Friday 31st May, 2019
The plan was that I'd meet them there.
Brendan had wanted to pick me up, but my house was only a few blocks away. I looked up Darcy's Diner on my phone, and was pretty confident that I could find it.
The first thing I did was tell my parents about tutoring.
My Dad seemed unhappy at first. "Do you really have to?" He asked.
"I need to earn money, Dad." I said, to which he frowned. But he didn't press further; my mother did, however.
"Do you even know who you're tutoring, Brooke? They could be a murderer." She droned.
"His Dad is called Mr Jones, and he's in the same year as me in school. I've probably already met him."
"Do you know his first name?" She asked, stirring a pot on the stove.
"No, not yet. But he wants to start tomorrow, so--"
"Tomorrow!" She yelped, unleashing her frosty eyes on me. "They want you to work on the weekend?"
I sighed - it was never easy with her. "Just this once. Normally it'll be after school."
She tutted, muttering "just this once will turn into every week. . ."
"Julie," my Dad's voice rumbled from the living room couch. "Enough. Brooke can do what she wants. You should be happy she's earning money."
"Thanks, Dad." I called, grateful one of my parents were halfway sane. "I'm going out tonight to celebrate." I shoved in, and then flew to my room.
Now, I looked in the mirror. I'd actually made an effort. My bronze hair was straightened, contacts in instead of glasses. Make-up on, I put more on than usual. I had beige on my lids and pink on my lips, to match the baby pink t-shirt I had underneath a black pinafore. I couldn't bear to lose the white pumps, though. Stuffing my phone and money into the black jacket pockets, I decided I looked good enough. My hips didn't even look that wide in this outfit - or my boobs too big.
All the things I was struggling to accept.
Downstairs, Mother eyed me. Then, deciding my skirt was long enough to satisfy, she turned away.
"Don't be too late," Dad called.
I hollered back, "I won't," and closed the door behind me.
Walking into town, it was even brighter and louder than I expected. A huge arcade was on my left, flashing neon yellow, pink and blue. Kids buzzed around it.
In the distance, I spied a huge building with white signs above the doors displaying what movies they were showing. It was crazy; I fell in love instantly.
Down a back road, I caught a glance of more neon signs, but they looked more like clubs and bars. Steering clear, the map told me where Darcy's Diner was, and soon I'd arrived.
It was big, long, with a hot pink sign out front, flashing 'Darcy's Diner' - beneath it, another one saying 'open'. The glass windows along the front meant I could see the red booths inside, the narrow counter. Excited, I pushed the door open and found my friends. They all waved me over enthusiastically, squashed into a booth, a table between them.
I slid in next to Amy, Brendan opposite.
He winked. "Nice of you to turn up."
"Sorry," I blushed, "I got distracted on the way here."
"It's pretty outside." Amy agreed.
Holly, a girl with fire-red hair and aspirations to be a vet, cleared her throat. "You look beautiful, Brooke," she complimented.
My cheeks heated. "Holly! You don't have to say that."
"No, you do." Brendan smiled widely.
"Thanks. . ."
Stuart groaned. "I'm starving! Can't we order already?"
I laughed slightly hysterically, thankful for the distraction. "Of course! Sorry."
When the food was on the table, huge burgers with even bigger milkshakes, as promised, I felt better. At ease. My friends laughed around me, Jordan - the third boy in the group - dipping a chip in the milkshake accidentally. This was what I'd been excited about after hearing I was moving; new friends, a fresh start.
So why did my mind wander to a certain boy with black curly hair and a ridiculously gothic fashion sense? Why did I feel strangely cold without his heated stare on me?
I shook my head. I was being stupid.
"So," Holly began. "We're here to celebrate something. When do you start tutoring, Brooke?"
I swallowed a chip. "Tomorrow."
"Tomorrow? That's soon," Amy said. "Are you nervous?"
"A bit," I admitted. "I've never tutored before."
"You'll be fine," Brendan assured me. "You're amazing at English. Anyone would be lucky to be taught by you."
"I don't know. . ."
"I know." He said, blonde hair glowing under the light.
"Hey, if this goes well," Jordan said, "I might hire you myself."
"Thanks, Jordan," I beamed. Then the conversation swung away from me, and I was glad.
Soon enough, every plate was clean. The chatter subsided, but I checked the time and it seemed too early to go home.
"My girlfriend's staying over tomorrow," Stuart announced. "I need to go and rent some movies, and I have the car all of you are riding in. Come on."
There was a chorus of agreement, but I stayed still. "You guys rent movies from an actual shop?"
"We don't like the online, broadband stuff." Amy wrinkled her pierced nose in apparent disgust. "The shop's better. Do you want to come?"
I wasn't ready to go home, so after they paid the bill and I thanked them for covering my part, we headed out. It was immediately obvious that it had cooled off, the streets quieter. As the group walked, I hung back and chatted to Jordan about the football scholarship he wanted. He was a bulky lad, with a wild afro and golden brown skin. To my relief, I found he was good at keeping conversation going.
It wasn't just me making the effort for once.
It was completely dark when we reached the rental store. Inside, DVDs were everywhere, even brand new ones. My friends spread out, rifling through stacks and shelves and, deciding to revel in it, I explored myself.
Brendan sidled next to me. "No glasses?" He commented.
I smiled at him. "Thought I'd make an effort."
"You look really pretty," he ran a hand through his pin-straight hair. "But you don't need all of that make-up and stuff to look pretty."
"Thanks, Brendan," I mumbled, holding off embarrassment.
"I mean it. Although, you do get more male attention looking like this."
"What?"
"You already get enough looks in school, now heads are turning in the street."
I looked at him like he was speaking Japanese. I waited, waited for him to burst into laughter, but he just stared back. "I wear make-up in school too." I whispered.
"Not much," he shrugged. "Just think about it. You're oblivious, I can tell."
"Oblivious to what?" I asked, but he was already loping down the aisle. I was frozen for a moment, and then I caught my reflection in the mirror. A plain, average face stared back at me. Shaking my head, I decided he must have been pulling my leg.
"Brooke!" Stuart called. "Look at this movie!"
An hour and bit later, we all stood outside staring at the moon like idiots.
"Pretty," Amy mused.
"The King of the Night." I mumbled, and was met with laughter.
"Weirdo," Brendan nudged me. Usually I'd laugh, but it hit a nerve. It made me think about someone I was trying to forget.
"Right," Stuart piped up, "shall we get going? All you fools get in my car."
Brendan turned to me. "Do you want a ride?"
I was already shaking my head. "No, you go ahead. I'll be fine."
"Are you sure? It's late."
I checked my phone. "It's only half ten. I'll be fine."
He still looked doubtful. "You'll text me when you get in?"
"Of course," I smiled. He pulled me into a tight hug that smelled like coconuts, let me go and walked away. I waved goodbye to the others.
They rounded a corner, and I watched them go before turning around. This street was away from the buzz, away from the noise. Darkness shrouded the road, and I realised I was the only person around.
Looking back, I wondered if it would have been better to get a ride, but they were long gone. Starting up the street I think we came from, it wasn't long before I realised I was wrong. Lights blinked in the distance, and I followed them only to find clubs and bars. Turning, I shivered and got out my phone.
Dead.
Now panic set in - how had it died in the past five minutes? I tried to turn it on, but it was drained. Trying to think rationally, my fingers shook as I followed a road, dark buildings on either side, darker alleys in between.
That's where they must have came from. They were silent in their approach, and suddenly my arms were held behind my back, an ice-old hand clamping over my mouth like a vice.