Short Stories 2006-2007

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Shorth Stories 2006-2007
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Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame Induction of the Abysmal V.I.P.S.
By Albie Hewlett

The scene takes place at the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame Induction ceremony and the stage is empty except for a vacant podium.

ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen. Please welcome to the stage, from the band Thunder Squeak…Dominic Jarvis.

Applause as DOMINIC walks on stage up to the podium.


DOMINIC: Thank you ladies and gentlemen! It’s great to be here for this year’s Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame Induction ceremony! I’m Dominic Jarvis, the bass player and back-up vocalist of Thunder Squeak and it is an honor to be here tonight. The Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame has been a great monument in recognizing the achievements of some of the great contributors to rock n’ roll music. Maybe someday I will be inducted in here.


No response from the audience.


DOMINIC: Okay… anyway, tonight I have been given the privilege of inducting one of the great power trios of rock n’ roll and my favorite band…The Abysmal V.I.P.S.


Applause from the audience. DOMINIC starts clapping in agreement.


DOMINIC: Yeah! Alright! The Abysmal V.I.P.S immediately made their mark on the rock n’ roll map in the early seventies with their abrasive hard sound and their negative, poorly articulated lyrics. After years of success with such classic albums like “Cooler Than You” and “God’s Gift to Rock”, they were destined for superstardom until their guitarist, Podar D’Actionn, electrocuted himself when he hooked up his guitar to a live car battery in an attempt at improving on his revving guitar solos. Luckily Podar’s brother-in-law, Frank could play the guitar, so he joined the trio and helped to continue in the band’s success. Success met with disaster again when during a Mexican tour and an unanticipated piñata accident, the band’s lead singer and bassist Fitch Sawburg died. Fortunately, Fitch had the gift of gab. Many friends and family members donated answering machine tapes of various long messages he had left them. The band continued with a part of Fitch still in the fold. Curiosity and some minor success still followed the band for years until that dreadful day when the last surviving member of the band, drummer Tool R. Bonch was crushed to death after his one hundred and seventy-four piece drum kit fell on him during a tour rehearsal. It looked as if that would be the end of the Abysmal V.I.P.S’s legacy, but thanks to the business savvy of the band’s manager, Colonel John Parsons, a drum machine and computer technology, the Abysmal V.I.P.S continue to put out new music to this day. I mean, have you seen their new video? It’s awesome! So please join me in welcoming the new Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame Inductees…The Abysmal V.I.P.S!




Relations and Relationships
By Elizabeth Weidenbach

It was first period on Monday at Ridgemont High. Everyone had the usual blank expression already planted on their faces, and as usual my boyfriend Evan was late for class. We had been going out for three months now, and in that time he had never once gotten to first period on time. But of course that didn’t matter because Evan was a football star. He was the quarterback to be precise. He could be present and accounted for without being present. It annoyed me, along with other things. I never was one to believe that who you are should determine how you are treated. But I wasn’t about to say anything because Evan was my boyfriend and that would not look good.

As I glanced around the room, I noticed all the different people who attended Ridgemont High. Not everyone was a football star believe it or not. There were the preppy girls with their perfect hair and make up, the geeks with their thick rimmed glasses, the band nerds, and the smart kids. I wondered what group I could put myself into and realized that it was none of those. The only group to which I belonged was the football stars’ girlfriends club. Most girls would be proud of that, but I wasn’t in the least. The more I thought about it the more I wondered why I was even going out with Evan. He was popular, athletic, and good looking, but he wasn’t exactly husband material and deep down I knew he wasn’t what I wanted. Well, to be completely honest it was a boy by the name of Brian who made me realize all of this and made me see how unhappy with Evan I was.

I had met Brian out of mere chance and in the most unlikely of places. As the teacher lectured on what happened two-hundred years ago, I thought back to one week ago.

The place was the mall and the day was Saturday. My friend Renee and I were wandering around discussing where we needed to go and what we needed to get. All I really needed was some new music. It had been a couple of weeks since my last CD purchase and I was going through some serious withdrawal. Music was a huge part of my life and if I didn’t hear something new and fresh I became somewhat cranky and irritable. Evan had never understood that. That was a passion it seemed we did not share.

Renee and I decided to split ways so we could cover more ground. She had some serious shoe shopping to accomplish, so I was left to my CD browsing. I made my way into my favorite store. The familiar scent of new clothes filled the air. I saw that not much had changed since my last visit. Posters and t-shirts lined the walls. CD’s were neatly stacked to the left of the store in alphabetical order. The faint sound of rock music floated through the air. I felt secure in this store. I wasn’t sure why but it didn’t make me feel uptight and pressured. Employees didn’t rush up to you and ask if you needed help. It was a very relaxed environment, like everyone in there had taken a step back from the hustle and bustle to just unwind.

I made my way over to the CDs. I felt like a huge dork as excitement began to build up inside me. I fought hard to suppress the urge to giggle. Yes, I was a dork. A music dork. But I didn’t really care. As I browsed through the CDs, I came to the conclusion that they didn’t have one that I desperately needed. I looked around and all the employees seemed to be busy so I ran through them one more time just to be sure. “They have to have it,” I thought to myself. And just when I was about to give up hope, I saw it. Under the B’s. The brand new Blood Brothers CD. And there was only one copy left. If I was excited before, that excitement was nothing compared to what I was feeling now. I reached out to grab the CD and much to my surprise my hand came to a stop not upon the CD but on another hand. I could feel my face turn red as I looked to see who my competition was. Next to me stood a boy. He wasn’t anything special. His hair was brown, and he was a bit on the short side. I’d say he was one to two inches shorter than I am. He was not scrawny. His muscles appeared to be quite defined under his ripped jeans and worn black t-shirt. In essence he was what girls would classify as “skater.” He had that rebellious look about him but not to the point of being a “bad boy.” His eyes were electric blue, the kind of blue that appears in the sky on a bright clear day. After a moment I was brought back to the situation at hand and wondered if his eyes made the same assessment of me as I had of him. I could still feel my face burning scarlet, and I hoped it didn’t look half as red as it felt. I was so glad when he broke the ice because I couldn’t bring myself to say a word.

“Um hey, sorry. I guess we both had the same CD in mind.”

“I guess we did,” I said half bumbling, half giggling. Why in the world was I giggling at a time like this?

“Well, you go ahead and take it. I can wait for another shipment to come in next week,” said the mystery boy.

“Oh no, I insist ummm. . .”

“Brian. And no, I insist. Ladies first.”

“Thank you, Brian, but really I would not feel right taking it. And besides, your hand was on it first.”

“Oh well while this might be true; your hand seemed much more excited than mine to have that CD,” Brian said as his mouth widened into a crooked smile.

I laughed after he said this realizing how ridiculous I must have looked after seeing that CD. I became embarrassed again.

“Listen, I’m not taking the CD, and if you don’t take it either, who knows who will end up with it. We wouldn’t want the new Blood Brothers to end up in undeserving hands would we?”

I managed to let out another laugh. This Brian kid was quite funny. I could tell he had a sarcastic side and I had a weak spot for sarcasm. “Well, Brian, I am NOT taking the CD believe it or not no matter what you say. So please, just buy the darn thing.”

“Okay, I’ll make you a deal. I’ll buy the CD if you will listen to it with me. That way it’ll be both of ours in a weird way.”

The idea sat in my mind like a dead weight. There was nothing I’d rather do than listen to it with this boy Brian, this boy I didn’t even know. But still, there would be nothing wrong with that. Then I remembered Evan. What would he think about all of this? I don’t know why I even asked the question because I already knew the answer. He would be upset. I didn’t want Evan to get mad with me. “I’m so sorry but I can’t. I ....”

“Let me guess, you have a boyfriend?”

“Yes, I’m sorry. But you will enjoy it without me I’m sure.” After I said these words, I couldn’t help but wish he wouldn’t enjoy it without me.

“I suppose you are right.”

“Well, I guess I’d better be going then. It was nice to meet you, Brian.” I began to walk away and realized something.

“Wait, wait! I’m sorry but I didn’t catch your name.”

The hurriedness in his voice made me smile to myself. “My name’s Lizz.” And I kept on walking, smiling to myself.

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


“Elizabeth!”

Quickly the image of the mall and of Brian faded away. Embarrassed, I glanced around and saw the whole history class staring at me. I sunk deeper into my desk hoping the moment would just end.

“Elizabeth, do you happen to know the answer or are you planning on telling the class telepathically?”

“I’m sorry sir, could you please repeat the question.”

“Why was Roosevelt’s Progressive Party nicknamed the ‘Bull Moose’ Party?”

“Well, sir, that would be because Roosevelt always said he felt as strong as a bull moose.”

“Very good. It might have taken you awhile, but at least you managed to come up with the right answer.”

With that the bell rang. Thankful, I gathered up my notebooks and grabbed my book bag, and made a mad dash for the door. All the while, one thing remained in the back of my mind.

The rest of the morning passed without any more humiliating occurrences. I was on my way to lunch, and as usual Evan came trotting down the hall shouting my name at the top of his lungs. I really did not want to talk to him, and for the first time, the sight of him actually made me angry. He pushed through the crowds of underclassmen and proceeded to “shine” the top of my head, messing up my hair. It was in that moment I truly realized that Evan was no longer what I was looking for. He didn’t know me. If he did, he would know I didn’t like when people touched my hair. I decided it had to end. I couldn’t take it anymore. “Evan, we need to talk. And I mean, we really need to talk,” I said with the firmest voice I could muster.

“About what, doll face.”

“Evan, you don’t know me. You don’t know what I like. You don’t know my favorite color. You don’t know that I hate being called doll face. You know nothing about me. I need someone who’s more like me, who can relate. It’s time this relationship ended. For good.”

“What do you mean, ‘I don’t know you’?! We’ve been going out for three months, Lizz. I know that you’re adopted, you listen to bad music, and you have three dogs.”

“Ya, Evan, and while you might know that I’m adopted and have three dogs, you haven’t made an effort to connect. Nothing you can say will change my mind. It’s over.” And with all the courage I could find I walked away and didn’t look back.

By three-thirty, the whole school had heard the news. As I walked down the halls, people whispered and pointed. I heard a lot of different versions of the same story, none of which were correct. It somehow turned into a story about Evan “putting me in my place” and watching me run into the girls bathroom sobbing. On a normal day this would bother me. But today, it didn’t.

I gave it a couple days before I did what I had wanted to do since Saturday. One of the punk rock girls at school gave me Brian’s number, and every night I stared at it until the digits burned into my brain. Finally, I had had enough. I was going to call this Brian and tell him that we should hang out sometime. As I reached for the receiver, I noticed my hands were shaking. I took this as a good sign and one-by-one pressed the digits. On the other end it began to ring. Fighting the urge to hang up, I gripped the phone until my knuckles turned white.

“Hello?”

I recognized Brian’s voice at once, on the other side of the line. “Ummm, hi. I don’t know if you remember me, well I hope you do, but I met you at the mall on Saturday. You were looking for the Blood Brothers CD and so was I and then we talked for a while and I’m really sorry to be calling you but this girl at school gave me your number and I thought I’d call and see if you wanted to come over and listen to it if you haven’t already got your own copy because if you have, that’s okay I was just wondering because I know I got the last copy and....”

“Sure. I’d like that, Lizz.”

I couldn’t decide if I was more shocked by the fact that he remembered my name, or the fact that he wanted to come over. Either way, I felt a warmth creeping up inside of me. I wanted to shout and scream and dance all at the same time. But, knowing I was still on the line, resisted. “Wow, okay. That’s awesome. Come over whenever you want and we’ll listen to it. To be honest, I haven’t really had time yet, so it’ll be new for both of us.”

“That sounds good to me. I’m free tomorrow after school. I’ll see you then.”

“Great! I live on...”

“I know where you live.”

“You do?” I said, trying not to sound too surprised.

“Ya, a girl at school told me.”

I laughed and said “Well, after school it is then. See you later.”

“Alright. It’s a date. And Lizz, thanks for calling.”

I hung up the phone feeling happier than I had ever felt. I couldn’t wait till tomorrow.

Fast forward two months. Brian and I were now in a relationship. For a couple of weeks it was the juiciest gossip at school. Word had finally spread that I had been the one to end the relationship, and Evan’s reputation had taken a heavy blow. Then, the news that I essentially left the captain of the football team for the grungy skater really didn’t help his situation much. But nevertheless, I was happy and that’s all that mattered to me. Brian and I had a great time together. We had so much in common, including the same birthday, which I found to be remarkable. We liked the same music, had the same interests, and simply just enjoyed each others company. Tonight I was going to meet Brian’s parents. Of course I was nervous, but I knew it’d be okay. From what I knew of them, his parents seemed to be genuinely nice people who loved their son and seemed interested in meeting his girlfriend. I spent two hours getting ready and, at five-thirty Brian was ringing the door bell. “I’m ready,” I said to him, giving my new dress a little twirl.

“You look lovely, Lizz. You really do. Are you nervous?”

“Not really. I just hope they like me.”

“Why wouldn’t they? You’re perfect. There’s nothing about you they wouldn’t like, trust me. Besides, if I like you that should be good enough for them.”

“Good point,” I said as we got in his car and started down the street. Twenty minutes later we came to a stop in front of a beautiful Victorian home in the suburbs.

“Don’t look so surprised, Lizz. You didn’t think I was poor did you?”

“No, no! I just didn’t think you lived...here,” I muttered, feeling slightly embarrassed.

“It’s okay. Let’s just go inside. It’s a bit cold out.”

I walked inside and immediately was in awe. The ceilings were high and made out of glass. A marble staircase ascended to an immaculate balcony with mahogany railings. Beautiful paintings lined the walls, which were no doubt covered in expensive wall paper, and from the windows hung dainty lace curtains. This house was beyond glamorous. It was breathtaking. My eyes went back to the staircase. A woman was slowly making her way down to greet us, but as I looked at her, a horror struck me. A horror beyond anything I could fathom, worse than the worst nightmare. It struck her, too. She cried out, “Oh my God! It’s her!”

I screamed as Brian’s mother fainted and fell softly down the stairs. A man, assumed to be Brian’s father, came running out of a room nearby and rushed over to his stricken wife. He looked at me, and I looked at him. I screamed some more and ran past Brian. He grabbed me, stared me straight in the eye and in pain and confusion asked, “You’re my sister?”