cherry bomb // randall "pink" floyd

free ride

"Okay, we gotta play it cool. You know how his dad is; if we let anything slip about a party he'll freak," Pink warned. He and Donna had just parked in front of Pickford's house.

"Don't worry, Einstein. I wasn't planning on walking up and saying 'hey where's the keg?'"

Pink glared at her. "You know what I mean."

"Yeah, I do, and I know that if anyone is going to give it away it's you. You can't hide things for shit." It was true, you could tell most everything Pink was thinking by his facial expressions.

"Hey! I can keep secrets!"

"Oh yeah, like what?"

A sheepish grin made its way onto Pink's face. "Well, if I told you, it wouldn't be a secret. Now let's go before Mrs. Pickford thinks we're crazy."

Donna turned her head and realized that the woman had been in the driveway the whole time, packing the trunk of a car. "Good idea."

The two got out of Pink's car and walked up the driveway. "Hey Mrs. Pickford!" Pink had once bragged to Donna that he was great with parents. Time to find out.

"Hey kids, you here to see Kevin?"

"Yes ma'am," Donna smiled.

"I bet you're glad school's out aren't you?"

"Yeah, definitely. Are you going on a trip?"

"We're going away for the weekend."

"Oh, you're taking Kevin with you, huh?" Donna almost rolled her eyes at Pink's attempt to sell their obliviousness.

"No, he's staying here. Go on in, he's up there somewhere." Mrs. Pickford patted the teens' arms. "Good to see you, Donna."

Donna smiled at the older woman and replied with a "You too" before following Pink to the front door. The two navigated through the neat house and made their way towards Kevin's bedroom. It was sealed shut with a screwdriver, so Donna knocked on the door while Pink stood behind her. "It's us," she said, so they wouldn't have to go through the trouble of trying to make the room more parent-friendly.

Michelle opened the door with a small smile and ushered the two in. Pink greeted the two guys before sitting between them. Donna told Michelle about the hazing while making her way to the window seat. Michelle sat behind Kevin while Donna took her seat and tuned into whatever the boys were saying.

"Say, man, why'd you make me ride with them two?" Slater asked, directed at Pink. Donna quirked her eyebrow up at the question. She thought Pink said that Slater had chosen to ride with the couple himself.

Pink looked across at Donna with a nervous expression on his face. "Um, I just had things to do, man." It dawned on her that Pink definitely didn't have anything important to do after school had ended. As far as she knew, all he had done was watch the hazing. It dawned on her that it was very possible that he had just lied to get time alone with her during the car ride. More than ever, Donna realized that this was all really happening. Her theory of Pink liking her didn't feel so outlandish anymore. She still didn't want to get her hopes up, but it was really hard at this point.

When Pink looked her way, she raised her eyebrows and tilted her head, making a questioning look on her face. In response, Pink just softly smiled. It was a small gesture, but Donna felt as if it was all the confirmation she needed. It set off fireworks inside of her.

The two broke eye contact only when Pickford lit up a joint and offered it to Slater. "A sample of the goods. Fifteen bucks."

Donna stood up and walked over closer to the group so she could be close enough to pass the joint around. She laughed as Slater asked Pink to spot him 10 dollars for the pot. When Pink finished his hit, Donna took it from him and inhaled as she settled on the floor. There was not much room, so she was basically sitting between Pink's legs while she leaned back on Pickford's bed.