It is one of the cruel injustices of
life that of all the kids I could have a locker next to in this school,
mine would have to be located next to Gina Kenickie, Social Misfit of
the Century. Gina is nasty and obnoxious to all who meet her,
including me, her only friend. For some reason, she is convinced
that everyone in school is jealous of her. Why we would be
jealous, I don’t know, but that is her stock response to anything
anyone would ever say to her. “Gina, your homework is
overdue.” “You’re just jealous!” “Gina, your shoelaces are
untied.” “You’re just jealous!” “Gina, a piano is about to
fall on your head.” “You’re just jealous!” One day I told
her, “Gina, I think I’m jealous,” and right on cue, she said, “You’re
just jealous!” I have asked the principal for a new locker, but
he said once you get assigned a locker, you keep it until you
graduate. Great.
On the Monday morning after Casey’s hit-and-run
concert debut, Gina met me at the main entrance of the high school and
immediately got on my case about coming home from Florida so
soon. “You didn’t even get a tan!”
“We were only there a day,” I explained in a peepish
voice. We made our way to our lockers in the freshman section of
the high school.
“There’s an assembly today. A pep rally or
something stupid like that. They have a big video screen set up
in the auditorium.” She swung her locker open with a CLANG!
“That’s probably for the satellite deployment,” I
told her. “My father’s company is setting up a closed-circuit
connection here so we can watch it.” I opened my locker and put
my jacket in, then closed it softly.
“I’m sick of all this space crap,” Gina whined,
slamming her locker shut. “By the way, I forgot to pick up all
the homework you told me to get.”
“That’s okay, I was planning to repeat the ninth
grade anyway,” I said. “Did you study for the Social Studies test
today?”
Gina snorted in derision. “Are you nuts?
I’m gonna go to
the nurse’s office and get an early dismissal. Make sure you give
me the answers tomorrow. You did study, didn’t you?”
“A little.”
“Well, you can study some more in study hall,” said
Gina as she spun on her heels and trotted down the hallway without even
saying goodbye. No wonder I spend so much time in a fantasy
world!
There were still ten minutes left before homeroom
began, so I wandered down the hall to the place where Casey and his
gang usually hung out, a seldom-used entrance next to a
stairwell. Casey and a bunch of his friends were standing around,
acting cool. I felt all of their eyes on me as I walked past, so
I made sure not to look at them until I was far enough away. When
I looked back, I could see Casey leaning slightly forward to watch me
walk past. He gave me a little grin and leaned backward as his
friends started teasing him.
With everything that had been going on that weekend,
it was hard for me to concentrate in my first two classes. My
mind was always on Casey. I figured he was only paying attention
to me because I was Curt’s sister, since he never seemed to notice me
before, but there was something in the way he looked at me that made me
wonder if there was something more to it. Even though he was a
senior and I was only a freshman, I let my mind wander and imagined
what it would be like if he and I ever became a couple.
Eventually I decided that I was only getting my hopes up for nothing,
so I tried to forget about it. It didn’t help matters that
everywhere I went, kids were talking about Casey’s band and their
concert in the park.
The pep rally was held before lunch. We were
called down to the auditorium grade by grade. While we took our
seats, I noticed that there was a large video screen set up above the
stage with a microphone stand beneath it. The principal,
Mr. Chamberlain, came out and calmly surveyed the boisterous
crowd before calling us to attention.
“I know we’re all still excited about Space Week,
but if I can have your attention for just a few minutes, I’d like to
introduce the man responsible for the gift of this beautiful new video
monitor, Mr. Hugh Bainardson, Sr., President of Terra Tech
Dynamics. Mr. Bainardson?”
The audience applauded politely as a middle-aged man
came out on stage and shook the principal’s hand. “Thank you,
boys and girls. I’m very happy to be here at your school.”
“Tell us, Hugh, what are we going to see
today?” asked the principal.
“We’re going to see the launch of a new generation
of communications satellite from the space shuttle Atlantis. This was designed
by Cal Larson of our research and development department.”
The screen lit up with the image of the space
shuttle’s cargo bay. The doors were opening up and you could see
a bulky contraption at the far end of the cargo bay that had a spinning
object aimed into space at an angle.
“This is a video hookup from the Johnson Space
Center in Houston, Texas. What you see here is the cargo bay of
the space shuttle and the rotating launch platform of the satellite.”
“Why is it spinning?”
“Good question. It’s spinning because the
rockets on the Payload Assist Module—P. A. M. for short—often burn
unevenly,
causing the satellite to fly off course. Spinning cancels out any
imbalance.”
“How high up does it go?”
“About 22,300 miles above the earth, in what’s known
as the Arthur C. Clarke Orbit. At that distance, it’s unaffected
by earth’s gravitational pull and will stay in the same position
relative to the earth at all times.”
“What will the satellite be used for?”
“It will serve a variety of purposes. As a
telecommunications satellite, it will assist both military and
commercial airlines, as well as future space traffic. It also
keeps a series of super-sensitive scanners trained on earth to record
and transmit valuable information on weather and pollution levels.”
“That’s amazing,” said Mr. Chamberlain.
Mr. Bainardson checked his watch. “Well, it’s
getting close to launch time.”
The volume came up on the monitor. We could
hear the astronauts talking over their communicators. “PAM
ignition in five seconds....four...three...two...one...disengage
locking mechanism. Launch satellite.”
The spinning satellite began to lift out of its
cradle and began to rise up out of the cargo bay. “Houston, this Atlantis. Eaglestar I has
been launched.”
Everybody in the auditorium went crazy.
“Eaglestar” was the name of all our high school sports teams, and
nobody knew the satellite would go up under that name. Hugh had a
smile on his face.
“Well, Terra Tech Dynamics sure is doing a lot for
school spirit around here,” Mr. Chamberlain said. “A planetarium,
a big screen TV, computers, a science lab, a satellite named in our
honor...what’s next? Our own space shuttle launch pad?”
“Don’t ruin the surprise,” grinned Mr. Bainardson.
“Too bad they don’t donate a Burger King,” grumbled
a kid behind me.
“Let’s have a nice round of applause for Mr. Hugh
Bainardson, Sr., President of Terra Tech Dynamics!” The crowd
began to cheer wildly. At that moment, the varsity cheerleaders
came running into the auditorium from both sides and stood in front of
the stage to do their latest cheer. I won’t nauseate you with the
lyrics.
“It’s been quite a year at Eastville Central High,”
said Mr. Chamberlain once the cheerleaders finished their sick little
ditty. “The Eastville Eaglestars have been division champions in
soccer, football, swimming, hockey, and volleyball, and so far we’ve
been undefeated in lacrosse, baseball, and track and field!”
The cheerleaders jumped up and down and waved their
pompons while the crowd roared with approval. The principal then
introduced each of the teams. They came out with their team
jackets on and accepted the trophies that Mr. Bainardson handed out to
them. Each trophy had the school mascot on it, a little eagle
with a star on its chest. Since Curt was the captain of the
football, hockey and baseball teams, he accepted three trophies, two of
which he allowed his wingmen to hold on to.
“We have one more award to hand out, and this one is
for the most outstanding athlete of the year. This year’s
recipient has shown remarkable leadership as the captain of the
champion football and hockey teams as well as the as-yet undefeated
baseball team. He is none other than Eastville’s future
astronaut, CURT LARSON!”
The audience went totally bonkers when Curt stepped
forward from the assembled athletes to accept his award. Curt
shook hands with Mr. Bainardson and Mr. Chamberlain and walked up to
the microphone to congratulate himself.
I think I would have went berserk sitting in the
audience if it weren’t for what happened next. Just as Curt began
to speak into the microphone, a strange noise began to emanate from
behind the closed curtains behind him. It was an electric guitar
solo!
“Not again,” I heard Curt groan.
“CHILDREN OF THE EARTH...PREPARE TO BE ROCKED! FOR
THIS IS THE SECOND COMING OF THE GODS OF METAL...KATZENJAMMER!!!”
The curtains were drawn to reveal a smoke-filled
stage. Only the silhouettes of the band and their equipment were
visible. Casey’s guitar riffs were fluttering around the top of
the auditorium like a trapped sparrow, then came crashing down like a
B-17 bomber. The bright red letters that spelled out KATZENJAMMER
began to pulsate to the beat. A spotlight began to shine on Casey
as he played his white guitar. The audience was cheering wildly
as the other members of the band began to jam along with him.
Eventually Curt decided to get off the stage.
Most of the cheerleaders had already begun to take seats on the floor
to watch the show. I noticed Jessica Cartwright and went over to
sit next to her.
“Isn’t this great?” I asked her. She
laughed and shook her head. Jeremy began to sing:
“I don’t wanna hear it
I don’t wanna know
The guys you been hanging ’round
Will never rock and roll
No, I don’t wanna hear it
You’ll never get the chance
To tell me ’bout the things they do for you
So just shut up and dance
You were one fine woman
The best friend I ever had
I opened up my heart and soul to you
But now you’re making me mad
You say they make you feel normal
To me you’re one of a kind
You wanna be just like everyone else
And that’s where I draw the line
No, I don’t wanna hear it
No, I don’t wanna know
Scott, Mike, Doug and Steve
Just ain’t the type to rock and roll
No, I don’t wanna hear it
And you’ll never get the chance
To tell me ’bout the things they do for you
So just shut up and dance”
Jeremy and Casey began to trade guitar licks while
Doobie Brother and A. J. maintained the basic riff of the song.
That red-haired drummer was pounding away on the drums and made a
number of facial contortions that are required by law when you’re the
drummer of a heavy metal band. Eventually Jeremy stepped back up
to the microphone.
“You used to tell me your secrets
We used to talk until dawn
Lately I don’t even understand
What planet you are living on
When I ask you to see me
You say I’m living in the past
If this is just a phase you’re going through
I pray to God it doesn’t last
No, I don’t wanna hear it
And I never wanna know
The guys you’ve been hanging ’round
Just ain’t the type to rock and roll
No, I don’t wanna hear it
And you’ll never get the chance
To tell me ’bout the things they do for you
So baby shut up and dance”
Casey went into another vicious guitar solo while
the rest of the band continued their all-out jam. When they
finished playing their song the audience went crazy. Casey traded
his electric guitar for an acoustic and stepped up to the
microphone. “I’d like to thank all the jockstraps for letting me
rain on their parade,” he said. “My name is Casey Winslow, and
this is my band, the Gods of Metal, KATZENJAMMER! The next song we’re
gonna play is dedicated to a certain somebody out there. It’s a
song we wrote called ‘Mystery Girl.’”
He began to play the acoustic guitar while girls in
the audience began to scream. Jessica looked at me and
laughed. “They probably think he means them.”
I didn’t tell Jessica, but I wished he meant me.
“You don’t know me, but I know you
I’ve been wondering if what they say is true
They tell me you’ve got stars in your eyes
One look at you, and I’m mesmerized
Mystery girl, what are you dreaming of?
Do you wish upon the stars above?
Do you think you could ever fall in love
With a guy like me?“
Eventually the other guys in the band began to play
along with Casey. I was too blown away by what was happening to
remember the rest of the lyrics, but it sounded as if he was singing
about me. I looked around me at the other girls in the audience
and figured they were thinking the same thing.
When the song ended, Jeremy came back to the
microphone. “We’re going to play one more song. This is the
song we played in the park last night, ‘Gods of Metal.’”
I was in a daze by the time that song was
over. They took their bows and the curtains closed. The
audience began to get up and leave the auditorium. Curt Larson
came stomping by. “I don’t know what the big deal is, any
retarded monkey can play heavy metal!”
“You’re just jealous,” said Kathy
Katzenjammer. He just gave her a stern look and watched her walk
out of the auditorium with her cheerleader buddies.
Jessica smiled at me. “I have to change out of
my cheerleader uniform. Can you save me a seat at lunch?”
“Sure,” I said. She hurried to catch up to the
other cheerleaders. As I began to walk toward the exit, I took
one look back at the stage and realized that it wasn’t going to do me
any good to try and ignore the feelings I was having about Casey
Winslow.
