"One Last Hurrah" Janine had not been waiting long before she saw the car drive up, honk merrily, and jerk away several times with teasing familiarity. She gave the insiders a nasty look and jumped in, screaming at everyone inside--their usual, hyperactive greeting. She was the last to be carried, the one who lived farthest away from Gabrielle's house--but considering she couldn't drive, it was a wait worth enduring. The music became extra loud as Gabrielle's old car squealed away down the street, and their very last hours of freedom began. "Wolfman Jack?!" shrieked Blake, cringing as Gabrielle's fingers twitched the radio dial. "What is this, American Graffiti? Turn it to something else; turn it to a rock station!" "Ah, turn it yourself," grumbled Gabrielle sourly. "This is my car an' so I'll play my radio station. Just you wait a few more years, then you can listen to your Rollin' Stones and whatnot." Blake darted her hand forth and quickly snapped the dial before Gabrielle could react, but it ended up as static. The two fought over the radio as the other two passengers looked at each other and sighed. "It happens every time," said Janine. "Without fail," added Victoria. She changed the subject quickly. "You know, I can't believe summer's already over--well, summer break, anyway." "Why not? It's happened before." "I know, but... it went by so fast!" "Maybe cuz' you were in LUV!" sang Gabrielle teasingly. Victoria blushed. "No, I don't think it was that..." "Well, love or not, summer sucked for the rest of us," said Janine wearily. "We all had lousy part-time jobs. We barely even saw each other cept' for weekends and the fourth of July." "Why don't ya bloody Yanks call it Independence Day like the rest of us?" called Gabrielle from the front, using her worst British impersonation. "You may as well have a holiday for the fourteenth of October or the eighth of March. Say, you bloody fools don't celebrate Caesar's death on 3-15, do ya?" "No," said Blake calmly, "you know that. And we don't celebrate 9-11 either, which you also know." Gabrielle grinned like the loveable imp she was. It was so easy (and fun!) getting Blake ticked. "I'm just playin' with ya. Come on, girls! This is the last day we get to have before we go to school. Vicki here's comin' to Stanton, so we'll have to break her in before long. Excited, Vick?" "A little," admitted the mousy girl. Gabrielle grinned. "Ya don't look it. What about the rest o' ya?" "Same as always," shrugged Janine. "School's become old hat now. I've gotten used to Stanton by this point, though I have to admit, I am a bit curious about all the teachers and classes I'm having. This is the first year I'm taking psychology." "For fun?" "Yeah," she admitted. "I've got math, chem, lit, drama, phys ed, psych, and teacher's aide." "What's that?" "It's mostly a half study hall, half what-you-think-it-is class." Gabrielle wiggled her eyebrows mischievously; Blake grinned, and Victoria darted her eyes around suspiciously. Janine sensed their actions and snorted. "Oh, grow up, you girls! You know what I meant!" "Sure we did!" sang Gabrielle. Janine rolled her eyes, groaned, and muttered something out of disgust. Honestly, sometimes her best friends could be so immature. Well, not sometimes. Usually. "Anyway," asked Victoria, once again changing the subject, "where are we headed?" "Did Blakie take her meds?" asked the driver. She did. "Good. First, I figure we could go to a movie--something nice and sweet, like a love story or an action flick. I don't wanna rent one, I wanna go in and see one." "I guess Kill Bill is out of the question," shrugged Blake. Gabrielle cursed. "Shyte! I love that movie! It ain't on the dollar movie no more?" "No, it's been on DVD for awhile now." Gabrielle hissed. "Shyte! What else? They ain't showin' no lesbian flick there, are they?" "They haven't for awhile." "Dam'... Ya know what? Let's forget it an' go to a club." "None of us are old enough." "A teen club, jackarse!" "No need to get mad, Gab." Blake rolled her eyes, sighed, and pressed her head against the window glass. At that moment, whether intentional or accidental, Gabrielle turned on the power windows and sent her friend's head jerking. "Hey! Watch it!" "Oh, sorry! I didn't see ya there!" "Please watch what you're doing next time!" groaned Blake angrily. "I said I was sorry, all right? No need to bite me head off or nothin'!" "Ladies, please," sighed Janine wearily, "can we please stop fighting? This is supposed to be one of those nostalgic summer things that four best friends are supposed to remember for the rest of their lives. Let's not turn it into a fracas." "Ah, someone's been studying their vocabulary!" sang Blake. "Indeed. And aren't you supposed to be our moderator?" "Well..." Blake blinked and shrugged in defeat. "Well, even I get mad sometimes." The car became thankfully quiet after that. Gabrielle made a few turns and found herself in the thick part of downtown, where half the place was in a slum and the other half had the rich, pretty, and sophisticated air. It was darkening quickly, so there were plenty of lights around to give the place a more "metro" look. She apparently knew of a place that teenagers could go to and hang out in, not unlike the more adult nightclubs of so many secret fantasies. Janine sighed, and noticed that her friend across from her had not said much. "Hey," she said, giving Victoria a nudge, "you awake?" Grissom smiled. "Yeah..." "You haven't said much." "I haven't had much to say. Don't worry; I'll give you my input when I have it. Gab, you seem to know where we're going," (changing the subject again). "What's the name of this place?" "Eh, I dunno," shrugged the redhead. "Somethin' tacky. I've only been there once with my ex." "Is it bad?" "No!" she exclaimed, laughing afterwards. "My ex an' I broke up five months after we been there. It's a good place." Victoria smiled and remained quiet. Blake, feeling remorseful for what she had said and did a few minutes earlier, cleared her throat and placed her hand on Gabrielle's leg. "Sorry." Gabrielle just smiled. She found the place, sometime later, and parked. Everyone stepped out and locked their individual doors. Gabrielle walked up to Blake, gave her a big hug, and kissed her on the lips. She didn't even say anything then; she just looked into the younger girl's eyes and blushed. "You accept my apology?" "Yup." Blake smiled. "Thanks. You're right; I was an ass." "Yeah," sighed Gabrielle lovingly, "but a cute arse, and one I love." Janine and Victoria each gave each other that same knowing look. "Spare me the cheesy Hallmark moment," groaned the elder. "Let's just go inside and see what kinda place this is. Thank God it's not some Irish pub." "Hey, I resent that!" The three non-resentful girls laughed, and even Gabrielle managed to smirk. It wasn't her fault she wasn't a "Yank", but then again, nobody bothered to make fun of Janine for her Filipino-British-Chinese roots--maybe because she didn't flaunt them quite as proudly as Gabrielle did. ---------- The "nightclub for teenagers" was really a Rave spot when one got down to its bare bones. It seemed like everyone there was dressed accordingly for a late summer Rave, except for the four friends peeking their way in (although Victoria seemed to fit in better, since she typically wore black clothes). Janine and Victoria gave each other another look as Blake popped in the last of her day's meds. Gabrielle grinned proudly, apparently the only one comfortable in that place. "Pretty cool, huh?" "It's definitely something, all right!" shouted Blake. Gabrielle squealed, grabbed Blake fiercely, and practically threw her into the core of the dancers, where she went wild and was lost to her other friends. Janine shrugged, and plucked her best friend up for a more restrained dance. Not wanting to look so novice that they covered their ears, the young women tried to endure the throbbing noise as best they could as the hour dwindled down slowly. They all wore out quickly, even energetic Gabrielle, and took a seat where they could. There were no refreshments in the club, but it was agreed that they all would go to a place that stayed open all night instead. For the moment, they were mesmerized as they watched one of the Ravers take center stage. She was a fireball in a room full of mere sparks, and flailed around as well as any Travolta impersonator. She had on just as many bangles and black things as the other Ravers did, with plenty of tattoos and other wild things to give herself a flair. Another was with her, looking just as wild as she, though obviously one was having a better time than the other. The former looked to be having the time of her life; the latter seemed as if a yoke of lead crushed her down as she danced. She was slower, darker, somehow less energetic, and she lacked the fun flair of what appeared to be her partner. "Those two seem to know their way around the floor," noticed Victoria. The others agreed. "I wonder who they are." "None of us would know," admitted Blake. "I doubt we'll see them in school, though. It's girls like us that go to Stanton; people like them tend to go into public schools." "You can't generalize based on appearance," said Victoria. "What's that?!" Vick repeated herself in a louder voice. "Yeah...! I'm just saying...!" The song went on for what seemed to be hours upon hours--really, it was seven minutes--and the wild duo endured it all with energetic freedom. They both finally quit and split, each to her own pastime. The sullen one left the place entirely, probably not to bed, but the more cheerful one stayed. She drew closer to the four friends but remained unaware of them, and dove into a chat with several men and women who might have been strangers. Victoria, who had good vision as long as she kept her glasses on, noticed a few things about the mystery woman. "Those are unique earrings." "Huh? Where?" "On that girl we saw," she pointed. "They're word earrings--you know. One says ‘HERO' and the other says ‘LOVE'. I just think that's unique." "Hero and love?" parroted Blake. She nodded in agreement. "Definitely!" "Maybe she sees herself as a romantic hero or something," suggested Janine, though she knew it was not her business. Everyone else shrugged and left it at that, and the girl was for the most part forgotten. A slower song came up soon, perfect for sharing intimate space with a close one, and the Ravers moved as such. Gabrielle gave her three best friends her usual playful smirk (the one that said, "I'm up to no good and proud of it"), and went for Blake's hand. "Be my partner, Blakie-poo?" "You know I hate that name, Gabby." "Yeah," she grinned. "Come on." "Nuh-uh! I'm taking Vicki for this one! You can have J.B.!" She jerked her head in the direction of her friend, and took Victoria Grissom up on the dance floor as promised. Gabrielle blew a raspberry at both of them; Janine laughed. "You two act just like sisters." Gabrielle blew another raspberry and took her friend's hand. Janine laughed. "Nice vocabulary!" "Ah, shuddup an' dance with me!" Janine giggled again and did as she was asked. The four friends, while having their tense and unfriendly moments, really did love and care for each other as deeply as any four sisters would, although none of them were really interested in the other as a romantic pursuit. They had tried, just for a little while, but they soon realized that being shared best friends was more practical and easy than double-dating. Besides, it was just plain awkward being mushy to someone they had known since fourth grade. ---------- It was past midnight when the four friends staggered out of the Raver's club, every one of them weary but happy. Their next destination was a nice place to get refreshments that stayed open all night, and they all knew what that meant: Dr. Shakenstein's, the best 24-hour coffee and malt shop downtown. Gabrielle tore after it with the same enthusiasm and energy she always had, which was a surprise considering how hard she had danced. On the way, the girls decided to have some fun with the other cars that passed them. They all hung out the windows and shouted to practically every motorist they saw, and some shouted back (although few were very friendly). A car full of young men saw them and started flirting, but all they got were screams, middle fingers, and a teasing kiss between Janine and Blake. Another car had girls; they seemed a bit shocked that four "dykes" were right across from them, flirting and flaunting recklessly--but they were really just playing. Some people took things so seriously on the road, a few precious hours before school started. One car in particular caught their attention. The wild girl from the Raver's club was poking out of the sunroof, screaming like a howler baboon as her ride careened around the streets, partially out of control. She waved and blew kisses at everyone she saw, even the four "tame" girls in Gabrielle's car. "HAY theeeeeere!!!!!" she shouted. "WAZZAP women?!" "We saw you in the club!" exclaimed Janine. "You're really the wild child!" "Yeah, that's me!" exclaimed the girl proudly. "So what's up? You like that place? Man, that was a wild one! Prolly cuz' tomorrow's the first day of school! Eww, rotten, man!" "It is indeed," replied Janine. "We're going to Stanton. It's a private all girl's school." "No frickin' way!" exclaimed the girl happily. "You're Stantonites?! Me too!" "Really?" "Just transferred! Man, my old school was a drag! But now I get to hang around with all my CHICKIES!!! YEAAH!!!" "Of course," added Blake suddenly, "you lose the privilege of boys in an all girl's school. It's awfully hard to get a date in Stanton, unless you're gay." "Hey, no problem!" sang the girl, thumbing herself. "I'm bi! What's your all's names?" The four introduced themselves, some poking further from the windows than usual, and the wild child did the same. "I'm Hero Love. God, I love that name! It's my real name, too--my parents gave it to me; it's on my birth certificate n' everything!" "Hero Love? That's really your name?" "Yeah!" she cheered. "I got it written all over my body! See?" The girl, Hero Love, lifted her pink tube top up, exposing her red brassiere to the four. A few guys saw the flash and hollered, but those closer to her could notice that the words "HERO" and "LOVE" were tattooed on each breast. The four friends grinned and nearly blushed. "WHOOO!!" screamed Hero at the top of her lungs, just as a green light flashed. "Looks like we're leavin'! Hey, where y'all goin'? We're off to the bowling alley." "We're going to Shakenstein's for a drink." "Aw, frickin' fantastic! I love that place! Hey, Rob!" She slapped her hand on the roof of the car and shouted to the driver inside. "Let's go to Shakenstein's for awhile! Forget the bowling alley! Let's go!" The driver seemed to protest, to Hero's disappointment, and the car left in the other direction as the wild yet sweet woman shrugged in defeat. The four friends laughed and smiled, and drove off to refresh themselves at one of the best coffee and malt shops in the town. The four of them came into the shop chatting and laughing, not really paying attention to anything. They stopped just as soon as they came to the counter, and recognized the clerk before them, in spite of her tacky work uniform. "Oh, shyte--Livvy! We forgot you were working!" "Hey, all," sighed Olivia Johnson, the missing fifth member of the troupe. "Are you having fun without me?" "Come on, Liv--you know we can't have much fun without you!" said Victoria squeakily. Olivia rolled her eyes. "Please, spare me. You looked pretty excited when you came in." "Well, we--" "And I'm stuck in here with this crummy job, which you all knew! Puh! Didn't even invite me... I didn't even know you were going to have a party!" "Come on, Liv--what were we supposed to do?" asked Blake defensively. "We all had the day off, so naturally we--" "You decided to have a get-together without me." "Get over yourself already!" said Gabrielle, though her words were laced with play. "Jeez, that's all ya do is bitch an' moan. If ya wanted to come, you coulda just had the day off like we did!" "Um, not me!" she returned. "Everyone else had that same bright idea, and they left me and a couple of imbeciles here with Mr. Jaine! And you know how quick he gets pissed at people!" Naturally, just as soon as she said that, the voice of her supervisor erupted. "Olivia! What're you doing up there?" "Just talking to some friends who don't know what the hell they want!" she called back. She gave her four best friends a scowl, and with as much bitterness as she could, she snarled, "So is this for here or to go?" "For here, jeez," sniffed Blake. "Lighten up. We'd take you if we could. Why don't you go on break and join us? We'll stay here if you want." Olivia sighed and rubbed her face, weary from her long shift and her senseless buddies. "All right, fine. Whatever. Now what do you want?" "Olivia!!!" "Sorry, Mr. Jaine!" Then, teeth clenched impatiently, she managed, "What might I get you, ladies?" "Large cinnamon cappuccino." "Chocolate milkshake." "Orange shake and a cookie." "Yikes," whistled Gabrielle, "you sure do know how to clear the room. Uh, small tea and a sundae." "Irish breakfast tea?" "Nah, make it southern and sugary." Olivia sighed and typed in all four orders. "You know," she murmured, her voice considerably more friendly, "you'll never go to sleep with all that sugar and caffeine." "But that's the point," noted Gabrielle wryly. Olivia managed to smile, and made the drinks and treats herself. It took five minutes for everything to come together, and just as she placed everything on a tray, she added a small java and told her manager she was going on break. She then left for her friends' usual private booth, and sighed wearily as she sat down. Blake asked the standard stupid question. "Rough day?" Olivia gave her friend a sharp look and said nothing. Blake cringed. "Ouch. And I took my meds today." "Sorry," sighed poor Olivia, digging her face in her worn-out hands. "It's been a lousy summer for me." "For all of us," added Victoria, sipping her shake. "We've all had bad jobs and bad relationships, or worse, the lack thereof. At least you all had an income. I was stuck home all summer or else in some camp." "Yeah," added Blake, "but you had a girlfriend." "One that I broke up with," she whispered quietly. Silence overcame the quintet, like a cold chilly blanket with the thickness of the chocolate shakes, only with more bitter a flavor. Gabrielle, Blake, Olivia, and Janine all knew what she meant by that--Olivia especially. "This sucks," sighed Janine at last. "We're five best friends spending our last fleeting moments of freedom stuck in some restaurant, moping about all the crap that happened to us over summer break! We should be doing more fun things, or at least talking about something fun!" "Sorry," whispered Victoria thickly. "I'm not in the mood to speak." "And I'm too pissed off and tired to talk." "And why waste a good cup of joe?" said Blake lightly. The mood didn't lift and the five girls remained paralyzed. Olivia finally sighed and cleaned up her things. "My break's over," she muttered. "I'll see you girls later." "Hey, wait!" Olivia paused and looked back. Janine motioned for her to rejoin the group, and gave her a deep, loving hug as an apology. She stroked Olivia's pretty face gently, and kissed her twice. "Just so you know," she whispered, "we all love you and we all understand what you're going through. We'll be there when you need us." Olivia lightened a little, and even managed to smile. "Yeah, yeah..." She leaned down and accepted hugs and kisses from everyone, though Victoria only gave her a faint peck on the cheek. Olivia waved at her friends and resumed working; they all tidied up their messes once they finished, and left the restaurant with a final farewell to their friend. Olivia whispered her thanks for the welcome distraction only when the last of them were gone. ---------- The hour grew later and later, and Gabrielle found herself simply cruising around, looking for some place she and her three younger friends could have some fun in. The summer fair had closed down for the night, and the last of the late-night matinees had shut down as well. Blake expressed her lament for not having Comedy Central as a TV station, else she could refer to Dave Attel's "Insomniac" as a reference for late-night activity. They ended up returning to the same Raver club, but didn't see Hero there. It was at the club they stayed until 2:30 in the morning, and then to bed they went. But summer would not be summer without one last great sleepover, so they all rode over to Gabrielle's house, found some extra pajamas, lit a few candles, and sat around in a tiny circle. Gabrielle brought out a long-dried glass bottle and placed it in the middle. "Not spin the bottle!" moaned Janine. The redhead shrugged. "Why not? Too juvenile?" "Not enough people to smooch," replied her friend. "Besides, it's not like I haven't kissed you all before, so there's really no point." "What about truth or dare?" suggested a voice that came from the front door. The girls looked over to see, and squealed as they saw Olivia standing before them, smiling gently. They all ran up to hug their beloved fifth and asked her how she knew they were there. "You all are so predictable," she told them. "You've got it in your minds to have some fun before high school starts, so I assumed you'd want a sleepover--and since Gab's the only one among you that can drive, I just went to her house. So, is it truth or dare?" "I dunno," mumbled Janine. "Still seems juvenile. Besides, we pretty much know it'll end up getting sexual." "So? What's wrong with that?" "Pardon me," she said, crossing her arms, "but I find it very hard getting sexual with any of you. It'd be like screwing my sister or something. And don't say we're not related, because it doesn't really matter." Olivia smirked and managed to chuckle a little, then gave her friend's shoulder a rub. "Okay, okay. No sex." "Aww! Then it wouldn't be any fun!" "We're not wearing aprons, Gab," groaned Janine. The poor redhead moaned in despair, which only made everyone laugh. Victoria, ever conscious, sighed at her believed fate. "Why do I have the feeling that I'll be asked to do a striptease?" Everyone stared at her. She blushed. Janine managed to laugh weakly. "Heh heh, there you go freezing the conversation again. Look, let's not do anything that makes anyone uncomfortable. Let's just have fun and be kids for one more night--even if it's for a few hours." "Agreed," chimed everyone. "Then I guess we'll be watching a nice fun movie," concluded Gabrielle. She stood and went to the TV cabinet in search of one that everyone would like. Grinning, she pulled out The Princess Bride and popped it into the VCR (having no DVD player yet). Then, all five friends cuddled together and promised each other that they would NOT recite the entire movie out loud in spite of having seen it together a zillion times. "You realize we're never gonna go to sleep," warned Victoria as the film started. Gabrielle smiled. "Yeah... but this is our last hurrah. I'm sure our teachers will excuse us for one day. Here's to hopin' we got the same class together." "Yeah."
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