The Riverlight

"Well its Friday night again and its time to party" The radio was blasting out of Jim Nelsons van as his friends looked around quickly slurping up their beer while showing a watchful eye for any on-lookers. The parking lot of the Rollerock Skating Rink was filling up with muscle cars loaded with pimple faced teenagers some already standing in line waiting to get in. Girls in short skirts with their multi colored skates hanging off their shoulders. Crowds mingling around in groups loudly talking, thankful to be done with another school week.

Jims crew were all bailing out of the back seat, some passing around a smoke while laughing and chiding each other about the weeks events. "Yeh, well a least I'm not afraid of the school nurse" Jims friend Natalie stated about Cheryl, Jims girlfriend, who was sick that week and afraid to go to the old woman with the big hands who was in the basement of the local high school. "I'm not afraid, I just don't like the woman, she gives me the creeps!" Cheryl said while laughing about the situation which happened a few days ago. "Well for the record, I don't like her either" Jim stated while putting his arm around Cheryl. This was Jim's senior year. Next year would find Jim possibly working at one of the local factories or his father's cabinet shop. He entertained the idea of also maybe working on some of the trawlers that filled the port of McGlockins Bay. A quiet town on the coast of Texas of just a ten thousand people. Not known for much of anything important it seemed.

Everyone had made their way to the entrance of Rollerock while Jim turned off the radio and locked up the van. The line was going at a pretty steady rate and people wanted to get in before the real crowd appeared and there was nowhere left to sit. Jims gang found seats at a table near the video games. A few ordered some pizza from the snack bar while others were lacing up their skates to get out on the floor. The DJ at the Rink was assembling his records in order to get ready to go on the air. Jim was having a smoke, eyeing Cheryl with a smirk thinking about getting together with her later that night. The silence ended as the Rollerock DJ cut in with "OK you dogs, are you ready to go!" This was the signal for everyone to go wild as most of the people let loose with a "Hell yeh!!" "Ok this time say it like you mean it!"...Hell Yeh!!!!".

"Here she come down say monay monay...." That was all the crowd at the rink needed. Groups entered onto the floor hanging on each other while the music played. Around and around they went some engaging in "the whip" while others raced around in an apparent dance routine, going seemingly excessively fast. Jim and Cheryl were holding hands, smiling taking it all in. This was the place to be was the theme, as skaters cheered and roared, the DJ in the booth in the center of the rink egging them on. "Ok it's a little early for that," a voice shouted, temporarily cutting off the music, referring to couples attempting to set a new record for tongue wrestling.

The music played on and on, one rocker after the next. Slowing down occasionally for a couple's skate where according to the rink DJ was a time for lovers as the lights went down on the floor.