Page 22 of Don't Let Me Go
“I don’t mind,” he says, flashing me a smile. “You deserve your chance at a fresh start.”
Whether or not I deserve a fresh start remains to be seen, but an hour later, I’m at Rink-O-Rama. In terms of venues where I might relaunch my life, it seems as good a spot as any.
The old Jackson wouldn’t be caught dead in a place like this. He wasn’t a fan of skating rinks, especially not ones that seem way too excited to bring back the eighties.
The walls are covered in oversize murals featuring painted caricatures of Molly Ringwald, Winona Ryder, and a bunch of other old actors I don’t recognize. Hot-pink and turquoise-blue LEDs line theceiling and provide the only lighting—except for the giant mirror ball hanging over the center of the rink. As for the music? So far, the only songs I’ve heard have been by some band called ELO, which Duy told me stands for Electric Light Orchestra.
Despite all this, New Jackson is trying to keep an open mind. Old Jackson might have been too cool for a retro roller rink, but Old Jackson also made really shitty life choices and wound up miserable, so I should probably stop listening to him.
“Come on, pretty boy, hurry up,” Audrey barks, skating around the bench where I’m seated. I’m struggling to lace up my skates for the second time after missing an eyelet on the first attempt.
“Almost done.”
“Take your time,” Tala advises, sipping the root beer she purchased at the concession stand. “Safety first.”
She and Audrey must really be into skating. Or maybe they’re just into old eighties movies, because they’ve both dressed up for the occasion. Audrey is wearing a collarless white shirt, tan vest, and blue jeans. She’s also parted her hair down the middle in order to look more like Michael Beck, who’s apparently one of the stars ofXanadu. Meanwhile Tala is wearing a calf-length pink dress and knee-high white roller skates, which I’m told is what Olivia Newton-John wore in the movie. She’s even got on a golden hijab that she says matches the exact shade of Olivia’s hair.
Of course, the prize for Most Unique Costume would have to go to Duy. They’re wearing a woman’s World War II uniform that they’ve sewn from scratch. Supposedly, it’s an exact replica of what Olivia Newton-John wore in the movie’s flashback/dream sequence. I don’t really know. Duy tried to explain the plot ofXanaduto me, but I’m pretty certain they were messing with me. The story sounds too bonkers to be a real movie.
“All set,” I announce, finally finishing with my laces. I push myself off the bench—and my feet immediately slip out from under me.
“Whoa there!” Audrey exclaims, catching me before I fall on my ass.
“I’m okay,” I assure her, though I’m finding it harder than I expected to stay upright. Both of my feet seem determined to escape in opposite directions.
“Have you ever skated before?” Tala asks, popping up beside me to steady me.
“Uh?.?.?.?yeah. Of course. It’s been a while, though.”
“How long?” Audrey demands.
“Um, maybe ten years, give or take?”
Audrey shakes her head. “Oh, boy.”
“You might want to take it slow,” Tala suggests, adopting the sort of tone that’s usually reserved for addressing small children. “Maybe stick to the side of the rink? That way if you start to fall, you’ll be able to catch yourself.”
Wow. Okay. Not gonna lie, New Jackson is not loving this part of his fresh start. Finding out that I’m somehow the least athletically coordinated member of the group isn’t a great boost to my ego.
“Is everything okay?” Riley asks, returning from the restrooms with Duy.
Audrey sighs in exasperation. “Jackson doesn’t know how to skate.”
“I can skate,” I insist with a confidence that turns out to be sorely unearned because a second later my legs buckle. Both Riley and Duy have to grab hold of me to keep me from face-planting onto the carpet.
Luckily, no one can see how embarrassed I am because, without warning, the lights in the rink suddenly dim, leaving us in almost total darkness. At first, I assume it’s a power outage. Then I notice twothings: The mirror ball is still sparkling, and a wave of applause is erupting around me.
“It’s starting!” Tala squeals.
The applause morphs from a general cheering into a deliberate, almost synchronized clapping. It reminds me of one of Micaela’s cheer routines. Everyone in the rink is doing it. Staff, customers,everyone.
“What’s going on?” I shout over the noise.
“They’re about to play ‘Xanadu’!” Riley shouts back.
“The movie?”
“No.” He laughs. “The song.”
