[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

Hey, ho. Let's go!
The Ramones.

"Hey! Are you guys coming? Get in."

The two freshman boys hurried over, trailing a pudgy Japanese girl. After they took their places in my rear seat, I glanced in the mirror.

She looks familiar...

"Hi, Ray. I'm Satoshi's sister, Keiko. I met you when you went swimming at our house last year, remember?"

I didn't really, but nodded anyways. "Hi, Keiko. How is he doing?"

Satoshi and his tight group of orchestra friends had allowed me to hang out with them a few times before he graduated last year. His well-being barely piqued my interest, but I wanted to impress Julianne with my social prowess.

It's called being normal, you sociopathic cretin...

My counselor's recent diagnosis of "Ray, you have a few borderline traits," still weighed on my mind, and whenever possible, I tried to compensate by being extra friendly.

Unless I don't feel like it. In which case, fuck everyone...

Keiko's lengthy answer faded into the ether as I pulled out of the parking lot in a caravan of my fellow vandals. Time to focus on what really concerned me. I waved to my right. "Hey everyone, this is Julianne. She's Michelle's sister, and is going to be on the flag squad."

Having exhausted my conversation-leading skills, I concentrated on driving. The dark tint of my glasses made reading street signs difficult, but I knew the way to our rival high school. My real concern was being pulled over by an attentive cop, so I drove the speed limit and ignored the goading of my band-mates as they weaved in and out of traffic to get to the freeway first. I glanced at Julianne, pleased to see her frowning at their antics.

See, babe, this is what maturity looks like...

Keiko spoke up with a slight accent. "Ray, are you going to Bob's afterwards?"

Bob's Big Boy restaurants were a favorite place for kids to hang out after football games, concerts, or organized mischief, like our present mission. The harried staff were accustomed to groups of twenty adolescents showing up thirty minutes before closing time, and they operated efficiently and cheerlessly.

Seizing the opportunity, I looked at Julianne. "Can you go?"

Oh, crap. I just put everyone's evening on her...

The sight of a five-foot-ten, one-hundred-sixty pound girl trying to make herself tiny is something I'll never forget. Julianne squeaked, "No. I'm sorry, Ray. I'd like to, but my sister is picking me up at the school. She's not at home, so I can't call her. Umm..."

Her lisp is adorable now, but could get annoying really fast...

Once in a great while, I managed to be a social hero. Patting her thigh, I announced, "That's fine. I'll drop the rest of you off at Bob's, take Julianne back to the school, then join everyone at the restaurant. Sound good?"

The kids in the back agreed and Julianne relaxed. I left my hand on her leg an extra second, then switched on the radio. While I fiddled with the dial to find KROQ, she tapped my hand and whispered, "Thank you."

She likes me...

Butterflies and other flitting creatures filled my scrawny stomach, as I realized Julianne would be alone with me after dropping the freshmen off. Pretending to check the freeway lane, I looked to the right, and she met my gaze with a shy smile.

She's so pretty, it's making me nervous. Stop staring at her, you creep...

Despite my best efforts to avoid false hopes, the dim possibility of making out with her at the end of the night kept pumping hormones into my blood and draining my thoughts.

Here we go...

***************

I handed her a roll of toilet paper and she pitched it over the school sign. "Nice one, Julianne. It's like a comet. Here, throw mine."

We watched it unroll, then catch the brisk winter breeze, landing in a small oak tree. She looked at me and shrugged. "Ray, I've never done this, but it seems, I don't know. Pointless, I guess."

I wanted to explain how that made it more fun, but said, "You're right. Let's go back to my car and wait for the freshmen."

We strolled to the car in silence where I opened the door for her. She gave me the look all girls gave me when trying to figure me out. Sometimes, I asked them, "What?" but that night I gave Julianne the space to question me.

She waited until I sat behind the wheel. "Ray? The way you dress, it... doesn't fit you."

I knew exactly what she meant. As one of the few students who embraced the punk rock fashion, I dressed in the typical uniform, and often appeared thuggish.

My friends all listened to mainstream rock, so I played my punk records and tapes in private. I had gone to a few shows by local bands, but didn't really like the scene.

Those guys are all losers...

Really, I just loved the music. The rawness spoke to me and influenced my own playing, even to this day.

Looking at the shifter, the gauges, and the headlight switch, anywhere but her face, I answered, "You're right. I doubt I'll be this way much longer. "

At least a minute passed in silence while we watched the kids decorate the front of the school. I switched on the radio. "What music do you like, Julianne?"

"I actually do like punk."

Delight narrowly beat skepticism to my face. "Cool. Hey, I just bought..."

...stole...

"...the Ramones live album. Want to hear it?"

She fished a pack of gum out of her tiny purse. "Sure. Want a piece?"

I had began using little bits of Spanish in my speech, courtesy of the two semesters of classes in my junior year. "Gracias! Can you get the cassette out of the glove box?"

She dug around until finding the correct one, then popped it in the stereo. The concert applause faded in, followed by various guitar amp noises, then singer Joey Ramone called out in his distinctive Brooklyn accent, "Hey, we're the Ramones! This one's called Rock-a-way Beach"

Bassist Dee Dee Ramone yelled in his comically high pitched voice, "One, two, three, four...," and the surprisingly tight band launched into their catchy uptempo bar-chord based song.

Oh, this is going to be cool. Here we go...

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

Coinciding with the first line, "Chewing out a rhythm on my bubble gum...," I blew a small bubble with the Dentyne I had prepared in my mouth. Pointing at it with raised eyebrows only puzzled Julianne.

"Uhh, are you okay? Ray, is there something wrong with the gum?"

I explained, "No, the song said bubble gum, and I... oh never mind. It was a stupid joke. Sorry."

I'm such a dork...

I could almost see the inner cringe, but her eyes brightened as she offered me a second chance. "Oh, I get it now. You can be silly, I guess."

"I certainly can... Julianne."

The unintended rhyme fell as flat as the previous attempt at humor, but my helpless shrug brought a giggle to her lips. Julianne's relaxed posture partnered with a greatly reduced lisp as she asked, "Where did you get that bracelet, Ray? Are you allowed to wear it at school?"

I held up my wrist so she could get a better look at the wide leather band studded with three rows of chrome spikes. "No, but I bring it sometimes anyways. My sister gave it to me. Here, try it on."

She took hold of my hand, undid the buckles then put it on her wrist. Her soft touch caused a familiar stirring, and my breath caught. "Ray, my parents would kill me if I wore something like this. But I like it."

"It looks really cool on you, Julianne. Leave it on, until I drop you off at the school."

Her bright green eyes took in the shiny chrome and black piece, then turned my way. "Ok."

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

I sang along with the Ramones song "Sheena Is A Punk Rocker."

"Julianne is, a punk rocker, nowwww."

She laughed, then lisped, "That wasn't as bad as the gum!"

The rest of the cassette side played without further comment, then the three freshmen came running. They piled in the car and yelled, "Cops are at the school."

Because I regularly engaged in minor illegal activities, I had prudently parked a few blocks away. I calmly pulled away from the curb and made a right turn onto the freeway access road. A peek in the rearview mirror revealed a distant red and blue glow from police cars around the school, as I entered the freeway with my middle finger held high.

Another smooth getaway...

Keiko commented, "You're pretty cool."

In my peripheral vision, Julianne's face reddened with narrowed eyes for a second. "He is cool. In a way."

I laughed, "I'm really not cool, in any way. But thank you, ladies. Ok, on to Bob's. They close in an hour."

**************

When Julianne returned from the bathroom at Bob's, I noticed she had freshened her lipstick and cologne. The foggy drizzle had resumed, so I escorted her to my car under an umbrella I had found in the trunk. I felt giddy walking so close to her, and though she appeared nervous, Julianne didn't shy away from occasional contact.

Just before reaching the car, I moved my head close and said, "Mmm. You smell good. I like it."

Her lips made a variety of shapes while a red bloom overtook the freckles on her cheeks. Something resembling, "Thank you," peeked out of Julianne's heavy lisp.

I chuckled at her shyness, then got behind the wheel. A few blocks before meeting her sister at the school, my nerve tried to escape. Hoping to get in front of it, I blurted, "Julianne, I'd like to see you again. The band X is playing Friday night. If I can get tickets, would you like to go with me?"

I'm such a fucking dork. She can see how weird I am, and she's going to say no. She has to... Ahh well, here comes another rejection...

"Sure, Ray. That sounds fun."

No way. No... way. She said... Yes?

Heh...

"Cool, Julianne. Yeah. Oh yeah!"

Calm down, fuckwad...

She pulled a koala-embraced felt tip pen from her purse. "Let me give you my number. Do you have anything to write on?"

After a second of contemplation, I ejected the Ramones cassette and handed it to her. Julianne cast an odd glance my way, then scribbled her number on the tape and pushed it back into the stereo.

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

Joey Ramone belted out,

"I met her at the Burger King, we fell in love by the soda machine...
I'm gonna make her mine, and everything's gonna be real fine.
Oh, Oh, I Love Her So!"

I closed my eyes for a second.

That symbolizes... something, right?

"Ray? There's my sister. Here's your bracelet back. Call me soon, bye!"

She patted my hand resting on the shift knob, then smoothly exited the car. I watched her skip to Michelle, where she turned and waved before disappearing into their Jeep Wagoneer.

Fuck yeah, I'm going on a date! I hope I like her...

A/N: I still have that cassette with Julianne's phone number in a cardboard box up in my attic.

Thanks for reading, don't forget to vote and comment!