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Authors: M.J. Hearle
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back down at her food.
‘Don’t look now, but Smotely’s coming over.’
The jingling of Smotely’s piercings and chain-covered black clothes grew louder as he shuffled into view. Upuntil almost a year ago Smotely had been a glasses-wearing, card-carrying member of the maths geek squad. Over the summer break, he had transformed himself into a strange Goth-Emo-Punk-Rocker character, a transformation that both Winter and Jasmine found in equal parts fascinating and amusing.
‘Hey,’ he said in a manufactured morose tone, as though the effort to speak was almost too much for him. He avoided looking either of them in the eye.
‘Hi, Ken, why don’t you pull up a chair and share a chocolate milk with us?’ Jasmine asked, her eyes sparkling.
‘No thanks,’ Smotely answered, completely missing the fact he was being made fun of. ‘You guys wanna buy some tickets?’
‘To see who?’
‘The Urban Ninjas. They’re playing Thursday night at the surf club. Some friends dropped out so I’m trying to get rid of their tickets. Ten bucks each. They cost me twenty, so it’s a good deal.’
Winter was shocked to see Jasmine actually considering Smotely’s offer, and even more shocked when she reached for her purse.
‘I’ll take four of them.’
Smotely’s eyebrow ring twitched. ‘You know they’re pretty hardcore, right?’
Winter had to restrain herself from correcting him. The Urban Ninjas
weren’t
hardcore. A few years back, her mother had played Winter some of her old Pantera and Iron Maiden albums. Winter had been curious aboutthe bands after rifling through her record collection and seeing the garish cover artwork. The songs had been a little too intense for Winter’s sensibilities, but had given her some kind of understanding of what hardcore heavy metal sounded like. It certainly
didn’t
sound like the contrived posing of the Urban Ninjas she’d heard on the radio.
Jasmine put on a show of being offended by Smotely’s insinuation that she was not cool enough to enjoy the band’s music. ‘
I’m
pretty hardcore,’ she replied, handing him the money and taking the tickets.
‘Whatever,’ he said with a shrug and slouched off back to his morose friends.
Once he’d moved out of earshot, Winter asked cautiously, ‘What are you doing?’
Jasmine smiled, a mischievous glint in her eye. Winter began to feel nervous. She’d seen that sly expression before and knew to dread its appearance.
‘I have an idea.’
Winter gulped. ‘Oh no . . .’
‘Hear me out. We’ve established that flowers, chocolates, big red hearts and teddy bears are no good, right? What do guys like? Music. And what a coincidence – look what I have here.’ She fanned out the four tickets. ‘Are you following me?’
Winter shook her head, though she had a sneaking suspicion of what Jasmine was about to propose.
‘After school today, you’re going to ride over to Blake’s house and give him one of these.’ Jasmine slid two ticketsacross the table. ‘You tell him the ticket’s a token of your appreciation for him saving your life, blah, blah, blah.’
‘You’re insane.’
‘No, I’m not. It’s a foolproof way for you to go on a date with him without having to ask him on a date.’
Despite Jasmine’s cool explanation, this plan did not sit well with Winter. In fact, it made her feel a little sick. ‘Jas, I don’t even like the Urban Ninjas! Plus I can’t afford the tickets.’ She pushed them back across to Jasmine, who promptly returned them to her.
‘I
can
. It’s a gift.’
Flustered, Winter shook her head. ‘I can’t!’
Jasmine threw her hands up in exasperation. ‘Win —’
‘Look, what do you want me to say? I appreciate the thought, but . . .’ Winter knew Jasmine’s heart was in the right place, but there was no way she was going to ride out to the Velasco place and ask Blake to the concert.
Jasmine abruptly pushed her lunch aside and stood up.
Winter frowned at her. ‘What are
‘Don’t look now, but Smotely’s coming over.’
The jingling of Smotely’s piercings and chain-covered black clothes grew louder as he shuffled into view. Upuntil almost a year ago Smotely had been a glasses-wearing, card-carrying member of the maths geek squad. Over the summer break, he had transformed himself into a strange Goth-Emo-Punk-Rocker character, a transformation that both Winter and Jasmine found in equal parts fascinating and amusing.
‘Hey,’ he said in a manufactured morose tone, as though the effort to speak was almost too much for him. He avoided looking either of them in the eye.
‘Hi, Ken, why don’t you pull up a chair and share a chocolate milk with us?’ Jasmine asked, her eyes sparkling.
‘No thanks,’ Smotely answered, completely missing the fact he was being made fun of. ‘You guys wanna buy some tickets?’
‘To see who?’
‘The Urban Ninjas. They’re playing Thursday night at the surf club. Some friends dropped out so I’m trying to get rid of their tickets. Ten bucks each. They cost me twenty, so it’s a good deal.’
Winter was shocked to see Jasmine actually considering Smotely’s offer, and even more shocked when she reached for her purse.
‘I’ll take four of them.’
Smotely’s eyebrow ring twitched. ‘You know they’re pretty hardcore, right?’
Winter had to restrain herself from correcting him. The Urban Ninjas
weren’t
hardcore. A few years back, her mother had played Winter some of her old Pantera and Iron Maiden albums. Winter had been curious aboutthe bands after rifling through her record collection and seeing the garish cover artwork. The songs had been a little too intense for Winter’s sensibilities, but had given her some kind of understanding of what hardcore heavy metal sounded like. It certainly
didn’t
sound like the contrived posing of the Urban Ninjas she’d heard on the radio.
Jasmine put on a show of being offended by Smotely’s insinuation that she was not cool enough to enjoy the band’s music. ‘
I’m
pretty hardcore,’ she replied, handing him the money and taking the tickets.
‘Whatever,’ he said with a shrug and slouched off back to his morose friends.
Once he’d moved out of earshot, Winter asked cautiously, ‘What are you doing?’
Jasmine smiled, a mischievous glint in her eye. Winter began to feel nervous. She’d seen that sly expression before and knew to dread its appearance.
‘I have an idea.’
Winter gulped. ‘Oh no . . .’
‘Hear me out. We’ve established that flowers, chocolates, big red hearts and teddy bears are no good, right? What do guys like? Music. And what a coincidence – look what I have here.’ She fanned out the four tickets. ‘Are you following me?’
Winter shook her head, though she had a sneaking suspicion of what Jasmine was about to propose.
‘After school today, you’re going to ride over to Blake’s house and give him one of these.’ Jasmine slid two ticketsacross the table. ‘You tell him the ticket’s a token of your appreciation for him saving your life, blah, blah, blah.’
‘You’re insane.’
‘No, I’m not. It’s a foolproof way for you to go on a date with him without having to ask him on a date.’
Despite Jasmine’s cool explanation, this plan did not sit well with Winter. In fact, it made her feel a little sick. ‘Jas, I don’t even like the Urban Ninjas! Plus I can’t afford the tickets.’ She pushed them back across to Jasmine, who promptly returned them to her.
‘I
can
. It’s a gift.’
Flustered, Winter shook her head. ‘I can’t!’
Jasmine threw her hands up in exasperation. ‘Win —’
‘Look, what do you want me to say? I appreciate the thought, but . . .’ Winter knew Jasmine’s heart was in the right place, but there was no way she was going to ride out to the Velasco place and ask Blake to the concert.
Jasmine abruptly pushed her lunch aside and stood up.
Winter frowned at her. ‘What are
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