One More Weekend

“Did we have to take the runt home?” Andy always called Adam ‘the runt’, because he wasn’t always nice to every one of his friends. But he also understood that I didn’t like that name for Adam and why. ‘Runt’ is not the way I’d describe Adam, even if he is the scrawniest, youngest kid I hang out with.

“Yes, Andrew Mrotek. We had to take Adam home because the bus left without him, and he isn’t able to drive until after school ends. Even if I have to give him a ride home every day for the rest of the school year, I’ll do it! Because he’s my friend, as well as yours. You should understand that.”

Andy sighed, plopping down on my couch (eh hem, my mother’s couch) like he always did. Tessa couldn’t come over today; too much studying to do. So Andy and I just chilled, like we usually did. I didn’t sit down right away, but instead headed into the kitchen to pop some popcorn, and I heard Andy turn the television on like he always did. Friday’s always started like this, after school that is.

Andy and I would watch a movie or two, and then William would get a brilliant idea and all seven of us would head out to do whatever Will planned. If I was the cool freak at school, William was the ring leader that should be class president because of all of his amazing ideas, but never ever ran due to his ‘reputation’. Please; if I could get people to vote for me, I’d run!

When the timer went off on my microwave, signaling the finished product of fluffy, chewable popped kernels, I pulled out a bowl and poured the whole bag’s contents into it, then threw the bag away and headed back into the living room. I smiled, seeing as Andy had found one of my favorite movies of all time; The Breakfast Club.

It had just started, and Anthony Michael Hall’s character was narrating with I laid the popcorn bowl in between Andy and I on the couch. His hand dove right into the buttery snack, but he never once lifted his gaze from the t.v. to even look at what he was doing. I sat down as usual, and laid my head on his shoulder like I always did.

Hey, no one was ever asking any questions, and so there were no answers or explanations as to what I do with Andy around or why.

Halfway through the movie (give or take a few scene-I always got lost in Molly Ringwald and Ally Sheedy!), Andy’s phone started to ring. He didn’t even bother me as he pulled it out of his pocket and answered with a friendly, “Hey Bill-vy!” I could hear William’s voice through the phone, but I couldn’t really make out what he was saying.

But Andy nodded every once in a while. “Already? God, you’re getting fast with this shit.” More of Billy’s voice. “Gotcha! Keish and I’ll be there in a few,” he said before hanging up. I raised an eye brow, trying to understand what Billy had planned in…….less than an hour and a half. Andy was right; this kid is getting fast at coming up with new things for us to do!

“So, what’re we doing tonight?” I asked. He smirked and stood up, pulling his red hoodie down over the top of his jeans. Not that I was looking.

“Bill-vy wants to take us all down to the fair,” he said. I smiled and stood up after him. What was he waiting for? We could have been halfway to the car by that time! “He said Pete and Andy are going to meet us there,” he added. My smile widened as my eyes did.

“Peter Panda and Hurley Burley!? Yayness,” I shouted, pulling a stray hoodie off the back of my couch and onto my arms. Chicago got cold at night, especially in the late Spring and early Summer. I would dearly need that hoodie later on. “This is going to be the best night of the year!” Andy laughed and shook his head.

“Not as good as Prom,” he said. My face dropped, and I bit my lip. Andy’s hand took a grip on the top of my arm and he just sincerely smiled at me. “All you have to do is tell me, and I’ll be okay. I just want to go as friends.”

See, Andy had asked me to go to prom as his date. Then again, so had Adam. And I didn’t know who to go with, and who to hurt. Of course, I didn’t want to intentionally hurt anyone! But if I were to go with Andy, and I really did want to, Adam would be bummed out and probably hate me. And if I were to choose to go with Adam, which I also want to really badly, Andy would seriously hate me. After all, he’s known me the longest and the best, right besides Tessa of course.

“Andy, you know I want to go with you. But I read both of your notes at the same time, so I can’t decide which would be fair!” And I couldn’t let Andy know that I wanted to go with him because he always made my knees weak, always made butterflies in my stomach. I also couldn’t let either him or Adam know that Adam also did the same. I couldn’t decide if I wanted Andy more, or Adam.

“I already told you that you don’t have to go with me, Keisha,” he said. I knew he was lying. Andy and I both knew that he wanted to go with me badly, maybe more so than Adam. “I can always just go with Rina from third hour.” Shrugging, he smiled, but I didn’t. He knew I hated Rina Marshall, the slut that sits two seats in front of me and Tessa in third hour. He was going to use her invitation to prom as a lasso-metaphorically speaking-to pull me in and agree to go with him.

I rolled my eyes and sighed. “Let’s not talk about this now. Prom is in two months, so let me have a few weeks to think it over. As for right now, I’m going on every possible ride with you on my right, and Peter Panda on my left!”Andy’s sincere smile spread so wide, I was almost sure his face would crack, but was happy when it wasn’t. He was happy to have heard me say that I wanted him next to me the whole night. “Tessa will be too busy trying to get William to go on a ride or two with her, so I won’t have to worry about entertaining my real best friend!”

Andy made a mock hurt face, then turned around and headed for my door. I giggled and grabbed his arm, turning him around to face me again. “I’m only joking! But let’s hit it, or else we’ll be late!” I insisted, pushing Andy out my front door to my car at the end of the driveway. Once again, he got in the passenger seat as I got into my drivers seat, but he changed my c.d. from Backstreet Boys to a mix disc that I’d made of various Michael Jackson covers.

“Smooth Criminal?” I asked. Alien Ant Farm’s cover of Smooth Criminal was our favorite of the songs on that album. It was just….amazing in its ska-punk-hip hip genre of its own. Andy nodded and I smiled. As the opening notes flooded my small car, we both started singing and smiling at the same time, and I pulled out of the driveway and headed down the main road towards where the county Fair was held every year.

We sang along to the songs for the next half an hour, until we finally pulled into a parking spot at the fair grounds and got out of the car. The sun was only just starting to set, and the cool breeze of the late afternoon-early evening reminded me that my hoodie would be needed, and I was grateful I had already pulled it on.
Andy was smiling still as he came around the car and wrapped one arm around my shoulders, pulling me towards the group of people standing just outside the gate. I could make out William, his tall and lanky figure was covered in what he’d been wearing at school-black skinny jeans, a white wife beater, and a pleather jacket-but his hair was in eight directions. That being noticed, I knew he’d been having trouble thinking things out, whatever ‘things’ may be this time.

One predictable thing about Bill-vy: he’s got a habit of rapidly running his hand through his hair when he stresses mentally.

One little black head peaked out from behind Bill’s side, and instantly the golden, honey brown eyes squinted happily. Soon, a small figure in grey skinnies and a black hoodie was running really fast towards me and Andy. “Peter Panda!” I called, running out from under Andy’s arm to the only All-Star soccer player I’d ever met in my entire life.

Pete caught me in a huge hug, and we both laughed. “Keke!” he said, using the nickname he’d given me the first time I’d ever met him. “I have someone I want you to meet!” he nearly shouted, letting me go but not without taking hold of my hand. He dragged me behind him into the circle of my friends, and I smiled at Andy H. (because now there’s two Andys!), or Hurley Burley as I call him. Pete got my attention by pulling on my hand and he smiled. “This is Renee! My girlfriend,” he said.

I was looking straight at a girl about Tessa’s height, with long brown hair that had light, faded pink streaks among the length, snake bite piercings, and loads of eye liner. She smiled, not really seeming as bitchy as I’d imagine someone so……covered would be. “Hey, it’s so nice to finally be able to meet you! You wouldn’t believe how much Peter talks about you; I could have sworn you two were dating before he asked me out!” Wow, humble too.

I smiled a bit wider than I had and stepped forward a bit. “Considering I had no clue Pete had a girlfriend, it’s pleasant to know he’s finally dating a girl with taste!” Renee blushed a bit as Pete hit my shoulder jokingly, as he knew what I really thought of his other girlfriends. They were all scene trash, and bitches, but this girl seemed really nice. I could get used to her.

Andy came up and wrapped his arm around me again, and Adam glared at him from across the circle of our friends. I turned to Tessa, but through the corner of my eye I could see Renee give Pete a questioning look, and she nodded her head in my direction. Pete rolled his eyes and leaned in to whisper into her ear, but he’d always been quite a loud person. I heard something like, “Too chicken to actually date,” but I ignored such a statement and smiled at my best friend.

She smiled at me, then turned to Bill and said, “Let’s go already! The lines are gonna get really long before we ever get tickets!”