Chapter Eleven - Loverboy

As the girls enter the room. “Gina this is Toby and Toby, this is Gina.” Carla announces abruptly, “Now that everyone knows each other. Let’s get started with Popcorn and a movie. Let’s see what we’ve got to pick from.” Carla walks over to a shelf in the living room and goes through some DVD’s.

“There’s ‘Crime City’ where Detective Dirk Hammer searches the gritty streets of Crime City for a mass murderer. There’s ‘Chasing Rita’ a coming-of-age romance set in the beautiful coastal town of Saint Lorraine. There’s ‘Joe and Larry’ the cartoon slapstick antics of everyone’s favorite Rooster and Pig in their very first full-length animated feature. What does everyone think?” Carla asks.

“Let’s do ‘Crime City’, I could go for a movie with action” Mark answered.

“I don’t want action,” Gina protested, “I want romance. Let’s do ‘Chasing Rita’.”

“Those cartoons are pretty funny.” Toby chimes in.

“Romance” Gina insists.

“Action” Mark counters.

“Since you can’t make up your minds, I’ll make it up for you. “Carla announces, “We’ll do the Romance movie.” Carla takes out the ‘Chasing Rita’ DVD and puts it in the DVD player.

“Ok, mom!” Mark teases, “Why does Gina always get what she wants?”

“Pipe down or I’ll send you to your room” Carla teases back.

The four young people sit down to start watching the movie. Carla and Toby sit close together on one side of the sofa and Mark and Gina sit close together on the other. The boys put their arms around the girls and each girl leans into each boy respectively.

The movie starts out with a wide angle shot of a beautiful beach where we see a small girl playing in the sand. As the intro music plays, a small boy teases her, and they have fun playing together on the beach. As the intro music keeps playing, we see the little girl growing up in a big city and by the end of the intro, the girl is back on the beach as a teenager. As she walks on the beach she catches the eye of a mysterious boy.

“I can already tell where this is going?” Toby says, “Those two hook up.”

“Yeah, no kidding, but it’s the journey of how they get there.” Gina says with a gleam in her eye.

“Yeah, I think I’ve already seen enough” Toby responds, and Toby and Carla start kissing and ignore the movie.

Mark follows suit with Gina, but Gina turns her head, so their lips don’t connect with each other. “I want to watch the movie” Gina proclaims. Mark stops trying to kiss Gina.

Mark was getting tired of Gina being hot and cold. He really wanted to break up with her, but he wanted to make sure it was the right moment. He wasn’t sure that Toby would go through with kissing Gina. He didn’t seem too thrilled with it.

Toby and Carla had a major kissing session going on while Gina insisted on watching the movie. She had waited the entire week with bated breath for the moment to be in Mark’s arms and when the moment arrived, she balked.

The movie was about two thirds of the way through when Carla abruptly stopped the DVD. “Time for a game” she announced, “Let’s play spin the bottle.”

“What are we, fourth graders?” Toby mocked. Carla ignored the comment and got out a bottle.

“Here is how the game is played. We will each sit across from each other, and one person will spin the bottle. Whoever the bottle lands on, that person will have to kiss on the lips.” Carla explained.

“Okay, but I’m not kissing Toby.” Mark declared.

“You go first Toby.” Carla announced. Toby spun the bottle. It landed on Mark. Toby spun the bottle again. This time it landed on Carla. Toby and Carla kissed on the lips.

“I’m next.” Carla announced. Carla spun the bottle. It landed on Mark. Carla and Mark engaged in a kiss. Gina felt a bit uncomfortable because it seemed way too familiar, like they had been practicing.

“Your turn Mark.” Carla went on. Mark spun the bottle, and it landed on Toby. Mark spun the bottle again and it landed on Gina. Mark finally got that kiss that Gina had denied him earlier.

“Now you get to go.” Carla tells Gina. Gina spins the bottle. It lands on Carla. Gina spins the bottle again. It lands on Toby. Gina hesitates.

“Go on Gina, kiss him.” Carla prods.

“I am not kissing Toby.” Gina declares.

“You have to!” Carla insists.

“She doesn’t have to if she doesn’t want to” Toby pipes up.

“You be quiet.” Carla replies, “Gina, you’re killing the mood.”

“I don’t care. I’m not kissing Toby.” Gina says again.

“Fine, will do something else” Carla says.

“No. we won’t.” Mark interrupts, “Gina, I don’t get you. You’ve been looking forward to this weekend and now that it’s here, you don’t want to have any fun. It’s like your hot and cold and hot and cold. I can’t take it anymore. What is up with you lately?”

“I don’t know” Gina says distressed, “Sometimes I have images in my head and they’re scary, but I don’t remember what they are. I just remember that they’re scary.”

“I don’t think I can do this anymore, Gina” Mark proclaims.

“What do you mean?” Gina says as tears start to form in her eyes. “Are you breaking up with me?”

“Yes. Gina.” Mark says coldly, “I’m breaking up with you.” Gina starts crying uncontrollably and runs out the door into the night.

“I’ll go after her.” Carla says as she starts to head out the door. Mark nods to Toby to get going. “No, I’ll go after her.” Toby announces.

Toby hobbles out the front door. Mark was such a jerk to Gina even if he did think it was for her own good. “Hey wait!” Toby screams. Gina ignores him. Toby hobbles faster to catch up with Gina. As he tries to increase his speed he stumbles and falls down. "Help!" Toby cries out. Gina stops and looks back and seeing that Toby has fallen, runs back to help him up.

“I’m so sorry that had to happen to you.” Toby says.

“It’s not your fault.” Gina assures as the tears pour from her eyes.

Toby isn’t sure he should go through with it. He wasn’t sure he believed Mark about the curse. Toby decided to stop thinking and act. He grabs Gina’s shoulders and kisses her on the lips. As soon as he does, a wave washes over him, and he remembers. He remembers everything.