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Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Skateaway

Every Friday night, when Michael was ten years old, he’d go to Skateaway. Skateaway was a roller skating rink that most of the kids from Michael’s school would go to every week. Michael loved it there. They had games, little speed skating competitions, awesome music, and good pizza. Although Michael didn’t have many friends, it felt nice for him to beat the kids that teased him at school during the speed skate competitions.

There was one game that Michael hated. It was called Snowball. This is a game where the girls stood at one end of the rink and the guys would stand at the other end. Five girls were chosen to skate to the boys’ side, and they would choose a boy to couple skate with. Then the DJ would ring a bell, and the first girls and boys would choose someone new to couple skate with. No girl would ever choose Michael…

But tonight was different. It was as if the fates had dealt Michael a good hand. Michael beamed up at the older girl who gave him a tight lipped smile in return. She took Michael’s hand, and they skated off, Eric Clapton’s ‘Wonderful Tonight’ blaring over the stereo. Michael’s hands were sweaty, his heart was racing. He was elated as he and this wonderful girl made their lap around the rink. So this was what it was like to be in love. It was a good feeling. But then the song was over. Michael’s girl let go of his hand, and skated away towards her friends, not looking back. He never even knew her name.

Prom

Ever since Michael was in the sixth grade, he had had a crush on a girl named Chelsea Moser. She was the prettiest girl in middle school and high school. All the guys wanted her, but none wanted her as much as Michael had. They had lived on the same street, and they both took the bus to school every morning for the last six years.

One morning, Michael gathered all the courage he could muster, and asked her to the senior prom. Surprisingly she had said yes. Later, Michael had found out that she had only said yes because she and Billy Roberts had broken up. But Michael didn’t care. He was taking Chelsea Moser to prom.

Weeks later, after getting fitted for a tuxedo, making dinner reservations, waxing his Volkswagen Beetle about ten times, and saving money he had made after doing some work for his step father Jeff, it was prom night. Michael was so nervous, he was shaking head to toe. Giving his mother a hug, he walked out the front door towards his car.

When Michael arrived at Chelsea’s house, a bright red Camaro was sitting on her driveway. It was Billy’s Camaro. Michael stepped out of his car, and walked up Chelsea’s porch. Maybe Billy was begging Chelsea to take him back, but Michael knew she wouldn’t. After all, she had told Michael that she would go to prom with him. Michael rang the doorbell, and seconds later, a beaming Chelsea answered. Michael grinned up at her, and held up the corsage that he had bought earlier.

“Oh, thanks, Michael,” Chelsea smiled. “But you don’t need to take me to prom…”

“What?” Michael asked incredulously.

“You’re off the hook!”

“What do you mean…?”

“Oh,” Chelsea said, seeing Michael’s look of disappointment on his face. “I thought you only asked me to prom because you felt sorry for me about Billy…”

“No,” Michael shook his head. “I asked you to prom because…because I like you…”

Michael’s cheeks began to burn, and so were Chelsea’s.

“I’m sorry, Michael,” Chelsea sighed. “Billy and I just got…we’re back together.”

“Oh…” Michael said, feeling his eyes burning now. “Okay then…”


Tide Detergent

“You’re shitting me!” Packer cried out with an expression of utter disbelief etched on his face. Michael shook his head.

“I shit you not, Pack Man,” Michael chuckled.

“You’re 30 years old, and you’ve never been to a strip club?”

“No, it’s not my thing…”

“Fuck that, Snot. I’m taking you to Jiggles!”

*****
“You want a dance?” she asked, hopping onto Michael’s lap, taking him by surprise. He looked up, and saw a beautiful woman with brown hair grinning down at him. Michael looked over at Todd who was beaming proudly at him.

“He’d love a dance,” Todd said, handing the stripper a twenty dollar bill.

Michael followed the stripper to the back of the club. She motioned to Michael to sit down on a leather chair, and then plopped down on his lap once more, wrapping her arm around Michael’s neck.

“I’ll start when this song is over,” she told him.

“Okay,” Michael said, swallowing nervously. “Uh…so what’s your name?”

“It’s Christina,” she smiled. “What’s yours?”

“Michael.”

“Nice to meet you, Mike,” Christina said, brushing back Michael’s hair. He felt a shiver running down his spine.

“You too,” Michael squeaked, quickly clearing his throat. “You too.”

Christina giggled. Michael gazed up at her once more, and she truly was beautiful. She had olive skin, dark brown eyes, a nice toned body, and smelled fresh…like Tide Detergent.

“This is a really long song!” Christina exclaimed. Michael let out a chuckle.

“Yeah it is…”

“So what do you do?”

“I’m a salesman at Dunder Mifflin.”

“What’s that?” Christina asked.

“It’s a paper company,” Michael replied as the song ended.

When the next song began, Christina began grinding against Michael. He felt her hot moist breath against his cheek as she began to slowly strip away her outfit. She was beautiful, and it seemed like she liked Michael. Christina gave him a wink, and Michael felt himself blushing even more than he had been before. It was too soon to tell, but Michael began to see a future for the two of them—a future where Christina could quit this job, and move into his apartment with him. And it hit him, this was the longest conversation he had had with a woman in years…this was the closest a woman has ever been to him in a long time. This was a special moment, and Michael was foolishly falling in love.

As soon as the song ended, Christina hopped off of his lap.

“So…can I take you out for a cup of coffee or something sometime?” Michael asked nervously. Christina shook her head.

“I’m sorry, I can’t go out with customers,” she smiled, holding out her hand. “That’s going to be twenty bucks…”

“Oh…” Michael said, reaching into his back pocket for his wallet. “I thought my friend already paid you.”

“No he didn’t.”

“Oh well…here you go,” Michael said, handing her another twenty dollar bill.

“Thanks,” she said, walking away. Michael watched as Christina walked away, the smell of Tide Detergent still lingering in his nostrils. He hated Tide Detergent, and he hated strip clubs even more.

Performance Review

“See what you’re doing there?” Jan asked, taking a long drag of her cigarette. “You’re not listening to what I have to say.”

“Jan, I was trying my best,” Michael huffed. He really hated it when Jan smoked in his condo.

“I don’t think you were, Michael,” Jan sighed. Michael was watching himself on the TV screen screaming ‘FOILIAGE!’

“There I am screaming the safe word, and you’re pretending like you didn’t hear me.”

“There’s nothing wrong with getting carried away. Now, I want you to be more flexible,” Jan said. “I’m going to sign you up for some yoga classes…”

“I don’t want to take yoga…”

“You’re going to take yoga, and you’re going to learn to be more flexible,” Jan persisted sternly.

“Okay…fine,” Michael sighed, shaking his head.

When he and Jan had finally got together, he thought that was all she wrote. He imagined them moving in together, laughing, scrap booking, watching movies, and cuddling. None of that happened. They hardly laughed. Now that Michael thinks about it, he’s pretty sure the only time he’s made Jan laugh was when he said that she was the Eva Peron to his Cesar Chavez.

He never expected to be the one wearing the school girl outfit. He did, however, imagine that they would film themselves making love. But he never imagined that she would be using their tapes to critique his style. It was humiliating and heartbreaking at the same time. He wasn’t happy…

“Let’s do this again,” Jan said, putting her cigarette out on Michael’s dresser.

“I’m really tired,” Michael whined. “We’ve got safety training at the office tomorrow…”

“Fine,” Jan huffed, shoving Michael out of the bed. Michael put his pants back on, and laid down on the bench at the end of the bed.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Or maybe it was. Maybe all those TV shows that he had watched ever since he was a little kid about happy families and happy relationships were all lying. Maybe this was how people were supposed to live their lives. Things might get better. Down the road, maybe Michael and Jan will be able to have a baby together. Then, perhaps…things wouldn’t hurt for Michael anymore.

Take it to Eighty-Eight

Michael parked his car. Reaching over, Michael grabbed his cane and a summer bouquet, and slowly walked towards Holly’s grave. The sun shined brightly, and the trees swayed lazily in the wind. It was a beautiful day. It was a day to be proud. Michael bent down, and laid the flowers in front of the gravestone. He took a deep breath.

“Hey, Holly,” Michael said. “I was just coming by to tell you that Marty’s graduating. Can you believe that?! Our son is now a college graduate! It’s amazing how fast time flies. Marty probably got into his DeLorean, and McFlied to eighty-eight, right?”

Michael chuckled, wiping sweat off his forehead with his handkerchief.

“I’m really proud of him, and I’m sure that you are too,” Michael said, smiling down at the grave. “Well…I thought I would come by, and let you know that I’m flying out to California tomorrow. Wow…Marty’s graduating. We raised him pretty good, right?

“Marty’s such a good kid, and he gets that from you. He’s so smart…smarter than his old man, and it’s all because of you. Remember when he was a baby, Holl? God…it seems like just yesterday. Pretty soon, he’s probably going to have to change my diapers!” Michael laughed. “If it came down to that, he probably would. That kid…he’s so much like you. He’s nice to everyone he meets, and god…wow…he’s graduating .”

Michael’s eyes were brimming with tears, and he quickly wiped them with the back of his hand. He gazed down at Holly’s gravestone, remembering her beautiful smile, her contagious laughter, and how she was always so affectionate.

“I know you know this, but…I’m just going to say it again. You are the love of my life, Holly…and I miss you so…much. I never…I never thought that I could have someone like you. You made me the luckiest man in the world. And now you’re gone,” Michael said, clearing his throat. “I wish I had Doc Brown’s DeLorean. If I did, I would just go back in time and replay the time that we had over and over again.

“I wish it was that easy. But…I guess things are going to be okay, you know? Marty’s probably going to meet a girl soon, they’re going to have babies, and their baby’s are going to have babies. Life goes on. It’s hard, but sometimes I like that it’s hard. That’s what she said!” Michael laughed. “But seriously, if life didn’t throw lemons, I would have never been able to squeeze them, which means that I would have never been able to meet you. So yeah…I’m grateful for that…and I’ll see you soon, Holly. I love you.”
Chapter End Notes:
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beermefive is the author of 4 other stories.



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