➩ 𝕤𝕠𝕟𝕘 𝕤𝕖𝕝𝕖𝕔𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟: 𝕝𝕚𝕥𝕥𝕝𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕚𝕟𝕘𝕤 𝕞𝕖𝕒𝕟 𝕒 𝕝𝕠𝕥 𝕓𝕪 𝕜𝕚𝕥𝕥𝕪 𝕜𝕒𝕝𝕝𝕖𝕟
NOTICING THEY were no where near Riverside Drive, Amanda turned over to Marty now fixated on the road. He had told her initially that they'd be going back to Doc's house, but he also figured his friend needed a pick-me-up after today. They both did at least. "If you plan on dumping me here in 1955, you could've at least given me a heads up," Amanda told him.
"I heard about something going on the town over and I wanted to see what it was about."
Not believing the story, Amanda still sat back in her seat to go along with it. "Funny, don't remember hearing about anything? Especially considering I'm around you most of the time."
He brushed this off to continue to not tell her anything. "It was when you were with Lorraine in the cafe' the day with the car," Marty lied and came down the highway to pull over to a rustic dollar store. With the moon now high above their head and the street lamps out in every direction, the place didn't have a wholesome appeal as that of the town only a few miles down. Amanda looked over to her friend getting off and back to the sketchy place. "This isn't gonna be the plot to a horror movie, promise."
Taking off her seat belt to head outside, she stood alongside the car to look up to the place questionably. "You sure about that, blue? Because it sure as hell seems like one." Marty just laughed at the comment to take her hand and bring her along inside with him.
The man behind the counter looked between the two of them as Marty grinned to him cheekily. He shut the newspaper he was fixated on to eye the teenagers of us up and down. Amanda looked between him and Marty, wondering what situation he was trying to get them caught up in now. "Where do you want to be tomorrow?" The man asked, looking to Marty specifically.
"Rome."
"Who said you were worthy?"
"The old gray mare."
The man stood up from his seat at the second answer to have Amanda step back worried before Marty stopped her from doing so. "Who sent you here?" The man continued.
"Hieronymous Bosch." Nodding to this, he tilted his head to walk past the counter to the back of the shop suggesting for them to follow. Marty smiled down to Amanda after this as she continued to be completely lost over the situation that was going on. Noticing how wide her eyes had gotten in the span of the exchange, he found the image of her actually being startled to be sweet. "Still not in a horror movie, c'mon."
Holding his hand tightly, the pair followed the man down the flight of stairs to the basement of the shop as he unlocked the door to show another door and bouncer on the other side. He gave them a small nod before heading back up the stairs to leave them with another sketchy man. This one instead pushed open the door for the teens, revealing the bustling party scene occuring just beneath where they once were.
Finding the events even more confusing than before, Amanda looked over to see him only laughing over her expression. "You've got doe eyes again, Amy."
"Because we're in a damn secret club?" Seeing the numerous teenagers dancing in the packed club, Amanda looked around in amazement. "How the hell do you know about a secret club in 1955?"
"The band played a gig at the spot that's here now and I remember the owner telling me about it. Didn't think it'd actually be around." Shaking her head over the explanation, Marty tugged her hand along to follow. "C'mon, who knows what's gonna happen soon anyways. Might as well make a good time of whatever we have left here."
Looking to him worried by the comment, she didn't wanna put a damper on the mood he was trying to set and followed along with him to the center of the club. There was a band now playing, entertaining the crowd in the tightly packed nightlife. Booze were being served to the majority here as she continued to enjoy the cramped space that the space served. The fact people were able to still continue on with the routine, fast paced dances with the very little room in the place was beyond her.
Nudging Marty over this, he turned over to her amused. "And here you thought we couldn't have any fun while we were here."
Tucking Amanda under his arm she laughed in the embrace as he looking around to the packed area led for him to remember being back in a packed club with more or less teenagers of the same age. "Can we get a drink here?" Amanda looked ahead to a bar of sorts selling something, pointing it out to have him nod. "Guess they do. I'll be back in a sec."
Looking past the direction he was going, it didn't come as a surprise to also find another familiar face in the club as well. Julia was about to light a smoke before noticing the blonde's presence coming up to her in the club. "It's rude to stare," She commented.
"Could I join you?" She nodded, handing Amanda a cigarette to light one for her as well. "Anything new you'd like to share with the group, Betty Page."
"How scandalous do you think I am?"
"Sure seems like the scandal you're shooting for while trying to still manage some sort of auburn hair Marilyn Monroe. It's honestly quite funny to watch."
Julia carefully watched her blowing a puff of smoke calculate what to ask her. "You told Fletcher to ask me to the dance, didn't you?"
Amanda sighed over this. "Well I thought you'd say yes?"
She shook her head to this frustrated. "I don't need the whirlwind cliché of a bad boy swooping me off my feet. We were perfectly fine with the relationship we had."
"What? By staying friends and acting as if the two of you don't think the world for each other?" Amanda laughed at this in disbelief despite it being a complete hypocrite for doing so. "That's bullshit."
"Well now, I don't remember Doris Day swearing on any record I heard," Julia joked, "It's not your life kid. The two of us can stay in these lines we've made for ourselves because we're still young. He hangs around the most annoying pricks and I hate the majority of students at the school, it's a fair trade-off."
Julia was wrong. It concerned Amanda, all of it. She began to wonder if this was the reason her mother left. As a form of the pent up loss of self-worth for never figuring she could her own person. That she was set on the ideals instilled in her social status in high school of all times to make an identity for yourself.
Amanda shook her head with a pout. "You know life is one big story, but that doesn't mean someone else is writing it. It's your story, you choose it to be without the influence of anyone else," Amanda explained to her she only listened on uninterested, "Besides, Fletcher hates the act more than you and you know it. It's better to be honest with yourself instead of constantly trying to please the idea everyone else has for you."
Taking out the cigarette, Amanda put it out into the ashtray beside them. "I'll see you around, Julia." Not turning back to see if she'd earned a response, she was soon back to facing the tight circle of teenagers dancing to the music playing.
Marty looked past her and towards her mother before handing his friend the soda pop. "Your mom's here?"
"Funny how small a small town can be even in a secret club," Amanda joked to take a swig from the drink. Thinking back to the exchange, she continued to worry over what would happen once they got back. "I never got to really get to know her, you know. She left before I was old enough to even get a clear memory with her. It's weird seeing her now without even knowing what she was like when she was older."
Marty frowned beside her as she spoke. "You never talked about her before."
Knowing very well this was the only time Amanda ever spoken about her to anyone, she smiled up to him tenderly. "Never talked about her at all with anyone until now, actually."
"Well I'm glad you trust me then, Amy." The pair turned to the smooth track playing by the band now to continue to watch along at the others dancing.
Seizing the opportunity of the moment, Marty took her drink suddenly to set it aside from her. Laughing over this, she raised a brow to him confused. "Really, Marty?"
"Just dance with me, Amy. I promise I won't bite." Seeing him continue to try to pull her towards him, Amanda couldn't help go along with this as Marty pulled her in close for the two of them to dance along to the tune. Thinking to myself with him in front of her only made Amanda recount what she had just told her mother.
"Did I subconsciously give myself advice? I mean, I wouldn't put it past me. What if I was honest with myself for a change and actually admitted things without worrying about the repercussions after," Amanda thought as her eyes fluttered down and away from her dancing partner.
Not understanding how troubled his friend was, the way her brows knit together indicated to him that she was reflecting on something. "What are you thinking about?" Marty interrupted her thoughts to ask suddenly and tilted his head to her concerned.
Coming back from her short daze, Amanda shook her head to lean into him. "Just. . .the song is familiar is all."
"Little Things Mean a Lot by Kitty Kallen, isn't it?"
"Kitty Kallen, right. I've heard my dad play this back home," Amanda recalled shortly after, still not turning up to face him. The way he was able to hold her close was the most intimate thing either of them had done. It was one thing to occasionally hold hands or hug, but to be in this short of distance between her was beginning to make Marty unsure how to act. His heart was beating rapidly before her enough to have Amanda look up to see him play calm instead of one of agitation. "You're tense? Why are you so tense?"
Marty avoided the subject as best he could. "Don't know what you mean?"
Letting him keep the lie, Amanda shook her head instead. "Never mind. Forget I said anything." The two of them continued to be in this short space with one another, avoiding any eye contact out of some nerves between them over this. There were some things that could've been said now, the perfect timing for it at least and the perfect song.
Amanda bit her bottom lip to herself the more she thought about taking the risk she'd been holding back from for so long. "If he doesn't say it, maybe I should?"
"Cops are upstairs!" Someone called out suddenly, everyone rushing towards different direction to have Marty and Amanda look on to the fiasco confused. The band stepped down from everyone now finding their way to hide as quietly as they could while the time passed.
Seeing they were still in the position they had been dancing in, the pair let go of each other simultaneously as they both blushed over this timidly. "Think that's our cue to leave," Marty suggested.
Amanda nodded with a nervous laugh at the end. "Yeah- Yeah, I think so."
A/N the password thing is a reference from the back to the future: the game aha 🥺 much love as always, cheers
~J.S. 💋