Australia

Melanie

Ding dong. That must be Denna. She’s supposed to come over today. I flung open the door.

“Hi, Denna!” I screamed and tackled her into a hug.

“Hi... can’t... breathe.” She gasped. I let go of her and she tossed her bag on the floor, sitting down to take off her shoes, black skull converse. Currently her favorite shoes, until she wears them out.

“Who is it?” Shane walked out of the kitchen with the remains of a chocolate chip cookie in his hand. He stuffed the last of it in his mouth.

“Hey, Denna! Give me a hug, twerp!” He yelled with his mouth full and flung his arms wide. Shane comes home from college every Friday for the weekend, but he rarely sees Denna. Denna rolled her eyes and gave him a quick hug.

“Let’s go to my room.” I said, bouncing in that direction.

“I was hoping you would say that. Your brother is so annoying!” She joked and ducked under his arm.

“Hey!”

“I know!” I agreed and slammed my brand new black door in his face. “OH MY FREAKING JONAS!!!!!!!! I STILL can’t believe I’m going to their concert! Somebody pinch me!” I screamed and flopped on my bed. “Ouch! What’d you do that for?” I asked, rubbing my sore arm.

“You told me to, genius.”

“Since when do you listen to me?” She shrugged at my question and perched awkwardly on top of my cluttered desk, ignoring the Jonas Brother posters plastered all over my walls. “This is so AWESOME!” I yelled again.

“Whatever. I still can’t believe you convinced me to go to their stupid crap concert.” Denna complained.

“Shut up! They’re not stupid! I wish you felt the same way I do about them.” Denna fell into a brooding silence.

“So... what do you want to do today?” I broke the awkward silence.

“Oh, I don’t know.”

“This is your day. I promised we would do whatever you want. We have to do SOMETHING.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know, bowling, shopping, and movies... stuff that normal friends do.” I suggested.

“Bowling sucks. I hate shopping. Nothing is good out in theaters and we are definitely not normal.” Denna shot down my suggestions one by one.

“Well, PICK something.” I said huffily.

“Hang on, I’m thinking...” I sat up and crossed my legs, waiting for her decision. “How ‘bout... ice skating.”

“That’s a great idea! We’re not too far from the Pepsi rink, either.”

“And then we’ll stop somewhere to eat and I want to buy Yes Man! Jake said that was a really funny movie.” Denna said excitedly and jumped off my desk. “I’m driving!”

“Oh, no you don’t! I’M driving!” I ran out of my room just before her.

“But you said...”

“Not if its going to get us killed I won’t.” I explained. Denna hunched her shoulders over and pouted her lip.

“Please?”

“NO!”

“Where are you two going?” Shane leaned the door frame of his room.

“None of your business!” I said.

“Yeah it is. I’m the oldest so that makes me in charge when mom isn’t here.” He argued back.

“Girl stuff. You know. Shopping, spas, more shopping...” I lied. He grimaced every time I said shopping.

“Uh, yeah. Have fun. Ugh.” he walked back into his room.

“AHH! We get to go ICE SKATING!!!” Denna screamed, waving her shoes and dancing around my jeep while I unlocked it.

“Denna... how much Red Bull have you had today?”

“Just one.” She said too quickly. I clicked my remote and locked my car.

“Okay, maybe three or four...” She sighed.

“And you wanted to drive?!!! Gah, I could’ve died!!!” I grabbed my throat and choked myself theatrically.

“That reminds me. I’m out of Red Bull. Mmmm... Red Bull.” She rolled her eyes and licked her lips. Weirdo.

“Okay... let’s just go!” I unlocked my jeep again slid into the driver’s seat. As soon as I twisted the key in the ignition, Joe’s beautiful voice blasted out of the speakers singing...

'Cause I'm burnin' up, burnin' up for you baby
C'mon girl

“NO!” Denna screamed and turned on the CD player. She was lucky I had a Tokio Hotel CD in.

“I feel so claustrophobic here. Watch out, now, you better disappear. You can’t make me stay. I’ll break away, break away.” The player and Denna continued singing without me.

No one counting all your lies
No more waiting for your goodbyes
It’s too late, much too late

You are like a bitter pill
That I had to take against my will...

People stared at as when burst into the Pepsi Ice Skating rink excitedly in our shorts and tank tops, and rented some ice skates. We just laughed at their stupid faces and tried on the skates.

“Hurry up, Melanie.” Denna hopped and danced on the blades on the carpet, flinging her long brown braids around until she almost fell. I laughed at her antics. I wobbled off the bench in the skating locker room and walked awkwardly while Denna skipped ahead. She tentatively stepped onto the ice and hurriedly clutched the side rail.

“Uh… it’s sorta been awhile since I’ve been skating.” She said nervously. I laughed.

“Come on is not that bad you don’t have to do anything fancy.” I stepped on the ice and pushed off slowly, wobbling to keep my balance. Denna stayed near the wall until she got back in sink. Then she pushed off from the wall and cut close in front of me and spun awkwardly.

“Watch it! You’re going to make me fall.” I complained.

“Come one, slow poke.” Denna skated off recklessly gaining speed. Not to be out done, I leaned forward and strode out to keep up.

After a couple races around the rink, we stopped and watched the professionals skate in the middle.

“I wish I could do that.” Denna sighed, envious. One little girl in a pink leotard with a little ruffled skirt skated, crossing one foot over the other, sideways and turned backwards. “Hey! I can do that!” Denna perked up. She twisted around to face me and moved her feet side to side.

“Whoa! How’d you do that?” I asked when she had skated a fourth of the rink backwards. It looked so easy! She skated back to my side.

“Well, turn around. Move your feet in a kind of curvy motion and alternate back and forth. Move your hips, Melanie.” Denna commanded proudly. One of my blades caught into a crack in the chipped and worn ice and my feet flew out from under me. My hands stung from stopping my fall on the rough and my butt was sore.

“Oh, Melanie, are you okay?” My friend asked worriedly and held out a hand to help me up.

Denna

I held my hand out, without thinking, to help Melanie up off the ice. She grabbed my hand and I came crashing down. We both laughed.

“Ha, it’s not that cold really.” Melanie commented.

“Melanie!” I screamed and pushed her down, covering her head. Blades flew where her head had just been.

A guy wearing a snow hat low over his ears and forehead had jumped over. He twisted around, trying to stop his momentum and fell in front of us.

“Oh my God! I’m so sorry! I just wasn’t paying attention and when I saw you guys I couldn’t stop and I didn’t want to run you over...” He started babbling out something like and apology, looking every bit as hilarious as us, sprawled out on the floor. I grabbed a handful of ice shavings and threw it in his face.

“Apology accepted.” I said.

“Denna!” Melanie scolded, red with embarrassment at my behavior. He laughed and wiped the melting ice off of his face.

“That’s okay. I would stay but obviously I’m dangerous here since I can’t even focus on skating around the rink.” He got up and put his hand out to Melanie.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea...” She said.

“It’s okay, I got you. Trust me.” He smiled and Melanie blushed. Ooh la la. She took his hand and he hauled her to her skates. He gave me his hand and repeated the feat.

“Thanks.” We said together and laughed.

“Nah, it was the least I could do after almost killing you two. Maybe we’ll meet again.” He said and skated off to the exit. The machines for smoothing out the ice growled into the rink and everyone began skating to the exit. A little sooner would have been nice.

“Did he look familiar to you?” Melanie asked me. I shrugged. “Dang it! I didn’t even ask his name! He was HOT!”

“I guess if you like that sort of type.” I said and went back to the locker room.

“Gross! Next time I’m bringing knee socks.” Melanie exclaimed, peeling off her skates to reveal bloody and cut legs. At least her ankle socks protected her feet.

“Yeah, I didn’t fair much better. I hope they won’t make us pay for these.”

“Eh, just turn ‘em in.” Melanie said, stuffing her feet hurriedly into her black and white vans.

“Why are you in such a hurry? He’s probably already gone by now.” I laughed at her funny expression.

“Yeah, but he just...”

“I’m surprised any guy was able to affect you like this when you’re about to see Joe tomorrow.” I commented.

“That’s it! He looked like Joe... no, couldn’t.”

“Are you kidding me? At a Kansas skating rink? That’s retarded!” I rolled my eyes and handed my skates in at the front counter, no comment on the blood on the inside. “Seriously, I think JB’s going to your head. My advice is lay off on the dosage a LOT!”

Melanie shoved me out of the way and stalked to her precious jeep. The sky was dark angry and loomed ominously over us as she drove us out of the parking lot. We ignored the fickle weather like professional Kansas teens.

“Where should we eat?” I asked, staring out the window.

“Somewhere random.” Melanie perked up at the mention of food and suggested.

“That looks random.” I pointed at the huge lobster sign on the side of the road.

“I don’t like seafood.” Melanie complained. So Red Lobster was off the menu.

“Oh right... Sorry. Somewhere a little more random and a little less fishy. Yes. ma’am.” I smiled when I saw the sign with red headed girl with braids and freckles.

“Don’t say it-” Melanie said to late.

“Wendy’s!” I yelled, waving my hands.

“Fine.” She sighed and turned into Wendy’s parking lot.

“I love you.” I offered.

“Yeah, love you too.”

We walked into Wendy’s with two complete opposite gaits; one quickly and bouncing, the other slow and dragging. While we were waiting in line for delicious food I heard the tornado sirens scream. My stomach dropped.

“I’m not that hungry anymore, can we just go home?” I asked nervously. Melanie took one look at my frightened, pale face and nodded.

Melanie drove silently with the radio on low, so we would hear any reports of the tornadoes if they came on. I just huddled in my seat, staring out the window with a different frame of mind than before. My mouth was dry and my eyes darted fearfully for a glimpse of the tornado. I am deathly afraid of tornadoes while Melanie is just calm and sensible about them. They’re just another way to get killed to her. She drove quickly and the hour passed without incident or a word between us. I hated her silence. As irrational as it sounds, it felt like she didn’t care. I jerked when my door opened. Melanie reached in and gave me a hug.

“Denna, we’re going to be fine. If it comes our way, we’ll just go down to the basement.

“Okay.” I whispered.

Melanie

Shane immediately answered the door, as if he had been waiting there, when I rang the door bell. He looked so relieved when he saw us and then concerned when he saw Denna’s frightened face. He ran his fingers through his tangled blonde hair. Everyone was so scared but I actually felt happy. I loved this dark, dangerous sort of weather. I don’t dream of dying by tornado but I love the wind and dark clouds and rain, thunder and lightning.

“Hey, Denna. Did you guys have fun?” My mom asked from the couch staring at channel 5 news, avoiding the subject of weather all together.

“Good.” I hedged and pulled Denna to my room. She snagged her bag on the way.

“What should I wear tomorrow?” I asked, staring at my limited wardrobe, mostly putting attention on the new stuff.

“I don’t know. Does it matter?” Denna sighed and laid down on my bed.

“Sort of... since we’ll be hanging out with a family of celebrities all day.” I said sarcastically. Denna snorted.

“Yeah, except it WON’T matter because you couldn’t dress worse than them if- Ah!” She rolled off the bed to avoid raining clothes.

“Seriously, Denna. This is important.” I whined. Denna peeked up from the other side of the bed.

“Wow, you are serious. Where something turquoise blue and some black. Those colors look awesome on you. AND you can wear your new zebra striped shoes with it.”

“Good idea.” I pulled out a pair of black Capri’s, a turquoise shirt, and my turquoise and black striped jacket.

“What do you want to do now, since we forgot to get the movie?” Denna asked once we had changed into our jammies. I glanced at the clock; it was 10:00 PM.

“We should prank my brother. He usually dead asleep by now.” Wow did that boy love to sleep. Denna smiled evilly and grabbed a bunch of markers and glue. I ran into the bathroom and grabbed a can of shaving cream.

“Hmmm... I think we should give him a unibrow...” Denna whispered and began drawing between his eyebrows. I shook up the shaving cream and sprayed some on his hand palm up and his around his mouth. The idiot would probably lick it before he knew what it was and hopefully he would touch his face when he got up in the morning. Denna had already finished his eyebrows and was drawing random things like hearts and stitches and dots all over his face.

“Put some in his ear. He’ll just make it worse by trying to get it out.” Denna suggested. I carefully shot some in his ear. He mumbled and squirmed a little. We froze in place, holding our breath, but he didn’t wake up. He sleeps like the dead! Denna shook up her bottle of glue and began gluing the pillow to his head.

“Does putting warm water on their hand actually make them pee?” Denna asked.

“Ugh gross! I don’t want to know!” I whispered back.

“I just wondered. I saw it on a movie once.” I rolled my eyes and pulled her out his room. We ran away to my room giggling maniacally.

“He’s going to kill us!” I finally said after laughing forever.

“Not if we’re already gone!” Denna smirked. “Hopefully your boyfriend will pick us up early in the morning.”

“I wish he was my boyfriend.” I said dreamily. Denna made a disgusted face and slid under the covers of my bed.

“Ew. I’m going to sleep now.”

“But it’s only...” 11 o’ clock.

“Good night. You do want to go tomorrow, right? I'm not going if you're not. I don’t think they’re going to pick us up at noon.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” I sighed and turned out the lights. “We’ll stay up tomorrow then. Good night.” I got in my huge bed beside her and rolled on to my side. Somehow I managed to fall asleep with the Jonas Brothers on my mind.