Roses Are Red

Chapter 06

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Winter

February 6th, 1958

"Come 'ed, Sam!" Eden exclaimed as she tugged on Samantha's sleeve.

Samantha rolled her eyes as Eden pulled her along the street.

"It isn't all that exciting, y'know. They just play some songs and walk off stage," Samantha said and looked to George, who was walking a ways behind them, for help. George just smirked at her. Samantha had created this monster. Eden, who had never been out past 9 o'clock on a school night, was seeing her first ever live skiffle show, the closest thing to a rock 'n' roll band that Liverpool had. Eden had Samantha had invited her to see John's group play, mostly because she usually stood in the crowd alone cheering if her mother wasn't with her. George refused to go, until tonight. He had made up many excuses every time Samantha and Paul tried to get him to come to a show. Samantha thought it probably had something to do with the fact that he was frustrated that Paul was spending most of his time with John now that he was in a band.

That aside, she was excited that George had finally agreed to come with her and Eden. He was reluctant at first, but Samantha reminded George that his fifteenth birthday was coming up and that perked him right up. Paul had been constantly on John about allowing George into the band after he'd messed up his solo at a show one night. They were in need of a lead guitar player. Samantha and Paul knew George fit the bill. His only downfall was his age.

"What if me da finds out? He'll kill me," Eden fretted, slowing her pace and dropping her grip on Sam's sleeve.

"You'll be fine, Eden," Samantha said and gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. The two girls had fabricated a plan. Eden's father was very against the rock scene growing in Liverpool. He was disgusted by the Teddy Boys that skulked around town, and Eden wasn't allowed to go anywhere near them, let alone to a performance near a regular teddy boy hang out. So, Samantha suggested that Eden tell her father that she would be staying the night at Samantha's house. This wasn't a complete lie, as Eden was going to spend the night at Samantha's house after the performance. The only complication was they had school in the morning. This had made Eden's father a bit wary of letting Eden go, but he gave in nonetheless with a little coaxing from her mother.

George caught up with them, a cigarette resting between his lips and his hands shoved into his jean pockets. "Yeah, 's not like yer da is gonna be coming here," he said to Eden, who relaxed and let out a breath. She shot Samantha a giddy smile and walked quickly once more. Samantha chuckled at her and continued walking at George's pace, which was much more comfortable.

Samantha blew the bangs out of her face and looked to George who absently smoked his cigarette. "I think she's going to blow up," Samantha said and threw a look to Eden who was a ways ahead of them.

"I wouldn't be surprised," George smirked and threw his cigarette onto the ground and crushed it with his heel. "Do people dance at these things?"

Samantha gave him a sideways glance. The last time she danced with him she felt her stomach flutter, and her heartbeat speed up. The thought of that happening again scared her. What if George asked her to dance? Was it such a bad thing? George was cute and sweet to her. He was funny and made her laugh. Going out with George wouldn't be a bad thing. It was the fact that he was her friend that made her anxious. "Er, sometimes, depends on the crowd," Samantha said and looked down at her outfit. She had fixed herself up a bit more for this performance and chose to wear a yellow dress. It wasn't very fancy, but Samantha rarely wore dresses. She felt too on display in them. She liked skirts better. Her mother had insisted Samantha wore it though, and she felt thankful when Eden had shown her the dress she had snuck over from her parents house which was a tad more fancy than hers. Still, Samantha felt uncomfortable in the dress. It showed off her breasts a bit more than she was used to, and fell above her knees instead of below them like usual. Maria had reminded Samantha that she was fifteen now, and a young lady. Dresses were more suitable for events such as these. Samantha protested, saying it was just John's band, but Maria made her wear it anyway.