the other one, which was odd because he was a lion and the other guy was a rabbit; but there was something about him that emanated 'jerk'.

"Hey there cutie,"

Lola didn't respond, she just glanced at him unamused.

Jerk…definitely jerk…

"And this guy is Nods," continued Rodney

Lola had no idea what Nods was, he was wearing a full helmet.

"He's the shy one," explained Chris, "he never takes off his helmet."

"He never talks either…hence why he's called Nods." Added Rodney

Nods nodded. Lola nodded to Nod.

"And you already know Andy…" said Rodney finally when he came up to the leader of the group.

Andy smiled deviously at Lola. Lola tried to turn away nonchalantly, but ended up looking awkward.

"Why so shy?" he asked with a grin on his face

"Nothing,"

"What's going on?" asked Rodney naively

"Nothing," said Lola again

Andy gestured to his boys and they snickered. Rodney and Lola didn't notice.

"So, you ladies gonna stop gossiping or are we gonna ride? My motor's running," complained Chris

"Go, what you need my permission?" said Andy annoyed

"You can go ahead Chris," said Rodney, "the trail's all clear for you guys,"

"Awesome," he said revving up his engine and taking off

Nods and Tony took off as well.

"I'm just gonna get my bike," said Rodney heading back into the garage, leaving Lola and Andy alone.

His eyes were fixated on her. Lola turned to face him.

"Well?" he asked

"Well what?"

"You leave me hanging for almost a week…what's a guy supposed to do…"

"What are you talking about," she said turning away

"You still haven't answered my question,"

"I…"

Just then Rodney came out with his motorcycle, much to Lola's relief. Andy turned towards him with an annoyed expression. Andy came out with a motorcycle that had a side car attached to it.

"Hey Lola, you can ride in the side car on this one,"

"I don't know…"

"It'll be alright, see I have a helmet for ya,"

He tossed her a light helmet.

"Well?"

Lola looked at the helmet, then up at the two guys. She turned towards Rodney.

"Ok…," said Lola

She went towards him and got in the side car. Rodney started the motor and got on the bike.

"What's the matter Andy?" asked Rodney

Andy just revved up his motor. He turned towards them; there was a smile on his face, but just a hint of anger in his eyes.

"I'll go on ahead," he said letting off the brake and going off after the others.

Rodney soon stepped off the ground and followed him. Andy sped up and soon was out of Rodney and Lola's sights.

They were along a dirt trail, on the property behind the shop. It was a very dusty place, save for a few trees and shrubbery. It wasn't exactly scenic, but it was good enough to take bikes on a test run.

They were cruising along for a while until Rodney broke the silence.

"What's going on between you and him?" he said in a serious tone

"Huh? What? Nothing…" said Lola caught off guard

"You sure? You started acting weird as soon as he came along,"

Lola said nothing.

"Has he done something to you? Cause if he did I'll…"

"No nothing like that…"

"Then what?"

"He…uh…kissed me…"

"You mean that so-called stage kiss…"

"That and…another one…"

"He hasn't tried anything with you has he?"

"No, he hasn't…"

"Don't lie to me,"

"I'm not," she said becoming defensive

"He's a sly one…don't let your guard down around him,"

"Why? He's done something wrong?"

"No, he's just stubborn. He's not one to take 'no' for an answer,"

"What does he want?"

"Maybe you could tell me. But I already have a guess…"

Rodney then turned his attention to the road ahead. The guys had stopped at the side of the trail. As they came closer, they saw that one of the bikes had broken down.

"What happened?" asked Rodney stopping the bike

"My bike committed suicide on that turn," said Chris

"No kidding,"

Rodney got off the bike and went to his saddle, pulling out a tool box. He squatted down by the bike and examined the damage. He sighed and began to pull out his tools from the box. Lola looked nervously at her watch; she was due back home any minute.

"I'm sorry," she said getting out of the side car, "but I really should be going. I should be home soon."

"Oh ok…" said Rodney, "but…can't you wait a little bit? I'll fix this in a jiffy and I'll drop you off."
"No, I don't want to be so much trouble. You take your time with that bike," she said starting to walk off in the direction they came from.

"Hey! I'll give you a lift," said Andy

"No no…I'll be fine," said Lola quickly

"C'mon, you'll never make it home on time on foot,"

Lola stopped in her tracks. He was right about that, but she didn't like the idea of being on a bike with him.

"You don't wanna be late now do you?"

Andy had come up next to her, with the extra helmet in hand.

"Let's go," he said

"But…I like Rodney's bike better…it...has a sidecar," she said trying to find an excuse

"My bike will get you there a lot faster, I promise you,"

Lola looked towards Rodney, then back at Andy. He held out the helmet, and motioned to the back seat on his bike.

Lola didn't know what to do. Would she risk a ride with Andy, or risk an earful of yelling from her mother? She sighed internally and hesitantly took the helmet. Andy held out his hand to her, she took it and got on the back of his motorcycle. He revved up the bike and took off. Rodney looked on, with a serious look on his face.

"Don't try anything McRabbit…" he mumbled to himself

Lola held on to her seat tightly; she was leaning slightly backwards, she didn't want to be closer than she already was to him. But Andy started going faster so she instinctively wrapped her arms around his waist and closed her eyes. Andy smiled as he made it out the trail and out into the streets.

"Why do you have to be home so soon?" he asked

"My mother is very strict," she answered opening her eyes

She saw that they were zooming along the streets. She saw from the trail that he was going recklessly fast, but now he seemed to be going through the streets fast but somehow cautiously. She felt a little more at ease.

"That sucks," he continued

"I know,"

"She doesn't let you do anything?"

"No…just what she deems worthy of my time,"

"That's not fair,"

"No kidding, she was the one who made me audition for the play in the first place. I wasn't going to, I didn't want to,"

"Well…I'm glad she did make you do that though…"

"Why?"

"Then I never would have met you,"

Lola felt herself blush.

"I meant what I said that day Lola, I really do,"

Lola didn't say anything in response to him. He looked over his shoulder to her, but saw she still didn't know what to say to him. She was staring at the road, she was in deep thought. He thought she looked beautiful with her long golden hair flicking crazily in the wind. He turned his attention back to the road.

"Can you leave me on that corner over there?"

"You sure?"

"Yes,"

He slowed down and stopped at the corner. Lola hopped off and took off her helmet.

"My house is only on the next block, I don't want my mother to see that I was on a motorcycle,"

"Ok…"

"Well…thanks," she said starting to walk off

After a moment, Lola thought she heard him snicker.

"I understand now…" said Andy chuckling to himself

"What?" she said suddenly turning around

"Why you're so afraid," he began, "it's because of your mother isn't it? You're afraid what she'll think of me and what she'll do to you…"

Lola didn't know whether to be angry or creeped out at that statement.

"It's ok. My parents were very controlling too. I'll tell you this Lola. If you ever do want a taste of freedom, you know where to find me."

He made a grab for her hand and pulled her closer to him. This time, he only kissed her hand and winked at her as she took her hand back and went away from him. Lola walked off and dared not look back.

Lola quickened her step as she approached her house; she opened the door and came face to face with her mother.

"Where have you been?"

"I just…got back from school. I had to get some things I needed from my locker…"

"Really…your clothes suggest otherwise,"

Lola looked at her shirt and jeans. They were dusty and she had a little oil grease smear on her arm.

Crap…

"Now, tell me the truth, where were you?" she said folding her arms

Lola sighed, she knew she was caught.

"I went to hang out with some friends,"

"Where?"

"At a bike shop,"

"A bike shop? Why were you in a bike shop? And with who?"

"You remember Rodney?"

"You were alone with a boy?!"

"No! We weren't alone! There were…other people there,"

"Lola, you have to be careful. You don't know these people,"

"But maybe I would if you would let me have friends," she blurted out

"I'm not stopping you from having friends,"

"But you won't let me go out; you don't let me do anything,"

"You watch your tone young lady," said Gladys becoming agitated

"It's always about you and what you think is best for me. It's never about what I want to do!"

"I let you do things,"

"Only things that you approve. I've been in dancing classes, acting classes, chorus, gymnastics, and a whole bunch of other stuff that I really wasn't that all interested in."

"But you're good at all those things, why do you hate it?"

"I hate the fact that I was forced to do those things. The only reason I did those things was to make YOU happy, not for me. And you know what; I'm sick and tired of living like that!"

Gladys had never seen Lola so angry

"It's not like I held a gun to your head and made you do those things! Why didn't you say…"

"I DID!" interrupted Lola, "for years I did, but you just brushed it off. 'You'll like it trust me'… 'oh but you're so good'…'you have to hone your talents'. You were training me, conditioning me to be another YOU!"

"How dare you…"

Lola felt a sudden slap across her face. Lola then realized that she had been screaming at her mother the whole time. Lola placed her hand on her cheek and dared not to look straight at her mother.

Gladys was so furious; she couldn't find the words to speak. She stood there, towering over Lola.

"Don't. Ever. Speak that way to me again," she managed to say

With that, she turned away and went to the kitchen. Lola breathed heavily; she had never been so ashamed of herself. She looked up and saw her father standing in the hallway. He looked clearly vexed. Lola hid her face from him and went away to her room.

She locked herself in her room and sat at her desk, still holding her cheek.

I can't believe that she hit me…mom has never hit me before. But I did deserve that...but she got me so angry and I just… I don't know what came over me…

Lola sighed

Andy was right…I am afraid of her. That Andy…what a jerk. And yet…he's…

Lola then heard a knock at her door. She had a guess who it was, judging by the sound of the knock. She hesitantly got up from her desk and went to unlock the door. Her father was standing there. She let him come into her room.

"Lola…what's going on?" he asked sternly, but there was more concern in his voice than discipline.

"I don't know...I'm just…so angry,"

"Why are you angry? Who are you angry at?"

"Mom…she's just so…difficult to please,"

"Lola, she only wants to protect you,"

"But she doesn't give me room to breathe. I just want some space; I want to learn who I am.

Lola went to sit on her bed. Larry sat down next to her. He let her continue.

"I don't know who I am, I feel like haven't acting like myself. Like I've been living someone else's life…"

Lola felt her eyes become watery.

"Lola," began her father, "you're mother has her reasons, and it's not my place to tell you. You will have to ask her yourself."

Lola looked towards him

"I know it's hard, you're at a very difficult stage in your life. You feel confused and stressed out. But the journey to self discovery is dangerous. When you're trying to find who you are, don't let your feelings get the best of you. The heart can be deceitful…so when you're out there, use your head. Rely on your judgment. Lola, you have to be careful. Your Mother and I are trying to protect you, we only want what's best for you,"
Lola leaned on his shoulder; he wrapped his arm around her. She tried to hide the tears that were escaping her eyes. He held her chin and made her meet eyes with him. She sniffled a little bit.

"Dad…I just want to be free…"

"If you want freedom, we need your trust. Lola, if you don't trust us, we can't trust you with a huge responsibility."

"Responsibility?"

"Freedom…independence is a huge responsibility. If you can't handle it, you could end up hurting yourself."

Lola looked down towards the floor.

"I'll talk to your mother. We'll see about extending your curfew, and we'll see how it goes from there."

Lola perked up. She looked towards him; there was a gentle smile on his face. A small smile crept on her face.

"Lola, you have to trust us. We're your friends; you can talk to us about anything. Me and your Mother…alright? We love you very much."

He kissed her forehead.

"Thanks Dad…"

After a very tense dinner, Larry and Gladys were having a serious conversation in the kitchen. Lola was in her room, thinking. She sat on the ledge of her window, looking out into the night sky. She rested her head on the window.

What was Rodney talking about…what does he know about Andy that I don't? Why did he tell me to stand guard?

Lola sighed. She had a sudden urge for some fresh air. She opened the window as wide as it could go and sat on the ledge, with her legs resting on the roof of the back patio. She leaned against the wood siding and looked at the sky. The moon was peeking through a few clouds, and there were a few stars visible that night. The air was cool; a gentle breeze touched her face.

I'm so tired of everyone trying to protect me. I know they mean well, but I can take care of myself.

She looked off in the distance. Past the houses of her neighborhood, she could see the silhouettes of the mountains and hills in the distance. Their sides were dotted by a few lights from the secluded homes that were there and the roads that passed through. Rodney's shop was over there somewhere.

That Andy…even though he's a bit too assertive for my taste…he was right. I guess he knows where I'm coming from…he understands. I guess he's…not too bad…

But then…that whole drama with Nicole. He breaks up with her and on the same day he asks me to be his girl…Seems kinda wrong. Then again that Nicole was a whack job and makes me wonder why he didn't break up with her sooner. Maybe he was waiting for someone better to come along? And yet…he doesn't really know me, and I don't really know him. But then…that's what daring's for right? Me? Date? Seems so…sudden, I don't know…

Maybe she would never let him go…and needed to show her once and for all…after all, it did take her a while to get my message. But then…that means he's just using me to get back at her. But…she's out of the picture now, and he's still after me…so is he really serious about me? He said that he loved me…but, he doesn't really know me. Then again, we haven't had a real chance to get to know each other, save for the practices. I don't think this love is the real deal…but…no one has ever tried to get close to me like that. No one has made that effort to get my attention. Is that it? He wants my attention? He wants me to get to know him? I guess that's not a bad thing…he may be a really nice person when you get to know him…maybe I'll…at least give him the chance to get to know me. To get to know each other…

Lola held her fingers to her lips

That kiss…was so…passionate. I felt…something, but…I don't know what…it is…

Lola felt her cheeks get warm. The more she thought about that kiss, she felt a shiver crawl down her spine.

…Do I…love him?