CHATROOM LOVE
Chapter Six

Jack saw Rose waiting for him at the entrance to the school, and hurried over to her. Being a couple of minutes late wasn’t really that big a deal, but he liked Rose and wanted to make a good impression.

"Hey," he said, walking up to her.

Rose smiled. "Hi."

They were both silent for a moment, trying to think of what to say. Finally, Jack broke the silence.

"So...are you going to show me around Edmonton?"

"Well..." Rose thought for a moment. "Edmonton is a pretty big city, and it would take several days to show you all of it, so I’m just going to show you the highlights for now. I thought I might show you this dance club on Whyte Avenue called the Roxy." She blushed a little, realizing that it sounded like she was asking him out on a real date, instead of just showing him around. After all, what did she really know about him? She’d only just met him. He might be as bad as Cal, or worse, when they were alone. "If you want to, that is," she added quickly. "It’s where a lot of teens hang out."

He nodded. "Sure," he said. "Sounds good." He pretended not to notice her nervousness. "Did you drive today? If you did, I’ll just follow you there, because I drove my car to school today. If you didn’t...uh...would you like a ride?"

"Actually..." Rose thought for a moment. She really shouldn’t accept a ride from someone she didn’t know, but she didn’t have her car with her today, and she hadn’t thought about the fact that she would need transportation to show Jack around. Edmonton was much too big to just walk around, even if she only showed him a few things. "Sure," she told him, throwing caution to the wind. After all, he hadn’t given her any sign that he wasn’t trustworthy, and if he tried anything...well...her experience with Cal had taught her a thing or two. She knew much more now about defending herself. But she hoped she wouldn’t have to. Jack seemed like a nice guy, not at all like Cal.

*****

Half an hour later, they were at the Roxy. Normally, it would have taken much less time to get there, but Jack was still unfamiliar with the city, getting adjusted to the change from miles to kilometres, and made several wrong turns, in spite of Rose’s patient directions. They were both laughing too hard to speak by the time they finally got there.

"Oh," Rose gasped, climbing out of the car and leaning against it, holding her side. "I never knew anyone could be so bad at following directions. I said right, you went left. I must admit, I’ve never seen the city quite this way before. We went places I’ve never been." She burst into laughter again, peals of mirth ringing out through the parking lot. A few people looked at her strangely.

"Well, I guess you gave me more of a tour than you’d expected," Jack replied, still laughing. "Now you know a new side of me--the one that could get lost in a paper bag."

Rose just giggled, then led him toward the entrance. "This," she told him, finally stopping her laughter, "is the Roxy. A lot of teens hang out here, including a lot of kids from our school. We might know some of the people in there."

They went inside, listening to the loud music and shouting to be heard above it.

"Do you see anyone you know?" Jack shouted to Rose.

Rose looked around. "No one that I really want to go and talk to," she shouted back.

"Me, neither." They both put their hands over their ears, trying to concentrate on the conversation instead of on the music.

"Now what?" Rose asked.

"What?"

"Let’s get something to drink," she suggested, gesturing toward the counter.

"Okay."

They both got Cokes and sat down at a corner table, where the music wasn’t as loud.

"So, how do you like Edmonton so far?" Rose asked, sipping her drink.

"It’s pretty cool. I just moved here, so I haven’t seen much yet."

Rose nodded. "It only has around one million people, but I like it anyway. Where were you from before?"

"Santa Monica, near Los Angeles."

"This must seem like a large city by comparison."

He shrugged. "It is more crowded, but I kind of like it that way."

"I haven’t seen much of the US," Rose said wistfully. "I’ve only ever been to the northern states, although my family did go through LA once, a few years ago. I’d like to see the city of Los Angeles,"

"I heard it's an actual city, and not just an airport." She winked at him and then laughed.

"I hear it might be!"

Jack laughed.

"But you know those are just rumours"

Jack changed the subject. "What part of town do you live in?"

"Mill Creek. What about you?"

"I live in an area called Millwoods. Is Mill Creek anything like that?"

Rose was a little embarrassed. "Uh...not really. Mill Creek is a lot more...ritzy."

He nodded. "Millwoods is okay. I’m living with my cousin and his wife and kids in their townhouse. It’s kind of shabby, but not too bad."

Rose nodded. "I’ve been to Millwoods once or twice, but it isn’t really the sort of area that people from Mill Creek like to spend a lot of time in. It’s kind of...run down."

Jack shrugged. He was used to run-down areas. Los Angeles had plenty of them, and Millwoods wasn’t nearly as bad as some he’d seen. Remembering something, he checked his watch.

"Rose...I just remembered. I’m supposed to watch my cousin’s kids tonight. I have to get going."

"So soon?" In spite of herself, Rose was disappointed. She was enjoying spending time with him.

"Yeah. Do you need a ride home?"

Rose nodded. "Yes. Just don’t be too surprised if people stare at your car. It’s..."

"...kind of old and needs to be washed?" Jack finished for her.

"Yeah."

"Don’t worry about it. I don’t even notice, usually."

"Well...okay." She smiled. "Actually, it’s kind of fun to watch the looks on people’s faces when they see something that’s not what they expect." She sighed, wishing that they could spend more time together. "Let’s go."

*****

Jack was very much in awe of the houses in Rose’s neighbourhood. Mill Creek was an area made up of huge, beautiful old houses, near to a ravine, the Mill Creek for which the area was named. He’d seen some beautiful houses before, but none quite like this. And he’d never known anyone who lived in such a nice house, either.

Rose was a little embarrassed by his reaction. She had lived in Mill Creek for a long time now, and she was so used to it that it no longer made much of an impression on her. But Jack had rarely been in such a lofty neighbourhood, and he was able to fully appreciate it.

It made her think of what life was like for people who weren’t as well-off as she was. Not everyone went home each day to a house like hers, or had all the privileges she had. She suddenly wondered how her crowd would react to Jack, what they would think of him. Would they accept him as she had, or snub him, as so many well-off people were known to do? On impulse, she turned to him.

"Would you like to come to the country club with me next Saturday?" she asked, smiling. Even if the people she knew didn’t accept him, she did, and she could show him the fun things that they could do there.

Jack looked surprised for a moment. Would he even be allowed into her country club?

"Come on," she encouraged. "It’ll be fun. And they’ll let you in if you’re with me."

He hesitated, wondering if he would fit in with her crowd, then nodded. He liked Rose, and wanted to spend more time with her. Briefly, he thought of asking her to come and help him watch his little cousins, but decided against it. It was best not to push things too fast.

"Sure. Count me in," he told her.

Rose smiled, climbing out of the car and walking up toward her front door. She turned for a moment and waved to him, smiling as he waved back and drove off.

Chapter Seven
Stories