Rag Doll
Let It Be.
I woke up right on time, like I often did, and forced myself out of bed. I went to the bathroom and brushed my teeth, and then I went back to my room where I got out my favorite red polka-dot dress to wear to school. It was one of the few dresses that I owned, I usually didn’t wear dresses. I put on a pair of red Mary Jane shoes and put a few curls in my hair.
After applying a little makeup I wandered downstairs to the kitchen where my mother already had breakfast set out on the table and was drinking coffee. My dad read the paper, his blue eyes rimmed in thick, black glasses. My older brother, Ronnie, talked about the upcoming football game with my mom and asked her if his girlfriend, Stephanie, could go to dinner with us afterwards.
Ronnie was the quarterback on our high school football team, he was incredibly popular. Everybody liked him because he was friendly, talented, and smart. He really was a nice guy who seemed to like most everybody, except Greasers. Everyone thought that he and Stephanie were perfect together because she was the head cheerleader and she was bubbly and cute. I knew from experience that there was a apart of her that was pretty wicked, she often got jealous of any girl that talked to Ronnie. Even me, and I am his sister.
My mom looks up at me and smiles, “Good morning Barbra,” she says happily. I sit down between her and my dad.
“Good morning,” I say with a smile.
“What are you doing after school today, Bobbie?” Ronnie asked before shoveling pancakes in his mouth.
“Don’t call her ‘Bobbie’! It’s not a feminine name!” My mom scolds him before I could even answer, I didn’t mind being called Bobbie. Everyone called me that, it was my mom that had the problem with it. She was the only person that still called me Barbra.
“Mom, everyone calls me Bobbie. I seriously don’t care,” I say to her before turning to Ronnie, “I think I’m gonna go to the drive-in with Jackie and her boyfriend.”
“Oh, well, Stephanie was kind wanting to know if you wanted to ride around with us tonight. But maybe we’ll join you at the drive-in instead. Will you need a ride?” He says while my mom washes her and Dad’s plates.
“I don’t think so, I think her boyfriend is going to drive us. We’ll meet you there though,” I say quietly, I decide I wasn’t hungry so I tell everyone goodbye.
“You don’t need a ride to school?” Ronnie asked as he walked out of the house behind me.
“No, I think I’ll be okay,” I smile at him reassuringly before I walk down the street where my best friend, Jackie, lived. She met me at the end of her driveway and we walked to school together.
“What do you think of those Curtis guys that live on the other side of town?” She asked me suddenly as we approached the school.
I shrug, “I don’t know, I’ve never talked to any of them except for the youngest. He’s a real sweet kid, he’s really shy though.”
“Well, I mean looks wise. I mean forget for a moment that they’re Greasers, do you think they’re good looking?”
“I do, they’re a good looking bunch of guys.”
“Too bad they’re Greasers,” she says, just as we walk by a group of Greasers who were smoking cigarettes. They look at us with hatred in their eyes. I started to go back and apologize, but I was scared they would tear me to pieces or that I would get an earful from my other friends or from Ronnie for talking to them. So I simply let it be.
After applying a little makeup I wandered downstairs to the kitchen where my mother already had breakfast set out on the table and was drinking coffee. My dad read the paper, his blue eyes rimmed in thick, black glasses. My older brother, Ronnie, talked about the upcoming football game with my mom and asked her if his girlfriend, Stephanie, could go to dinner with us afterwards.
Ronnie was the quarterback on our high school football team, he was incredibly popular. Everybody liked him because he was friendly, talented, and smart. He really was a nice guy who seemed to like most everybody, except Greasers. Everyone thought that he and Stephanie were perfect together because she was the head cheerleader and she was bubbly and cute. I knew from experience that there was a apart of her that was pretty wicked, she often got jealous of any girl that talked to Ronnie. Even me, and I am his sister.
My mom looks up at me and smiles, “Good morning Barbra,” she says happily. I sit down between her and my dad.
“Good morning,” I say with a smile.
“What are you doing after school today, Bobbie?” Ronnie asked before shoveling pancakes in his mouth.
“Don’t call her ‘Bobbie’! It’s not a feminine name!” My mom scolds him before I could even answer, I didn’t mind being called Bobbie. Everyone called me that, it was my mom that had the problem with it. She was the only person that still called me Barbra.
“Mom, everyone calls me Bobbie. I seriously don’t care,” I say to her before turning to Ronnie, “I think I’m gonna go to the drive-in with Jackie and her boyfriend.”
“Oh, well, Stephanie was kind wanting to know if you wanted to ride around with us tonight. But maybe we’ll join you at the drive-in instead. Will you need a ride?” He says while my mom washes her and Dad’s plates.
“I don’t think so, I think her boyfriend is going to drive us. We’ll meet you there though,” I say quietly, I decide I wasn’t hungry so I tell everyone goodbye.
“You don’t need a ride to school?” Ronnie asked as he walked out of the house behind me.
“No, I think I’ll be okay,” I smile at him reassuringly before I walk down the street where my best friend, Jackie, lived. She met me at the end of her driveway and we walked to school together.
“What do you think of those Curtis guys that live on the other side of town?” She asked me suddenly as we approached the school.
I shrug, “I don’t know, I’ve never talked to any of them except for the youngest. He’s a real sweet kid, he’s really shy though.”
“Well, I mean looks wise. I mean forget for a moment that they’re Greasers, do you think they’re good looking?”
“I do, they’re a good looking bunch of guys.”
“Too bad they’re Greasers,” she says, just as we walk by a group of Greasers who were smoking cigarettes. They look at us with hatred in their eyes. I started to go back and apologize, but I was scared they would tear me to pieces or that I would get an earful from my other friends or from Ronnie for talking to them. So I simply let it be.