Monday. November 2nd. My birthday. I was seventeen. Fuck. That's old. I tried very hard to pretend like it didn't bother me. Growing up and all. But it did. So much. I hated the idea growing up. Getting old. Leaving all my friends. I knew I was going to leave them. There was no fucking way I was staying in the shit hole that was Hawkins Indiana.
I wanted to be a journalist. Write for the New York Times. With Nancy hopefully. That'd been our dream since the beginning of middle school. Today was, along with being my birthday, the start of clubs. Clubs being the Hawkins school Newspaper. Nancy and I both had to submit an essay on a topic that the editor chose. Today we found out if the editor liked our essay enough to put us on the news team.
I knew Nancy got it. She was the most brilliant writer I'd ever read. She was ambitious, and was bound to make a great journalist. I probably wasn't going to get it. Every year they chose 1 Freshman, 5 Sophomores, 7 Juniors, and up to 10 Seniors. At the end of the year, the Seniors voted on which Junior would become the editor and which Juniors got the internship at the Hawkins Post.
If I got the internship I would stay in Hawkins for the summer, instead of spending it in France with my family. I loved France, and I loved my friends there, but part of me was wishing I could spend the summer without my parents, alone.
I was woken by the sound knocking on my window.
What the fuck?
I turned in my bed and saw Robin squatting on my roof, banging on the glass. She was wearing a party hat and was blowing on a noisemaker. I smiled and got up, walking to the window. I opened it and Robin greeted me with a hug.
"Happy Birthday you little shit!" She said, hugging me so hard I could barely breathe.
"Thanks Rob." I said through laughter.
She pulled away and jumped onto my desk, then onto my bedroom floor. She smacked her hands together like she always did before she went on a rant.
"Okay, I have the whole day planned out" She took a deep breath, "After school ends, well like 2 hours after, everyone's coming to the Drive In to watch that new movie, the Princess Bride. Then we're all going to Goldens for burgers. Not exclusively burgers but you get the point. But everyone's coming. Like everyone. Even the kids. If that's okay? We all really got along the other night and yeah."
"That sounds... great Robin, really great." I said, smiling at her.
Robin jumped up and clapped her hands like a little kid.
"One problem though." I said, putting my hands on Robin's shoulders to calm her down.
"What?" She asked with worried eyes.
"My parents... they have to sign off on this and you know how they like to hog my time on my birthday."
Robin smiled, "Already taken care of, they're taking you to a late birthday dinner tomorrow night."
I picked Robin up and spun her around. "I love you!"
I looked out my window as I put her down and saw Max smiling at us from her desk chair. I guess that desk was new, it was placed exactly in the same spot as mine.
Robin snapped her fingers at me.
"Sorry what?" I asked.
"I asked you if you wanted to drive me to school." Robin said, smiling at me.
"Want is a strong word."
Robin punched me in the shoulder, laughing at me.
"Go get changed you look like a homeless person."
She closed my curtains and walked towards the door, "No more creeping!" she yelled as she walked out.
I laughed as she left.
---
Immediately after the first period bell I ran to the cork board in the hall where all the club flyers were posted. I met Nancy there. She was staring at the board and waiting for the Senior editor, Sarah Nelson, to post the roster for this years News Team.
"Hey." I said.
"What if I don't get it?" She said, biting on her lip.
I smiled, "Nancy you're going to get it."
"How do you know?"
"Because you're amazing." I said.
She smiled at me.
Some Sophomores bumped in between the two of us, rushing to see if it was posted.
"Calm down dipshits, it's 9:48, it's posted at 9:50." I said.
Robin walked up behind me and put her arm around my shoulders.
"You ready for this?" She asked me.
I looked at her, "It's not life or death Robin." I said.
"It kinda is though." Some Sophomore said.
"Remind me, was I talking to you?" I replied.
The kid rolled his eyes. I looked to my right, Sarah was walking to the board with a piece of paper rolled in her hand. I bumped Nancy's arm.
"She's here." I said.
Nancy gulped and looked at her feet.
Sarah slammed the piece of paper on the board and stuck it with a thumb tac.
"For those of you chosen!" She yelled out in front of the crown huddled, "Come to the News room at 4:15 tomorrow, that's when I'll be handing out schedules and first assignments."
She walked away and we all rushed to the board to see who was chosen.
Freshman:
- Elizabeth Hill
Sophomores:
- Michael Thomson
- David Watts
- Becca Morris
- Charley Bush
- Lisa Thompson
Juniors:
- Ginny Wright
- Mickey Sanders
- Nancy Wheeler
- Sandra Watson
- Robert Cook
- Karen King
- Alex Ryker
"Yes!" Nancy said, hugging me.
I smiled and hugged her back, Robin looking at us and smiling.
---
At 6:20 Robin, Nancy and I left to the Drive In. Everyone was already there since the movie started at 6:30, but of course we had to be late because of Nancy's issue with my wardrobe. She told me that it was my birthday, and I needed to 'look sharp'.
I could tell that the two of them still hadn't worked out their feelings for each other, so their conversation was excruciating to listen too. Lots of 'Ums' and 'Uhs' and awkward pauses. Nancy had left her car at the Drive In earlier so there'd be enough room for everyone. We had my car, which seated 4, Nancy's, which seated the same, and Steve's pickup, which seated two in the front and like 6 in the trunk.
I pulled up into the Drive In and paid for our tickets. We parked the car right next Steve's. I got out and walked towards the others.
"Happy Birthday Alex!" El said as she ran up to me.
"Thanks El." I said smiling at her.
Everyone was standing next to Steves truck, except Max. She wasn't there. Even Steve's girlfriend of the day, Heidi, was there, but not her. Did Robin forget to invite her? Did she just not want to come?
"Okay let's figure out the seat assignments." Dustin started.
"Henderson we don't need-"
"Trust me, we do." He said, interrupting me. "Lucas, Will, Mike, El and I will still in Steve's trunk, Steve, Heidi, Robin will sit in Nancy's car, and Alex, Nancy, and Max if she shows up, will sit in her car. Deal?"
"No!" Robin and Nancy said at the same time.
"Fine, Nancy sits with Robin, Steve, and Heidi!" Dustin said.
"What about Alex? She'll be alone." Will said, looking upset.
"She likes it that way." Robin, Nancy, and Dustin all said in unison again.
I smiled, "Very true, we'll talk at Goldens."
"Alright the movies about to start, who's getting snacks?" Lucas asked.
Everyone looked to Steve.
"Why is it always me?" He groaned.
"Don't mope in front of your girl." I said laughing at him.
"Fine. Come on Heidi let's go." He said and walked off.
I got into my car and rolled the top down. The movie started and I grabbed a pack from my jacket pocket and lit one. Smoking wasn't allowed at the Drive In but no one ever really enforced the rule. Steve came back two minutes later with a huge amount of popcorn and candy, Heidi carrying the drinks. He reached me first, giving me a bucket of popcorn, M&M's and a Ginger Ale.
"Happy Birthday." Heidi said to me as they walked by.
"Thanks."
I put all of the food in the passengers seat and kept my focus on the cigarette. Smoking had a way of calming me down, yet riling me up at the same time. I kept looking over at Robin and Nancy. They couldn't see me because Steve's truck was blocking their view, but I could see them. Robin had finally decided to make a move, taking the advice that I had given her before Nancy came to my house earlier. Her arm was slung around Nancy's shoulders, I could tell Nancy was debating leaning into her, or just sitting still and awkwardly like she was currently.
A hand reached from behind me and grabbed my cigarette our from between my fingers.
"Quit that."
I turned around and saw Max, leaning against the side of the car. I smiled at her.
"Thought you weren't coming." I said.
She jumped over the backseat door and climbed into the car.
"Happy Birthday." She said, holding out a small, poorly wrapped box.
I looked down at the box and took it.
"Open it." She said, grabbing my food and moving it to the backseat to make room for herself.
I ripped open the paper surrounding, revealing a Velvet Underground cassette, with a note on top of it.
She looked up at me, "You like it?"
I smiled, "How'd you know I liked them?"
"Just a hunch." She said, smiling back at me.
My poster.
"That's why I was late, I was arguing with the guy at the record store, he was trying rip me off."
"Thank you, Max." I said, flipping over the cassette in my fingers.
"Happy Birthday." She said.
I picked up the note that came with the gift, it had fallen on the seat when I opened it. I tried to open it but Max grabbed my hand. Cold.
"What are you doing?" She said, sounding exasperated.
I furrowed my brows, "Opening it..."
She snatched it away and put it in my jacket pocket, "Later."
I tilted my head in confusion, but didn't protest. I had missed the beginning of the movie because of Max so I turned back to the screen and tried to focus on watching. A new character entered on screen.
"Who's he?" Max asked.
I started laughing, "Max please do not tell me that you are the type of person who chats during a movie."
She pursed her lips.
"Seriously?" I asked.
"It's fun to talk about the movie!" She said.
"You are insufferable." I said, reaching for my food.
I handed her the popcorn and M&M's, and jumped out of the car.
"Where are you going?" She asked.
"What d'you want to drink?" I asked, walking around the hood of the car.
"I don't need anything to drink." She said, confused.
"Yeah you say that now, but in a hour? When you start getting thirsty and complaining about not having anything to drink?"
Max smiled, "I'll just have yours."
I walked backwards, "Keep your hands off!"
"Or what?" She asked.
I walked to the snack kiosk and looked at all the options. Ginger Ale...Pepsi...Tea? Coke definitely. I got her a large Coke with extra ice. I got every drink with extra ice. Drinks without ice are a crime against humanity. I also bought a red lollipop for Max. In total it cost me $16, a total rip off, but hey.
I walked back to Max, she was fixing her hair in the car mirror. I tossed her the lollipop and handed the drink to her.
"What is this?" She asked me.
I walked over to my side of the car, "Blood!" I said.
"Shut up." She said, and took a sip of the drink and smiled, "My favorite. How'd you know."
I jumped over the door. "Just a hunch." I said, imitating Max's voice.
"So-" Max said.
"Hey Max." I said, watching the movie.
"Yeah?"
"Could you be quiet for like 30 minutes? A birthday gift." I asked.
She reached for the popcorn and threw a handful at me.
"Hey!" I said.
I looked at her and she was laughing at me.
"Don't be rude." I said to her.
"And why not? I don't owe you kindness." She said.
I stared her, "You're not as nice as you look." I joked.
Max shifted up to get a better view of the cars.
"Why am I the only one sitting with you?" She asked worriedly.
"Well I like it alone, and technically I never asked you to sit with me." I said.
Max sighed. I looked over at her, she was turned away from me. She looked upset.
"What?" I asked her.
She adjusted her hoodie and pulled her knees up onto the seat.
"What?" I repeated.
She clenched her jaw and looked over at me.
"Can you stop being so bipolar?" She asked me.
I raised my eyebrows. She had a point. It's not like I wanted to be. I just felt like sometimes I couldn't really control my words around her.
I clicked my tongue and looked away.
"Yeah. I'll stop." I said reluctantly.
She looked back at me then.
"So you're aware of it?" She asked.
I nodded but didn't look back at her.
"Why do you do it?" She asked, "You don't do it to anyone else."
I looked at her. Her expression was serious, but not confused. She was waiting for something. A sentence. From me. She wasn't asking me because she didn't know the answer. She was asking because she wanted to know if I knew the answer. I did. I'd known since that night on the roof.
I didn't say anything.
Max scoffed in disbelief and opened the passengers seat door. She put her headphones on and stuffed her hands in her pockets. She didn't even look back at me as she walked to Steves truck.
Fuck.