Goth & Donut

I waited at the coffee shop to see if Janelle would show up. I mean, being a figure skater is nothing to be worried about. I admit they are better skaters than us hockey players. Plus not in a million years I would able to do all those jumps and spins. Maybe I can ask her to help me with my spin-o-rama.

I was ready to leave when I see her walking in. She was wearing a black Hello Kitty hoodie, dark blue skinny jeans, and no makeup. I admit that she doesn’t look that bad without any makeup. As a matter of fact, she looks better without it. Her hand was in her hoodie, not daring to remove them.

“You can’t hide from me, Janelle.” I look up as I took a sip of my Coke.

“First of all, I’m not a ‘Goth Girl’! Secondly, you wouldn’t understand.” She said very softly as she sat down on the booth. Her face was depressed as if her pet just died.

“It’s not a school night. Plus I doubt anyone from our school would show up at this place at this time at night.” I called the waitress to get her lemon tea, which is something she would always order during our study sessions. “So, what is going on, Janelle?”

“I’ve been skating since I was a little kid.” She started to explain her story very softly. “Skating brought me some freedom, some life to me. At first, it was for fun. Now I skate as a lifeline. I know I will never be as good as Michelle Kwan or Sasha Cohen or heck even Joannie Rochette, but I love skating. I would love to make the Olympics one day, even if it’s to touch the ice. However, my coach feels I’m still a junior skater, despite my body is filling out. I did take a year off from skating when I was 12 but I really wanna make that leap to seniors next year. I’m turning 17 in a few months and most girls my age are already in the senior level.” For the first time I known her, she actually let out a smile.

“Is that a smile I’m getting out of you, Goth Princess?” I couldn’t help but point that out.

“I’m not a goth! I’m an emo! Eeeeeemooooo! You’re pushing it, Donut!”

“Donut? Well that is a first. Anyway, I know what you’re saying. I’ve always wanted to make it the NHL. I’ve always wanted to be a King.”

“Hmmm a King? But this is Leaf Country!”

“I know. Always a Wayne fan and followed him, even though I play defense. I just want to make it to the NHL, even if it’s one game. Would love to be at the Olympics when is in Vancouver but that’s a little farfetched. But I love the game. It makes me feel alive.” I changed the tone from humor to seriousness. “Not to change the topic but why do you dress like that? Why not let people know you’re a skater?”

“Come on, Donut. This is Guelph we’re talking about; home of the precious Storm! Besides, I don’t want to be like everyone else in that school. I wanted to be different, unique, not have to deal with high school drama.”

“But people look at you---”

“As a freak? Yeah I know that, Drew. And you know what? Let them talk. At this point, I really don’t care what they think of me.”

“That’s not true. You showed that tonight at the rink.”

“But that’s different. I have a ‘reputation’ to protect.”

“What reputation? That you’re some Goth—“

“Emo!”

“Fine… Emo Chick at school? That you have a high GPA? You may say you hate that school but if you did, you wouldn’t be working at the Tutor Centre.”

“Why are you trying to dissect me like I was a frog? You don’t know me!”

“Yes, I don’t know you but want to get to know you. I’m sure you’re a lot more than what a lot of people think of you. For example, I’m very sure you weren’t born with jet black hair. I’m right, am I?” Janelle looks at her hair knowing that I was right.

“Okay, so I am naturally a dirty blonde. That doesn’t give you the right to try to weasel yourself into my life.”

“And I am also sure you’re not originally from here. Beauchamp is not a common last name at these parts.”

“I was born and raised in Quebec. I moved to Guelph a before the start Grade 9 to live with my grandparents.”

“What about your parents?”

“They still live in Quebec. I really don’t want to talk about that, okay?” She looked nervous and was dying to change the subject.

“Fine, I won’t talk about your parents. So if you’re from Quebec, how in the world you knew Spanish very well?”

“Well my grandma, the one who I am living with, is Colombian. She was born in Colombia but moved to Canada when she was my age for some exchange program and never left. She met my grandfather during their Senior year and go married after that.” she explained. “When my mother and uncle were growing up, she would teach them to speak both English and Spanish. So she threw her knowledge to me when I was a kid. I end up being trilingual after that, speaking English, Spanish, and French. Luckily I was able to speak English without an accent over there because of the ‘English rule’ in Quebec. You know, the one in which if one parent went to some English-speaking school in Quebec or was educated outside of Quebec, you were able to enroll into an English-speaking school.”

“That’s very interesting, being trilingual and all. Too bad I can only speak two languages, even though I have a grandparent who is Portuguese.”

“So I guess you know the Lambada?” She laughed.

“Hey, stop making fun of me. By the way, that’s from Brazil.” We would talk for the rest of the night about everything, from music to the Storm to learning we both like soccer to even learning the difference between being a goth and being an emo. While I still feel she is hiding something, it was great to see what is behind that icy girl with the raven hair and the heavy makeup with an even bigger attitude.