Staged

Helpless

"Oh my god.."

"Like it?"

"You look like a greaser."

"You love it... I brought one for you. The one my dad wanted to give you, you never took it home.. put it on"

I rolled my eyes, but took the jacket anyway. As embarrassing as it is, it made him smile like an idiot.

"You look so handsome.."

"Yeah, whatever.. you ready to go?"

"I sure am... Stud"

"Good lord.. you're going to do this all night, aren't you?"

"I sure am"

"Great... what's the plan?"

"We're going to the roller rink down on Bramhall. I'm going to teach how to skate.. and we're going to skate together.. and I'm going to get us some garbage pizza... and you're going to buy me a cherry slurpee."

"Am I?"

"Yes, you are."

"Sounds pretty good.. you don't think anyone we know will be there, do you..?"

"I doubt it. It's a roller rink on a Sunday evening, the only people that still go to those are gays or wish they were in the eighties. Either way, we're just going to be surrounded by lesbians with argyle sweaters."

"..that sounds like a pretty good atmosphere, I have to admit"

"Right?"

"Yeah.. I love lesbians. Not in a gross way- I'm a fag. But. You know what I mean."

"You have nothing to worry about, nobody's going to see us... you could steal a kiss, if you wanted."

"Could I?"

We made it to the rink just before the sun started to go down. The sky was a beautiful pastel color. Connor stood there in the parking lot, the pinks and purples reflecting in his eyes and warming the tone of his skin. He smiled and turned back to me, taking my hand and pulling me into the building.

I rented us our skates, and he helped me get mine laced up without falling.

He held my hand while we made our way into the rink. He was right, the place was up to the rafters in lesbians.

When we first got into the rink, I immediately began to slip, grabbing his arm to pull myself up

"Woah- I just got out of my cast, don't put me back in one! Just relax, you're doing fine.. hold my hand. I'll keep you up"

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Quickly, I took his hand.

"Now just stand, you don't have to do anything but keep yourself standing"
He started to move forward, pulling me along with him.

"Oh god..."

"You're fine! Look, we're going slow! There's a turn coming up, okay? Just keep what you're doing what you're doing."

"You're going to kill me, McKinley"

"I won't!! Come on, you'll be fine!"

It took me thirty minutes of that to warm up to even trying to move myself. I held onto the side rail with one hand and my boyfriend with the other. But after a while, and several close calls with falling, I'd started to get the hang of it. I'd even gotten fairly confident, I'd let go of his hand, come up from behind and give him a little shove.