by K. Ries
Please Don't Go, Girl
An 80's baby Novella
By: K. Ries
This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.
PLEASE DON'T GO GIRL
First edition. February 1, 2021.
Copyright © 2021 K.Ries.
Written by K.Ries.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
To Marie. Who shares my love of all things the 80s, 90s, and boybands. Love you sissy.
Welcome to Pine Grove!
Two - Marissa
Three - Aiden
Four - Marissa
Five - Aiden
Six- Marissa - Two weeks later
Epilogue - Aiden
THE END
Acknowledgments | First I want to say thank you to Dee Ellis and all the ladies of this series. Thanks for being badasses and rocking out this totally rad adventure. It's been a blast. | Second: To Reb and Cyndy K. with whom this would never have gotten done. You two are my favorite cheerleaders. I love y'all with my whole damn heart. You're awesome, dudes. | Third: To Readers everywhere who love this decade like we do. Hope we did it justice. And hope you enjoy this trip back in time.
Where to Find Kat | Find all things Kat Writes by visiting | www.KatWritesWords.com
To Marie. Who shares my love of all things the 80s, 90s, and boybands. Love you sissy.
Welcome to Pine Grove!
Let's take a trip back to the totally tubular 1980s!
Pine Grove is a small parish outside of Baton Rouge but folks there still know how to have a rad time! Whether it's hangin' at Skateland, catching a flick at the Starlite Drive-in, or hanging out at Pine Grove Galleria, there is always an excellent time to be had with bitchin' people.
Pine Grove Galleria is also where lots of hook-ups, break-ups, and ' make-outs happen! Bodacious babes and dope dudes find love in the food courts and arcade aisles in twelve stories from some of your favorite authors in this throwback series set in the decade of decadence.
It's the 80's baby...
One - Aiden
SCOOPING UP SOME FRIES and swirling them through the ketchup on my plate, I waited for Marissa to tell me what was so important she couldn't wait until later. She wasn't working tonight and Tape World closed at seven. She was fidgeting with one of the buttons on her jean jacket, carefully not looking at me. We'd been friends pretty much since forever, seeing as she lived right next door. Growing up she might have been the annoying little kid, but somewhere around High School, she'd become my best friend. Since we were both working our way through college, we saw each other less and less during the week, but we still had our weekends. We'd catch something at the cinema or just hang around the Galleria, even though I worked here. The food court was packed with families and teenagers. Pine Grove had one hang out and its Galleria was it. I only had an hour break and Marissa had been silent for at least thirty of that hour.
"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?" Picking up my drink, waiting her out wasn't an issue.
Marissa opened her mouth to speak just as Pop Princess Glitter's newest song blasted through the food court, making the teenagers and even some adults around us cheer and start singing along. I couldn't deny it wasn't catchy and her latest album was never in the crates for long. Everyone wanted Glitter's Vinyl. Marissa poked at her salad and waited for the song to pass, then looked up at me, her blue eyes shining with tears and a little happiness.
"Remember how I told you I was applying for Internships and colleges up north?" Once the words were out of her mouth, I suddenly didn't want to have this conversation, but I sent her a reassuring smile and nodded.
"Well, before I went home before I came back up this way. Waiting for me on the table mom has by the door was a letter."
My stomach twisted in knots. She was leaving. It was obvious the way her excitement grew, her blue eyes blazing bright. I was about to lose my best friend and the woman I loved. Clearing my throat, I waved a hand at her. "What was in the letter, Rissa?" Using her nickname made everything hurt, but I couldn't let her know that.
She smiled, finally picking up her drink to take a long sip, letting the straw dangling from in between her lips. "The Washington Post is looking for eager interns to learn the ins and outs of journalism, political style. And... I got into GW."
My world sunk to a narrow-minded focus. She was leaving so she wouldn't even see me graduate. I love TSU and couldn't transfer this late. Could I? Smiling, I got up and rounded the table, pulling her up and into a hug. Breathing in the scent of her, and letting her crimped blonde hair tickle my nose for a minute, I let myself dream I could pull away and kiss her. "That's awesome, Marissa. I'm so excited for you. How are they going to transfer your credit?"
She smiled at me, and poked me in the chest, right in the middle of my Iron Maiden shirt, then sat down to finish eating. "I'll head up to the school next week, talk to someone about it. I'm so excited. Finally, this damn town will be dust in the rearview."
"Wow. Love you too," my heart twisted at the words.
She laughed, her bright pink eye shadow showing as she closed her eyes. "You know you're the best thing in this place."
"And what about your job?"
Before she could answer, the alarm on my watch beeped. Dammit. Rising, I scooped up my tray. "Sorry, we can talk later. Want to grab dinner before the movie?"
Marissa stood, grabbing her tray and her purse. "Yeah, that sounds great. See you later." Leaning over, she kissed my cheek, then we headed our separate ways to deposit our trash and get back to daily life. I had to tell her I didn't want her to go.
WITH MOST OF THE SHOPS closed, the Galleria shouldn't have been as busy as it was, but everyone was there for the arcade or the movie theater. They were always popular places and besides Skateland and the drive-in the only entertainment in our small town. Marissa and I sat at one of the tables in the food court laughing and talking. She told me about all the people who fell while she was at work and how her headphones messed up her hair again. She'd gone home to change and was wearing a black dress with and she'd straightened her hair, rather than leaving it curly. Around us, people were talking and a group of people were playing Hackysack after pushing their tables out of the way.
"We should get going." She said. Looking at the giant clock about Sabro, I nodded. It was almost time for our movie. We tossed our stuff and then headed for the theatre.
People moved in and out of the shops still moving, their voices carrying and laughter filling the air. Something seemed off with her and I couldn't figure out what it was, she'd been happy this afternoon.
"You okay?" My shoulder brushed hers as I had to move out the way for a group of teenagers coming out of Aladdin's Castle. Passing by Tape World, no matter how many times we made the walk, I couldn't help but think without the neon to light it up, it looked abandoned.
"I'm stellar. Just thinking about school." Her bright blue earrings swung as she looked up up me, a smile on her lips.
Bumping my hip with hers, I swung my arm around her shoulders, like a best friend would do. "Put it away, and let's enjoy the weekend. We deserve it."
She laughed, and the knot in my stomach loosened a little. "We really do. Since when did we become adults."
I rolled my eyes and pulled her towards the door of Pine Star Cinema. "We're not adults. We're young adults. And we're not old."
Moving my arm I opened the door and waved her inside. I had to tell her I didn't want her to go before this Summer was up.
Two - Marissa
Pulling open the doors to The Galleria I headed right for Baskin Robins before going to tape world. Hopefully, Aiden
wouldn't be sad if I grabbed Ice Cream for him on his break. And it would save him from having to walk down to the food court. Leaving him behind wasn't something I wanted to do, he was my best friend and had been for years. Sure we'd been neighbors forever too, but there was just something in Aiden I'd always been drawn to. The pull to leave Pine Grove and see the big cities, something other than this small town was even greater than my pull towards the guy who'd held my heart in his hands since I'd been ten. Getting the internship at the Post was a dream I needed to pursue and the George Washington University acceptance was an unexpected gift.
Glancing up, I watched Aiden through the big windows in front of Tape World. Pencil in hand, he was using the counter as his instrument as he followed the beat to the latest Motley Crue song. Tommy Lee knew how to play. Aiden's brown hair was slicked back and he wore Tape World's uniform shirt with dark black jeans and boots. Too many times I had called him out for being my teddy bear wrapped in a bad boy exterior. It was a fitting enough description.
Stepping into the store, I smiled and stepped to the counter, sliding the cup of chocolate and vanilla onto the counter, then headed for the rows and rows of vinyls and the shelves of tapes. This store was a comfort to me. Sam Goody's might have been more popular but I loved the feel of Tape World. It could have also been the man I'd had a crush on for my entire life, but the feeling I got between these rows of records couldn't be discounted.
I was browsing the row of Popular music when Aiden walked up, pink scoop halfway into his mouth, long fingers wrapped around the paper. "Whatcha doin?"
"Looking for something new to play tonight for couples night." Shugging I moved to the next crate, my fingers dancing along cardboard.
Aiden huffed, turning and grabbing my elbow, pulling me towards what was new, making me smile. "You do that on purpose."
Pursing my lips, I glanced over at him. "Maybe, but you don't mind it. Enjoying your ice cream?"
He nodded, scooping up another bite. "Yes. Thank you. I've only got ten minutes."
Sometimes Aiden forgot we knew each other's schedules. "I know, that's why I bought you ice cream." Well, one of the reasons.
Grabbing the latest Madonna along with Iron Maiden, I headed for the counter, waiting there patiently as Aiden followed behind me. After he tossed his cup, he stepped behind the counter and rang up my purchases. The only sound in the store was the radio and I bit my lip, hoping whatever was between us could be moved past. Handing him the cash, our fingers brushed and I felt the shock all the way down to the toes of my converse. It wasn't fair. We were best friends. I shouldn't love him like this, but I did. Hopefully after this weekend, and the distance between us, the feeling in my chest would go away.
"So..." I started once I had my purchases. "I'm leaving this weekend. I have to go fill out the paperwork for school, and the Post."
Aiden's green eyes were wide and if I didn't know him like I did, I would swear there were tears behind them. "You're.." he cleared his throat looking off towards the back. "You're leaving? For good?"
I shook my head. "No. I'll be back. I still have things to settle up here, but soon."
"How soon is soon, Rissa?" I glanced down at my toes, glad I'd decided on jeans today instead of a dress or a skirt.
"Three weeks at the most. I wanted to stay until school started, but I can't. I'm sorry."
Since the both of us left High school, Aiden and I had a tradition, we'd always go to school with the other on the first day. It was an accident at first and everyone who knew the both of us thought we'd been secretly dating when he'd shown up for my first day. That wasn't the case but since then it's been a thing with us. And now I was going to break the tradition this fall. We both were.
Aiden grumbled and I looked up at him. His face was red and he looked upset. "Was the ice cream a bribe?"
I smiled and nodded at him. "You shouldn't be sad. We're both going to have awesome first days and the rest of the school year. I'll end up so busy, I won't have time to think."
Too much time thinking was why I wanted out of this small town. To see other things, experience other people. Customers headed into the store, and without saying a word Aiden stepped over to help them while I slid out of the door. I headed for the stairs, hoping to hide for a minute. As I pushed open the door, my nose wrinkled at the smell of smoke, but it wasn't anything I wasn't used to. Landing on the stairs, the first tears started to fall. Breaking Aiden's heart wasn't on my list of things to do this Summer, but it looks like I had. It's not wrong to want better things, I knew that logically, but the hurt and anger on Aiden's face made it difficult to accept. Wiping my face, and taking a deep breath, I left the stairwell and headed for the doors. It was going to be a long walk around to my car, but not having to pass by Aiden right now was more important. We had to get through this, otherwise, I would lose my best friend and that wasn't an option. I didn't know how to make him see this was what I needed and that maybe he should come with me.
Three - Aiden
Stepping outside, I sat at one of the benches instead of headed down to get some lunch. My stomach was in a giant knot with the bombshell Marissa dropped on me. She disappeared, and I couldn't call her until I got home because I didn't have change for the payphone. I could have used the work phone but I didn't want to hear Victoria complain. Tilting my face up towards the sky, I couldn't help but feel like today was a lie. Outside was bright and sunny, a happy day. But inside my head and my heart, there was a dark cloud looming like the sun would never shine again around me. A large part of my heart would be thousands of miles away, not giving me a thought while I was stuck here. Finishing school was one of the most important things to me. I could say I did it. Be the only one in my family to do it.
I had to tell Marissa how I felt but had no clue how to. She wanted to leave and there was no way I would be responsible for crushing her dreams. She'd wanted out of this town the minute she could breathe. Meant for bigger and better things. Telling her how I felt would tie her down to this place and I couldn't do that to her. Rising to my feet, I decided to walk around the building, try to clear my head. The best thing was to let her go, hold my head high and not let her know she was taking my heart with her. It felt like such a cliche. A bad movie stuck in the VCR. It was time to be the best friend, wish her well, and watch her drive away with everything I held in my heart.
SETTING THE BAG NEXT to me on the floor, I sat at one of the benches and people watched. It was my day off and Casey wanted to hang out, and Marissa said she'd try and make it before work. Moms and dads, teenagers who were stuck watching their little siblings played at the small playground in the middle of the mall set up for kids. It let them blow off steam and it gave people a chance to catch up somewhere that wasn't outside. Drumming my fingers on the table to the sound of the music coming from the above speakers, I waited, only myself for company. I spotted Casey as he walked up, both hands carrying drinks from Orange Julius and a bag from Sabro on his arm.
He groaned as he collapsed next to me, passing me one of the drinks, then took the bag off his arm and handed me a slice of Pepperoni. "I wasn't that hungry, but thanks." My brother grunted out something that sounded like 'you're welcome' while he dug into his slice. We ate in silence until both slices were gone. Once the trash was gone, Casey sat back down and turned to me. His brown eyes bore into mine, and I was reminded how much like my father he was.
"You've been acting weird. Why?"
Scoffing, I tried to play it off. "I have not been. I've been busy with work and trying to figure out what I want to do for my dissertation."
"Right. That's exactly what you've been doing every time Marissa backs out of her driveway and you look like she ran over Spike." He said speaking of our eight-year-old pit bull.
"Leave it alone, Casey."
He shook his head, toeing the bag at my feet, making me scowl and pick it up to put it next to me instead of on the floor. "I don't think so. What's going on?"
Groaning, I pulled at
the ends of my hair. "She's leaving. This weekend, then in a couple of weeks for good. She got the internship she told mom about. And got into GW." My brother smiled, happy for Marissa. I didn't have to say her name for him to know who I was talking about. "And I don't want her to go."
"Why don't you want her to go? She's wanted out of Pine Grove for as long as I can remember."
"I know. I don't want her to go because I've been in love with her since senior year. Plus, she won't be there for my last first day. I won't be there for her first day. I'm not sure it's worth it, without her."
Casey's eyes widened, shocked by my confession. "You're in love with Marissa? As in our neighbor Marissa, who's.." He broke off face paling.
I nodded slowly, waiting for him to finish. When he didn't, I followed his line of sight to whatever he was gaping at over my shoulder. Marissa stood there, Blue eyes wide. Her blonde hair up in a high sideways ponytail. She had her signature dark blue converse on and a pair of jeans that looked like they'd met a bottle of bleach. One of my old t-shirts I'd let her borrow ages ago, hung a little off her shoulders. Hell.
"You...Aiden.." She turned around and ran.
I jumped up to my feet, trying to case after her, but also not wanting to get security called on us. "Marissa! Wait!"
I moved around a group of people coming out of one of the stores, but she was far too ahead of me. I saw a flash of blonde before the doors opened and she was gone. Bending at the waist, I took a deep breath. Well, that wasn't the way I wanted her to find out. Scrubbing a hand down my face, turning on my heel, I headed back to see if Casey was still sitting where I'd left him. My brother walked up to me, the bag containing Marissa's going away present in his fingers. "Did you catch her?"
