Tokio Derby

“The name’s Mindy the Mean,” she snorted, putting a scowl on her face. After a few minutes of just me staring at her she finally introduced herself. “But my real name’s Ariel.”

“Like from the Little Mermaid?” I asked because it was the first thing that came to my mind.
She sighed loudly. “Like in the Little Mermaid,” she replied softly. “Why is a derby goddess like you in this sleepy place called Germany?”

“It’s a long story,” I answered, and she crossed her arms over her chest and put on a cute pout. “I’ve got time,” she replied in a cutesy voice. So I told her the story, leaving out the part where I was adopted by a rock star. But I did add in the Dominic part; he was my favorite part of the story.

I got up and skated alongside her, stopping every once in a while so she could take pictures with fans while I was off in the shadows. A couple people came up to me and wondered if I skated, but I lied and told them I didn’t. After a while she got bored of it and we skated to a local convenience store she knew about. I watched in awe as she ordered two chili cheese dogs, some fries for me, and a chocolate milkshake for us both. Even the cashier couldn’t stop staring at her.

We sat down at the table facing the window and I couldn’t stop staring at her beautiful face. She had real model potential. “Why aren’t you skating anymore?” she asked after she finished one of her dogs in approximately 2.5 bites.

I sighed. “I’ve only been here for about two days.”

“That’s still enough time,” she dug into her other hot dog. “You just need to find a place where you and other people can derby in peace. And could you stop staring at me like I’m Aphrodite or something?!”

I snapped out of my gaze at her. “I’m sorry,” I blushed a little. “You’re just…..so…….”
“Beautiful?” she cut me off. “Amazing? So beautiful no model could compare to you? Don’t worry,” she waved her hands around in a blasé sort of way. “I get stares all the time from people. Sometimes girls; mostly boys.”

“Why don’t you go into modeling?” I asked, taking a big-ass gulp of my milkshake. “Because I don’t want to,” Ariel answered sharply. “Just because you were born with beauty doesn’t mean you should go into modeling. Some people have both beauty and brains you know.”

“Besides,” she stole one of fries after she finished hers, “Why have I not seen your infamous ass on the circuit track lately? Somebody as experienced as you should have been picked up by a team already.”

I shrugged my shoulders. “I just haven’t had the time for it,” I lied. “ I just started school and have to deal with moving and-“

“I don’t give a fuck!” she cut me off, slamming her hands on the metal table. “I just started college but I still make time to skate.” Ariel sighed and lowered her voice. “Don’t waste your talents. You have serious potential and I don’t want to see you waste it.”

I smiled; nobody except Gustav had told me that. Whenever I told my parents all they ever did was call me a failure and say that I needed to find something more productive with my life. It was kind of nice to have somebody want the best for you. “Thanks,” I whispered, picking up the garbage from the table and throwing it away.

Ariel skated behind me. “I’ll be seeing you later Clarissa,” she whispered into my ear very seductively. I turned around to see Ariel’s mouth just barely an inch away from mine. I wanted to push away but there was something about this that was kind of nice.

“I want you to start a team,” she instructed, “Name the team whatever you want, but have some inexperienced players on the team. It’s nice to see a couple new faces in derby.”
“But that would mean we would have to go against your team,” I replied, my voice a little shaky from a girl- a beautiful one at that- standing so close to my face.

Ariel smirked. “I know that,” she cooed, “I want to play against you. It would make our relationship so much better.”

And with that final word she pressed her lips against mine. They tasted sweet; somewhat like a mix between peppermint and chocolate milkshake. I closed my eyes and really felt the kiss. Her lips were saying things to me that I probably would never hear her say, like we were having a conversation without moving our mouths at all. I didn’t even get mad when her tongue slipped into my mouth. I had never French-kissed anybody but I quickly got used to it.

Ariel was the first to pull away. “I’ll see you soon Sweetheart,” she whispered into my ear, and with that she opened the door and left.

I looked over to the cashier, who looked like he just saw the best porn in his life. I brushed my finger across my lips and tried to replay the scene over and over. Was it bad that I just got kissed by a girl? A girl who I barely knew and called me Sweetheart?
Was it bad that I liked the kiss?