Part 10 - Double Effort
Jase turned around in his seat, his arm behind Amanda's seat as he backed out of the parking spot, and while Amanda might've been a bit unsettled by the speed, seeing as how the gravel was flying into a growing cloud of dust, I was just thankful he was looking at all. He hauled the wheel about, and said, 'Dude, when you get a car, get power steering.'
Then he floored it.
Two years later, on a dry night with a full moon, after 2am, no cars in sight, it took me four minutes longer on the same route than this run with Amanda in the car. He hauled that machine through to the back of Gosford, stereo blaring the heavy techno of an early Skitzmix, while Amanda turned around and asked,
'Is it always like this?', while she looked out the back window, looking for cops, or worse, an A Current Affair news van running a piece on 'Reckless Youths, Hooning About Your Town During School Hours. Tonight At 6.30.'
'I think he's toning it down a bit cos you're in the car. We'd probably be there already, right Jase?'
'Yeah, that bloody Volvo back there,' (the one that pulled over to catch his breath back) 'what was his deal?' he replied.
'Probably going to write to the Advocate, complaining about the youth of today,' I said.
'What's the rush anyway?' asked Amanda.
Jase ignored her. 'Youth of today, it's the Old of today that are the problem. Clogging up our roads with Volvos, filling the coast with retirement villages instead of things for kids to do.'
'Hey dude, what Amanda said, what's at Erina?'
'Just shut up dude, we're almost there.' He revved a bit harder, racing up the last straight before we reached the mall. It barely deserved the title, Mall, in it's current incarnation, but it was the closest thing to one on the Coast, and it was a bit more than a shopping complex like Deep Water Plaza in Woy Woy. That two bit hole was so small you couldn't get your ankles wet before reaching the deep end.
Well, we were intrigued at any rate. Something was worth driving out here for, beyond showing off his driving skills to Amanda. Jase cruised into the parking lot, and parked between the cinema and the food court, and as we got out, he started walking towards the cinema.
'Hey dude, burgers this way.' I called out.
'It'll just take a minute,' he replied as he kept walking. I turned to Amanda, and muttered, 'Do you have any idea what this is about?'
'Not a clue,' she said.
'You guys coming?' he yelled, and we started trudging towards the multiplex. Really, there wasn't much else for kids to do on the coast, beyond cruising about and going to the movies, especially when the weather wasn't warm enough for the beach. They'd had a couple of blue light discos at the abandoned roller rink in Gosford, but they kinda stopped after a drug bust yielded over 100 Ecstasy tablets scattered on the floor when the police showed up.
'We don't have time for a movie Jason, we have to be back for Legal.' said Amanda.
'I'm not here to see a movie,' he said as he kept walking to the side of the ticket booth, flicking over the papers there, and suddenly,
'Alright, they are holding a movie marathon. Sunday night.'
'Enjoy dude, we're both working.' I said.
'Yeah, public holiday pay. Can't give that up.' said Amanda. When your hourly rate is still in single digits, the chance to be paid like an adult is something you don't pass up.
'I wasn't going to ask you guys.'
'Well, who then?'
He started blushing, and walked past us, back towards the food court.
'Ooh, Jas-ey's got-a girl-friend,' I said in that singsong voice.
'Shut up man, you know I don't.'
'But you want one,' said Amanda. 'And you're gonna ask her to a movie marathon?'
'He never said it was a her,' I said, as Jase hit me on the arm, then, 'Ow! Well, we've narrowed it down to women then. Okay then, does she go to our school?' I asked, and he replied,
'Stop with the questions, just go get your food, I thought you were hungry!'
Amanda chimed in, 'So she does go to our school!'
'I never said that!'
'Well, It has to be someone in our year, he doesn't know anyone in the year below. Not any girls anyway, just those dudes who play soccer.' I said.
'Stop talking about me!'
'And you can rule me out, cos I've already got a boyfriend,' said Amanda, in that faintly proud way she had
'God, yes, we know. We see him every day.' I replied.
'Back to it, who would he like?' She said.
Jase folded his arms. 'I'm not saying anything.'
'Sure you are.'
'You will confess.'
'Hey, you know he was right after all.' I said
'What's that?'
'There is something interesting here, after all. I'm gonna get some food, we'll sit back here, yeah?'
We'd have it out of him before we got back to school, there wasn't anyway to stop two of us against the other. Amanda on her own could be countered by a brick wall from both me and Jase, but with one of us helping her, there was no such thing as a secret. Just gossip waiting to happen.
Then he floored it.
Two years later, on a dry night with a full moon, after 2am, no cars in sight, it took me four minutes longer on the same route than this run with Amanda in the car. He hauled that machine through to the back of Gosford, stereo blaring the heavy techno of an early Skitzmix, while Amanda turned around and asked,
'Is it always like this?', while she looked out the back window, looking for cops, or worse, an A Current Affair news van running a piece on 'Reckless Youths, Hooning About Your Town During School Hours. Tonight At 6.30.'
'I think he's toning it down a bit cos you're in the car. We'd probably be there already, right Jase?'
'Yeah, that bloody Volvo back there,' (the one that pulled over to catch his breath back) 'what was his deal?' he replied.
'Probably going to write to the Advocate, complaining about the youth of today,' I said.
'What's the rush anyway?' asked Amanda.
Jase ignored her. 'Youth of today, it's the Old of today that are the problem. Clogging up our roads with Volvos, filling the coast with retirement villages instead of things for kids to do.'
'Hey dude, what Amanda said, what's at Erina?'
'Just shut up dude, we're almost there.' He revved a bit harder, racing up the last straight before we reached the mall. It barely deserved the title, Mall, in it's current incarnation, but it was the closest thing to one on the Coast, and it was a bit more than a shopping complex like Deep Water Plaza in Woy Woy. That two bit hole was so small you couldn't get your ankles wet before reaching the deep end.
Well, we were intrigued at any rate. Something was worth driving out here for, beyond showing off his driving skills to Amanda. Jase cruised into the parking lot, and parked between the cinema and the food court, and as we got out, he started walking towards the cinema.
'Hey dude, burgers this way.' I called out.
'It'll just take a minute,' he replied as he kept walking. I turned to Amanda, and muttered, 'Do you have any idea what this is about?'
'Not a clue,' she said.
'You guys coming?' he yelled, and we started trudging towards the multiplex. Really, there wasn't much else for kids to do on the coast, beyond cruising about and going to the movies, especially when the weather wasn't warm enough for the beach. They'd had a couple of blue light discos at the abandoned roller rink in Gosford, but they kinda stopped after a drug bust yielded over 100 Ecstasy tablets scattered on the floor when the police showed up.
'We don't have time for a movie Jason, we have to be back for Legal.' said Amanda.
'I'm not here to see a movie,' he said as he kept walking to the side of the ticket booth, flicking over the papers there, and suddenly,
'Alright, they are holding a movie marathon. Sunday night.'
'Enjoy dude, we're both working.' I said.
'Yeah, public holiday pay. Can't give that up.' said Amanda. When your hourly rate is still in single digits, the chance to be paid like an adult is something you don't pass up.
'I wasn't going to ask you guys.'
'Well, who then?'
He started blushing, and walked past us, back towards the food court.
'Ooh, Jas-ey's got-a girl-friend,' I said in that singsong voice.
'Shut up man, you know I don't.'
'But you want one,' said Amanda. 'And you're gonna ask her to a movie marathon?'
'He never said it was a her,' I said, as Jase hit me on the arm, then, 'Ow! Well, we've narrowed it down to women then. Okay then, does she go to our school?' I asked, and he replied,
'Stop with the questions, just go get your food, I thought you were hungry!'
Amanda chimed in, 'So she does go to our school!'
'I never said that!'
'Well, It has to be someone in our year, he doesn't know anyone in the year below. Not any girls anyway, just those dudes who play soccer.' I said.
'Stop talking about me!'
'And you can rule me out, cos I've already got a boyfriend,' said Amanda, in that faintly proud way she had
'God, yes, we know. We see him every day.' I replied.
'Back to it, who would he like?' She said.
Jase folded his arms. 'I'm not saying anything.'
'Sure you are.'
'You will confess.'
'Hey, you know he was right after all.' I said
'What's that?'
'There is something interesting here, after all. I'm gonna get some food, we'll sit back here, yeah?'
We'd have it out of him before we got back to school, there wasn't anyway to stop two of us against the other. Amanda on her own could be countered by a brick wall from both me and Jase, but with one of us helping her, there was no such thing as a secret. Just gossip waiting to happen.
posted by Keegan at 7:55 PM
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