Currently Untitled
So Leave Me at the Roadside
Tell me what I'm s'posed to do,
With all these leftover feelings of you,
'Cause I don't know,
And tell me how I'm s'posed to feel,
When all these nightmares become real,
'Cause I don't know
Richard Hayberg’s hand hovered above the radio on his bedside table, hesitating between turning the volume up or turning the radio off altogether. His mom knocking and then entering the room decided that one for him.
So leave me, at the Roadside,
And hang me, up and out to dr-
He hit the button. “What do you want, mom?” he grumbled, not getting up from his lying down position, or even kicking the blankets off from over his head.
“I’m worried about you, hun,” Mrs. Hayberg sat down on the bed, putting her hand on the area of blanket she guessed was his shoulder. “You haven’t come out of your room in three days… are you sick? Is there something you aren’t telling us? Are you having problems at school? What’s wrong, Richard?”
“Ricky, mom,” he corrected. “I hate the name Richard.”
Normally, she would have gone off. Lectured him for a good ten minutes, that whether he like it or not, Richard was his name- that it was a name which meant courage, bravery, that he had a rich name, a name with a past, and he was named after several great people in history. But this time, she let it pass with a wave of her hand. “Richard, what’s wrong, love?” she asked him again.
“Jess left me,” came her son’s muffled reply from under the covers. “Apparently I wasn’t boyfriend-y enough.”
“Awh, Richard, I’m sorry,” she pulled the blankets down and gasped. “What happened to your hair?!” she exclaimed.
Ricky hesitated. “I cut it,” he answered. “Well, I got it cut… I felt like a change, you know?”
Mrs. Hayberg sighed; she had never seen her son this torn up over a girl before.
“Also, they found this rat living in it, it had about three baby rats and they’d built this entire under-hair kingdom. So I think it was better that I cut it when I did, y’know?” Ricky sat up.
His mother laughed, ruffling his short, scruffy hair. “D’you wanna come downstairs, hun?” she asked. He started to shake his head, but she interrupted. “There’s ice cream in the freezer.” Ricky hesitated, and crawled out of bed.
----------
“…You didn’t actually make out with him though, did you?!” Lauren shouted at Jess in the hallway at school that Monday.
“Shush! Keep it down!” Jess hissed. “Look, it was just a stupid, one-off thing… I felt down about Ricky, and I just needed someone to make me feel… you know… like I was worth making out with,” she shrugged.
Laur shook her head. “So, okay, repeat everything that happened.”
“I saw Travis in the mall, and while Katie was buying pretzels, he asked me if I wanted to go see a movie that night… he texted me and told me he couldn’t make it later, but then we went the next day instead, and we made out the whole movie. I mean, I don’t see it ever turning into a relationship or anything stupid like that, I just wanted like… a fling.”
“That’s disgusting! Do you know where his mouth’s been?!” Jess hesitated. “No, nobody does!” Jess looked down, waiting for more of Laur’s lecture. “Fuck, you know why he put you off in the first place?! He wanted to go out with this model chick from Ohio who was leaving the next morning!” Jessica looked up, her mouth open in surprise. “Oh, don’t look so shocked,” Laur exclaimed, annoyed. “Yeah, he took out Matt’s ex’s friend, this skinny-ass model chick. That’s why he put you off, Jess. We watched Trav go from amazing to this, you and I both know what a slag he is now!”
Jess didn’t answer.
----------
“Hey there, Gayberg,” Travis seated himself on the corner of the table Ricky was sitting at alone for lunch. He propped his seat up on a chair. “Not taking the big break well, I see?” he pointed at Ricky’s hair.
“Get the fuck out, Richter.” Ricky muttered, scooping some of the meal which appeared to resemble mashed potatoes into his mouth.
“She is.” Travis said, and Ricky looked up. “Yeah, she’s taking it real well,” Travis told him with a smirk. “Amazing kisser, that girl, isn’t she?” Ricky was shaking in rage. “Jen, right? Jamie?”
Ricky stood up, lifting his tray abruptly and causing the food to fly all over Travis. “JESS. HER NAME IS JESSICA FUCKING BURKS AND I’M IN LOVE WITH HER OKAY SO SHUT THE FUCK UP BEFORE I STAPLE YOUR MOUTH SHUT YOU PITIFUL FUCKING WHORE OF A MAN.” Travis sat there stunned, but not for long: before he knew it, Ricky’s fist flew into his food-covered chest.
A teacher came up and grabbed Ricky by the collar of his shirt, pulling him away from Travis, but not before he got a few more punches in. “RICHARD HAYBERG!” the teacher roared, and Ricky finally stopped, panting.
“He provoked me!” Ricky protested, pulling away from the teacher.
“Detention!” the man snapped. “For both of you.”
“WHAT?!” Travis screamed in protest. “But I didn’t do anything!”
“YOU DID MY GIRLFRIEND, THAT’S WHAT YOU FUCKING DID!” Ricky shouted.
“Calm down, both of you!” the teacher cut in. “You’ll have lots of time to fight through this in detention,” he scoffed. The boys solemnly followed him through the lunch hall, but as he walked Ricky caught Jess’ eye with a wink, and a smile that she couldn’t help but return.
With all these leftover feelings of you,
'Cause I don't know,
And tell me how I'm s'posed to feel,
When all these nightmares become real,
'Cause I don't know
Richard Hayberg’s hand hovered above the radio on his bedside table, hesitating between turning the volume up or turning the radio off altogether. His mom knocking and then entering the room decided that one for him.
So leave me, at the Roadside,
And hang me, up and out to dr-
He hit the button. “What do you want, mom?” he grumbled, not getting up from his lying down position, or even kicking the blankets off from over his head.
“I’m worried about you, hun,” Mrs. Hayberg sat down on the bed, putting her hand on the area of blanket she guessed was his shoulder. “You haven’t come out of your room in three days… are you sick? Is there something you aren’t telling us? Are you having problems at school? What’s wrong, Richard?”
“Ricky, mom,” he corrected. “I hate the name Richard.”
Normally, she would have gone off. Lectured him for a good ten minutes, that whether he like it or not, Richard was his name- that it was a name which meant courage, bravery, that he had a rich name, a name with a past, and he was named after several great people in history. But this time, she let it pass with a wave of her hand. “Richard, what’s wrong, love?” she asked him again.
“Jess left me,” came her son’s muffled reply from under the covers. “Apparently I wasn’t boyfriend-y enough.”
“Awh, Richard, I’m sorry,” she pulled the blankets down and gasped. “What happened to your hair?!” she exclaimed.
Ricky hesitated. “I cut it,” he answered. “Well, I got it cut… I felt like a change, you know?”
Mrs. Hayberg sighed; she had never seen her son this torn up over a girl before.
“Also, they found this rat living in it, it had about three baby rats and they’d built this entire under-hair kingdom. So I think it was better that I cut it when I did, y’know?” Ricky sat up.
His mother laughed, ruffling his short, scruffy hair. “D’you wanna come downstairs, hun?” she asked. He started to shake his head, but she interrupted. “There’s ice cream in the freezer.” Ricky hesitated, and crawled out of bed.
----------
“…You didn’t actually make out with him though, did you?!” Lauren shouted at Jess in the hallway at school that Monday.
“Shush! Keep it down!” Jess hissed. “Look, it was just a stupid, one-off thing… I felt down about Ricky, and I just needed someone to make me feel… you know… like I was worth making out with,” she shrugged.
Laur shook her head. “So, okay, repeat everything that happened.”
“I saw Travis in the mall, and while Katie was buying pretzels, he asked me if I wanted to go see a movie that night… he texted me and told me he couldn’t make it later, but then we went the next day instead, and we made out the whole movie. I mean, I don’t see it ever turning into a relationship or anything stupid like that, I just wanted like… a fling.”
“That’s disgusting! Do you know where his mouth’s been?!” Jess hesitated. “No, nobody does!” Jess looked down, waiting for more of Laur’s lecture. “Fuck, you know why he put you off in the first place?! He wanted to go out with this model chick from Ohio who was leaving the next morning!” Jessica looked up, her mouth open in surprise. “Oh, don’t look so shocked,” Laur exclaimed, annoyed. “Yeah, he took out Matt’s ex’s friend, this skinny-ass model chick. That’s why he put you off, Jess. We watched Trav go from amazing to this, you and I both know what a slag he is now!”
Jess didn’t answer.
----------
“Hey there, Gayberg,” Travis seated himself on the corner of the table Ricky was sitting at alone for lunch. He propped his seat up on a chair. “Not taking the big break well, I see?” he pointed at Ricky’s hair.
“Get the fuck out, Richter.” Ricky muttered, scooping some of the meal which appeared to resemble mashed potatoes into his mouth.
“She is.” Travis said, and Ricky looked up. “Yeah, she’s taking it real well,” Travis told him with a smirk. “Amazing kisser, that girl, isn’t she?” Ricky was shaking in rage. “Jen, right? Jamie?”
Ricky stood up, lifting his tray abruptly and causing the food to fly all over Travis. “JESS. HER NAME IS JESSICA FUCKING BURKS AND I’M IN LOVE WITH HER OKAY SO SHUT THE FUCK UP BEFORE I STAPLE YOUR MOUTH SHUT YOU PITIFUL FUCKING WHORE OF A MAN.” Travis sat there stunned, but not for long: before he knew it, Ricky’s fist flew into his food-covered chest.
A teacher came up and grabbed Ricky by the collar of his shirt, pulling him away from Travis, but not before he got a few more punches in. “RICHARD HAYBERG!” the teacher roared, and Ricky finally stopped, panting.
“He provoked me!” Ricky protested, pulling away from the teacher.
“Detention!” the man snapped. “For both of you.”
“WHAT?!” Travis screamed in protest. “But I didn’t do anything!”
“YOU DID MY GIRLFRIEND, THAT’S WHAT YOU FUCKING DID!” Ricky shouted.
“Calm down, both of you!” the teacher cut in. “You’ll have lots of time to fight through this in detention,” he scoffed. The boys solemnly followed him through the lunch hall, but as he walked Ricky caught Jess’ eye with a wink, and a smile that she couldn’t help but return.