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DisneyLuv

DisneyLuv

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Susanne Malkovich
August, 1984 / Senior Year

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‘Ring, ring, ring, smash.’
A groan could be heard from underneath a forest green comforter as the noisy, red alarm clock was silenced after its rude awakening. A shrill, chipper voice cut through the temporary silence. “It’s the first day of senior year! I hope you’re getting ready!”
In the light of day, Susie’s long, black hair was frizzy and messy and her face was a sight to behold without makeup. She still had sleep lines on her arms and face, and her pajamas had developed wrinkles from a poor dryer cycle. The smell of breakfast came from down the hall, tempting her into the bathroom to get ready. I can’t believe senior year is here already. She thought to herself begrudgingly. Before she knew it, it become time for her to make some big decisions regarding her future, and all she wanted to think about was how she was going to live it up in her last year of high school.

After choosing one of her favorite sporty outfits for her first day, she applied a layer of makeup before presenting herself for breakfast. Her mother had made waffles and scrambled eggs, putting cheese on it because it was her favorite. “Are you excited?” She asked with a grin as Susanne settled down to eat. “I remember first day of senior year. It was 1960 and I had the most extravagant outfit…”
She let her mother drone on about her whole senior experience, zoning out during half of her speech. Even after finishing breakfast, she had to excuse herself from the table because the talking had not stopped. “Mom, I love you, but I’ve gotta go.” Susie said. She got up and started for the door, but her mother stopped her before she could leave.
“Remember, this is supposed to be the best year you’ll have for a long time.” She said seriously. “Make it memorable, honey.”
“I will mom.” Susie said, rolling her eyes with a smile. After giving her a quick hug, she raced out the door and to her red Toyota Corolla, giving it a pat on the hood before driving off to school.
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OOC: My posts will get longer, I promise!
 
A few stray rays of the morning sunlight made their way into the otherwise darkened bedroom of Nicholas through a gap between the curtains. His alarm clock was going off with a loud, shrieking noise as he smacked the snooze button. It was the first day of senior year. The last year of high school and of youth. This was the year that he would look back on fondly and have several memories to tell his kids one day. But first he had to get up and face the day.

That was proving to be the hard part. Peeling himself from his bed but he did, eventually, get up with a long sigh as he wiped the sleep from his eyes only to look up just as his door was opened and there stood his Mom, Stephanie, with a smile. She was proud of her son for making it to senior year as she spoke. "Time to get up and walk into school with your head held high, Nicholas. The future starts today." She said as she left his room to walk down the hall and wake Derek for his first day of fifth grade.

Nicholas got up, stretching with a groan followed by a long yawn as he walked to the bathroom to start the shower so that he could get ready for the day. He took a quick shower and was out with a towel, drying off just as Derek was knocking on the door. Wrapping himself in the towel he opened the door with a smirk. "Sorry, little man." He said as he ruffled his little brother's hair a bit in passing. "I forgot that we have a big fifth grader in the house this year." He joked as Derek sighed and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door.

Nick got ready quickly, coming down to the kitchen after to have breakfast. His father, Donald, was sitting at the table with his breakfast and coffee, reading the paper when his eldest son sat down at the table. "Good morning, senior!" He said and patted Nicholas' back proudly. "Your mother and I were just discussing what school you should go to after you graduate. You should go into law like me." He said as his Mom sat a plate of food in front of him with a fork.

It hadn't even entered his mind what he would do after graduation. Let alone going into law with his father. Though having a parent in the profession would give him a leg up but he had a very long time to think about that. Right now he just needed to get through.

Soon Derek came down, dressed and ready for his first day as well. Donald smiled at him as well. "And there is our big boy. Fifth grade already... I swear you're growing too fast. It seems like only yesterday you were brought home as a newborn and now you're ten years old and going into fifth grade. Where has the time gone, Stephanie?" He asked his wife who sat down to eat and have coffee. "It went by in the blink of an eye, dear." She said with a smile.

Soon it was time to go as Nicholas hugged his parents before leaving with his backpack to go out to his dark blue Honda Civic, getting in and leaving to go to school, turning on music on the way.
 
Susanne Malkovich
August, 1984 / Senior Year

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Susanne pulled up to the high school about ten minutes later, finishing up the song she was listening to before getting out of the car. When Doves Cry had become very popular over the summer, and she had always been a big Prince fan. If all went well, she and her friends had tickets to see him perform in concert the summer after graduation. Listening to music in her car was her meditation time, preparing her for the day ahead. Kids were walking in their groups up and down the sidewalks, some of them settling in on the grass in front of the school before class. Everyone was in a group, chatting excitably about the year ahead. Well, all except one.

“It’s about time you showed up!” A voice yelled from across the grounds. A short, blonde figure with glasses and a crop top came stroding towards her with confidence.
“Oh, Patricia.” Susie chuckled, rolling her eyes in exasperation. “You realize we saw each other like two days ago, right?”
Patricia opened up her arms, welcoming a big, tight hug. “I don’t care, it’s never enough time.”
Susanne and Patricia had been friends for a number of years, meeting first in the 7th grade. They bonded over their love for cooking and sports, and they’re not usually seen without each other. Patricia played softball in the spring, and they would take turns going to each other’s games.
“So, how are things with Henry?” Susie asked with a smirk. Henry was her newest hang, but they hadn’t made their relationship official. She always enjoyed the chase, but not necessarily the commitment part.
“He’s starting his freshman year of college in a week.” Patricia responded. “He’s been too busy to hang out.” She could sense a hint of disappointment in Pat’s voice, but she was never the one to get sad about some guy.
“Well, you could hang out with Jess.” Susie said. “He’s liked you for a while now, and you won’t give him a chance.”
“Gag me with a spoon!” Patricia rolled her head back and made a gagging sound effect. “He’s boring and all he cares about is getting good grades.”
Susanne laughed heartily, shaking her head.

The two entered the school, walking the familiar halls and gazing at their surroundings. Jocks were already whooping and hollering, sharing their excitement for senior year. Many of them had a cheerleader or a gymnastics girl on their arm, parading them around like they were for show. The skaters were off in a different section, skateboards under their arms and hats over top of messy hairdos. The metalheads gathered just opposite of them, screaming a rendition of Powerslave and slamming their fists against the lockers.
“Only one more year of this and then college!” Patricia said excitedly, clasping her hands together.
But as Susanne looked around, she knew she would miss it. High school was worry free, and care free. She knew that graduating would mean new and scary responsibilities, and she feared she’d end up just like her parents. Neither of them finished college, and had always worked very hard to support her. She needed to get into a good college. “Let’s just focus on who’s throwing the first big party of the school year.” Susanne said. She wanted to make sure it was the best year of her life, in case any subsequent years turn out badly.
 
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Nicholas' dark blue Honda Civic pulled into the parking lot of the school campus and the music of Twisted Sister's 'We're Not Gonna Take it!' could be heard blaring from its speakers. This caused the students who were still outside, conversing to turn and look, listening to the music whether they wanted to or not. The majority of them recoiled and made a disgusted face. while others, mainly the metalheads and Nicholas' friends call out to him with approval. Making the metal hand gesture.

Twisted Sister was one of Nick's favorite groups and he had all of their albums and listened to them frequently. He had a dream of one day meeting Dee Snyder one day and having him sign his skateboard. He would happily buy another and put the signed one in a shadowbox. He was that obsessed with the band. A group of his skater friends came jogging over to greet Nicholas as he got out of his car once the song has ended and he shut the vehicle off.

"Dude, that was a gnarly entrance!" Said a tall, blonde skater dude with messy blonde hair and a mustache. This was Walter, Nicholas' best friend since 4th grade. They met when Walter transferred from California. Hence his surfer vernacular. Nick hung out with him when other kids made fun of his name and other things and the two became inseparable. Staying at each other's homes on weekends and over the many summers growing up.

"Well you have to arrive in style, bro. Let the girls know that you're here." Nick said as they all laughed, high fiving each other before walking towards the doors and past a group of jocks and their girlfriends who still had the same disgusted looks on their faces. For more than just the music. How dare a group of skaters invade their space. What lowlife creeps they were.

As they walked inside they saw the rest of the student body at their lockers. Some sitting on the floor, chatting with their cliques while others, mostly the girls, were checking their looks in the mirror. Leon, another friend of Nick, saw an opportunity and decided to set his board down and skate right through the middle of the students just for fun. Nick and the guys stayed back, watching him with laughter... that is until Alex, the captain of the football team, stuck his arm out to clothesline poor Leon off of his board and causing him to fall flat on his back with an audible thud which caused a great amount of laughter from his friends.

Nick and the guys ran over to help him up while the jocks left for class. "Oh dude... Bummer... You okay, Leo?" Nick asked as they dusted Leon off who jerked away from them with anger. "I'm fine..Freakin' jerk...." He muttered under his breath as he held his back. It was a very hard landing but he got off easy. It could have easily been much, much worse for the young man. "Bro, you're lucky that you didn't smack your head off the floor. Would have been a bummer way to start the senior year off for sure." Walter said with a sigh as Leon went to retrieve his deck and put it away before they went to class.
 
Susanne Malkovich
August, 1984 / Senior Year

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Patricia and Susanne continued down the hallway until they reached a classroom.
“Geometry.” Patricia sighed, throwing her hands down dramatically. “Wish me luck.” She turned towards Susanne, giving her a high five and a handshake before going in the door. It was a personal handshake that they came up with in their 9th grade year, and they always performed it as a symbol of ‘good luck’ or ‘good job.’
“See ya, wouldn’t wanna be ya.” Susanne whispered as her friend walked through the door.
She looked up and checked the clock on the wall. 5 minutes. She had an English Literature class that she was forced to take because she needed another English credit for graduation. English had always been one of her strong suits, but it wasn’t something she looked forward to.

She kept on down the hallway, noticing students start to disperse and head into their own classes. Suddenly, Susanne heard a loud noise come from the hallway adjacent to the one she was walking in, and she turned to stare. One of the football jocks had knocked a skater off of his skateboard, and he fell hard enough to hit his head. She gasped, holding her hand over her mouth. She was about to shout over to ask if he was okay, but he recovered much quicker than she anticipated. His friends gave him some help, and he was up to his feet faster than the fall itself. Most of the time, she was a bystander when it came to bullying. Ignoring it made things easier, but she would always approach later to make sure the victim wasn’t hurt. At least not physically. The sporty kids paid particular attention to the skaters and the nerds. They always provided the response they wanted because of the fear and intimidation. The metalheads were picked on as well, but they didn’t care and often competed against them with jeering and witty jokes, leaving them to be less of a target.

Deciding that leaving the skaters alone was best, she put her head forward and continued walking. The jocks were a bunch of jerks, but they always accepted her as a part of them, due to her tennis capability. She preferred to keep the peace and stay silent. Approaching the door, she looked back up at the clock. 1 minute left. She quickly entered the classroom before it was too late, leaving the hallway just about empty.
 
"Just let it go, dude. Alex is a jerk but he's also the size of a Gorilla!" Nicholas said while listening to Leon complain about how big of a jerk Alex Henderson was. "Yes and with the brains to match....." Leon mutters, gritting his teeth. It wasn't so much the fall that hurt. It was his pride and that hurt the most. He wanted nothing more than to hit him in the face with his skateboard but it wouldn't end well for him. Not only was high school very cliquey but the members of said cliques always backed up their own so it could easily be a massacre if he were to act alone.

After saying their goodbyes they dispersed to go to their first classes. Leon and Bo had Biology, Vance and Jeremy had Geometry and Nick and Walter had English Literature. They always seemed to have one or two classes together which made the school day much more tolerable. Having a friend or two in class with you kept one's sanity at a safe level though it didn't help the teacher who would tried to give lessons over talking students that seemed disinterested in the class.

As the two walked to the door they stopped just outside of it, looking at each other as Walter spoke. "English Lit..... And to think that we would need this to graduate... Bogus!!" He said with a chuckle and Nicholas laughed, putting one hand on his chest and another outward as he spoke with an English accent. "Oh, forsooth my dear fellow! Allow us to make entrance to this classroom without haste!" He said and opened the door to let his friend in first who was laughing hard. The two entered and sat at their desks. Walter nudged Nick, still snickering. "Where did you learn all of that, dude?" He asked and Nick shrugged. "I watched a lot of PBS over break. It's easy to fall asleep to." He said which made them both laugh.

This was going to be a fun year.
 
Susanne Malkovich
August, 1984 / Senior Year

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Susanne drummed her pencil against the desk over and over as the teacher droned on about the syllabus and the curriculum for the semester. The first day was always an easy pass, the teacher just talked about the class and then paperwork got sent home for the parents to sign. Her mom would complain every year about it. It’s like I have homework too, she’d say each time. As class waned to an end, she put her papers in her school folder and stood up, beginning to head towards the door. Most of the time, the teacher would chide or lecture the students for talking in class or passing notes, and nobody really learned anything. At the end of class, the teacher would typically lose control of everyone, and everybody would just do their own thing. As she headed towards the door, she felt someone shoulder her into the door handle. She had a pained look in her eyes and her mouth parted into a silent groan. “Ow.” She whimpered under her breath. Jerks.

Susanne held her hip as she walked down the hallway, knowing that there’d be a bruise. As she walked to her next class one of her other friends, Sofia, greeted her. “Susie! It’s good to see you, how’s your first day going?”
Sofia was a fellow tennis player that she had met in her sophomore year. She was one year younger, a junior. She was soft spoken, and often snuck up on others without meaning to. “Well, I’ve already got a battle scar.” She said, revealing her hip.
Sofia looked at it really closely. “Susanne, there’s nothing there.”
“Yet! Nothing there yet.” She responded grumpily. The pair had the same class next, World History. A class even more boring than the previous one. “I hope you’ve had a better morning.”
“I have! Sullivan glanced over at me in class today.” She said, blushing very obviously. “I think he’s starting to notice me.”
Sullivan had been her crush for the past year. He was on the basketball team, and he was conventionally attractive. But he was known for having more than one girlfriend at a time, and dating him was strongly discouraged by their friend group. “Get a grip, Sofie, he’s still the same dip that he’s been since we’ve known him.”
“He’s not a dip! I know he’s a good person.” She responded sensitively.
“He has too much growing up to do. I don’t want you caught in the middle of that.” Susanne chided. She had always been very protective of her friends, especially against boys. She had very little dating experience, so she tended to be a cynic in love. Sofia wore her heart on her sleeve and Patricia considered sex to be a whole relationship. Her friends were totally warped.

After a few more boring and trivial classes, they had finally gotten to lunch. Their lunch also came with an outdoor area, where the students could have a recess at the same time if they wanted. Cheerleaders and dancers would often practice their routines, jocks would wrestle and knock some of the smaller kids into walls, and geeks would just study and listen to their Walkman’s. It was a zoo, and Susanne relished in observing. Sofia, Patricia, and Carol would often sit together. Carol was a metalhead, but she was more independent and angsty than the rest of those in her social circle. She was the defender, and would often jump to Sofia’s defense in situations that called for it. Airheads and jocks didn’t appreciate her style and would call her ugly. Most of the time she had her headphones on, listening to blaring metal music.

Susanne took a bite of her school pizza and then gently set it down, pushing the plate away. School lunches were gross. “I’m going to a concert to see Iron Maiden in two months, any of you bimbette’s wanna come?” Carol asked, chewing loudly on some carrots. She was known for her foul language and her dark humor, and the group had gotten used to that over time. She also knew that neither of them were big metal listeners.
“No thanks, loser.” Susanne bit back with a smirk. “Try not to get yourself killed in a mosh pit again. You might think you’re tough, but you’re not.”
Carol burst into laughter and nodded her head in respect. “Good one, Anne.” She was the only person that called her Anne, but she didn’t really mind.
 
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The first class seemed to drag like some teenage academic torture ritual where graduation was the only escape. At least that's how it seemed to Nicholas as he sat beside of Walter, who he talked to off and on throughout the class. Much to the chagrin of the teacher who had to compete for their attention just to do their job and earn a paycheck. What a profession. When the class finally ended Nick put the paperwork in his notebook and got up to leave the classroom, avoiding a couple of the jocks who seemed to shove themselves through the students that wanted out of the room just as badly as they did. But they weren't moving fast enough for their liking.

Once out of the room Nick and Walter waded through the sea of teenage humanity towards their next classes. As they walked the halls Vance caught up, playfully shoving the two which made Nick shove him back. "How was class, Van? Learn anything important?" He asked and Vance rolled his eyes with a smile. "Other than Becky Jamison being the hottest woman on Earth and the most perfect creature ever created? No. Nothing useful." He said which made the three of them laugh. Becky Jamison was dating Alex Henderson and most people were afraid to even acknowledge her existence for fear of drawing the ire of Alex for merely looking at his woman and Becky used this to her advantage.

"I'd watch out when ogling her. You know that Alex will beat up any guy that looks upon her." Nick said with a raised eyebrow. He didn't want Vance to be the next one to be beaten up but the other guy didn't seem to care. "Nicholas, you've seen her. She's bitchin'! Blonde hair, blue eyes, long legs.." He was soon cut off by Walter who rolled his eyes. "And totally off limits, bro. Keep dreaming." He said and Nick agreed, high fiving him.

Soon it was lunchtime and that meant a brief but much loved respite for the students. A time to have a meal and a drink while getting some fresh air. Nick and the guys tended to sit away from the others, out near the basketball court where they could eat and then do some skating. A female member of their group, Megan, called out the group, carrying her tray to come sit with them. A smile was on her face. Megan was Bo's little sister and was sophomore. She had long, curly red hair and pale skin with freckles and was adorable. She was nerdy girl who had her own friends but she loved to hangout with her brother and his friends so they recruited her into the circle and kept her protected from the jocks and cheerleaders.

"Hey, Meg! How's it going, little one?!" Vance asked with a smile, ruffling the redhead's hair which made her smack his hand away and fix her hair. "Great! I'm glad to be back for another year! How are you guys doing?!" She asked while taking a bite of her pizza. Megan was very ebullient and her energy and positivity was contagious but she was also very naive. Thus why she was with them and protected.
 
Susanne Malkovich
August, 1984 / Senior Year

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Susanne forced herself to eat the rest of her pizza before lunch ended, and the three friends started towards class together. She glanced up at the clock on the wall. 12:30 PM. Only one more class to go before the end. Her last class of the day was a home economics class that included cooking. It was more of an extracurricular that she had taken to help make school easier to get through. Sofia had enrolled in that class with her, but otherwise she didn’t have any of her group in her academic classes. As she made her way to that classroom, she noticed a couple of students enter one of the men’s bathrooms in a sneaky way. Smoking was a popular pastime, and more often than not, teachers would turn a blind eye. Everybody smoked or drank, and if you didn’t, you’d be pressured or called a prude. Susanne tried to stay away from those habits due to her athletic record, but she had been known to partake a time or two at some parties. Sofia never drank, and Carol did it all. She had even tried mushrooms once or twice.

Home economics came and went. Nothing interesting except a bunch of paperwork. She was disappointed to find out that the class would just include basic cooking skills and recipes. She had been hoping to learn something more advanced, since she had the basic skills down. But either way, it was an escape from the drab and dry. As the final bell rang, students ran down the hallways and out the doors, buzzing from the excitement of the first day. As usual, there were several papers left in the hallway for the janitor to clean, as well as gum wrappers and wads of tobacco. As she headed back to her car, she was stopped by Pamela Anders, one of the gymnastics and dance leads. “Hey!” She greeted enthusiastically. “I’m throwing a party at my place to celebrate senior year! All seniors are invited, it should be a rad time!”
Susanne gave her a shy smile, nodding her head in an attempt to be enthusiastic. “Okay! I’ll be there.”
Pamela grinned, handing her a paper with the address and phone number. “See you there! September 15th!”
With that, she waltzed away, ready to ambush the next senior she saw.

Pamela was one of many known for her big house and her wicked parties. Almost everyone had a story from them. Susanne relished the memory of her first party that she had attended with Sofia. Sofia had gotten so wasted that she had almost passed out on a flamingo pool float. Carol had to come to her rescue because she fell in and couldn’t swim properly. Ever since then, she had sworn off alcoholic drinks. Susanne turned the key in the ignition, starting her car and turning on the radio. Footloose was in the middle of playing, and she began to instinctively tap her hand against the wheel to the beat as she started her drive home.
 
Lunchtime was pretty basic for Nicholas and the crew eating, or trying to anyway, the "pizza," which many were convinced was just cardboard with cheese, sauce, and something that barely passed as pepperoni. How school food ever got approved by the FDA was a miracle. The rest of the time was Bo and Walter trying to teach Megan how to skate after she'd insisted even before the school year started. She wanted to be like them despite Bo telling her that she would get hurt and that she should stick to her books but she kept begging them so the two guys put her on a board, making sure that she stayed balanced while the others watched.

After lunch ended it was time for one last class. Physical Education and Nicholas had no friends in that class. It was just him, a few of the nerds and the rest were jocks who seemed to enjoy the class a little too much. Almost to the point of it being a religious experience for them. Nicholas never understood how they could find such enjoyment out of it but he ignored them and got through the class. He was in shape anyway. It wasn't like he needed to lose weight or anything. Granted he wasn't buff like the jocks were.

Finally the day ended and Nick went to his locker to get his board and backpack while talking with Walter about how their day went and about going skating at the local skatepark. As they talked and made their way to the doors they were met by Pamela Anders who was passing out pieces of paper with her address and number on them. "I'm having a party for the senior class and you absolutely HAVE to be there! Okay?!" She said as the guys looked at the papers they were handed then back to Pam who had a big smile on her face.

An invitation to a party on the first day of school. That was unheard of but they both agreed to go and would tell the other guys. Pamela beamed with happiness as she ran off to pass her invitation to others while Walter looked to Nick with a light laugh. "Normally we'd have to jump through hoops to get a girl's number." He said and Nick laughed, shaking his head. "I told you, Walt. It's all in how you arrive. The Twisted Sister did the trick." He said and they walked towards their cars to leave and meet at the skatepark in an hour.

Nicholas had a good day but was glad that it was over because the rest of the day was him time. He'd swing over to pick Derek up so that he didn't have to ride the bus and so he could talk to him about how his day went. He liked spending that time with his little brother, talking and having a bit of a bond with him.
 
Susanne Malkovich
September, 1984 / Senior Year

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The sun had just started to set outside as Susanne was getting ready for the first big party of the year. It was set to start at 8 PM, but most people didn’t show until 9:30 or 10 PM. She looked down at the digital clock in her room. 7 PM. She had decided to start getting ready early, because it always took copious amounts of time to finish everything. From her hair, to her makeup, and then to her outfit, it took at least two hours to prepare for a big event. She had just started on her hair, deciding to curl it and place in a messy updo. Her hair was naturally wavy in type, but she liked to crimp and tease the ends into well-coiled curls. She’d then use what felt like an entire can of hairspray to secure it, and then she’d place one of her many colorful bows to accent the look.

The makeup took the least amount of time. She liked to keep it very natural, with some concealer to cover some of the unattractive spots on her face. She always applied a light layer of black eyeliner to the top eyelids, but not the bottoms. Lastly, she’d apply a light layer of mascara and a generous amount of light pink blush to bring out her pale cheeks. Many of her peers wore outrageous eyeshadow styles and colors, but Susanne always felt that it was too much. They liked to overcompensate, and nothing was more fragile than a teenage ego.

Finally, her outfit. She had a nice pair of dark, high waisted jeans that she would secure with a belt. Her belt of choice was black, with a few shiny accents throughout the length of it. She’d then throw on a plain, brightly colored t-shirt, and one of her light, denim jackets to fit over top. Finally, she’d put her white and golden Reebok’s on, as a nod to her athletic background. After staring at herself in the mirror for 15 minutes, making sure the outfit didn’t look tacky or lame, she started for the door. Sofia was always the designated driver for these events, and she always picked Susanne up. Carol wouldn’t always ride with them, and that night she had decided she didn’t want to come. She said something about a popular new album that she was waiting in line to buy at the record store, and she didn’t want them to sell out before she could get one. But that party was set to be one of the biggest of the year, and she was crazy to miss it.

Susanne walked outside, sitting down on one of the porch chairs to wait for Sofia. By that time, it was about 8:45 PM. Pamela’s house was about twenty minutes away, in a higher class neighborhood. Her parents were supposed to be out of town for two weeks, but cops have been known to patrol that area of town in search of trouble. It was rare that one of her parties wasn’t interrupted by the cops, but it wasn’t usually until 2 or 3 AM. She started whistling to a Bon Jovi song as she waited, the moon climbing the sky and a chill settling in the air.
 
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It was currently 7 pm, and there was music playing from Nicholas' bedroom as he got out of the shower and was getting ready for what would be the first of many parties of senior year. As he got ready, he sang along to Van Halen's 1984 album, which was currently playing "Panama," when Derek came walking in to see what the commotion was. "What are you doing, Nick? Mom said that your music is too loud and wants you to turn it down!" He said, which garnered a groan from Nick as he, reluctantly, turned the song down and Derek sat on the bed.

"So what are you doing?" Derek asked while watching his big brother walk back and forth. "I'm getting ready to go to the moon, Derek. What does it look like I'm doing?" Nick answered rather sarcastically, which Derek didn't pick up on. He didn't fully understand sarcasm yet. "I'm going to a party." He said as he stood before his closet in a pair of light blue jeans that had holes at the knees and white socks, going through his many shirts to find the perfect one to wear. It had to be the right one to not only catch the eye of his friends but also the eye of a potential girlfriend. In fact, his whole outfit had to be on point. He soon decided on a white raglan with black sleeves and paired it with his black leather jacket.

"Will there be girls there?" Derek was full of questions. He always was which was really annoying Nicholas as he moved to comb his hair, wanting it to be just right. He couldn't let one follicle be out of place because that would mean embarrassment from his peers and a bruised ego. "Of course there's going to be girls there, Derek. It's the entire senior class." He said while putting on his black and white Nike shoes, then gave an approving grin and nodded to his outfit. Just his mother yelled up the steps. "Nicholas, Walter, and Vance are here!"

"Gotta go, little bro! See ya!" He said, holding his hand out for a high five only to move it and snicker when Derek tried to slap it. He never learned to be faster. Nick walked down the steps to see his two friends who were also in great outfits. "Ready for the party, bro? It's gonna be totally rad!" Walter said, and soon they left after Nick told his parents that he'd be home at a decent time just to shut them up. He knew that he'd want to stay late to witness everything!
 
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Susanne Malkovich
September, 1984 / Senior Year

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Sofia pulled up in the driveway in her black Ford Capri, blasting a Madonna song with both of her windows down. They shared a love of pop music, and would often shout lyrics when they drove together. Susanne ran down and hopped in the passengers seat, waving her hands excitedly. “You ready?”
“I hope this party is totally tubular!” She mimicked in a surfer’s accent. They both laughed.
“Pam never disappoints!” Susanne responded.
They got on the road, driving under the speed limit. Sofia’s brother passed after a high speed, drunk driving incident three years prior. Ever since then, she always drove under the speed limit, no matter how angry it made other drivers.

As they pulled up to the house, the scene was entirely appropriate. Several people were out on the front lawn, smoking and dancing to the music. The sound was so loud that it could be heard at least four or five blocks down. Cups and cigarette buds littered the grass, and a couple of guys were throwing grapes at each other. The house itself was stellar. Three floors, with three grand pillars highlighting the front of the property. They had the biggest house in the entire court. The top floor had a balcony covering the span of two or three rooms, and there were people smoking and hanging their wet clothes along the railing from a night swim. The current song was Shout at the Devil by Motley Crue, and she could see the people inside moving their heads rhythmically to the music.

The pair strode up to the entrance, walking inside the open door. The inside was even more chaotic. There were people everywhere, and everyone had a drink or a smoke in their hand. There was a strong marijuana smell, and each time she took a step, a chip or a pretzel crunched under her shoe. One large living area held the music and the dance spot, where loads of people were jamming out. Other rooms were more relaxed, where others would smoke or talk in smaller groups. The backyard had a large, heated pool with several floats and pool chairs. Although it was getting chillier, it never stopped people from night swimming or even skinny dipping.

“There’s a lot of people here already!” Sofia shouted. The music was always so deafening that they had to yell over one another almost the entire time they were in the house.
“I know! There will probably be another wave around midnight!” Susanne responded. Most of the time, people would come in waves. The group that arrived on time would leave around 12 or 1 AM, but a whole group of night goers would arrive around 12 AM and usually stayed until the cops shut it down.
“I’m going to go find Sullivan!” Sofia said loudly.
Susanne rolled her eyes, knowing well that all she’d do was sit and stare at him for almost the entirety of the party.
“Okay, but you owe me a dance!” She responded sternly.
After she walked away, Susanne went to find the bar. Usually, the rich kids had almost anything you could want, but you had to mix your own drinks. Her go to were Seagram’s coolers, but would also take shots that her friends made. She reached inside the ice bucket, pulling out a citrus flavored Seagram’s. She popped off the cap and took a drink, leaning against the table and observing the crowd as she did so.
 
Walter had stopped to pick up Bo and Leon who ran to the car as fast as their get could take them, not wanting to miss one second of the action. They were beyond excited to arrive on the scene but Leon had an ulterior motive. What happened to him on the first day of school was still on his mind and he wanted to confront Alex Henderson. Alone. He didn't care how many of his friends there were. Leon was crazy and had little to no regard for himself. He was a daredevil and was holding a grudge.

When they stopped at the only traffic light before Pamela's house they heard a voice scream out "WAIT!!!!" Which startled Walter as he looked across the street to the gas station only to see Jeremy running towards the car. He was getting a pop with his cousin who was going to drop him off when he saw Walter's car so he ran into the street, opening the backdoor and diving in to lay on Leon, Vance and Bo's laps as Leon shut the door while they all laughed. Their group was complete as the light turned green and they headed to the party.

Once they turned onto the street and were still a few houses away, they heard the music and it was very loud. What was Mötley Crüe was now Iron Maiden's 2 Minutes to Midnight and it sounded awesome! "Oooohhhhh this is going to be so tubular!!!!" Nick said as they pulled in to park and got out. It was definitely a bash already and it was still early. The guys arrived an hour late but, when it came to one of Pamela's parties, there was no real late time given how many people were still yet to arrive.

As they walked in they saw a group of the metalheads singing the song and headbanging while holding up the metal hand sign. Nick couldn't help but love them. They bothered no one and seemed like very cool guys and girls who just loved metal with every fiber of their beings. Walter sniffed the air when the scent of weed hit his nostrils and got as excited as a dog that smelled dinner being cooked. "Oh bro, I'm finding and hitting that! Later!" He said and ran off to find the source of the smell and get a few hits in.

Nick shook his head with a laugh, looking to Jeremy. "This is crazy!!" He yelled to him and he nodded. "If you don't leave here with a girl then you're a lost cause!" He said as they laughed. Nick decided to get a drink, finding a cooler and picking out a Pepsi to start off with. He had been known to drink beer but he wanted to have a pop first before starting on the brews. Leon snuck away to find Alex while the others talked and mingled with their fellow seniors. He was going to get revenge for what happened to him.

Nick walked through the first floor of the beautiful home that was already a mess and would be a pain in the rear to clean. Hopefully Pamela's friends would help the next day before her parents got home from their trip. As Nick weaved through the other guests he saw a girl standing alone and decided to go talk to her. He checked his breath first then cracked open his Pepsi to take a drink before approaching the girl.

"Hey! How's it going?" He asked in a slightly loud tone just as the song was coming to an end. The girl was Susanne Malkovich. One of the school tennis players.
 
Susanne Malkovich
September, 1984 / Senior Year

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Susanne examined the room, watching all of the shenanigans unfold in front of her. Several people that had clearly had too much to drink were doubling back to the bar over and over, making new drinks and shots for them and their friends. I hope they have a ride, because they’re mega wasted. Unfortunately, new stories popped up every year about kids that’d severely harm themselves or others through their drunk activities. The most recent being the story of Alexander Hoff, a kid that got struck by a drunk teenager as he was walking home over the summer. He was on the sidewalk, seemingly out of harms way. That poor guy lost his life because of stupid people like them. That’s why she had her own designated driver, and god bless Sofia for that.

As she sipped her drink, she looked to her left, towards an entryway leading into another room. There was a large group of girls, some that Suzanne recognized, many of them having athletic backgrounds. Behind them, unbeknownst, was a group of guys staring and ogling at them. They weren’t being discreet, and it was obvious to anyone paying attention that they wanted to approach. They weren’t nerds or geeks, but they definitely weren’t popular. Most were the kids that weren’t involved in school activities, and they also did painfully average in their academics. In other words, they were insignificant to most of the major groups. One of them looked at the others and decided to be bold, taking a few steps towards the female group. One of the girls turned around and spotted him, which promptly caused the guy to freeze and turn the other way very quickly. In the end, his bravery had no resilience.

In general, Suzanne respected a person that wasn’t afraid to walk up and express their feelings. It didn’t have to be romantic or sexual in nature, in fact she relished the small talk much more. She wanted to be approachable, and she wanted her peers to feel like they could have conversations with her if they were interested. She also respected confidence, no matter who it came from. There was a hidden part of her that didn’t feel comfortable talking to certain people for too long in public, in case any of her sports-involved peers noticed. She cared a great deal about what they thought, and would be kind enough to partake in conversation for only a second or two before walking away. Almost every popular person felt an expectation, to uphold a reputation and only talk to people that they felt mattered. Many of the girls wouldn’t be kind about it, and guys tended to handle the situation by being threatening or intimidating. Although Susie felt a little self-conscious, she could never find it in her heart to be mean to someone else.

Suddenly, as if by some stroke of coincidence, a guy began striding her way. She had been so lost in thought, that he almost went unnoticed. She vaguely recognized him, likely from classes or from passing in the halls, but she couldn’t think of his name in that moment. Based on his style, she knew that he was either a burnout or a skater. Most of the time, skaters were also burnouts, and the groups would end up together in the halls. He held a Pepsi can in his hand, which she found inquisitive, but as he got a little closer she could tell he had taken a few hits of marijuana. If she drank heavily and smoked dope, she found herself vomiting violently in a bathroom only a few hours later. Perhaps he operated the same way. Rebel Yell began to play next, prompting several people back to the dance area, making the bar a little quieter.
Suzanne smiled politely at his greeting, looking down at her drink before meeting his eyes. “Good! This party’s wicked, right? Pam never disappoints!” She wasn’t too sure of how many parties that he had attended, but she didn’t want to assume that the current party was one of his firsts. If he was a senior, that theory seemed highly unlikely.
 
Nicholas couldn't help but take in Susanne's features as he stood, awaiting her to turn and respond to him. The girl was beautiful but he couldn't place her name despite seeing her in the halls and in his English Lit class. Was her name Jessica? No, that's Jessica Howard. One of the nerds. Jane? No. That's wasn't it either. The girl's name was unknown to him at the present moment, and it wasn't because of the Marijuana. He'd seen her on the tennis team flyers that were posted on the school bulletin board.

When the girl turned to respond to him, he noticed even more of her looks. This time, her eyes were dark brown and very pretty. Susanne was striking but seemed out of reach for him due to their social circles and the hierarchy of high school. A skater talking to an athlete? He might as well be invisible to her, but yet she seemed to notice him and speak with a smile instead of a scoff with an insult. Giving a nod, he took a drink of his Pepsi and smiled back. "It's totally rad! Pamela is the queen of parties!" He said with a light laugh. "Are you having a good time?" He asked, which was a stupid question to ask at a party. He might as well have asked her if she was breathing.

Meanwhile, Jeremy and Vance were dancing with a couple of skater girls. One of which was Jayne Vickers, and she looked to be having a great time dancing and hanging out with Vance. The two were single and were getting very interested in one another. Jeremy was dancing with Judy Collins, and they seemed to be getting along. The atmosphere was that of one that would make it impossible to be anything but happy. Despite social differences, there was a genuine feeling of positivity throughout the attendees.

That is, unless you were Leon Brunswick, who was keeping an eye on Alex. Waiting on the perfect time to enact his plan. He hadn't had one drink or snack since his arrival. He seemed to be obsessed with making the blonde jock pay. Walter had walked inside from hanging out with the burnouts, laughing and having a good time in the side yard. They had been looking for Leon off and on and thought he'd ask his best friend if he'd seen their mutual friend.

"Hey, Nick. Bro, have you seen Leo anywhere? Me and the guys have a joint for him to hit, but we can't find him." He said as he stood next to Nick and Susanne, reeking of weed. His hair, his clothes. Everything smelled of the plant. Nick was used to the smell, so it didn't bother him as he looked around and then shrugged. "I thought he was with you. I'm sure that he's around. It's not like him to just leave a party. Not one of Pamela's parties anyway." He said, and Walter furrowed his eyebrows. He was a little concerned about their friend, but it never dawned on either of them that he might be looking for Alex.

Walter left the two to continue his search for Leon, leaving Nick and Susanne alone to continue their conversation, though it didn't seem to be one that was very deep. It was mainly smalltalk. Suddenly the thought of whether or not Susanne had a boyfriend crept into Nicholas' mind and it made him feel like he should be looking over his shoulder for a jealous boyfriend that would blindside him with a tackle and pummel him.
 
Susanne Malkovich
September, 1984 / Senior Year

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Susanne met his eyes as he talked, being sure to seem interested. She had never taken any personal issue with burnouts or skaters, but she was still unsure of who he was. Some of them, typically the girls, would scoff and turn their backs whenever she’d walk by in the hallways. She didn’t blame them, she had plenty of friends that’d give them the same treatment. She took a moment to finish up the rest of her drink before responding, reaching down and grabbing another. That time it was a Samuel Adam’s lager can and she shrugged her shoulders and cracked it open. Beer wasn’t at the top of her list, but she wasn’t above it.

“Yeah! Honestly, I just got here about twenty minutes ago.” Suzanne admitted. “It takes awhile to get ready for these things. The turn out is amazing though!”
It looked like people were having a great time. All seniors from all walks of life, getting together in one place. Things had the potential to go downhill fast, but nobody seemed interested in bothering with trouble. Most often, parties that included underclassmen would stir up the most conflict. Many of them would overstep boundaries, or make moves on girls that were already taken. Drunken fights broke out, and the mood became too tense for people to feel comfortable staying. Thus far, Suzanne was impressed.

Just then, as they were continuing to converse, a strong-smelling dude with long hair and a mustache approached the pair, seeming to head straight for the skater burnout boy. It was clear they knew each other by the way they talked. He seemed concerned about a mutual friend the two of them had. For a few moments, she stood and listened to them talk, keeping her gaze elsewhere and the drink to her lips until they finished.
“You should go find your friend.” She said, after he had walked off. “It sounds like your other friend is pretty worried.” She knew that if one of her friends, like Sofia, went missing at a party, she’d assume the worst. Some of the guys showed up with poor intentions, and had succeeded in getting their way with many girls over the course of many parties.

Sofia crossed her mind for a moment, and she decided she’d find her and check in once she was able. Suzanne was certain that she was doing exactly what she said she’d be doing, stalking Sullivan, but she wanted to make sure that he hadn’t actually developed any real interest in her friend. As mentioned, he played around, and he wasn’t the kind of boyfriend she wanted for Sofie. She was soft-hearted, and she needed someone that would cater to her sensitivities and emotions. You can’t really choose who you fall for sometimes, I suppose. She thought to herself.
 
Nicholas knew that Susanne was right. As much as he was enjoying their conversation, he had to join Walter in finding Leon because Leo was a loose cannon and very unpredictable. Taking a drink he sighed while swallowing and walked out one of the side doors to go find Walter and the burnouts. He passed a couple of jocks who were well drunk and bumped into one. Turning to defend himself he saw the guy who turned, giving him a smile which shocked Nicholas. The guy was someone else entirely and apologized for bumping into him before continuing on his way. Did that just happen?! Nick thought to himself as he stood in disbelief for a few seconds before shrugging the whole thing off and moving on to find his friends.

Once he was outside he heard laughing and joking around so he followed the sound -and the wind- till he found the burnouts but Walter wasn't with them. "Excuse me, dudes. Any of you know there Walter is?" He asked the group who looked at him like he'd just said what he said in Swahili before each of them pointed in opposite directions with one of them pointing up. This made Nicholas sigh in frustration and walk away as the group laughed and went back to that they were doing. Well they were no help... Nick probably should have thought of that before asking.

Nick decided to walk to entirety of the property to find either Walter or Leon. He knew that Walter would be simple enough to find but Leon wouldn't because when he didn't want to be found he knew how to make himself scarce and right now he was someplace, plotting. He didn't have his board but he didn't need it.

After a few minutes Walter and Nick ran into each other in the middle of the front yard and Walter sighed. "Any luck finding Leo?" He asked and Nick shook his head. "I've been trying to find you. Wait......." He said as a sudden realization hit his mind. They were at a party and EVERY senior was invited including Leo and Alex. "You don't think....." Nick asked and Walter gasped at the two ran to find Alex. Sure, they hated Alex's guts and the feeling was mutual but they wanted to warn the guy before Leon attacked him.

They ran past several jocks, being pushed down by a couple which was aggravating but they got up and continued on until they saw Alex sitting with Becky at poolside. He looked drunk as a skunk and happy. Likewise for Becky as they approached him. "Alex, dude, you need to listen to us!" Nicholas said and Alex gave him a look as if to say 'What the heck are you talking about?!' Before starting to laugh as his court and Becky laughed with him.

As they laughed Leon crept from behind a tree that was a few feet away from the poolside and saw this as an opportunity to strike. He thought that his friends were in on the plan and were distracting Alex for him. Taking off his black denim jacket he took a deep breath before making a beeline for the jock without one ounce of fear. If he was going to go down this night then he was going down in a blaze of glory.

One of Alex's friends, Paul, saw Leon running towards Alex but couldn't react fast enough as the skater tackled Alex from behind, knocking Becky into the pool as the two fell and Leon surfaces, throwing punches at Alex's head with the most hateful rage. The other jocks joined in to pull him off while others watched and girls screamed.

Nicholas and Walter watched on while Jeremy and Vance came to the rescue of Leon. All heck had broken loose but Leon was getting his vengeance.
 
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Susanne Malkovich
September, 1984 / Senior Year

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Soon after Suzanne suggested he go after his friend, her conversation partner walked off. He walked with a newfound purpose, and she was glad that she was able to help redirect his focus to something better. Although I still don’t know his name. She thought to herself.
Stepping away from the bar with her can of beer still in hand, she navigated through the crowd to look for Sofia. The crowd in the dance area had become thinner, many of them heading out into the front yard or within the pool area. No sign of Sofia there. She had never been much of a dancer. She navigated through many of the smaller rooms, peering at the intimate little groups of people, hoping to spot her. She usually stands by herself. She thought. Sofia didn’t have many friends, and she got picked on by a lot of their female peers for being quiet or shy.

After a few more moments of looking, Suzanne finally spotted her. She was sitting in a nice dining room chair on her own, in a room with a fair amount of people. Some of the snacks extended into that room, and many of the tables were occupied by people playing games like spin the bottle or truth or dare. Sure enough, Sullivan was at one of those tables, involving himself in a game of truth or dare. The group consisted of about six guys and two girls, and unfortunately most of the dares were about or directed towards them. She approached Sofia, kneeling next to her chair. “How are you holding up?” She asked her.
Sofia looked over, offering her friend a bright smile. “I’m fine! And Sullivan is just so…” she drifted off, not finishing her sentence, as she drew her focus back to him.
“Has he acknowledged you yet?” Suzanne asked curiously.
“He looked at me once.” She responded with a sigh. “But not really.”
Suzanne thought about repeating all of the things she had already heard before, but she knew it’d be no use. Sofia loved Sullivan, and the hope was that he’d never reciprocate that interest.
“Do you want to go with me to the pool?” Susie asked. “I’m not gonna swim, but I haven’t been out there yet.”
Sofia shook her head, keeping her eyes on Sullivan. “No thanks, I’m fine here.”
Suzanne rolled her eyes and stood up, leaving Sofie in her dream-like state. Some people just never learn.

As she headed to the pool area, she realized that a commotion could be heard. Several people from other areas of the house rushed outside, whooping and hollering at the idea of one thing. A fight? The party had been going so well, and a fight would ruin the entire thing. But that didn’t stop her from wanting to see it. She joined a group heading outside to witness the commotion. It appeared that one of the skaters had started attacking one of the jocks. Becky flailed helplessly in the pool, screaming like a baby. Upon closer evaluation, her memory clicked. It was the same skater guy from an altercation that she had witnessed a month ago, when Alex Henderson had knocked him down really hard in the hallway. He was known to be one of the meanest jocks in the school, and he also had rich parents. Some of their parties had also been at his place. She didn’t know the skater’s name, and hardly recognized him. At that time, a bunch of Alex’s friends had entered the scene, taking a hold of the skater and trying to drag him off. But in a turn of events, it looked as though he had some friends backing him up as well. “It’s a brawl!” Some big idiot shouted among the crowd.
 
Nick and Walter watched for a few more seconds as the brawl became an all-out brawl. A gang war if you will between the skaters and jocks. Leon had enacted his plan and was getting his revenge despite taking some hits from other jocks such as Todd Peterson and Scott Trevor who were trying to grab his arms and hold him back but Leon was swinging at any and everyone in his vicinity. He didn't care who he hit as long as he got to take out Alex. He knew that he'd likely go back to juvi for this, but at this point, it was worth it. It would be a notch on his belt to know that he took on Alex Henderson and lived to tell the tale.

Vance saw his friends standing back and turned to yell at them to join in and help them and Nick nodded, diving into the madness and grabbing Todd Peterson by the hair to punch him in the face to help his friend. He had no idea what would happen afterward, but he would take his licks as long as long as Leon wasn't hurt too bad. As he swung at people he bumped into a guy and turned to hit him but it was Vance and the two guys let out a momentary sigh of relief before being hit by two jocks and stumbling back while Bo dived in to join, hitting the one that hit Nick.

The chaos continued for roughly five more minutes until Pamela ran out, screaming at everyone to stop. A couple of jocks had succeeded in pulling a battered and bloodied Alex out of the pool. The back of his head had taken shots, and his nose was bleeding. The guys had to hold Leon back, who was still flailing and wanted more of his opponent, but Vance and Bo had to tell him to stop. He was bloodied and bruised as well, and both would likely hurt a lot the next day, and Alex would sue but to Leo, it was worth it.

Nicholas and the others had grabbed Leon by the arms and legs, pulling him out of the pool to help end the fight and Vance looked at the others who had busted lips, bruises on their faces and had taken body shots. "Which one of us is in condition to drive?! Because we've got to get the hell out of here before the cops show up!" He shouted over the music. "I'll drive. I haven't had a drop to drink. Only a couple of hits of weed. Let's go! I don't need to be arrested." He said and they ran towards Walter's car with Leon struggling to get free so that he could run back to hit Alex more but the guys had ahold of him as Nicholas and Walter got in front and the others in the back as Nick started the car and they pulled away.

As Nicholas drove Leon shouted at the others but Bo shook his head. "We're not going back, Leo! You got what you wanted and you ruined a perfectly good party." He shouted back and Vance nodded in agreement. "I was about to take Jayne Vickers upstairs. Why'd you have to ruin that?!" He asked in a genuinely annoyed voice. Nick sighed while driving, shaking his head. "Well that's the last time that Pam will ever invite us to her parties. I'm sure that we'll be banned if she had her way." He said and Jeremy shook his head. "Who cares. We're better off without it." He said as they left the neighborhood to go someplace and collect themselves.
 
Susanne Malkovich
September, 1984 / Senior Year

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The fight went on for almost a full five or ten minutes before Pam finally noticed and came out to shut it down. She screamed and yelled like no one would believe, clearly upset that her senior party had been interrupted in such a violent manner. The two original instigators were bleeding, mostly from their heads and faces, but several others that had joined in also had minor injuries. At that point, a lot of people had started heading towards their cars or the streets, ready to leave the scene before cops showed up. She hadn’t looked at a clock, but it couldn’t have been any later than midnight. How disappointing. I didn’t even get to dance. Suzanne thought begrudgingly.

Once she made it back inside, Suzanne went to find Sofia so that they could leave as well. There were a handful of parties that she had attended in the past couple of years that had been ambushed by cops. She’s had to jump fences, and even hide inside bushes to evade them. However thrilling it was, it wasn’t something she preferred to seek out. She approached Sofie’s previous spot, and noticed that she was no longer there. She wondered if the fight had drawn her outside. Just as she was going to turn around to head back that way, Sofia had found her and tapped her on the shoulder. “Did you see that fight?” She asked, her eyes wide. “It was one of the biggest ones I’ve ever seen! And it’s only the beginning of the year.” She sighed, shaking her head.
“Yeah, that was outrageous.” Suzanne responded. She took Sofie’s arm and they walked together back to her car. “We need to be careful. I saw too many people that could barely stand, let alone drive.”
Sofia nodded in understanding. “I know, don’t freak about it. I’ll keep us safe.” She got in the drivers side of the car, unlocking the passengers side for Susie to enter. Once they were both settled, Sofie began to drive home. Neither of them felt like turning on the radio. They had endured enough excitement for one night.

“How do you think school is going to be on Monday?” Sofia asked her.
Suzanne shrugged, keeping her eyes on the passenger’s side window. “You know how this goes. I’m sure there will be more tension and more fights.”
“Do you think any of the teachers will notice?” Sofie asked.
“Maybe, but I don’t think they’ll be any help.” Suzanne responded. The conflict between jocks and many of the other groups had stood the test of time, and she didn’t see it resolving anytime soon. In fact, she anticipated that it’d get much worse. “The important thing is that we stay out of it.”
Sofia nodded in agreement. “It’s dangerous. Even for people like us.” Most of the guys carried pocket knives, not as weapons but usually as tools. It wouldn’t have been the first time a student pulled it on another as a threat.
“As long as we keep our heads down and focus on school, we’ll be okay.” Suzanne reassured. Although she had acquaintances that were jocks, it only went as far as the school grounds and no further. She didn’t associate with them in the real world. She had never affiliated herself with skaters and groups similar to them, and felt that they posed no danger to her or her friends. She thought back briefly to the guy she had met at the party, and the brief conversation they had. “Plus, they’re not all bad.”
 
"We're going to be a target for sure, dudes. Leon might be the prime suspect but we're all guilty by association.." Walter said as he watched out the window at the cars and houses that they passed as Nick drove while wondering what would happen when they showed up to school on Monday or if they'll even make it to the doors to go in for another day's lessons. The teachers were there but they'd be no help if a group of jocks surrounded the skaters.

Leon shook his head at what Walter said, not wanting his friends to be caught up in his battles. After all, he instigated the battle and wanted to do it alone but the other guys, especially Nick and Walter, would be hunted down because it looked like they were trying to distract Alex for Leon. After a few minutes of silence he spoke up. "Just disassociate me, dudes. I stated it and I'm going to finish it. You guys don't need to be getting hurt because of my stupidity. Please just stay away from me." He said which made the others furrow their eyebrows with shock and confusion. All of them have always had each other's backs and they would never leave a man behind.

Nick decided to drive up to a cliff that overlooked the city. It was a big make out place and he had gone to it on more than one occasion just to have peace and think. But also to be with a girl. After a slightly long drive they arrived at the cliff and he parked in a shady spot. The guys all got out, walking to the guardrail that prevented cars from going over the edge to stare out at the city below.

Sirens could be heard and the telltale red and blue lights were seen going through the streets. No doubt en route to Pamela's house which the guys were thankful they split before they showed up. "That could have been us, dudes. We could be getting fingerprinted and our mugshots taken but we blew that popsicle stand." Bo said and the guys all nodded. Senior year had just started and already they were at war and their lives could be in danger if things escalated to that degree.
 
Susanne Malkovich
September, 1984 / Senior Year

➽──────────────❥
About two weeks had passed since the party and the violent incident. School seemed to continue as usual, and the groups involved had become dormant with each other. Suzanne couldn’t help but think that someone was developing a plan, and that there would be a prank or another attack soon enough. Her classes had been giving out more than her fair share of homework, but she knew that if she didn’t start earning money, she’d be at a disadvantage for college. Her mother recommended a job selling tickets at the movie theater in the local mall, and because she knew one of the bosses, she was able to secure her a position.

It was her second week on the job, and she was getting the hang of the activities involved. She sat in a booth, alone, with a stack of tickets and a register for cash. People would come up, request the movie they wanted to see and the time it premiered, they’d pay and she’d give them a ticket stub to use at the counter. The marquee board showed off the movie titles, including Exterminator 2, Revenge of the Nerds, Ninja III: The Domination, Bolero, and The Warrior and the Sorceress. Movies would usually stay in play for about two weeks before being replaced by the new ones. Some of the upcoming ones that would be coming out within the next month were Irreconcilable Differences, All of Me and The Evil That Men Do. Ghostbusters had come out that summer and was a huge hit, so the theater planned on playing that again around Halloween.

Suzanne drummed her nails on the table inside of her workspace, her head in one of her hands as she glanced at one of the mall clocks. 3 PM. Her shift had started at 1 PM, and it lasted until about 6 PM. She’d catch the beginning of the late night movie rush. Most of her peers would come around 6 or 7 PM to see movies. She got a lot of families and older couples between 12 PM and 4 PM. Suddenly, a voice awoke her from her dormant state.
“One for ‘the girl that died of boredom’.” Carol said in a snarky manner.
“What are you doing here?” Suzanne offered her a smile and a light chuckle.
“I dunno, my mom made me come here to pick up her face cream.” Carol made a gagging sound before rolling her eyes.
“While you’re here, can you get me a sports magazine or something?” Suzanne asked.
Carol laughed before responding. “No, but good luck with that.”
“Lame! Thanks for nothing.” She responded with an exasperated sigh.
Carol walked off after that, heading towards one of the beauty stores. She’d usually never be caught dead in a mall, but her mother had mental problems. Sometimes she wouldn’t come out of bed for days, and Carol never wanted to talk about why that was. So Suzanne never brought it up, and often left it alone.

As the clock continued to tick, she continued to serve the customers tickets. Finally, it hit 5 PM and she knew she only had an hour left. It started to get busier, as anticipated, groups of teenagers surfacing to see the newest and the highest rated movies. The aroma of popcorn and nachos started to make her stomach grumble. She made a point to pick up some pizza or something before heading home.
 
Two weeks after the battle at Pamela's party school had, surprisingly, resumed as normal. Albeit with the occasional dirty look from the jocks to the skaters but nothing further and Nicholas was thankful. He and the guys still accompanied Leon wherever he went for fear that someone would ambush him though he expected it to happen and would tell the guys to just disassociate with him but they refused. The group was as thick as thieves and cared for one another.

On the day of his job interview Nicholas had to dress nice for the boss but would change into his normal wear in the mall bathroom afterwards after meeting Walter, Vance and Jeremy to go see Revenge of the Nerds. The film was hot and was the talk of the halls at school. Nick walked out of McDonald's after his interview, carrying his schedule after having got the job. His parents would be thrilled that he'd gotten it because it meant that he was taking the next step towards his future.

Getting into his car he started it up, taking off his tie and tossing it in the backseat before pulling out and leaving to go to the mall which wasn't far from the restaurant. He turned on his radio and the Ghostbusters theme by Ray Parker Jr. was playing. Nick sang along with it even though he caught the middle of it and would be getting out soon. After a short, five minute drive he pulled into a parking spot in front of the entrance to the mall. The place was packed as usual and was the place to be for any teen.

Nick turned the car off, taking the keys and his backpack which had his clothes in with him and got out, locking up before booking it into the mall to meet the others, hoping that they didn't make too much fun of his outfit which now consisted of brown slacks and a white, short sleeved, button up shirt. His hair was even parted on the side and combed back. He didn't look like himself. Nor did he feel it.

Walter and Vance were looking at the mall map while Jeremy was making a call on the pay phone to Nick's house and soon Walter heard someone running towards them, turning to see who it was only to see Nick and burst out in laughter. Almost falling on the floor as he and the others observed their friend's outfit. "Oh my gosh! Dude, you look like my Dad! Please tell me that you're not going to start lecturing me to get a job!" He said and Nick just rolled his eyes. "Ha ha..... I had to dress like this for a job interview." He said and Jeremy piped up with a chuckle. "Job interview?! For what? A used car salesman?!" He said and the three laughed once more.

Ten minutes later Nicholas was back to his old self and they were on their way to the theater to see the predetermined movie. Upon entrance Nick saw the girl that he'd talked to at Pam's party working the front booth and gasped. She works that the theater now?! He thought to himself as they approached the booth while the guys joked behind him about who was buying. "Hey! Didn't expect to see you here." He said with a smile before pulling out his wallet to pay for his ticket. "One for Revenge of the Nerds please." He said while looking back to the guys who were checking out the various arcade cabinets that were in the lobby including Yie Ar Kung Fu, Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man and Frogger.
 
Susanne Malkovich
September, 1984 / Senior Year

➽──────────────❥
5:30 PM. Only thirty more minutes until Suzanne’s shift ended, and she was ready. She felt so behind on her schoolwork, and MTV’s Saturday Night Concert was scheduled to come on at 8 PM. She’d only have two hours to catch up on her work before she could watch it. She liked to keep up with the latest music, but would turn the show off if she wasn’t interested in the artist. MTV was still fairly new, and didn’t have a whole lot of variety, but almost every teen tuned in when it would come on the television.

The mall loudspeakers were playing Material Girl by Madonna, which seemed a too typical for the environment. There were a list of songs on a rotation, and she’d hear the same ones at least three or four times per shift. She loved Madonna’s music, but sometimes she’d rather poke herself in both eyes than hear that specific song. I Want To Break Free by Queen was also very prominent in the rotation, and she felt the same way about that song.

Just then, she spotted a few familiar faces. The guy that she had met from the party a couple weeks back, along with a few of his friends. She recognized the guy with long hair as well, easily associating the stench of dope with him. She offered him a soft smile when he approached, processing his ticket and his payment. She admitted that she was disappointed, it would’ve been comical if guys like them had chosen to see Bolero instead. It was a popular romantic drama. But Revenge of the Nerds seemed much more fitting.

“Yeah, I need this job for school.” She told him, handing him his ticket and his change. “Please enjoy your movie, and don’t forget to get some candy or popcorn to snack on while you’re watching!” That last part was scripted, the theater required her to advertise their food and drink before they enter. It was an advertising ploy. After that, she proceeded to process the same transaction for his other friends, delivering the same message to them. “Try our slurpees, they have three different flavors at the counter!” She said with a smile.
 
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