I check the clock and it’s only 11: 14. Everyone would be in class, but lunch break is soon and I think about Laurie, and Kevin, and Mark and hideous Jill. I really hope Laurie doesn’t hang out with her just because I’m not there today and Kevin better not say anything to Mark about what I told him about the other night.
I’m in the little room, sick and listening to the Pet Shop Boys. At first I was trying to cheer myself up, but since that’s clearly impossible all I can do is put What Have I Done to Deserve This on repeat and wallow. My head is congested and my body is too sore to pace. I can’t even smoke.
It’s really warm outside so that means everyone will be going to the 7-11 at lunch and then sitting in the field. I wanted to ask Laurie to call me at lunch to let me know what was happening, but there’s really no good place to talk without someone hearing and we all know what busybody snoops they all are at school. I’ll have to wait until school is over for the day and she gets home.
Mark is the one who should be calling all the time and helping me, but he’s too paranoid that he’ll get whatever I have, especially after four kids had mono earlier this year. I turn the music down and look again at the clock. It’s 11:23 and I’m missing everything.
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Image: Pet Shop Boys, Us magazine, May 2, 1988.
Welcome to the Little Room is a series of 250-word re-imagined vignettes from my ’80s youth with a focus on music and style. It appears weekly on periodicult.com.
