Hot dogs steaming in their own juice. Popcorn. That sickeningly sweet-blown sugar smell of cotton candy. Sometimes blue, but most often, it was that sticky bubble gum pink color. Corn chips and the nacho cheese slathered all over them in those flimsy paper trays. Most kids shied away from the jalapenos, but a few of us were braver than the others. Fountain drinks included Coke, Sprite, 7-Up, and Mug root beer. One or two of the area roller skating rinks had Icees. No one knew what the flavors were, just the colors: red or blue. Golden Skate had Icees and Mug root beer. Anyone caught drinking Pepsi was ostracized from Golden Skate and most social circles at school.

Jesse wasn’t a bright kid, but he studied an average amount. Just enough to keep himself out of trouble, and his grades were decent. Mainly Bs and Cs, but those were more from not completing assignments and not failing tests. He had an excellent memory for facts and dates, which surprised the kids he chose to hang out with. He picked what would have been labeled by our parents as the ‘bad kids.’ Delericts. The same kids who smoked out behind the rink, the spot where parents couldn’t see. This is also where you’d find a few teenagers older than us smoking pot. Jesse wasn’t connected to the potheads, but he knew when and where to find dope. He never had a desire. But he loved the same music they did. Heavy rock and roll, and for the 1980s? Hair bands and metal was where it was at. Groups like Ozzy and Black Sabbath, AC/DC, KISS, and Quiet Riot. Jesse thought he wanted to be a guitarist but gave that up when he learned how much you needed to practice.

Jesse’s two best friends, Kyle and Stan, weren’t anything like him at all. Kyle was all about metal music, defying his alcoholic parents, and staying out late, often coming home well after midnight. He knew his Dad would be out cold, and Mom’s valium would’ve kicked in. It wasn’t unusual for Kyle to come to school with a black eye or scratches on his face. No one said a word, not even the administration. His attendance was an issue, but no one ever checked in on him or bothered to say boo.

Stan, on the other hand, was a good kid. He grew up with his Mom raising him and his Dad traveling for business. Janice was a stay-at-home Mom. She helped with anything school- or classroom-related. That meant Stan couldn’t even think about skipping school, something Kyle did often. Jesse never skipped school, never was out of line, and skirted on the edge of getting detention. Jesse’s friends thought he could talk his way out of anything, including fights. At the skating rink, it wasn’t unusual for tempers to run a bit high, especially with all the endorphins from the cardio and the emotional instability of Generation X. And Kyle was the least stable of the three.

The three teens were standing outside Golden Skate, waiting to buy their tickets to enter. Officially, the rink wouldn’t open for ten more minutes, so they loitered outside, standing in a line in front of the box office. The warm spring night air was comfortable with a t-shirt. No need for a jacket of any kind.

“When did you get that?” Stan pointed at Kyle’s black leather motorcycle jacket. Jesse noticed it but didn’t ask questions, figuring it was best to avoid anything that could upset Kyle. Kyle wore a black KISS t-shirt under his leather jacket. His hair was a bit longer than Jesse’s, lying on the edge of the collar of the coat, which was way longer than Stan’s. Stan tried to get Janice to let him grow it out, but that wasn’t happening.

“Sue bought it for me last week. I wasn’t taking any chances until I waterproofed it.” Sue was Kyle’s pseudo-girlfriend. Kyle had three or four girls who were into him, even if he wasn’t. It depended on the day which girl he would choose to be with. Did the girls like it? It depended on which one you asked. Sue was the girl with the big blonde hair. Typical 80s rocker chick, teased out hair, locked in place with a can of Aquanet. Makeup was a little on the heavier side, something Kyle liked – at times, especially the black eyeliner. Sue was a scrapper, never one to back down from a fight. Mess with her, and you were going to get a beating.    

“Wow! She must be pretty special if you let her buy that for you.” Stan stepped close enough to smell and feel the soft leather. Kyle eyed him, a warning to step back.

“Guess so. I never thought about it.”

“You know how much something like that cost? It’s like hundreds of dollars! I saw one at Wilson’s for close to six hundred bucks. Dude. You got the right girl.” Stan punched him in the shoulder, Kyle glaring at him.

“We’re not a couple or anything. You know that, right, Stan?” Kyle slid his hands into his skintight Levi’s. They weren’t acid-washed like the popular kids. They were the standard blue, having been washed a gazillion times and slightly faded. But not like Stan’s. Stan wore the acid-washed jeans. Janice bought them on clearance, which is the only reason Stan wore them.

Jesse, quiet until now, said, “I thought you and Heather were a thing now. What will she think about Sue buying you an expensive gift like that? And you wearing it?”

“What do I care? I didn’t ask her to buy it.” Sue walked up, her perfume, Beautiful, wafting through the air. Thankfully, she didn’t hear what Kyle said. “Hey, baby. What’s going on?” Kyle planted a soft kiss on her lips.

Sue popped her gum and blew a pink bubble. Jesse didn’t know what was worse – the overpowering smell of her perfume or the pinkish smell of Hubba Bubba. She wrapped her arms around Kyle’s neck, smashing the skates around her neck into his chest. “If I see Tish here tonight, I’m gonna beat her ass.”

“Why? What’d she do to you?” Stan quipped.

She let go of Kyle’s neck, turning her attention to Stan. “Because, you twit. She said that I was a slut.”

“Isn’t that true, though?” Jesse asked, smiling.

“No! It’s not true.” She faced Kyle. “Why do you hang out with these losers anyway?”

“Don’t talk about them like that. They aren’t losers.”

“Whatever, Kyle.” She let go of him and ran to a group of tall-haired, over-makeuped teen girls. The gaggle of teens screamed when she joined them.

Jesse punched Kyle. “Let go. The line’s moving.” Kyle looked back to where Sue ran off to.

“Come on, guys! Let’s go!” Stan shouted. Kyle rolled his eyes, pushing Jesse in front of him.