Runaways
ONE
I'm sitting on top of an old beat up pool table, swinging my legs back and forth as I take quick sips from the beer bottle in my hand. My best friend is standing next to me, talking to some people that we went to high school with, the music is loud, obnoxiously loud, and everyone is shouting just to be heard. I watched a few people over the last hour try to get the dj to turn it down with no luck. Every weekend the local radio station brings their speakers in and turns this dumpy dive bar into a club, and we always seem to forget until it's too late.
It seems our entire graduating class is here, I smile at some and avoid most of the rest. One face stands out, and I hop off of the table and pull on the sleeve of my best friends sweater.
"Is Jack here? I think that's Jack?" I shout at her face. She takes another sip from her beer as she looks over my shoulder.
"Yeah, that's Jack!!" She exclaims. Without alcohol, neither one of us would really be this excited to see him. We've both only met him once, after her friend dragged us to go see his band play. They played a few cover songs in a sketchy bowling alley/bar. Afterwards we met up at said friends house for the after party. I got drunk, obnoxiously-as I was underage at the time, and we talked about aliens and punk rock. I also talked to the family dog a lot that evening...
I make my way through the crowd of drunks and tap on the tall, dark haired boys back. He spins around and a big goofy smile forms on his face.
"Lorraine!"
We don't know each other well enough to hug or anything, so he fist pumps his beer into the air. I awkwardly do the same, grinning back at him. He's talking to a girl who sat next to me in history class in 11th grade. She smiles at me and lifts her beer as well. I take another sip from mine and wonder what I'm doing.
"I'm with Clarissa! I just wanted to say hi!" I shout. He nods.
"I'm gonna come and talk to you guys in a little bit!" He yells back. I nod, smile once more at history class girl, and wander back to my spot on the vacant pool table.
"Where's Jack?" Clarissa asks. She's alone now, the people she was talking to before are dancing around on the makeshift dance floor.
"Talking to someone, he said he'd come over in-" I'm interrupted by Jack himself. He waves a hello to Clarissa.
"Forgot it was a club tonight, this fucking sucks!" He laughs. We both nod.
"Us too!"
"All my friends are here though, so might as well stay."
We all agree, watching a girl next to us spill her drink all over the place. Jack didn't go to our school, he's from the next town over. Our towns were so close though that everyone seemed to know each other.
"So did you hear about Blinks new album?" Jack asks, the same goofy grin never leaving his face. He tilts his head back to flip his hair out of his eyes, looking completely emo in the process.
"Yes!" I agree, while Clarissa ignores us. Clarissa listens to country music, which I will never understand.
"Gonna be rad." Jack adds, slightly bouncing up and down now.
"Ladiesssss!" A few idiot jocks from our class walk by us, and we all make disgusted faces at each other.
"Are those your friends?" Jack asked. I make a fake puke noise.
"We have no friends." Clarissa replies. I nod in agreement.
"I consider you guys my friends!" Jack starts to bounce up and down on his heels again, like he can't stand still.
"Aw, well we can all be friends, then." Clarissa says, smiling up at the lanky boy in front of us.
"Alright! Do you guys need another beer?"
We both examine our near empty bottles and nod.
"Beeeee right back!" The boy runs away, towards the bar before either of us has a chance to protest.
"Oh well, guess we're getting free beer tonight." Clarissa grins. I roll my eyes.
"We'll have to get the next round."
About 4 more rounds later and it was safe to say we were all feeling it.
"I desperately want a donut right now..." Clarissa shouts over the music that doesn't seem to bother us anymore. Jacks eyes go wide.
"Holy shit, fuck yes!"
"I'm not done with my drink yet." I frown, not quite ready to leave the shitty bar and face the even shittier outside world.
"I gonna go get another while you finish that one." Jack hops down from the pool table that we've all reclaimed as a bench.
"By the time you get another beer, Lor will be done with hers!"
"Sucks to suck!" Jack calls back, already on his way to the bar.
Two more beers each, and we're laughing about everything.
"Lor and I are such bitches, Jack, you're so lucky you're so nice!" Clarissa makes no senses while I nod in drunken agreement. Jack laughs.
"I think I accidentally ditched my friends all night!"
"Ohhhh yeah! I forgot about them, go find them!"
"I'm gonna tell them we're leaving for donuts."
"Ohhhkayyyy." I sing, embarrassing myself more by the minute.
During Jacks absences, the girl from my history class pops up next to me.
"How long have you known Jack??" She grins, clutching a beer of her own.
"Uhmm...a little while..." I say, but she doesn't seem to notice my uneasiness.
"Jacks a really good guy." And then she actually winks at me, I thought that only happens in movies. I just nod and agree with her.
"Yeah, Jack is super chill."
"Yeah he is!" Jack himself jumps into our conversation, while the nameless history class girl giggles.
"Cass tell everyone I'm getting donuts, and tell them donuts make you go nuts."
She smiled and shoots him a thumbs up.
"Will do. It was nice talking to you." She flashes me a smile before slipping away to the other side of the large bar.
"My friends probably haven't come over here all night because they're so excited I'm talking to girls and not moping around my bedroom." Jack laughs. Clarissa and I exchange nervous glances.
"But I'm not talking to you guys like that. You guys are cool, and not like normal girls, you're down to earth... like...girly guys..." He trails off, realizing that's weird to say, while Clarissa and I burst into laughter.
"Yeah we get that a lot."
"I don't mean you look like guys! I mean...shit! Should I get us more beer?" The boy nervously looks around while we continue laughing.
"No it's ok! Let's go get donuts."
And that was the beginning of the weirdest times of my life.
It seems our entire graduating class is here, I smile at some and avoid most of the rest. One face stands out, and I hop off of the table and pull on the sleeve of my best friends sweater.
"Is Jack here? I think that's Jack?" I shout at her face. She takes another sip from her beer as she looks over my shoulder.
"Yeah, that's Jack!!" She exclaims. Without alcohol, neither one of us would really be this excited to see him. We've both only met him once, after her friend dragged us to go see his band play. They played a few cover songs in a sketchy bowling alley/bar. Afterwards we met up at said friends house for the after party. I got drunk, obnoxiously-as I was underage at the time, and we talked about aliens and punk rock. I also talked to the family dog a lot that evening...
I make my way through the crowd of drunks and tap on the tall, dark haired boys back. He spins around and a big goofy smile forms on his face.
"Lorraine!"
We don't know each other well enough to hug or anything, so he fist pumps his beer into the air. I awkwardly do the same, grinning back at him. He's talking to a girl who sat next to me in history class in 11th grade. She smiles at me and lifts her beer as well. I take another sip from mine and wonder what I'm doing.
"I'm with Clarissa! I just wanted to say hi!" I shout. He nods.
"I'm gonna come and talk to you guys in a little bit!" He yells back. I nod, smile once more at history class girl, and wander back to my spot on the vacant pool table.
"Where's Jack?" Clarissa asks. She's alone now, the people she was talking to before are dancing around on the makeshift dance floor.
"Talking to someone, he said he'd come over in-" I'm interrupted by Jack himself. He waves a hello to Clarissa.
"Forgot it was a club tonight, this fucking sucks!" He laughs. We both nod.
"Us too!"
"All my friends are here though, so might as well stay."
We all agree, watching a girl next to us spill her drink all over the place. Jack didn't go to our school, he's from the next town over. Our towns were so close though that everyone seemed to know each other.
"So did you hear about Blinks new album?" Jack asks, the same goofy grin never leaving his face. He tilts his head back to flip his hair out of his eyes, looking completely emo in the process.
"Yes!" I agree, while Clarissa ignores us. Clarissa listens to country music, which I will never understand.
"Gonna be rad." Jack adds, slightly bouncing up and down now.
"Ladiesssss!" A few idiot jocks from our class walk by us, and we all make disgusted faces at each other.
"Are those your friends?" Jack asked. I make a fake puke noise.
"We have no friends." Clarissa replies. I nod in agreement.
"I consider you guys my friends!" Jack starts to bounce up and down on his heels again, like he can't stand still.
"Aw, well we can all be friends, then." Clarissa says, smiling up at the lanky boy in front of us.
"Alright! Do you guys need another beer?"
We both examine our near empty bottles and nod.
"Beeeee right back!" The boy runs away, towards the bar before either of us has a chance to protest.
"Oh well, guess we're getting free beer tonight." Clarissa grins. I roll my eyes.
"We'll have to get the next round."
About 4 more rounds later and it was safe to say we were all feeling it.
"I desperately want a donut right now..." Clarissa shouts over the music that doesn't seem to bother us anymore. Jacks eyes go wide.
"Holy shit, fuck yes!"
"I'm not done with my drink yet." I frown, not quite ready to leave the shitty bar and face the even shittier outside world.
"I gonna go get another while you finish that one." Jack hops down from the pool table that we've all reclaimed as a bench.
"By the time you get another beer, Lor will be done with hers!"
"Sucks to suck!" Jack calls back, already on his way to the bar.
Two more beers each, and we're laughing about everything.
"Lor and I are such bitches, Jack, you're so lucky you're so nice!" Clarissa makes no senses while I nod in drunken agreement. Jack laughs.
"I think I accidentally ditched my friends all night!"
"Ohhhh yeah! I forgot about them, go find them!"
"I'm gonna tell them we're leaving for donuts."
"Ohhhkayyyy." I sing, embarrassing myself more by the minute.
During Jacks absences, the girl from my history class pops up next to me.
"How long have you known Jack??" She grins, clutching a beer of her own.
"Uhmm...a little while..." I say, but she doesn't seem to notice my uneasiness.
"Jacks a really good guy." And then she actually winks at me, I thought that only happens in movies. I just nod and agree with her.
"Yeah, Jack is super chill."
"Yeah he is!" Jack himself jumps into our conversation, while the nameless history class girl giggles.
"Cass tell everyone I'm getting donuts, and tell them donuts make you go nuts."
She smiled and shoots him a thumbs up.
"Will do. It was nice talking to you." She flashes me a smile before slipping away to the other side of the large bar.
"My friends probably haven't come over here all night because they're so excited I'm talking to girls and not moping around my bedroom." Jack laughs. Clarissa and I exchange nervous glances.
"But I'm not talking to you guys like that. You guys are cool, and not like normal girls, you're down to earth... like...girly guys..." He trails off, realizing that's weird to say, while Clarissa and I burst into laughter.
"Yeah we get that a lot."
"I don't mean you look like guys! I mean...shit! Should I get us more beer?" The boy nervously looks around while we continue laughing.
"No it's ok! Let's go get donuts."
And that was the beginning of the weirdest times of my life.