Place: J.J. Martín's New Home
Time: 6:45 pm
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"Well this certainly is different." I stated putting down the last box of stuff from the move. "It's so much quieter here." Looking around the empty space that was now home. This was nothing like the apartment complex from New York.
"Quieter and very affordable." My father replied flipping the switch beside him. The small, now illuminated space. Seeing this new living room of ours made the realization really hit. My heart broke at the site.
Everything is about to be really different. I'm going to have to fight so much harder to make the one person who mattered proud. This move seems like it snipped my dreams in half. Who knows where I'll go from here. I don't know how much of this I could take.
"Dad I'm gonna go skate around the neighborhood a bit. Ya know to explore and get to know the place." I explain grabbing my board. I just wanted something to do to get my mind off everything.
"Alright mi cielito but don't wander too far. I don't want you getting lost in this new place." He responds. He begins to come towards me with his arms open. " I know this has been tough on you and I want to thank you for being my brave girl."
"Thanks for being my rock dad." I whisper in his ear hugging him back before exiting out the door. The first thing I see as I walk down my driveway are a group of teens across the street hauling a keg out of an old vista cruiser. Looks like someone might be having a party tonight. Maybe if I get lucky I'll be able to drop in and get a quick drink without being noticed.
Whilst tying my hair up in a ponytail using my ribbon, I noticed a guy with curly hair looking at me from the driveway across the street. So much for going unnoticed. I give a little wave and he just gives a head nod, before some scrawny fellow called him inside the house.
He walked backwards a few steps giving me a small wave and a smirk before turning towards the house, giving me one last look over the shoulder before disappearing into what I could only assume was a stairway to a basement of sorts. I was now the only person outside, and it was definitely time to stretch and check my skills after the long trip here.
Setting down my board, I began to propel myself forward. Zipping through the suburbs, watching the houses go by. Skateboarding was my second favorite pastime besides writing my music. If I wasn't writing, I was skateboarding. It helped me relax and try to find the good in something. So far, I've found that the quiet roads of this small town made it nice to skate without running into someone. New York was always buzzing with people always taking up the sidewalk, and to have no one in my way was a rather nice change.
Making my way back after circling around the block, I let my mind drift a bit as I reminisced on my old life in New York. The dynamic was so different there compared to here and I've only been here an hour. It kinda scared me to lose the bustle I was so used too. I feel sort of lost here in this small town, everything was so open here, and I wasn't.
Brushing away the scary thought I focused on the road a little more. I was just about to be right across from my house, when suddenly this car was right in front of me. With no way of stopping in time, I threw up my arms just before the impact came.
I was knocked off my board and fell onto the street. Car doors flew open as several teens my age quickly came to my side. "Way to go Forman!" I heard a male voice say.
"Oh my god, oh my god! Is she dead!?!" Another male voiced said this one sounding more panicked.
I'm lucky it wasn't a very hard impact to do any serious damage. I slowly sat up and looked at the people around me. There was one girl, a tall red head, and four guys, one of which was foreign. All I could do was look around at the eyeballs around me, not sure what to say. I must've hit my head a little too hard as The silence between all of us was becoming awkward.
"She must be deaf, she can't speak!" A tall brown haired man exclaimed shrugging his shoulders.
"That's called being mute cabrón!" I responded finally saying something. The gang in front of me was taken aback at my anger. The scrawny boy step towards me.
"I am so sorry, I didn't even see you. I'm really sorry. Ah my dad is gonna freak. Your parents are gonna freak. Please don't freak." He profusely apologizes in a panicked frenzy.
I steadily put my hand up. "Listen, all can be forgiven if I can get some of that keg I saw you guys unload. After today, I could use a beer. Just let me have a drink or two and none of this gets repeated to anyone."
"Deal!" Everyone simultaneously said, several pairs of hands were in front of me helping me back up. I winced slightly as the fall definitely gave me some scrapes and bruises. "I'm Donna, by the way. You must be the new neighbors across the street." The red head says after helping me up.
"Uh yeah actually, I'm J.J." I shake her hand. I turn around and begin looking around for where my board could've gone.
"Looking for this?" I turn around to see the curly haired boy from earlier holding my skateboard. I step forward to take it back from him.
"Thanks, I'm glad to see it's still in one piece." I hold the board close to me. I glance at his face getting a better look at his features. He had a curly mop of hair with some side burns, and he hid his eyes behind dark shades. "I'm J.J. and you are?"
"Call me Hyde." He responds. "Now hurry up, do you want a beer or not?" He begins to walk back to the car that was still parked in the driveway.
"I'll be right there, just let me go tell my dad!" I shout as I rushed back inside. I set my skate board in my room and began to look for my dad. I found him unpacking his room just down the hall. "Hey dad, a few of the kids across the street offered to show me around town. Is it alright if I go ahead and hang out with them?" I asked sweetly.
Dad looked back up at me smiling. "I'm so glad you're already making friends. Alright, just be careful. And don't get into any trouble!" He says kissing my head.
"I promise I won't dad." I smile. I rushed back outside and jumped into the vista cruiser with these new strangers. Let's pray I don't get murdered tonight.
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"Michael this is our secret make out place. I did not swipe the key from my mother's Realestate office so you could have a party, or invite random girls from the street here either." The small brunette, Jackie I think, pouted to her boyfriend who was holding her and kissing her neck. Yuck pda
"Well tell your boyfriend to look both ways before he pulls the car into the street." I huff under my breath. She was bitchy about me being here and I just wanted a drink.
"I know it's like a bonus, and I'm doing it for you baby." Kelso responds trying to convince to let them go through with the party.
"Oh okay." Jackie grumbles wrapping her arms around his neck. Kelso throughs his fist up signally that it was successful allowing everyone to relax.
I walked with Hyde to convince the foreign boy, Fez, to come into the pool. "I don't care when you are Fez, get in the pool now!!" Hyde yells as Fez sat at the edge of the empty pool looking down at us.
"If I get a cramp it will be on your head." Fez retorts as he climbs into the pool. I shook my head and sighed at his ignorance.
"Ti asno, that only happens when there's water in the pool!" I laugh. I hope I'm not coming off as too mean. Honestly, it could do me some good to know a few people for my first day of school tomorrow.
"Honestly, I have no idea what she's saying, but that was definitely a burn." Kelso laughed out.
"Okay," Jackie pushed away from Michael and coming to stand close to Hyde. "Hurry up and drink your keg."
"Hurry up and drink a keg?!" Hyde repeated.
"Jackie, will you just mellow out. I mean, this rules, we got a keg and soon everybody's gonna be here." Kelso puts his arm around Jackie.
"Everybody?!" Jackie raises her eyebrows at The dummy.
"Everybody..Who maters, and for the first time Jackie, that includes you!" Eric saves the topic.
"Awe, I think that one deserves a group hug." I joke but the gang took me seriously and suddenly I was being squished into the group hug with Jackie.
"No! Get away from me!!" Jackie screamed and just like that we backed off. Jackie huffed and walked to a different corner of the pool.
"You heard her, lets drink beer!" Hyde rubbed his hands together excitedly.
"Me first!" Kelso exclaims.
"No way I spotted it!" Donna yelled at him.
"I mean I saw it too I just didn't say anything."
"You saw a keg and you didn't say anything!" A dumbfounded Hyde said. "Back of the line!!"
"Hey I was the one who was hit by a car today, so I think I should go first." I said stepping towards the keg. When I looked down close at it though I noticed something was missing.
"Alright how do we get the beer out?" Eric asked happily.
"Through the tap." Hyde Responded still unaware.
"What tap?"
I was looking up at the sky, wondering if all of Wisconsin was this dumb. "Nooooooo!!!" Hyde cursed falling to his knees and hugging the tap. "Okay guys we really need a tap." Hyde sobs a bit while standing back up.
"Yeah but who has the money to buy a tap?" Donna asked. Suddenly everyone was turning their heads towards Jackie.
"Why would I bring money to our secret make out place Michael!" Jackie ranted very annoyed.
"Okay, I've got my gas money." Eric began
"No Eric, we're not gonna take your gas money." Donna protested. Something was telling me that those two had a thing for one another, which was sweet.
"Hey it doesn't matter. By the end of the night we'll have made over two hundred dollars." Eric explained. I didn't even realize they were charging for this party. Guess I'm lucky that I'm getting free beer.
Kelso ran off too go buy the tap with Eric's money, Jackie yelling at him as he ran off. Soon people began arriving and Fez stood to collect they're money. I shake my head walking up to the shallow end so I can go sit on the edge of the pool. I lay back on the ground continuing to look at the night sky of Wisconsin.
I suppose another good thing is that I can see the stars. I never really got that in New your cause of all the lights that were always on. It was really breathtaking to see an actual starry sky for once. "Admiring the Sky?" A voice asked coming over to sit next to me. I looked over to see Hyde taking his spot beside me.
"Yeah I've never really been able to see the night Sky from where I'm from." I sighed, still aching to be back in that city.
"Where are you from anyway?" Donna asked taking a spot on the other side of me.
"I just moved here from New York City." I sat up to continue my conversation with the two.
"No way! That's so cool!" Donna said excitedly.
"Forman is lying to Jackie man, I lie to Jackie." Hyde pointed out. "You know, it seems to me that the scrawny, little, neighbor boy is willing to engage in criminal acts for that saucy redhead next door!"
"I knew you two had a thing for each other!" I exclaimed happy I was right.
"Shut up! How do you guys know he's not doing it to impress his friends. You know, peer pressure." Donna empathized. I shook my head and laughed.
"Because his friends aren't saucy." Hyde differed. I again shook my head in agreement.
"Yeah I think you're the only saucy one Donna."
"Kelso's saucy." Donna tried to persuade us.
"Kelso? Please, I'm saucier than Kelso." Hyde argued.
"And I'm saucier than the both of you combined. You just don't know it yet." I flipped my hair and laughed.
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All the guests seemed to have arrived at the party and were just waiting for the beer to start flowing. Kelso finally returned but something seemed oof about his return. "It's broken!" Donna exclaimed looking at the two keg pieces in her hand.
"I got duct tape!" Kelso said trying to better his situation.
"Duct raps? Do you know how much pressure runs through that tap?" Hyde question shaking his head at his idiotic friend.
"I got a whole roll of duct tape!"
"I can't work like this." Hyde said getting up from his seat turning to Forman. I was approached by two big goons in what I'm assuming is the schools varsity football jackets.
"Hey we've never seen you around before." The brown haired one said leaning on the wall leaning in close to me.
"Yeah and it might be better if it stayed that way." I retorted starting to walk away.
"Hey we were talking to you!" The blonde one protested grabbing my arm trying to yank me back. I turned and kicked his shin.
"And now you're done talking to me." I said walking closer to the group. They of course followed, but with their eyes set on Kelso.
"Hey Kelshmo, what, your tap is broken? Why'd you do something stupid, like buy a stupid, broken tap? What are you, stupid?" The two bullied at Kelso.
"It wasn't broken until you broke it." Kelso reminded them. This was even more infuriating. These two were dumber than Kelso.
"Oh, man." The two realized. "Don't beat yourself up, we had no way of knowing. Anyways, we gave it back." The blond consoled the brown haired boy.
"Yeah broken!" Eric protested. I was trying to take steps forward ready for a fight but Hyde seemed to be holding me back.
"Hey lay off him alright! He feels bad enough already."
"Oh, he should because he's a moron!" Damn Eric is really about to show them who's boss.
"What did you say!?" The two move towards Eric as if to pummel him. I wanted to be there to help defend Eric Incase they tried too. But Hyde still held me back.
"I said you're both morons. What are you gonna do? You gonna beat me up? What, you weigh four hundred pounds together? It doesn't matter. The fact is that the tap is broken and it's your fault. Morons! Also, I guarantee if you lay a finger on me, my new friend J.J. Over there, who you just tried to harass, will kick both of your asses into next Sunday." Eric just annihilated the two jocks completely.
"You are so rude." One said pointing at Eric.
"Give us our four bucks back." The blond one demanded.
"Okay, Fez!" Eric called reaching in and grabbing four dollars. He took that money and ripped it. "Familiar?"
"Woah that was bad ass. I didn't know someone that scrawny has it in him." I stood there shocked.
"Maybe Red is rubbing off on him after all." Hyde shrugged. Wrapping an arm around me. "Also, welcome to the gang. I've got a feeling we're gonna be seeing more of you now that you've been officially dubbed as our friend by Forman."
"Didn't realize that would happen so fast." I laughed. "I haven't even been in Point Place a day yet."
"Hey, we did hit you with the vista cruiser. I guess the next best thing we have to offer is circle time in Forman's basement. I'm sure you'll enjoy that." Steven smiled.
"Circle time?" I raised my eyebrow. I'm intrigued by this term and what it could mean.
"I'll show you later." He says. Then our eyes were turned to Eric who was leaning off the ladder of the pool.
"We came here to have a party, and as God is my witness, there will be a party!" Eric proclaims with everyone cheering. Eric then runs off to go steal his dad's tap.
With the music blasting and people dancing all around. I was actually having a good time, maybe Wisconsin wouldn't be so bad after all.
Suddenly, Jackie came around the corner. "Everybody in the deep end! My mother is showing the house."
"Now?!"
"People work!" Jackie replied back climbing down the later. I was in panic mode. My dad couldn't find out I went to a party that more or less involved alcohol on our first night here.
"Hyde we gotta grab the keg and get out of here!" I told him.
"I don't know if there's time for that!" Hyde said. "I'll tell Kelso to grab it when he leaves. Let's go!"
With that we sprinted out of the pool and climbed the fence out of there. We were hightailing it down the street trying to get to the fastest route home. "Whew. Maybe now my dad won't kill me." I huffed out of breath when we were a block away from my house.
"Well he shouldn't unless he's anything like Red. Oh man Forman is about to get absolutely murdered!" Hyde laughed.
"Now I feel bad for ditching them." I said kinda hanging my head. I didn't wanna mess things up with my new friends. I actually enjoy their company.
"Meh it's alright they won't be butt hurt about it. Plus trust me, if you stick with us as your friends, then this won't be the last time we get into some sort of trouble." Hyde assured me again putting his arm around me.
"Haha I might hold you to that then." I looked up at him. "Well this is it. I guess maybe I'll see you tomorrow. You know for this so called circle time you said you would show me. I definitely didn't get my beer tonight so you still owe me." I explained poking his shoulder. There's something intriguing about Hyde. Something I kinda want to figure out.
"Alright, yeah you'll definitely see me tomorrow. The outside door to the basement is always unlocked so just come on in when you feel like." Hyde informs me.
"Will do. Goodnight Hyde. Thanks for helping my first night in Point Place not be a shitty one."
"Goodnight J.J. don't worry. Stick around and you might never have a shitty night again." Hyde waved as he walked away.
I walked into my house and ran straight to my room. Falling back on the mattress I sighed.
"Who are you Hyde? And what is your story?"