FicWad

A note to the Reader:
This is not historically accurate, and you will just have to handle that.

“What do you mean I can’t get tickets until the day it shows? Don’t you realize that by the time I get out of school, it will be sold out?” I scowled at the man behind the window.

“I’ve told you the exact same thing every day since three weeks ago. How long does it take for you to get a hint?” I could tell he was perturbed, and the people behind me were starting to make comments about the idiot girl in front.

I growled at him. “Fine. You’ll be seeing me.”

“Next.” The man called over my shoulder, without addressing my remark. The person behind me shoved at my shoulder, and I was forced to slink away without the tickets.

I kicked at a stone outside the theatre, and then looked ahead at the line of people outside the door.

I would have to wait till Friday, a whole three days away. I slumped further down in my coat to keep my face out of the sleet that was falling.

There was only one place to go. My guardian’s nephew had opened up an Ice cream parlor across town, so I hopped on the metro to get there as quickly as possible.

To make time pass a little more quickly I pulled my newest book from my bag and opened it.

Daily Life in Ancient Rome, the front cover said. Hunkering down in my seat a little further, I didn’t look up until I had already passed my stop.

Friday couldn’t come soon enough. I tore down the hallway through the school and scramble to pick up my things that I had dropped on the stairs outside as I had run headlong into someone.

The theatre was bustling with people, all of whom I hoped had found interest in one of the other movies.

I struggled to peer over the heads of everyone, wishing I was about two feet taller. Someone shoved me to get to a group ahead of us. I struggled to regain control of the books I had been too impatient to stuff back into my bag at the school. The four people selling tickets were up to their necks in impatient people, and so I had to wait until the crowd had died down somewhat. But to my dismay, as the last people were getting their tickets, one of the tellers posted a sign in the window:

GLADIATOR:
Sold out All day.

My shoulders slumped and I dropped my books again. They had to be kidding me. Timidly, I walked up the window where the same man who had turned me away before looked up, and then waved his hand.

“Don’t even ask. They’re sold out, and there is no way I can get you any. Please, just go home.”

“But there has to be some? Maybe someone will change their mind, and give them back.” I said with some faint glimmer of hope.

“I’m sorry,” the man said, “If you come about an hour or two before we open, there are sure to be some there when you get to the window.”

I was totally disheartened. I picked up my books and shoved them into my bag. “Thanks anyway.”

He nodded, not at all sympathetic, and I left to catch the metro to Uncle Mike’s Ice Cream Parlour.

He was a medium height, medium build guy with a balding head that was concealed under his sailor’s cap from when he fought in the navy. He wore it every day, and it was the trademark of his shoppe. There were about forty kids from our school that frequented his shoppe every day.

I sat down somewhat dejectedly, and sipped at the strawberry peach shake he had put in front of me.

“Movie was sold out, huh?” He said, leaning over the counter.

“Yeah,” I said. “And now I’m kind of bummed because I will have to call everyone and tell them it’s a no go until tomorrow.”

He nodded understanding, and then said, “Well, you know, it’s really not as bad as all that. I mean…hold on a minute.”

I sat and sipped while he went into his office. When he returned, he filled himself a glass of the same shake, and set some small strips of paper on the counter.

“Don’t thank me,” he said with a mouth full of strawberries and peaches, as he pushed them over to me.

I took hold of them and turned them over: four tickets to Gladiator, the seven-thirty showing.

“You’re kidding!” I gawked. “How on earth did you get these?”

He gave me a look that said, “I have my ways.” Then he laughed. “No, I went and got them over my lunch break.”

I leapt off my stool and hugged him around the neck. “Thank you, thank you, Mike! I’ll pay you back!”

He waved a hand at me. “Nah, no charge. Just tell that Aunt and Uncle of mine that they better come and see me sometime. I’m wasting away here.”

I raised an eyebrow, “You know Grammy still thinks you only sell ‘sugar laden caffeine drinks here. Besides, I think they’ve gone away somewhere.”

“Again? Sheet, you’d think they had nothing better to do with their time. Why don’t they take you along with them? Or me for that matter.”

I smiled and sipped my drink staring longingly at the tickets. “You know I’m in school. Education is too important for them to justify me going with them. But they always bring me something, and loads of stories and pictures. Hey! It’s already five? I’ve gotta go. Thank you so so so so so much mike.” I hugged him again, grabbed my bag and darted out the door.

By six o’clock, Kuri and Imari were sitting in my guardian’s living room. Elene had just called to say she was walking out the door.

Kuri was leaning back in Grampy’s armchair holding the note I had found pasted to the door when I had arrived home.

“So what are Gram and Grampy doing in Samoa?”

I shook my head. “No idea. They will have a lot of fun though no doubt. Are you guys thirsty?”

They just looked at each other, so I went to get some juice.

Kuri was half Japanese, and lived with her mom. Her dad had died when she was little, and she never really got over it. Her mom dated on and off, but nothing had come of it yet. She had super short black hair, and the perfect features of those who are two different nationalities.

Imari lived alone. Her parents had both been killed not long before, and now that she was too old to rely on the state, she simply lived alone. She had dark blond hair and green eyes.

Just as I finished whisking the juice I heard a knock and both Kuri and Imari shouted, “Come in!”

Elene came in, and apologized for being so late. We all hushed her and I put the juice in the fridge. I’d have it with breakfast tomorrow or something.

Elene was the tallest out of all of us. She also lived alone, but she had an older brother who was away at school, and they worked together to pay each other’s bills. She had dark brown hair that she pulled back all the time.

I rushed out to grab her, and then turned to everyone. “Are we ready?”

Imari looked at her watch. “It’s only six-ten.”

“I know,” I said. “That’s the perfect time to go, didn’t you know?”

I pushed and shoved—not physically—until we were all out the door and on our way to the metro.

I will skip the part about the movie, as it is hardly worth discussing. But I couldn’t help saying something about it as we left the theatre.

“That movie was grossly inaccurate,” I said, trying to conceal my disappointment, so it came out sounding more like disgust.

“So you’re saying that you’re in need of some ice cream?” Kuri said comfortingly. “I think it does.”

Elene was only laughing at me. We had all experienced the same thing several times, and each time it was the same disappointment. “Damaris, weren’t you pleased?”

I growled, but couldn’t be angry for long, because I was soon being squashed in a bear hug from both sides. Elene and Imari had ambushed me. Kuri was standing away laughing.

Elene began to head down one of the alleys branching away from the street. “Short-cut!”

Imari was skeptical. “To what, our deaths?”

I tried to reassure her as I pulled her along, but then Elene slipped and knocked me spinning into Imari, and then everything went very black…