Sequel: Chasing Claudia ›
Status: FIN... again!
Goth & Donut
A Repeat of "Carrie"
We decided to meet up at school for the dance. Usually when I go to dances back home in London, I’ve always had a date. Luckily this time, I was able to weigh my options since Janelle was a friend. Most of the girls at Guelph High were throwing themselves at me because I’m a Stormie. I don’t mind the attention but I’m just trying to focus on hockey and making it to the NHL. After the dance, everyone will be heading off to summer vacation while I have to attend World Juniors camp out west. At least I don’t have to deal with learning past and present tense words in Spanish for a while.
I’ve made it to the school, despite the humidity outside, hoping to find Janelle. The hallway was very empty so I was sure she was already in the gymnasium. I’ve tried texting her but she wasn’t replying. I bet the music was too loud for her to hear. As I was about to walk over, I heard some crying in the girls’ bathroom. I didn’t want to come across as a hero but thought I should check it out. I knocked a couple of times to see if the person inside would answer. However, the girl inside was still crying. After a couple of knocks, I went in as a cue that no one was in there but that girl. There was no one beside the sink, but I noticed one of the stalls was closed. So I knocked and asked if she was okay. Finally, the door opened and saw a crying Janelle, cradling herself on the toilet seat. Her hair was its usual black hair but had a punk rock chick style. Her dress was a red and black strapless dress with a black sash that included a bow. She wasn’t wearing the typical Docs she would wear to school, but regular black flats. While her outfit looked great, her face tells you another story. Her eyes were marred with black eyeliner and mascara, but it was running down her cheeks. Her lips were bright red and cheeks were light pink which contrast with her made up pale skin. I began to wonder why a strong girl like Janelle would be crying in a bathroom stall.
“Hey Janelle,” I kneel down to see if everything was already. “What’s wrong? You can talk to me. If it’s because I was late, I am sorry.”
“Just go away.” Janelle whispered as she was trying to wipe away her tears. “You shouldn’t be seeing me like this. Plus they need you out there.”
“Who cares about them, Janelle. I want to see if you’re alright, which I take it you’re not.” I took a piece of toilet paper and gave some to her.
“I hate this school. I really do. I can’t wait to get out here next year.”
“Come on. Try me. What happened?” She took out a piece of paper from her purse and showed me a photoshopped picture of herself in some porn star’s body during a sex act with the title “Gothy Slut”.
“I thought that only happen in movies. I guess I was wrong. I don’t know who did it but it really hurt me a lot.” Janelle stated through her tears. “I know I get picked on all the time here but not like this. Maybe I should’ve taken my grandmother’s advice and get home schooled. I just hate them.”
“Don’t pay attention of them. You know an old wise person told me that in 10 years, no one would care if you were the nerd or jock or even the wallflower in high school. I can tell you’re above that.”
“How ironic because you’re jock yourself.”
“I know. But I’m more looking forward to the day I graduate high school and go into the NHL.”
“That is if you get drafted, Dount.” She chucked and wiped her tear. “That didn’t change the fact that someone did that to me. I’m not like that at all. I’m just not.” She quickly sobbed again. I hugged her and let her cry on my shoulder.
“I’m sure you’re not. Listen, if you want to—“
“I don’t want to go back in there. I really don’t.”
“Then let’s do something else then. Hey, I got an idea.” I got up and helped her up as we walked out of the stall. “However, you’re going to need to trust me.”
“What?”
“Trust me.” I took off my tie and wrapped it around her eyes so she doesn’t see. I took her hand and walked out of the bathroom and out of school.
~*~*~*~*~*~
“Now, Drew?” An inpatient Janelle, still blindfolded by my tie, asked. I’ve found a karaoke bar that is in the middle of an “under 18 night”. I thought this would loosen Janelle up, especially after the night she had so far. “Seriously, are we there yet?”
“Almost.” I was leading her inside the place. The boys and I went one night after a game against the Rangers and had a fun night there. They made us rookies sing “Baby Got Back” by Sir Mix-A-Lot, which surprisingly the lyrics wasn’t as hard as I thought. “Okay you may take it off.” The look in Janelle’s eyes was priceless.
“Okay, where the fuck am I, Donut?” Janelle asked being clueless.
“It’s a karaoke bar.”
“I know this is a karaoke bar. But why did you bring me here?” Janelle was looking around and sees a bunch of drunken college kids from UG belting out an off-key version of Britney Spears’ “Gimme More”. “And where are we? This doesn’t seem like Guelph.”
“I took you to Kitchener. It’ll be better for you to calm down if I took you out of town.” We both sat down at a nearby booth and order a couple of Cokes. “Besides, what better place to let loose than a karaoke bar.”
“Well thank you for thinking about me. Can we go now?” Janelle took a sip of her Coke.
“Not without a song. And you’re fucked because I bought a song set for you.” I smiled knowing there was no way out of this.
“Drew fucking Donut, I hate you!” She leaned over to strangle me until the MC called her name up to go on stage.
“It’s Doughty, sweetheart. Good luck!” I gave a thumb up with a cheesy smile as she went on stage. Janelle took the mike and ready to sing the song I chose for her. It was a very nice revenge after the skating session I’ve had last week.
Janelle looked very nervous as the first song was about to come out. A smile suddenly appeared and she began to sing the first couple of notes.
Tonight I'm going to have myself a real good time
I feel alive
And the world turning inside out, yeah
And floating around in ecstasy, so
Don't stop me now
Don't stop me
Because I'm having a good time, having a good time
The Goth Princess because the Queen of Queen in less than six seconds. That sad girl I found in the bathroom a little more than an hour ago became a carefree, bubbly, running man dancing riot. I thought the song would cheer her up as I once sneaked into her IPod. For someone who projects an “emo” image, she’s more of a general music fan. I don’t want to completely say she’s a “poser” but I think there is more than what she is telling me.
After entertaining the crowd to some Queen, she whispered to the MC something. Suddenly he called up to stage. I admit, my singing voice isn’t the greatest. As a matter of fact, it’ll put the Idol rejects to shame. Why she’s putting me up to this is beyond me.
“If you’re going to sing on stage, then I’m dragging you down with me.” Janelle winked as she took her black and white polka dot headband and place it on my head. “I gotta get you into the look!” At that moment the first notes of ABBA’s “Waterloo” appear on the screen. It was a very bad but very funny performance by the two of us, full of disco dance moves. I remember my mom watched “Muriel’s Wedding” when I was a kid and remember that scene very well. As a matter fact, it was like the two of us were living that moment in the movie when two of the college guys started to fight while we were performing.
After our run-in with the karaoke bar, we stopped by a diner for a quick bite to eat. The diner had this 50s style décor that looks like it was from “Grease”.
“You know, Drew, you have to watch what you eat if you’re going to make it to the NHL.” Janelle said while biting on her mozzarella stick. We decided to share an appetizer sampler that featured mozzarella sticks, potato skins, onion rings, poutine, buffalo wings, and slider burgers.
“Hey I’m fine the way I am.”
“I know. But you’re downing those mini greaseballs like it’s the second coming of Christ!”
“Hey Mama Goth, stop picking on my sliders! You’re starting to sound like my mom!” We both laugh at that moment as she was reaching for the poutine. “I bet you told your boyfriend what to do when you were dating.”
“Actually, I never had a boyfriend, Drew.”
“Really?” I wondered because she seems friendly underneath that façade. However, she nodded.
“Yeah. I don’t need drama in my life, even though I still encounter that on a daily basis. Besides, if more girls my age focus on what they want in the future instead of thinking with their twats, there would be less ‘Maury’ cases in this world.”
“’Maury cases’?”
“Yeah, like those wild teens on Maury, who wants to have sex and have a baby before they reach high school. Kinda sad, eh?” Suddenly Janelle began to do an imitation of one of those girls on Maury who is desperate to have a baby. I really admire that she does have goals in life and not throwing it all away for a guy.
“You’re such a poser, Janelle.” I said while still laughing hard from her wild teen imitation.
“And you’re such a preppy, Drew. Let’s toast on it!” With that, we both raised our Cokes and toast of being a poser and a preppy. I’m usually not friends with girls, but I love having her around.
I’ve made it to the school, despite the humidity outside, hoping to find Janelle. The hallway was very empty so I was sure she was already in the gymnasium. I’ve tried texting her but she wasn’t replying. I bet the music was too loud for her to hear. As I was about to walk over, I heard some crying in the girls’ bathroom. I didn’t want to come across as a hero but thought I should check it out. I knocked a couple of times to see if the person inside would answer. However, the girl inside was still crying. After a couple of knocks, I went in as a cue that no one was in there but that girl. There was no one beside the sink, but I noticed one of the stalls was closed. So I knocked and asked if she was okay. Finally, the door opened and saw a crying Janelle, cradling herself on the toilet seat. Her hair was its usual black hair but had a punk rock chick style. Her dress was a red and black strapless dress with a black sash that included a bow. She wasn’t wearing the typical Docs she would wear to school, but regular black flats. While her outfit looked great, her face tells you another story. Her eyes were marred with black eyeliner and mascara, but it was running down her cheeks. Her lips were bright red and cheeks were light pink which contrast with her made up pale skin. I began to wonder why a strong girl like Janelle would be crying in a bathroom stall.
“Hey Janelle,” I kneel down to see if everything was already. “What’s wrong? You can talk to me. If it’s because I was late, I am sorry.”
“Just go away.” Janelle whispered as she was trying to wipe away her tears. “You shouldn’t be seeing me like this. Plus they need you out there.”
“Who cares about them, Janelle. I want to see if you’re alright, which I take it you’re not.” I took a piece of toilet paper and gave some to her.
“I hate this school. I really do. I can’t wait to get out here next year.”
“Come on. Try me. What happened?” She took out a piece of paper from her purse and showed me a photoshopped picture of herself in some porn star’s body during a sex act with the title “Gothy Slut”.
“I thought that only happen in movies. I guess I was wrong. I don’t know who did it but it really hurt me a lot.” Janelle stated through her tears. “I know I get picked on all the time here but not like this. Maybe I should’ve taken my grandmother’s advice and get home schooled. I just hate them.”
“Don’t pay attention of them. You know an old wise person told me that in 10 years, no one would care if you were the nerd or jock or even the wallflower in high school. I can tell you’re above that.”
“How ironic because you’re jock yourself.”
“I know. But I’m more looking forward to the day I graduate high school and go into the NHL.”
“That is if you get drafted, Dount.” She chucked and wiped her tear. “That didn’t change the fact that someone did that to me. I’m not like that at all. I’m just not.” She quickly sobbed again. I hugged her and let her cry on my shoulder.
“I’m sure you’re not. Listen, if you want to—“
“I don’t want to go back in there. I really don’t.”
“Then let’s do something else then. Hey, I got an idea.” I got up and helped her up as we walked out of the stall. “However, you’re going to need to trust me.”
“What?”
“Trust me.” I took off my tie and wrapped it around her eyes so she doesn’t see. I took her hand and walked out of the bathroom and out of school.
~*~*~*~*~*~
“Now, Drew?” An inpatient Janelle, still blindfolded by my tie, asked. I’ve found a karaoke bar that is in the middle of an “under 18 night”. I thought this would loosen Janelle up, especially after the night she had so far. “Seriously, are we there yet?”
“Almost.” I was leading her inside the place. The boys and I went one night after a game against the Rangers and had a fun night there. They made us rookies sing “Baby Got Back” by Sir Mix-A-Lot, which surprisingly the lyrics wasn’t as hard as I thought. “Okay you may take it off.” The look in Janelle’s eyes was priceless.
“Okay, where the fuck am I, Donut?” Janelle asked being clueless.
“It’s a karaoke bar.”
“I know this is a karaoke bar. But why did you bring me here?” Janelle was looking around and sees a bunch of drunken college kids from UG belting out an off-key version of Britney Spears’ “Gimme More”. “And where are we? This doesn’t seem like Guelph.”
“I took you to Kitchener. It’ll be better for you to calm down if I took you out of town.” We both sat down at a nearby booth and order a couple of Cokes. “Besides, what better place to let loose than a karaoke bar.”
“Well thank you for thinking about me. Can we go now?” Janelle took a sip of her Coke.
“Not without a song. And you’re fucked because I bought a song set for you.” I smiled knowing there was no way out of this.
“Drew fucking Donut, I hate you!” She leaned over to strangle me until the MC called her name up to go on stage.
“It’s Doughty, sweetheart. Good luck!” I gave a thumb up with a cheesy smile as she went on stage. Janelle took the mike and ready to sing the song I chose for her. It was a very nice revenge after the skating session I’ve had last week.
Janelle looked very nervous as the first song was about to come out. A smile suddenly appeared and she began to sing the first couple of notes.
Tonight I'm going to have myself a real good time
I feel alive
And the world turning inside out, yeah
And floating around in ecstasy, so
Don't stop me now
Don't stop me
Because I'm having a good time, having a good time
The Goth Princess because the Queen of Queen in less than six seconds. That sad girl I found in the bathroom a little more than an hour ago became a carefree, bubbly, running man dancing riot. I thought the song would cheer her up as I once sneaked into her IPod. For someone who projects an “emo” image, she’s more of a general music fan. I don’t want to completely say she’s a “poser” but I think there is more than what she is telling me.
After entertaining the crowd to some Queen, she whispered to the MC something. Suddenly he called up to stage. I admit, my singing voice isn’t the greatest. As a matter of fact, it’ll put the Idol rejects to shame. Why she’s putting me up to this is beyond me.
“If you’re going to sing on stage, then I’m dragging you down with me.” Janelle winked as she took her black and white polka dot headband and place it on my head. “I gotta get you into the look!” At that moment the first notes of ABBA’s “Waterloo” appear on the screen. It was a very bad but very funny performance by the two of us, full of disco dance moves. I remember my mom watched “Muriel’s Wedding” when I was a kid and remember that scene very well. As a matter fact, it was like the two of us were living that moment in the movie when two of the college guys started to fight while we were performing.
After our run-in with the karaoke bar, we stopped by a diner for a quick bite to eat. The diner had this 50s style décor that looks like it was from “Grease”.
“You know, Drew, you have to watch what you eat if you’re going to make it to the NHL.” Janelle said while biting on her mozzarella stick. We decided to share an appetizer sampler that featured mozzarella sticks, potato skins, onion rings, poutine, buffalo wings, and slider burgers.
“Hey I’m fine the way I am.”
“I know. But you’re downing those mini greaseballs like it’s the second coming of Christ!”
“Hey Mama Goth, stop picking on my sliders! You’re starting to sound like my mom!” We both laugh at that moment as she was reaching for the poutine. “I bet you told your boyfriend what to do when you were dating.”
“Actually, I never had a boyfriend, Drew.”
“Really?” I wondered because she seems friendly underneath that façade. However, she nodded.
“Yeah. I don’t need drama in my life, even though I still encounter that on a daily basis. Besides, if more girls my age focus on what they want in the future instead of thinking with their twats, there would be less ‘Maury’ cases in this world.”
“’Maury cases’?”
“Yeah, like those wild teens on Maury, who wants to have sex and have a baby before they reach high school. Kinda sad, eh?” Suddenly Janelle began to do an imitation of one of those girls on Maury who is desperate to have a baby. I really admire that she does have goals in life and not throwing it all away for a guy.
“You’re such a poser, Janelle.” I said while still laughing hard from her wild teen imitation.
“And you’re such a preppy, Drew. Let’s toast on it!” With that, we both raised our Cokes and toast of being a poser and a preppy. I’m usually not friends with girls, but I love having her around.