FicWad

Chapter Six

Joanna was waiting by the gates, scanning the hoards of teenagers fro Emily when Rick came and towered over her. “You wanna walk? I live near you.”
”Yeah I know, you said last night, remember?” she said distractedly, still searching for Emily. “Um, I’m walking with Emily. You as well if you want.”
“Emily? As in Emily Boneham? As in queen bee Emily?” Rick asked, slightly shocked that his new found buddy in rock was friends with the cheerleaders.
“Yeah, that Emily,” Joanna replied, not really listening, as she continued to look for her friend.
“I’ll walk home on my own then thanks. What about tomorrow?” Rick asked.
“Can’t. Cheerleader tryouts.”
Rick rolled his eyes behind her back. “Day after?”
“Maybe,” she murmured. “Who’s that? With Mikey?” Joanna asked, pointing at the said boy. Rick looked over. ”Oh, that’s Gerard. His brother,” he offered, watching her reaction. She merely nodded.
“I’ve gotta go,” he murmured, spotting Emily, and melted into the crowd.
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I should have realised right then, shouldn’t I? That cheerleading and The Clash didn’t go together. That my new friends didn’t move on the same social circles. That there was destined to be a confrontation and a choice to be made.
But I didn’t know this so I went home, talking to Emily, did my homework and watched T.V
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“Honey we’re going out, will you be okay?” her mom asked.
“Yeah Mom,” Joanna replied bored. “Where you going?”
“Shopping,” was her mother’s short reply. Joanna sighed. She was still in disgrace from last night.
“Can I go see-“ she began, scrabbling up from where she lay on the sofa to kneel, facing her mom.
“No,” was the curt answer.
“Mom, please?” She asked, pleadingly.
“Go see what?” Her dad asked, suddenly butting into the conversation.
“Nothing,” she muttered churlishly.
“We’ll see you later pumpkin,” he said, ruffling her hair as Joanna’s parents left. She flopped back down onto the sofa. Then sat back up. She could go round. Then she flopped back down. Her parents would know. They always knew.
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I guess I could describe my third day at Belleville High School, New Jersey, U.S.A. However, I don’t really remember that much about it, apart from the cheerleading tryouts. SO you lucky, lucky people get to hear all about hem. Well, a little about them.
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“You ready?”
Joanna looked at Rick and Mikey. “Not really. “
Rick shrugged. “You don’t have to you know, “ he replied, reaching over and smoothing a piece of her ebony hair down.
”I know,” she grinned at him. “But I want to.”
Mikey half smiled. “Then we shall have to disown you if you make it.”
She looked at him curiously. “Why?”
He laughed, leaning back in the hard plastic chair. “Because, my dear Anna, us and cheerleaders don’t mix.”
“Tough,” was her quick reply. “You’re stuck with me now.” She paused. “Not that it’s likely that I’ll get in.”
Rick smiled. “You can try though. Just don’t ditch us, your friends of two days, for some prancy jocks.”
She laughed as her name was called. “Wish me luck.”
“Luck,” both boys called as she disappeared through the door. Mikey leaned further back in the chair, and rubbed his hair and face. She really didn’t understand the status quo in an American High School.
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It didn’t go too badly. Actually it went pretty well but I was too scared of jinxing it. I was surprised that Mikey and Rick stayed behind to wait for me, espeically considering what he thought of cheerleading. But then again Maria would have stayed except she had a date.
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Joanna and Rick were walking home, Mikey having gone in the opposite direction; the direction in which his house was situated. Actually they were dawdling but it was because of how much they were talking.
“No way,” she spluttered through laughter. “You’ve got to be kidding.”
“What?!” He protested. “It’s a good song!”
“No.” She pushed him playfully. “It’s a horrible song!”
“Braineaters is amazing!” he continued to proclaim.
”Shut up!”
Helaughed as they turned a corner. “You know for some English cheerleader wannabe, you know a lot about good music.”
Her mouth dropped open. “I can’t belive you just said that.”
He shrugged as if to say I’m so cool you can’t pin it on me. She laughed as they reached her house. She faced him, taking in his ensemble of ripped jeans, Misfits band T-shirt, and battered red converse one last time.
“You,” she said. “Are a cool dude.”
“Did you ever doubt it?” he teased as she walked up the front path and he walked down the street.
“I’ll see you tomorrow!” she called.
”Not if I see you first!” he joked.