Lisps and Sips

The sun shone through the clouds on a moderately warm Tuesday afternoon, May 15^th, 1953, a light breeze blowing down the length of the East Coast and through its cities. Sitting comfortably between the larger, more prominent cities in the area was the town of Questerfield, PA, its buildings and houses simple but elegant in their own ways. Record players spun the popular music of the day, clothing companies advertised their wares in the front windows of stores, and furniture retailers sold the latest items to complete the home of every housewife’s wildest dreams. It wasn’t even rush hour, yet the air contained a hint of urgency as people rushed up and down the sidewalk, busily buzzing between locations or getting the attention of their friends with an enthusiastic hand wave.

However, the busiest place that afternoon was the soda shop at the corner of Dine and Ressel, the chrome-plated sides catching the sun’s rays in just the right spot to make them shine brightly. A horizontal blue paint stripe ran right below the grey-tiled roof, with a white stripe running a couple of feet underneath it, and a red stripe running a couple feet under that; none of them overlapped a window or showed instances of chipping. There was also a raised strip of chrome that lay at the bottom of the building, but it reflected the light tan, slightly cracking sidewalk so well that the strip blended into the ground. The inside was much more attractive than the outside, with cherry red and white booths and barstool chairs, a navy and off white checkered floor, and a plethora of musicians and musical idols plastered around the place. A few of the pictures were signed by the musicians themselves and most of them were mounted behind glass, including posters of Tony Bennett, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Guy Mitchell, and Kay Starr, along with many others. To add to the atmosphere, the sound of rock & roll and jazz could be heard coming from a multicolored jukebox in the center of the soda shop, lighting up periodically and clicking when a quarter was placed inside its shiny body.

Maybe that was why, day after day, the shop was packed with teenagers from the local high school, eager to taste the delicious concoctions that the soda jerk served up and tapping their feet happily to the music that flowed through the air and into their ears. The soda jerk, a skinny boy with messy orange hair and blue eyes, was especially busy today, serving up a lot of milkshakes and fruity sodas to the girls and boys that stopped by and leaned on the counter. Either everyone wanted to discuss the ludicrous amount of homework that the teachers had been giving recently or something big was happening, but he couldn’t glean a piece of information with the collective noise that surrounded him. So, with a shrug of his shoulders, he continued to make drinks and serve them with a smile, most of his patrons smiling back at him kindly and thanking him.

The bell above the door jingled as a new person walked into the shop, the ponytail of dark strawberry blond hair atop her head swinging from side to side as she walked through the crowds of people sauntering along the floor. Her bright hazel eyes crinkled as she gave off a big, gap-toothed smile to her classmates, not getting a response back but not minding very much; nothing could really ruin her mood. She was the type of girl who let all the trouble and insecurities of life fly out the window and never come back, allowing herself to continue smiling day after day. Eyeing the shiny marble countertop, she walked over and slid onto a barstool, spinning around with a high-pitched chuckle as the soda jerk laughed with her. He started to polish the surface of the counter with a damp rag, finishing before the freckle-faced girl finally turned around and laid her arms against the marble, her head lolling to the left and right in dizziness.

“You OK there, Mary?” he said with a light-hearted snicker as she nodded and giggled.

“Shure am, Charlie! What’sh buzzin, cushin?” she lisped heavily when she could focus again, the air going through the space in her teeth and producing a prominent whistle as she spoke.

“I’ve been working the same gig as usual,” he responded, his smile disappearing as he sighed. “I mean, it puts me on cloud 9 to see everyone enjoying their drinks and food, but I just feel like…I don’t know, something’s missing.”

“Aw, don’t feel low! The more you work, the better that reshume ish gonna be when you finally apply for a job!”

“Are you being straight with me?”

“Without a doubt! You’re shtill doing thoshe activitiesh on the weekendsh, right?”

“If you mean going to the medical center and arranging bacteria test tubes while my supervisor leans against the wall with due backs, then yes, I am still doing those activities.”

“Well, that’sh a shtart! Shoon you’ll being applying to college, and all that work for the labsh will really help you on your way to becoming a reshearcher!”

“I’m still not sure…”

“Tell ya what; thish weekend, I’ll help you shtudy thoshe textbooksh that are collecting dusht on your shelf. Jusht give me a bell when you’re done with the labsh.”

“Thanks, Mary. That would help a lot. Oh, Veronica says hi, by the way.”

“The fuzzy duck you’re going shteady with? Tell her I shaid hi back! How are you two doing anyway?”

“She’s such a babe, and I love her. Last night, she came over because she was scared of the severe storm warning and ended up staying.”

“Yeah, my two poochesh got really shcared too. They hid under the bed, and I had to coax them out. Did you guysh watch a flick?”

“Singing in the Rain.”

“Cool! I love that movie!”

“It is pretty great,” Charlie said with a chuckle, but then straightened up and blinked his blue eyes. “Enough bashing ears, though. What can I get you this afternoon, miss? Perhaps a black and white slurg with a cherry on top?”

“That’sh why you’re unreal, Charlie; you know exactly what I want. Shlip me it flat out!”

Charlie nodded his head with a grin and went to work on her drink, Mary turning around and looking at the couples and groups that were seated around the perimeter of the shop. The floor was usually left open just in case somebody wanted to dance or people needed more room, but that day, half the open floor was taken up by standing students. She could still see the jukebox in the center of the room, though, and watched as a boy with side combed, pale blonde hair slipped in a quarter and pressed the number of the song he wanted to hear. The familiar sounds of do-wop filled the air as he started to move to the music, humming as he did until his friends once again called him over to their booth. Mary laughed a little bit at his antics, charmed by his enthusiasm, and started to tap her own foot against the metal ring of the stool.

No sooner did the song end than the bell above the door jingle, allowing a large group of teenagers to enter the shop with smirks on their faces. They looked like a typical group of greasers: ripped jeans, leather jackets, gelled-back hair, motorcycle boots, a pack of cigarettes in their pockets, and a girl on their arm. There were 4 couples in total with a lone teenager leading the crusade. He wore a white, tucked -in tank top under his leather jacket, a pair of faded blue jeans on his legs, scuffed black Chuck Taylors on his feet, and a chestnut belt around his waist, looking very much in change with a confident smirk and a cigarette in his mouth. His lackeys and their sweethearts walked to a nearby booth and sat down, the girls eagerly chatting to each other as the lone teenager walked up to the counter and lay his sleeved arms on the table.

“What can I get-” Charlie started, but the sound of the greaser’s jacket button scraping across the countertop made him stop in his tracks. The teen smirked and leaned forwards some more, revealing that his jacket had created dirty smudges on the clean countertop.

“Two seltzer sodas with cherry syrup, a black slurg and three white ones, a seltzer soda with lemon syrup, a seltzer soda with lime syrup, and a root-beer float.” With a snap of his fingers, he added, and make it snappy, punk; my group’s getting’ anxious!”

Charlie glared at him, but turned around and started to make his sodas so that he wouldn’t be fired for displeasing a customer. Mary turned to head towards the boy and grinned, tapping her hand on the counter as she looked his attire over. It looked pretty cool to her, but then again, anyone who wore that type of stuff was cool. As she was looking at him, she heard an approaching sliding sound, clicking her tongue and giggling. Without even looking down at the counter, she held out her hand and caught her chocolate and vanilla milkshake without missing a beat. It felt cool against her palm, and her mouth started to water as she put the red and white striped straw into it. Taking one long sip, her gaze shifted to the teenager’s amber eyes and jet black hair, completely focused on the bartender and breathing heavily in impatience.

“Hey, delicioush drinksh take time to make, sho it’ll be a little bit until they are all done!” she explained cheerily as the boy continued to stand there, almost as if he didn’t hear her.

“Sho, what’sh your name?” she asked. He didn’t move

“Did you jusht come back from after-shcool acivitiesh?” No response

“Do you come to the shoda shop often?” Still no response

“Did you ride here, or did you jusht walk inshtead?” Not even a simple head turn in her direction

“What about your group? Did they come from their activitiesh too?” This time, he turned his head and looked at her like she was a pesky fly buzzing around him, ready to smack her when she flew too close. After a few seconds, he turned around quickly and motioned for Charlie to speed up the drinks, light complaints sounding from behind him as his group coughed and pointed to their dry throats.

Once the drinks finally did come out, the teen whistled, and a lackey with styled golden hair and thin eyebrows ran up to him. They carried everything over on two trays, and Mary shrugged as she took another long sip and tapped her feet to the music flowing out of the jukebox. The group seemed to be enjoying their sodas, the girls cooing and snuggling up against their boyfriends as the lone teen lay against a chair and smoked his cigarette. He was blabbing about something or another, but that was not what Mary was interested in; she was more focused on a boy with reddish brown, swept to the side hair that was putting a quarter into the machine and turning the pages to the song he wanted. Immediately, an upbeat rock and roll tune crackled out of the machine, causing the boy to hum and tap his feet. Confidently lip-syncing the words, he slid across the floor to the sounds of cheering from his peers. Suddenly, he felt a tap on the shoulder and turned around to meet the eyes of Mary, whose grin was just as big as his.

“Can I cut in, cool cat?” she exclaimed with a laugh, spinning around and letting her light green poodle skirt float up delicately.

“O-oh, yeah, o-of course!” the boy exclaimed back, blushing a little from the sudden approach but more than willing to dance with somebody. Mary grabbed his hand and started to jitterbug with him, turning herself under his arm and keeping herself in time with the music. The boy lost his nerves and started to actually have fun, spinning her and keeping his feet light as he bounced and hummed. The crowd grew silent for a moment, not knowing how to react to the seemingly perfect moves of the couple, and then a few couples started to wander onto the floor and join them. The cheering started up again, louder this time, and even the group of greasers was astonished by the support that their classmates were giving these two. The dance ended with the boy dipping Mary down and strumming the last notes on an imaginary guitar, his face smiling and pink from exhaustion.

“That wash amazing!” Mary grinned as she bounced up and down, her ponytail and bangs matching her movements. “Thanksh for the dansh, cat!” She squeezed his hands tightly, and the boy’s face grew a little redder as he let go of one of her hands and rubbed the back of his head.

“Yo-you’re welcome…” the boy said, his free hand shaking as he moved it in a circle.

“Maryann, but mosht people call me Mary” she said, recognizing the gesture. “And you?”

“Maxwell, but most people call me Max,” the boy said a little more confidently

“Well, nishe dancin’ with you, Max!” Mary grinned as she bounced up and down again. “You’re really shuper duper!”

“Y-you too, Mary,” Max said with a shy smile, blushing again. “A-actually, you surpassed me by a lot. I-I’ve never seen somebody dance as well as you.”

“Aw shucksh, thanksh!” Mary clapped her hands, hugged him tightly, and then skipped over to the soda counter, leaving the boy standing there with an awestruck grin on his face and a sparkle in his eyes. She picked up her milkshake, still cold though slightly melted, and took a long sip as she turned to face Charlie, who punched her lightly in the arm and congratulated her. It was at that moment that she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around again.

“Well well, Dolly, those moves of yours have earned you a chance to talk to the leader of the Alpha Greasers,” the lone teen said, his speech slightly affected by the cigarette in his mouth. “Not many girls have that level of comprehension, but you’re righto.”

“Well, thank you shir!” Mary nodded her head and blinked her hazel eyes, looking up at him and placing her hands in her lap.

“Why don’t you ditch the square and come sit with us for a while?” he said snidely as he gestured over to his group, the guys beckoning her over with their hands and the girls looking more than a little jealous.

“Well, I’d love to know more about you guysh!” She responded, jumping off the stool and walking over, looking back at Charlie and mouthing “You’re not a square.” Charlie just waved her off with a slight smile, signaling that it was OK and that he wasn’t hurt. Mary smiled a little brighter and nodded her head as she turned back to the group and sat down, laying her arms on the table surface.

“Where’d you learn to dance like that?” the blond haired lackey asked with curiosity.

“Why didn’t you tell us sooner?” a brown haired lackey with a buzz cut added.

“Are you gonna steal my flutter bum away from me?!” a girl with dirty blond victory rolls exclaimed as she clutched her boyfriend’s arm tightly.

“Whoa, whoa! Before I ansher your questionsh, I gotta have my questionsh anshered firsht!”

“That’s fair, I guess,” the blond haired lackey conceded and turned to the lone teen. “Well, talk.”

“I straight up forgot what you had asked me. Mind repeating your inquiries?” the teen tapped his cigarette and watched the burnt end fall off the back and onto the table. He quickly crushed it with his thumb.

“All right! Firsht off, what are all your namesh?” Mary asked, looking around the table.

“I’m Bobby, and this is my girl Susan,” the blond haired lackey said and gestured to the rosy-cheeked girl against his arm.

“Name’s Dean, and this is Barbara,” the boy with the buzz cut muttered as Barbara waved confidently at Mary.

“My name is Edwin, and Gretchen is my girl,” a boy with brilliant green eyes explained as he pointed to the girl with dirty blond victory rolls.

“Walden, and she is Mabel,” a gruff looking boy growled as a petite redhead shyly waved, several dark bruises on her arms and one over her eye.

“And I’m Dennis, but people just call me ‘The Most.’” The lone teen sneered and put out his cigarette on his jeans. “What’s your name, sweetcheeks?”

“Maryann, but a lot of people jusht call me Mary!” Mary repeated with a cute grin, kicking her feet under the table as Susan and Bobby couldn’t help but smile at her happiness; it was contagious.

“Nice name, popular too. Your folks must read the papers.” Dennis chuckled as he sat back in his chair. “What’s the next question you got?”

“Did you guysh all come from after-shcool activitiesh?”

“Nah, we’ve been sluffing all day. Hanging out in the junkyard and smoking all day, y’know?” Walden growled again and lit a cigarette as Mabel shivered, almost out of fear. “Good place to tell stories.”

“All day?! Man, you musht have shomething shweet to tell if you can shtay in there for hoursh at a time!” Mary said in awe, leaning on her elbows and smiling at the group. “Anything shpeshific?”

“Teachers, homework, jobs, the economy, current events. You know, the usual.” Edwin blinked his eyes and sighed.

“Cool! All right, next queshtion,” Mary twiddled her fingers and thought. “Do you come to the shoda shop often?

“Negatory. We stop by once in a while, but this shop’s patrons are mostly just nowheres.” Dennis smirked and flicked his hand back and forth. “But don’t worry, baby; you’re not a nowhere.”

“Well, that’sh chertianly good to know! Shince you did come to the shoda shop today, did you ride here or walk?”

“Walk. It wasn’t really far from where we were.” Dean nodded his head and Mary nodded back at him. “Any more questions?”

“Not that I can think of, sho it’sh my turn to ansher!” She took a deep breath and crinkled her eyes as she smiled, her freckled face looking brighter. “I have alwaysh loved to dansh, and I have practished the movesh shince I wash a little girl. That’sh why I’m sho good today! I didn’t tell you guysh shooner becaushe you were sho involved in getting shodas that I didn’t want to bother you! Plush none of you were talking to me, sho I didn’t know if you wanted to talk.” Turning to Gretchen, she smiled kindly and added, “And no, I’m not going to try and shteal him from you. You and he look perfect together!” Gretchen nodded her head relieved and grabbed Edwin’s arm harder.

“With moves like those, you’ll be a hit at the sock hop tonight. Are you going?” Bobby asked as he leaned back in his chair and drank the last of his soda.

“I washn’t really thinking of going to the dance,” Mary shrugged with a smile, “But I guesh that’sh why it’sh sho crowded in here; people are planning out their nightsh or ashking people out. I’m ashuming you guysh are going.”

“You can count on it,” Edwin and Gretchen said at the same time, laughing a little afterwards.

“Yeah,” Walden said, and after he stared at Mabel, she nodded quickly too, her eyes dull.

“I have to find the right dress,” Barbara explained, “It has to be something that screams ‘me’ and that matches what Dean is wearing.”

“If that is your plan, we are going to arrive at the tail end of the dance,” Dean complained and Barbara pouted slightly.

“Shame that you’re not going, sweetcheeks,” Dennis sneered as he leaned forwards and looked into Mary’s hazel eyes.

“Yeah, I’m probably jusht going to go home and play with my dogsh. They kind of need a lot of attention, and it ish my duty ash their owner to give them that attention!”

“Y-you have dogs? S-so do I…” Mabel piped up as Walden glared at her. She shrunk back and added quickly, “A golden retriever and a Labrador.”

“Oh, really? Aweshome! I have two Yorkshire terriersh! They are sho cute!” Mary beamed.

“Aw, th-they sound adorable…” Mabel smiled slightly, but then cowered in fear as Walden angrily glared at her again, his dark blue eyes seeming to turn black.

“They are!” Mary said, internally worried about her and wanting to help with the situation that Mabel was in. She didn’t look well at all.

“Well, I should probably get home so that this diva can pick out her outfit and then change it 300 times.” Dean laughed and stood up with Barbara, leaving their glasses on the table as they walked away.

“Yeah, we have to get going.” Walden yanked Mabel up by her arm and led her out of the shop, her body trembling.

“It was very nice to meet you, Mary. Hope we can run into you sometime in the future.” Bobby said and smiled, Susan smiling kindly as well.

“It wash aweshome to meet you all too! Later, gator!” Mary bounced up, giggled, waved at all of them, and walked over to the counter to return her glass, just missing Dennis’s hand swipe as he tried to grab her. She was too fast, though, returning the glass to Charlie, hugging him goodbye, and walking out the door before Dennis could make his way over to her.

“Looks like someone is on the hook,” Edwin elbowed Dennis in the side, and Dennis firmly pushed him away, Edwin steadying himself with the help of his girlfriend.

“No, I ain’t! I just wanted to say a final goodbye to her. She just can’t walk out on me! I’m the head Alpha Greaser, and she should show me some respect.” Dennis ranted as he leaned against a wall.

“Really, ‘cause it was pretty clear that your eyes were focusing on hers every single time she spoke,” Susan commented with a smirk and a tap of her flats, “You are so far gone that you might as well be in the next town over!”

“Shuddit, all of yous!” Dennis groaned as he crossed his arms and lit another cigarette, trying to smoke the pain and embarrassment of his group’s accusation away. “Let’s just go; there’s another store that needs a touch of greaser class.” The two couples followed him out of the shop, and business continued as usual, more people coming in to replace the greasers and Mary.

Mary, meanwhile, was walking down the street, waving to people as they passed by even though they didn’t wave back. The sky grew a shade of periwinkle-blue, and a few streaks of orange and pink crossed above her vision, fading slightly at the edges and blending into the rest of the sky. She was whistling the same exact tune that she had heard on the jukebox that afternoon, tapping the beat on her leg as she passed by a few stores with big colorful signs advertising their products. She chuckled at them, wondering what type of layout artist thought that putting fuchsia and electric blue together in a window display would make a dining room set more appealing to the eyes. The lemon-lime color scheme of the toy store also amused her, especially the two-tone blanket that lay over the wooden toy box in the center of the display. However, as she passed by Hannigan’s, a local clothing chain in the area, she stopped for a second and gazed up at the display with a wide grin.

In the glass case laid a plethora of outfits in all colors and patterns, from a collared, black dress with white polka dots to a contrasting colored shirt and skirt combo that actually looked rather flattering. There were lovely evening gowns, casual ensembles, and flowy skirts galore, but the one dress that caught her attention was the second to last one on the right. It was a rich dark emerald with white on the collar, waist, and bottom of the flowy skirt. Around the mannequin’s neck was a matching scarf with a white stripe going across the bottom edge, and a pair of silver earrings hung down from the mannequin’s “pierced ears.”

The more Mary stared at the dress, the more she wanted to try it on, and soon the temptation became too much for her. She ran inside and looked for the exact same dress that was in the display, finding it near the front of the store and in her size. She went to the dressing rooms and tried it on, feeling how the bodice hugged her torso and how the skirt flowed around her body. It was perfect. Tying the matching scarf around the hairband that was already holding up her ponytail, she whistled with delight and spun around in the mirror, deciding to buy the entire outfit as a whole; it was her shopping splurge for the month. The nice woman at the register, wearing a flowered pink dress with a ribbon belt, smiled at her kindly and ran up the dress and accessories.

“This must be for the sock hop tonight, right? A few girls have gotten their dresses from here, so you wouldn’t be the first.” Holding the dress up in the air, she admired it for a second before folding it carefully in half. “It sure is pretty; you have an eye for beauty.”

“Well, thanksh! But thish ishn’t for the shock hop.” Mary explained, running one hand through her hair and taking the bag of clothes in the other. “It jusht looked like a really pretty dresh, and I jusht had to buy it!”

“Huh, really? A dress like this deserves to be shown off,” the woman said with a sly smile, nodding her head towards Mary and giving her change from the register. “Why don’t you give it a whirl?”

“You mean…go without a boy by my shide?”

“Who said that you needed a date to go to the dance? It’s generally acceptable to go to somewhere by yourself. More than likely a few friends will be there, and you can hang out with them and enjoy the music.”

Mary thought for a few seconds and then beamed, looking at the woman. “You’re right! Thish dance ish too good to mish! And who knowsh; maybe Charlie and Veronica will be there wearing shomething shnazzy!” She gripped the bag tighter, ran out of the store giggling, and called out a “thanksh!” as the bell above the door jingled. The woman simply chuckled and waved back, polishing the counter and looking around the store again.

The short walk back to her house was filled with music as Mary sung a few songs that she remembered from the radio, and no sooner did she step on the grass then her two dogs ran outside and yipped happily at her feet. The slightly bigger one was mostly chestnut brown with a few black patches and blue eyes, while the smaller one was mostly black with a few brown patches and green eyes. Their coats were clean and shiny, albeit a bit messy from rolling around on the floor, and Mary giggled as they yipped louder at her arrival.

“Aw, I mished you guysh too! C’mon, letsh go inshide and get shome dinner!” Her dogs yipped in response and followed her into the house on their stubby legs, their eyes shining with the prospect of food.

Mary’s mother greeted her in the kitchen, the smell of potatoes and ham floating around the kitchen as a pot of applesauce simmered on the stove. They had a small talk about the day, the soda shop, and the dance, her mother agreeing with the woman in the store. She asked about Charlie and his studies, Mary explaining that she was going to help him over the weekend and her mother agreeing. It was then that her dogs started barking, and Mary stood up to go feed them their usual kibble and water. They gobbled it up eagerly, and Mary hugged her mother for a few seconds before taking her dress and accessories to her room.

A slightly disheveled room in blues and creams greeted her as she entered, the bigger Yorkie puppy running inside and jumping onto her bed. Mary simply just sat down on the bed and stoked his head with her palm as she took out the dress and hung it up on the hook beside her bed, the scarf and necklace lying against the fabric lightly as it too hung on the hook. Placing a hand on her dog’s nose and holding it there for a second, she slowly and carefully said “shtay” and backed up from the bed. Her dog stayed in place, tilting its brownish head to the said and letting out a whimper. Mary repeated her command, and he stayed in place. She smiled, nodding her head as she left the room and headed to the cream and black colored bathroom.

Her dog sat there for a little bit as he waited, looking from side to side and taking in the colors of the room. His owner’s dressers were off white, and the top surface was covered in mini figurines of animals, soldiers, mythical creatures, and people working for all types of professions. Her school textbooks lay on a small, sky blue desk in the corner of the room, a darker blue chair pulled out slightly behind it and an even darker blue pencil cup with writing utensils in the corner of the desk. Her bed looked comfortable and soft; oh, how her dog loved to jump up there and snuggle into the covers while his owner read a book from the bookcase. Before he could jump onto the bed, however, he heard the doorknob twist and focused his attention forwards, seeing his owner walk in with a forest green towel wrapped around her body and another wrapped around her hair.

“Good boy!” Mary said cheerfully as she laughed and walked over to her dresser, grabbing a dog treat out of the clear glass jar in the corner. Her dog yipped as he caught the treat in his mouth and ran around in a circle. “Oh my gosh, you are adorable!” she laughed as she knelt down and pet his head, he placing his paws on her knees and licking her face.

After a few moments, her dog stopped and walked away to a corner of the room, allowing Mary to stand up and admire the dress again, sighing contently. She dried her hair some more, making sure that it wasn’t dripping, and then proceeded to put on a bra and underwear before slipping into her dress. A small squeal came from her throat as she spun around and clapped her hands. After a session of combing her waist length hair, she tied it into a twist ponytail and slightly braided parts of it so that it looked pretty. A sweep of green eye shadow, some mascara and eyeliner, and a touch of reddish lipstick completed the look, and she giggled happily as she tied the scarf on her head and added the necklace. Eyes sparkling as she ran out of the room, she kissed her mother goodbye and slipped on a pair of black shoes and braved the cold.

The dance hall was in the center of town, and even from a good distance, the sound of upbeat music could be heard leaking from the outer walls of the building. Upon entering, Mary could see that the light beige walls had been transformed into a pink, black, and blue colored masterpiece, decorations and dancer silhouettes artfully placed to give the best view of their hipness. Neat pink and blue streamers hung from the ceiling rafters and above the decorations, waving a little if somebody passed by them too fast. The floor didn’t look worn for wear either, almost shining in the orb lights that cast their glow on the mass amount of couples cutting a rug. There was even a large refreshment table in the back of the room, fizzy sodas and plates of mini burgers dotting the black and pink table cover.

“Hey, didn’t expect to see you here!” a familiar voice called out as Mary turned to see Charlie standing there with his girlfriend Veronica, her dark brown, short hair in bouncy pin curls and her sapphire dress swishing around her body. She waved politely, and Mary waved back, greeting her as she ran over.

“Yep! I deshided to come after all and enjoy the danshe!” Mary responded as she beamed. “Sho, what are you two catsh up to? Did you jusht arrive, or have you been here for a while?”

“We were here when the doors were just being opened, but it pretty much just started so you aren’t late!” Veronica said, a slight New York accent on her breath, but it didn’t affect her speech too much.

“Then letsh danshe!” Mary exclaimed as a new song came on the speakers and she tapped her foot to it, looking out onto the dance floor to see if there were any single guys who needed a dancing partner. Most of the couples dancing on the floor were doing some form of the jitterbug, some failing and some succeeding with flying colors, so it took a while for her to locate a boy, but once she did, her face lit up and she dashed over with Charlie and Veronica following her.

It was only a few moments later that Dennis, in a clean white shirt, black pants and his leather jacket, spotted Mary dancing perfectly with a less than perfect bright-eyed boy and smirked. There was no sign of his group, so therefore he wasn’t in danger of being mocked by them for approaching Mary. The blond haired boy grinned and thanked her for the dance, about to hug her until a hard bump was felt on his hip and he fell down.

“Hey sweetcheeks, mind if I cut in a little?” he said as he took her hand, dipped her, and held her waist with his other hand.

“Uh, shure, I guesh!” Mary said as she looked down at the fallen boy and frowned a little. He got up, dusted himself off, and glared at Dennis before giving Mary a sympathetic smile and walking away. A new song started up, and Dennis gave her no warning as he spun her away from him with a chuckle. Mary luckily was able to adapt to the movements and didn’t stumble at all, spinning back and looking him in the eyes.

“Gotta say, you’re killing me with those moves and your classy chassis, sweetcheeks,” he said slyly as he ran his hand down her body, then threw her away from him and counted to 3 in his head as his feet moved across the floor. “What do you say we cut out of here early and play some back seat bingo? My ride’s parked out back.”

Mary looked at him for a moment, and then stopped dancing suddenly, which caused him to fall down because of his momentum. Most of the couples that were dancing stopped to stare at a rather furious looking Dennis dusting himself off and staring at her.

“What the hell was that for?! You completely ruined my-”

“Your apple butter and careshesh ruined the night for me too. I’m not that type of girl.”

“But I’m the most! You’re lucky that I even gave you the time of day!”

“Well then, I shuggest you put an egg in your shoe and beat it to shave you any more embarrashment!” Mary chuckled, turned to a smiling and nodding Charlie and Veronica, nodded back at them, and walked over as the music started up again. More than a few couples laughed at the red-faced greaser as he trekked out of the room, fists clenched by his side as a string of profanities drifted from his mouth.

“Did he hurt you at all, Mary?” Charlie asked with an angry glare towards Dennis.

“Nah!” Mary exclaimed and giggled, looking at all the happy couples dancing. “C’mon, letsh have a blasht!”