Jukebox Lovers
7 A.M.
It's seven in the morning and I just finished getting ready for school. I looked over my new schedule and sighed, not looking forward to it. I folded the paper and forced it into my pocket with extra effort due to the tightness of my drainpipes. I slung my messenger bag over my shoulder and made my way downstairs and out the door, dreading the day ahead of me.
I began walking toward the bench where Annemarie always picked me up, feeling tears form in the corners of my eyes as I thought hard about the events currently taking place. I reached the bench and sat down, plopping my bag next to me, looking around.
I heard the putt-putt-putt of one of our small community's signiature seventies model trucks. I looked upward to see whose it was, and looked back down immediately. Mr. Larson began honking his horn at the vehicle in front of him, and I could hear him swearing, though his window was up and he was twenty-five feet away.
The woman in the small green car turned to look behind her, and Mr. Larson made a rude hand gesture. She gasped and switched lanes. Mr. Larson eyed her angrily and sped by, rolling down his window to spit out a large ball of tobacco. I shuddered.
Annemarie pulled up not much longer after that, and I climbed into her van. I didn't bother to buckle my seatbelt as she floored the gas and quickly weaved in and out of the mid-town traffic just beginning. She flung a folded piece of paper at me, causing her to lose track of the road and swerve around a white minivan. The owner of the minivan honked angrily as Annemarie snorted a bit. I unfolded the paper and a grin spread across my face. Jacqui had written me back. I noted his neat penmanship and began to read.
Adrian,
I am so glad you want to stay friends. You're so nice to me. No one has ever treated me like you do. You make me feel good. My dad lets me do shows with my band and he never goes so we could probably hang out at those. Sometimes I'm out really late at night, and I can call you off payphones when that happens and we can meet in town. You're a really good friend for putting up with all of this.
I hope we don't end up drifting because you make me genuinely happy. Please don't leave me like others would.
Love,
Jacqui
I blushed a little at how he had signed it 'love', but then I realized I was being stupid. Annemarie smiled at me as we parked in the school parking lot. Jacqui's car was already here, and I had such an urge to run and find him, hug him, and never let him go. I sighed sadly as I realized that we could never do that in public until he was eighteen.
Annemarie put an arm around me, "It's going to be okay. You guys are figuring everything out. And I think he likes you."
I scoffed, "I wish."
"Sweetie, have you seen the way he looks at you? You give him so much more than anyone else ever has, maybe besides his band, but it's different with you. If I can see it, why can't you?"
I smiled a litle, "Thanks, Annie."
I began to write a short note back to Jacqui in my neatest cursive in the cafeteria before school.
Dear Jacqui,
I won't leave you. You're too nice and you don't deserve that. When is your next show, by the way? I want to hang out soon. Or maybe I could see you at night sometime in the alley or something? Please respond ASAP. I really want to talk to you.
Love,
Adrian
I ran to find Annemarie and she smiled at me as she read the note, "You're cute. You're all obsessive like."
"Did it sound creepy?"
"No it sounded cute."
I grabbed for it, "It sounded obsessive. I want to rewrite it."
"No, this one was cute. I'm giving him this one," she said, pulling her arm away and standing atop the bench in the hall.
I pouted and the five minute bell went off. She smirked and tucked the paper into her back pocket. I followed her to first hour and plopped into my seat.
I read Jacqui's note that Annemarie gave me after school. I smiled.
Dear Adrian,
You're sweet. Haha. You should show up in the same alley tonight around one or two in the morning. If I'm not there by 2:30, you can ditch, but I should be there. Hopefully I'll see you tonight.
Love,
Jacqui
I smiled inwardly and practically skipped up my driveway. My mom smiled, since I looked so happy.
"Well it looks like someone had a good day," she said, smile still adorning her face.
"Yup."
"Well, what was good about it?"
I groaned, "Mooom, please don't play therapist on me."
"I'm not! I'm just taking interest in your life. Excuse me for being a mother."
"I'm a teenager. I don't want a motherly mother."
"Well, is it a boy?"
"Moooom!"
"It is a boy!" she squealed, "Is it that boy that called the house?"
I hid my head, but nodded all the same. She could tell and pulled me into a hug. I cringed and ducked away to run to my room.
I set my alarm for one in the morning so I could meet Jacqui by two. When it went off, I was still extremely tired, but I quickly hit the 'off' button so my mother didn't freak out that I was leaving. I rolled out of bed, reluctantly, and went to do all of my rituals to look as good as possible.
Lastly, I slipped on my shoes, climbed out my window and onto the shed, and climbed the ladder down. This was far too easy.
I walked towards the alley quickly. I looked left and right for the police to make sure that I wasn't caught past curfew. They were nowhere in sight.
I walked into the alley. I smiled when I saw Jacqui's face. I could only see it in the dim light from the streetlights, but being this close just made me glow with happiness. I hugged him and he hugged me back.
"I missed you," he said, looking at me, longingly. I smiled.
"I missed you too."
He blushed a little, "I don't really know what to say."
"About what?"
"I don't know. I figured we'd talk but now I don't know what to talk about."
I laughed a little, "I don't know what to talk about either. I guess we could talk about your ba--"
"I don't wanna."
"Oh, okay."
"I um. Well I know what I want to talk about, but--"
"Just say it. I won't get mad. Call me an ugly faggot. You're too cute to make me mad." I covered my mouth, because I didn't mean to be flirtatious. It just sort of slipped.
He smiled, "Thank you. But I don't know. It's all really weird to say out loud."
"Try me." I smiled back at him.
"Well I've never--ah."
"Ah what?"
"I just can't talk about things like this."
"Then uh...charades?"
He blinked at me, "Like, show you?"
"Yeah."
It was hard to tell in the semidarkness, but I could see his cheeks redden a bit.
He chewed on his lip and made a heart with his hands.
"Uh...love?"
He blushed even more and made a so-so hand gesture.
"Heart?"
He shook his head.
"Valentine's Day?"
He shook his head again.
He pointed at himself.
"You," I guessed.
He nodded and pointed at me.
"Me," I guessed again.
He nodded and made the heart.
"Happy?"
He made the so-so sign again.
"Like!" I finally guessed.
He nodded violently.
"You like me? Don't joke."
He blushed, "I'm not. You're so nice. And you're attractive."
I smiled, "Well I like you, too."
"Really?" he said, excitement dancing in his eyes.
I nodded.
"Why?"
"Because you're you."
He smiled, "Aww."
"Not to be forward, but can I kiss you?"
He blushed and nodded. I leaned in, pressing my lips to his. They were soft, warm, and everything I would only think could happen in a dream. He slowly responded, massaging his lips against my own. I deepened it a little and felt slight tongue contact, but not too much to keep it from being special.
We heard a car, which caused us to break apart. The cops were up the road.
"Fuck," Jacqui said, pulling me deeper into the alley.
"They won't come in here, will they?" I whispered.
"They might. That door there is always open. Go through it and go out the back of Benjamin's Paint. We can't be caught together and I don't want you to get in trouble."
"But I won't get beat if I--"
"Just go, okay?"
I sighed and did as my beauty asked. I pushed the door to the Benjamin Paint Store open, finding my way through the store and out the back. I waited behind the store to hear some sort of sign Jacqui was going to be okay.
I didn't hear that at all.
"Kid, you're past curfew."
"I realize that."
"Ya got a reason?"
"Not really."
"Ya drunk?"
"No."
"Mind doing some field tests for me?"
"Why not?"
I heard him do the alphabet backwards, and I heard them talk to him as he walked in a straight line. I was almost crying. I couldn't imagine what his father would do to him.
I ran out from behind the paint store, "Please don't tell his father!" I wasn't thinking, I knew that much, but I knew his father would kill him.
"And why shouldn't we? You're out past curfew too."
"His...his dad--"
"Adrian!" Jacqui cried.
"His dad beats him," I said.
Tears fell down Jacqui's face.
"Is this true?" asked the female cop.
"N-no."
"Are you sure?"
He started sobbing.
"I'm sorry," I whispered.
"Sorry doesn't cut it." He shook his head, backing away. The female officer grabbed his hand and demanded more information.
I ran home.
I began walking toward the bench where Annemarie always picked me up, feeling tears form in the corners of my eyes as I thought hard about the events currently taking place. I reached the bench and sat down, plopping my bag next to me, looking around.
I heard the putt-putt-putt of one of our small community's signiature seventies model trucks. I looked upward to see whose it was, and looked back down immediately. Mr. Larson began honking his horn at the vehicle in front of him, and I could hear him swearing, though his window was up and he was twenty-five feet away.
The woman in the small green car turned to look behind her, and Mr. Larson made a rude hand gesture. She gasped and switched lanes. Mr. Larson eyed her angrily and sped by, rolling down his window to spit out a large ball of tobacco. I shuddered.
Annemarie pulled up not much longer after that, and I climbed into her van. I didn't bother to buckle my seatbelt as she floored the gas and quickly weaved in and out of the mid-town traffic just beginning. She flung a folded piece of paper at me, causing her to lose track of the road and swerve around a white minivan. The owner of the minivan honked angrily as Annemarie snorted a bit. I unfolded the paper and a grin spread across my face. Jacqui had written me back. I noted his neat penmanship and began to read.
Adrian,
I am so glad you want to stay friends. You're so nice to me. No one has ever treated me like you do. You make me feel good. My dad lets me do shows with my band and he never goes so we could probably hang out at those. Sometimes I'm out really late at night, and I can call you off payphones when that happens and we can meet in town. You're a really good friend for putting up with all of this.
I hope we don't end up drifting because you make me genuinely happy. Please don't leave me like others would.
Love,
Jacqui
I blushed a little at how he had signed it 'love', but then I realized I was being stupid. Annemarie smiled at me as we parked in the school parking lot. Jacqui's car was already here, and I had such an urge to run and find him, hug him, and never let him go. I sighed sadly as I realized that we could never do that in public until he was eighteen.
Annemarie put an arm around me, "It's going to be okay. You guys are figuring everything out. And I think he likes you."
I scoffed, "I wish."
"Sweetie, have you seen the way he looks at you? You give him so much more than anyone else ever has, maybe besides his band, but it's different with you. If I can see it, why can't you?"
I smiled a litle, "Thanks, Annie."
I began to write a short note back to Jacqui in my neatest cursive in the cafeteria before school.
Dear Jacqui,
I won't leave you. You're too nice and you don't deserve that. When is your next show, by the way? I want to hang out soon. Or maybe I could see you at night sometime in the alley or something? Please respond ASAP. I really want to talk to you.
Love,
Adrian
I ran to find Annemarie and she smiled at me as she read the note, "You're cute. You're all obsessive like."
"Did it sound creepy?"
"No it sounded cute."
I grabbed for it, "It sounded obsessive. I want to rewrite it."
"No, this one was cute. I'm giving him this one," she said, pulling her arm away and standing atop the bench in the hall.
I pouted and the five minute bell went off. She smirked and tucked the paper into her back pocket. I followed her to first hour and plopped into my seat.
I read Jacqui's note that Annemarie gave me after school. I smiled.
Dear Adrian,
You're sweet. Haha. You should show up in the same alley tonight around one or two in the morning. If I'm not there by 2:30, you can ditch, but I should be there. Hopefully I'll see you tonight.
Love,
Jacqui
I smiled inwardly and practically skipped up my driveway. My mom smiled, since I looked so happy.
"Well it looks like someone had a good day," she said, smile still adorning her face.
"Yup."
"Well, what was good about it?"
I groaned, "Mooom, please don't play therapist on me."
"I'm not! I'm just taking interest in your life. Excuse me for being a mother."
"I'm a teenager. I don't want a motherly mother."
"Well, is it a boy?"
"Moooom!"
"It is a boy!" she squealed, "Is it that boy that called the house?"
I hid my head, but nodded all the same. She could tell and pulled me into a hug. I cringed and ducked away to run to my room.
I set my alarm for one in the morning so I could meet Jacqui by two. When it went off, I was still extremely tired, but I quickly hit the 'off' button so my mother didn't freak out that I was leaving. I rolled out of bed, reluctantly, and went to do all of my rituals to look as good as possible.
Lastly, I slipped on my shoes, climbed out my window and onto the shed, and climbed the ladder down. This was far too easy.
I walked towards the alley quickly. I looked left and right for the police to make sure that I wasn't caught past curfew. They were nowhere in sight.
I walked into the alley. I smiled when I saw Jacqui's face. I could only see it in the dim light from the streetlights, but being this close just made me glow with happiness. I hugged him and he hugged me back.
"I missed you," he said, looking at me, longingly. I smiled.
"I missed you too."
He blushed a little, "I don't really know what to say."
"About what?"
"I don't know. I figured we'd talk but now I don't know what to talk about."
I laughed a little, "I don't know what to talk about either. I guess we could talk about your ba--"
"I don't wanna."
"Oh, okay."
"I um. Well I know what I want to talk about, but--"
"Just say it. I won't get mad. Call me an ugly faggot. You're too cute to make me mad." I covered my mouth, because I didn't mean to be flirtatious. It just sort of slipped.
He smiled, "Thank you. But I don't know. It's all really weird to say out loud."
"Try me." I smiled back at him.
"Well I've never--ah."
"Ah what?"
"I just can't talk about things like this."
"Then uh...charades?"
He blinked at me, "Like, show you?"
"Yeah."
It was hard to tell in the semidarkness, but I could see his cheeks redden a bit.
He chewed on his lip and made a heart with his hands.
"Uh...love?"
He blushed even more and made a so-so hand gesture.
"Heart?"
He shook his head.
"Valentine's Day?"
He shook his head again.
He pointed at himself.
"You," I guessed.
He nodded and pointed at me.
"Me," I guessed again.
He nodded and made the heart.
"Happy?"
He made the so-so sign again.
"Like!" I finally guessed.
He nodded violently.
"You like me? Don't joke."
He blushed, "I'm not. You're so nice. And you're attractive."
I smiled, "Well I like you, too."
"Really?" he said, excitement dancing in his eyes.
I nodded.
"Why?"
"Because you're you."
He smiled, "Aww."
"Not to be forward, but can I kiss you?"
He blushed and nodded. I leaned in, pressing my lips to his. They were soft, warm, and everything I would only think could happen in a dream. He slowly responded, massaging his lips against my own. I deepened it a little and felt slight tongue contact, but not too much to keep it from being special.
We heard a car, which caused us to break apart. The cops were up the road.
"Fuck," Jacqui said, pulling me deeper into the alley.
"They won't come in here, will they?" I whispered.
"They might. That door there is always open. Go through it and go out the back of Benjamin's Paint. We can't be caught together and I don't want you to get in trouble."
"But I won't get beat if I--"
"Just go, okay?"
I sighed and did as my beauty asked. I pushed the door to the Benjamin Paint Store open, finding my way through the store and out the back. I waited behind the store to hear some sort of sign Jacqui was going to be okay.
I didn't hear that at all.
"Kid, you're past curfew."
"I realize that."
"Ya got a reason?"
"Not really."
"Ya drunk?"
"No."
"Mind doing some field tests for me?"
"Why not?"
I heard him do the alphabet backwards, and I heard them talk to him as he walked in a straight line. I was almost crying. I couldn't imagine what his father would do to him.
I ran out from behind the paint store, "Please don't tell his father!" I wasn't thinking, I knew that much, but I knew his father would kill him.
"And why shouldn't we? You're out past curfew too."
"His...his dad--"
"Adrian!" Jacqui cried.
"His dad beats him," I said.
Tears fell down Jacqui's face.
"Is this true?" asked the female cop.
"N-no."
"Are you sure?"
He started sobbing.
"I'm sorry," I whispered.
"Sorry doesn't cut it." He shook his head, backing away. The female officer grabbed his hand and demanded more information.
I ran home.