Beatle

Chapter 1 (Continued)

Chapter 1 Still Continued:

           I walked into school the next day simply floating on air.  I wanted to yell at everyone I met, “I’m leaving! You all have to stay behind but I’M LEAVING!” Nothing could have upset me that day. Or so I thought, until I heard Meredith’s voice.

I had been humming as I put my books in my locker.  “Twenty Flight Rock” by Eddie Cochran had been running through my head ever since I had played the record that morning:

“Oh well I got a girl with a record machine, when it comes to rockin’ she’s the queen

We love to dance on a Saturday night, all alone I can hold her tight   

She lives on the twentieth floor uptown, the elevator’s broken down

Well it’s one flight two flight three flight four, five six seven flight eight flight more, get to the twelfth and I’m startin’ to drag, fifteen more I’m ready to sag

I get to the top, I’m too tired to rock

I was so oblivious to everyone outside my little world of happiness and Eddie Cochran I didn’t even realize I had been making any noise until I heard a snigger coming from behind me.  I turned, facing directly towards Meredith and Mary, who were both smirking identically at me, in matching pastel poodle skirts, brown and white saddle shoes, and light pink blouses, Meredith with a white ribbon holding back her hair.

“Whatcha humming Lizzy?”  Meredith asked in a sing-song voice, knowing how much I hated it when she called me ‘Lizzy.’

“Oh, nothing.  I didn’t even realize I was,” I said, laughing nervously and shutting my locker behind me. I tried to go around them, wanting to escape this conversation.  Meredith was always trying to tell everyone what to like, and I really was the only one who tried to rebel in my own private way.  Meredith had a huge love for Elvis, who I liked as well, but wasn’t someone whose records I sought out. I much preferred Little Richard or Eddie Cochran, who Meredith hated. 

Half the appeal was right there, and I was happy to listen to their records, by myself, when and where Meredith couldn’t see me.  Otherwise, I went along and listened to Elvis whenever we were together with a record player nearby, just like all the rest.  If she knew I had been humming an Eddie Cochran song, she’d have one more thing to hold against me.  It seemed like a trivial thing, me being scared out of my wits if Meredith found out I had been listening to different music. 

But the thing was, it was a whole lot bigger than that.  If the other girls knew what I had done, they’d break Meredith’s unsaid rules, and have a mini sort of rebellion. That sounds alright, but I’d be the one experiencing Meredith’s wrath, her damaging my reputation as revenge for dissolving her group of disciples.  I was also at a point in my adolescence where I cared very deeply about what other people thought of me. 

My reputation meant everything to me, and Meredith knew it.  For some reason she knew all our weaknesses, like how she could take control of Mary’s occasional lack of smarts to make her look stupid, or by taking advantage of Caroline’s overly-nice attitude to make her do her homework for her.  She especially knew about my particularity pertaining to my social image, and she made it clear to me, on several occasions, that she could do damage to it, the thing that really mattered most to me.

Unfortunately, escape wasn’t going to happen anytime soon for me.  Meredith took a large step in front of me, Mary scampering after her to stay even with her.

“Mary, you were there, weren’t you?” Meredith asked, already knowing the answer.  She smiled at me in a threatening way.

“Where?” Mary asked, turning to look at Meredith with confusion.