"Shit, we're back in the eighties."
I looked at the big neon pink sign, which wasn't lit on because it was still daylight. Like the old theater, this place had also aged with its faded exterior paint. But it was well preserved inside. Not that many teenagers hung out here so it wasn't crowded, too.
"Don't you have a roller rink in the city?" I asked, wearing my sunglasses because the sun was hurting my eyes.
Ugh, this hangover was killing my good vibes.
"No," he answered. "We live in the 21st century."
"Are you not allowed to have fun in the modern day and age?"
"We are, we just don't go back in time to do it."
He literally had an answer for everything.
"You should go out more," I told him. "Roller skating is fun." I just couldn't show my enthusiasm at the moment because I felt like I was gonna barf if I moved too much.
His eyes locked with mine. Unlike me, he didn't look like he wanted to crawl into a corner and hide from the sun. He was wearing a white Ralph Lauren bomber jacket over a navy blue polo shirt, it made him look so clean and tidy.
"Here I thought you were an introvert," he said.
"In some context."
I preferred staying at home but I liked doing normal stuff people my age did as well. I liked going to the movies, to the bowling alley, and going on road trips. As long as it didn't involve too many people with barely any space to move, I was okay with it.
"Let's go," I said, before pushing the entrance door open.
He followed me inside.
As expected, barely anyone was here – only some middle school aged kids skated in the rink. The disco ball in the middle of the room was turned on, sending little sparkly lights all around. I remembered how I used to come here all the time with—
Long story short, I loved it here.
I removed my sunglasses and walked up to the shoe counter. I asked Anders for his shoe size and got the roller skates for us, then we sat on a bench to get it on.
"I can't believe you're making me do this," he muttered, as he tied his laces.
"I'm not making you do anything."
He snorted. "Right."
I grinned at him, and tried to bat my eyelashes innocently but I might have ended up squinting instead.
He scrutinized my face. "You okay?"
"Just a little dizzy," I admitted.
He paused fixing his skates and straightened up. "We don't have to do this."
I barked a laugh. "Oh, no. You're not getting out of this without even trying it out for at least an hour." Even if I felt like I was gonna puke at any second.
"If you say so," he replied, not sounding the least bit bothered.
How was he not hungover?!
When we were done, I picked up our shoes and placed them on the rack right beside the counter. Then, I went back to Anders who was studying his roller skates.
"Ready?" I asked, when I was near enough.
He nodded, before standing up and balancing himself carefully. I entered the rink first, and he came after me. I watched as he tried to skate, doing a wobbly job as he did so. I tried not to smile but I couldn't help myself.
"Is this your first time?" I teased.
Without looking at me, he replied, "Yes."
He kept his eyes on his skates, with his arms spread out. He moved hesitantly for the first few minutes, until he slowly got the hang of it. He was a fast learner for sure.
"How's your hangover?" he asked, facing me this time.
It looked like he didn't need to be extra cautious about skating anymore. He was moving with ease now.
I recalled how he helped me climb into my room last night and sneak in but I fell on top of him. I was too dizzy for my own good. Maybe I should be embarrassed about how he saw me in that state, but he'd seen me in worse.
Besides, with the amount of mortifying things I'd done to him or in front of him, I didn't think how it could be any worse.
"How'd you know?" I said, with a defeated sigh.
"You look like a sweaty ghost."
I groaned, my head pounding. "It's murdering me—slowly. My sister caught a whiff on me this morning and made me have a cold shower so our grandparents wouldn't smell me during breakfast. It didn't get rid of my headache, though."
He looked at me curiously. "You're living with your grandparents."
I nodded. "My dad passed away, and my mom left when I was little. Never heard from her again."
"I'm sorry to hear that," he said, sounding like he meant it.
I suddenly remembered that his parents had a divorce when he was younger and somehow, he might have understood how I felt.
"It happened a long time ago," I murmured.
"Your sister wasn't angry that you sneaked out?"
I snorted. "She does it all the time."
I stopped counting the times she went out through her bedroom window in the middle of the night, with Oz's car parked out front. She was of age now, but she still did it quite a few times during the summer.
Anders nodded in appreciation. "A rebel."
"Hardly," I replied. "Her boyfriend is the town bad boy."
And what a reputation he had.
Most of the people in town had forgiven him for his mailbox endeavours because of his celebrity status in the football world. But nobody had really forgotten. Some were still wary of him.
Anders chuckled, looking very smug. "It seems like she's not the only one who has a thing for rule-breakers."
I made a disgusted face. "I hope you're not referring to yourself 'cause I already feel nauseated."
He flashed me a grin. "It's the hangover."
"No, I don't think that's it."
"Pretty sure it is."
"No, it's not."
"It is," he sang, skating backward now.
"You're annoying."
He blinked as if he never expected me to say that, then he barked a laugh. "Did you just call me annoying?"
"Yeah, you earwax pooper."
He gave me an amused expression. "What the hell is an earwax pooper?"
"It's Alexander Ferguson," I answered, with a straight face.
His eyebrows raised. "Full name, huh?"
"Do you prefer 'your highness?'" I tilted my head, which was the biggest mistake because now I felt like I just rattled my brain.
He smirked. "As a matter of fact, I do."
I rolled my eyes, which was another mistake, and skated past him. But I went too fast. And since I wasn't equipped to function at my normal pace yet, my world suddenly spun. Uh oh. I covered my mouth as I felt the bile coming up.
But it was too late.
I puked.
In the middle of the rink.
Oh. My. God.
The kids screamed as they skated away.
"Oh, shit," I heard Anders say.
I thought he was also going to stay away from me but then he went towards me instead. My eyes were now blurry and filled with tears.
Why did this keep happening to me?
"Hey, look at me."
I raised my head and faced Anders. He kept his hazel brown eyes on me, as if there wasn't a huge pile of my early food scattered on the floor like an oatmeal.
I hoped I didn't scar the kids for life.
"Let's go sit down and drink some water," Anders suggested.
I blinked the tears away, trying not to sob in humiliation.
"Okay?"
I nodded slowly.
"Come on," he whispered, leading me away from the remnants of my inside.
But then, something else happened. It was like I needed further embarrassment, because barfing all over the rink didn't seem to be enough.
Anders slipped.
And fell on his back.
All over the... Yep.
There were collective grossed out sounds from the kids who kept themselves far away and stayed on the edge of the rink. Some of them had covered their faces with their hands, and I couldn't help but relate. I wished I could just cover my face and hide.
With his jaw clenched, Anders had his arms out. He didn't move a single muscle. His eyes were trained on the ceiling. There was no expression on his face.
He just lay there frozen.
"Um, are you okay?" I asked in a small voice.
He closed his eyes, and said, "I'm swimming in your puke."
I pressed my lips together, trying not to laugh. This was not the time to laugh! He was swimming in MY puke! That wasn't funny at all!
"I can feel the chunks on my back," he whispered.
I winced. "I had steak earlier..."
"Brilliant."
"Do you need help?"
"No, I got it," he said, carefully getting up.
I bit my bottom lip, not knowing what else to do. "I'm sorry."
He shook his head, and managed to choke out, "Don't worry about it."
We skated out of the rink together.
I apologized to Nissi, the roller rink manager, as we passed by her on our way to the restroom to get cleaned up. She looked pretty pissed off but she didn't say anything, which I was thankful for. I didn't want her to yell at me.
To be honest, I wanted to hide from Anders for the rest of the day – probably the whole summer if I can help it. But I knew it wouldn't be fair to him, especially since he overlooked most of my indiscretions.
Unless this was the final straw, and he finally got fed up with me.
When I walked out, I saw Anders waiting for me by the souvenir shop wearing a new shirt. He didn't look angry, nor fed up. I was a little shocked to notice he didn't look bored either. He was just watching them mop up my... Yep.
"Hey," I greeted quietly.
His eyes wandered to me, and he straightened up. "Here," he said, handing me a water bottle.
"Thank you," I replied, eyeing his black shirt. It said 'THIS IS HOW I ROLL' with pink roller skates on it.
"This is all they have in my size," he explained, catching my eye.
I groaned and covered my face. "I'm so sorry."
He shook his head. "It's my fault for getting you drunk last night."
I bit my bottom lip. "It was my first time drinking."
"Yeah, I figured." He chuckled. "We should take it easy for the rest of the day to avoid..." he trailed off, glancing at the rink.
I followed his eyes, then to the water bottle, then to his new shirt. And just like that, I knew what I needed to do.
"Wait for me outside," I told him.
He raised an eyebrow at me.
"Trust me."
He shrugged. "Alright."
Taking a deep breath, I went to the souvenir shop and bought a white shirt with glittered roller skates that had wings and a rainbow on it. It was not my style, but it was only fair considering what Anders was wearing.
I headed to the restroom to change and when I walked out of the rink, the setting sun was a warm glow instead of a blinding blast.
Anders was fiddling on his phone as he leaned his back on his car. I finally began to appreciate what Sunnie had been raging on for the past few weeks.
Even with his new shirt, he looked high class. Sure, his shiny vintage car helped the image. But it was mostly with how he carried himself – so confident and yet also laid back. His facial features were smooth and sharp. And the more you stared, the more you get sucked into this awed state.
I shook my head, before walking up to him. I didn't want him to catch me staring at him. Hearing my nearing steps, he raised his head and his eyes immediately trained on my chest. The corner of his lips lifted up.
"Cool shirt," he noted.
Okay, time to play it cool and act as if nothing happened. "Like it? It's the hot new trend. Don't you know everyone's wearing this in Paris?"
A ghost of a smile played on his lips, as he straightened up. "Is that right?"
I nodded. "Mm-hmm."
He chuckled, opening up the passenger door for me. "Get in, Buckley."
I climbed in his beautiful dark blue convertible. I didn't think I'd love vintage cars this much but it made me feel like I was in those classic movies I loved.
Anders closed the door and was about to head over to the driver's seat.
"Alex!"
He turned around and blinked in surprise. "Dana!"
A gorgeous blonde laughed in delight and hugged him, before gesturing to – Oh, my God. It was Ethan Tyler.
Remember the boy I used to have a crush on? Aaron Ford, Dakota's now husband and my grandfather's beloved athlete? Yeah, Ethan was his best friend.
Ethan, who was now an NBA player for the New York Knicks.
Pops coached him, too.
"You remember Ethan?" the girl asked Anders.
He shook Ethan's hand, and answered, "Yeah—Nice to see you again."
Ethan nodded. "You, too."
"This is Meadow," Anders introduced me. "Meadow, this is a family friend, Dana, and her fiance, Ethan."
Dana smiled brightly at me, and I was almost blinded. Wow, she was so beautiful. Her teeth were pearly white and straight, too. I could stare at her the whole day.
"Hi, pleasure to meet you!" she greeted.
"Hello," I said quietly.
I hated how awkward I was.
Ethan eyed me, probably trying to place where he'd seen me before. I gave out a small wave, before averting my eyes. I'd met him many times way back, but I was sure he didn't recognize me anymore.
Dana turned to Anders and raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. "You caused quite the trouble this summer."
"It was an accident," he replied instantly.
"Uh-huh, like causing fire in a club in Manhattan was an accident?" she asked, crossing her arms.
My eyes widened at that. Anders did what?
"That wasn't officially us, though," he defended.
She laughed. "You mean they couldn't pin it on you because you're underage and they'll lose their business if they got caught serving minors."
Anders smirked. "Loopholes."
She shook her head in amusement. "How are you finding Mount Valley?"
He shrugged and thought about it, putting his hands in his jeans pockets. "It has its ups and downs."
"Such a safe answer."
He only grinned.
"Buckley!" Ethan exclaimed.
I jumped in my seat, dropping my phone to my lap. Anders and Dana turned to him, while Ethan looked excited as he focused his attention on me.
"You're Coach's granddaughter, right?" he guessed, pointing to me as he finally realized where he knew me from. "Meadow Buckley."
I nodded. "Y—Yes."
"Will you be there at the game on Saturday?"
"Um..." Nope, I was definitely not going to the game where there would be tons of people cramped up in the same space.
"You guys should be there," Ethan added, turning to Anders. "Watch us fucking crush those little shits."
"You're not allowed to play, babe," Dana reminded him.
Ethan shrugged. "So what? I'll be coaching on the sidelines with Aaron."
Anders looked confused. "Sorry, what are we talking about?"
"We have this summer charity basketball game at the local high school, where the current varsity plays against the alumni."
Dana beamed. "There will be a carnival afterwards!"
Anders chuckled. "As fun as that sounds, we'll pass."
I looked at him, trying not to show my surprise. He had an easy smile on his face. I couldn't read what was on his mind. Not that I could, anyway.
"Why?" Dana asked.
"I don't like big crowds," he answered.
She looked skeptical. "Since when?"
"Since I decided I don't like it."
Her eyes narrowed. "I don't buy it."
"Up to you."
Which was his polite way of saying 'I don't care.' It looked like it wasn't lost on Dana, too. She opened her mouth to say something but Ethan beat her to it.
"I get it," he said, laughing. "You kids are hiding from Coach. Are y'all on a date?"
Dana looked from Anders then to me, her eyes wide. I shook my head and waved both of my hands in denial.
"N—No, no! We're not."
"She's just showing me around town," Anders explained, way calmer than I was.
Dana smiled knowingly. Weird, it was the exact same smile Dakota had. I wanted to say something to clear things up but I was coming up short.
"Yeah, right." Ethan chortled, clearly enjoying himself. "You're wearing matching shirts. You totally wanna bone her."
"Ethan!" Dana hissed.
"What? It's true, babe."
"That's it, we're leaving now."
"Aw, c'mon. Look at their fucking shirts!"
"Shut up." Dana turned to Anders. "We're going."
"Tell my sister I said hi," Anders said. "You know, when you report back to her."
Dana rolled her eyes at him. "Don't cause any more 'accidents.'"
He grinned. "No promises."
She ignored him and smiled at me. "Bye, Meadow!"
I returned her smile. "Bye."
Ethan and Dana left, she seemed to be scolding him about the birds and the bees. They kinda had this opposite vibe going on, but somehow they made it work.
The smile on my face widened. They looked cute.
Anders went around and finally got in the car. He had a small smile on his face. The encounter seemed to have left him in a good mood.
But then, I remembered what he said.
"You don't like big crowds?"
He snorted, as he revved the engine. "I live for it."
I frowned. "Then, why did you lie?"
"Because I know you hate it," he replied simply, driving out of the parking lot and into the road. The sunset hit him on the face, casting a golden glow.
Wait. "What?"
"I'm not dense," he said, focused on driving. "I noticed the places we went to have little to no people at all – except for the diner. But even then, you chose the table farthest from everyone else."
I looked at him questioningly.
He continued driving and did a quick glance at me, before adding, "You're not the only one observant here."
I was quiet for a few moments, starting to look at him in a different light. I was so used to seeing him as this spoiled, inconsiderate brat that him being this thoughtful was totally new to me – almost shocking.
"Where do you want to go?" he asked.
I blinked, snapping myself out of it and forcing myself to face forward instead of staring at him – yet again. This side of him really caught me off guard.
I needed to distract myself.
"Are you up for another movie?"
"Depends," he replied cautiously. "Are you going to pick an old film again?"
"No." I looked at him. "Why don't you pick this time?"
The Smile appeared on his face. "You sure you're ready for that?"
"Try me."
_____________
Eeeeey, another cameo! ;)
Who do you feel sorry for, Meadow who puked or Anders who swam in it? Hahaha