"Royal Oil, come on bubble and boil. Stabs like a dagger, makes you stagger on the hot tin foil. Mind your mind or it will surely spoil, then you sleep down in the soil. Nothing comes from nothing, come on Royal Oil..." I was singing as I wiped down the front counter. The Music Lounge was my record store. Well, it wasn't just mine, and it wasn't just a record store but that comes later. It was Saturday and the morning was absolutely beautiful! It was spring morning in Chicago, and the store was empty. I sent the two people I had scheduled for the morning shift home early, so I had the place to myself. I was taking advantage of being alone and singing loudly to The Mighty Mighty Bosstones blaring over the stores intercom speakers. "Royal Oil, big trouble brewing. Long lonely road, long road to ruin. Wrong path to take, great big mistake. And then you sleep down in the soil. Nothing comes from nothing, come on Royal Oil!" I finished and the song ended. Someone cleared their throat and I jumped, dropping the windex bottle. I looked up and was so humilated. "Good song." The guy standing there said. "I didn't know anyone was here." I said, feeling myself blush. I normaly would not have cared, but this guy was very attractive. We just stood their awkwardly until he finaly broke the silence. "I was wondering if I could leave these here." He said, holding up a stack of fliers. "Yup. We keep stacks of these next to the register." I said, taking them from him. "Battle of the bands?" I asked. "Yeah, I own the board shop-" He started to say, but he was interupted by very loud bagpipes. "Oh my god! I'm sorry!" I said, and ran back to the office slash employee lounge. I turned the volume on the intercome down, and ran back out. "Dropkick. Nice." He said, and smiled. His lower lip was pierced. "Yeah. I'm a Murphy's fan." I said, and he laughed. "So, you were saying?" I asked. "I was saying I own a board shop a block down. We sponser a battle of the bands out at Rolling Rock Bar & Grill every few months or so." He said. "Awesome! I think I'll have to come out for this." I said. "I hope so." He said, and smiled again. I kept looking at his peircing. He was tall so I kind of had to look up at him. "Where is Rolling Rock?" I asked him. "You havn't heard about it?" He asked. "No. I'm new here. My friend Terance lives up here, and I moved out to help him open up this place." I explained. "Oh, I see. Well if you want I can pick you up from here and we can walk over." He said. "Bring as many people as you want." "Okay. Sounds good." I said, and looked at the flyer. "This Saturday." I read off of it. "8:00." He said, and smiled. He started to walk away. "Wait!" I shouted. "Yeah?" He asked. "I'm Laura." I told him. "Oh! I'm sorry. I'm Spencer. Call me Spence." He said. "You can call me Lola." I told him, and he looked at me funny. "Lola?" He asked. "Yeah. I hate my name, so Terrance named Lola a long time ago." I explained. "Right. Lola it is then." He said, and left. As soon as he was out of site I jumped in the air and shouted "YES!". I hadn't met anyone since I had broken up with my ex, Scott, almost six months earlier. I ran back to the smoking room to call Angie, my best friend. We had a smoking room enclosed with glass in the back of the store for our guests who wanted to hang out and smoke. We also had a Music Lounge full of couches, chairs, and these little computers with headphones attached to them to listen to and sample music. Every once in a while we would have promotional parties back there. "ANGE!" I shouted when she answered. "What? I thought I don't come in until five?" She asked. "You don't. I just met the HOOOOOOTEST GUY!" I shouted. "WHOA! Calm down Lola. Fuck." She said. "You get so loud." "Sorry! He owns the board shop we always walk by on the way into work. The one we always forget to check out!" I shouted. "Awesome. Can I call you back?" She asked. "I'm kind of uh...in the middle of somehting with Terrance." She said. "EW! Are you two having sex?" I shouted. "NO! I wouldn't have answered. But we are about to, so bye." She said, and hung up. "EWW! Crackhead!" I shouted, even though she had already hung up. I didn't understand why she answered if they were just getting ready to- I stopped my train of thought there. I didn't want to think about it. I heard the front bell ring, signaling that someone was coming in. I looked up and saw a group of teenagers come in. I put my cigerette out and walked out of the smoking room. "Hey! What are guys looking for?" I asked. "You." One of them said, and winked at me. "Very funny Smurf." I said. He came in all the time with his friends to hang out and look around. He was prety funny and a good kid, so we enjoyed having them all around. They were all skater kids. I think Smurf was the oldest, and he was only 15. I was 25, and having him around sometimes made me feel so old. I want back behind the counter and sat down in a big comfy chair we kept back there. There was a ton of space behind the counter, and plenty of room. There were a few rugs back their, and two beanbags as well. I picked up my book and read while Smurf and his buddies walked around and laughed making fun of the rap section. I read for a while, then looked outside. It looked so nice out there. I didn't want to be in the store at all. I hated working Saturdays. "See ya later!" Smurf said, and waived. His buddy's followed him out. I sat around and read until about 1:00 when Warren came in. "Hey War!" I said, excitedly. I was bored out of mind. "Hey! Isn't your shift almost up?" He asked me. "Yup. Sho iz!" I said, and he laughed. "It's been dead as bread all morning." He gave me a weird look. "You and your weird retarded sayings." He said, and walked back to the employee lounge to clock in. I noticed his hair was dyed red that day. All of a sudden the Bad religion song that was on cut off and Aretha Franklin came blasting over the speakers. I started laughing so hard. He walked out dancing and singing into a stapler! Thats how most days were at The Lounge.
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"Royal Oil, come on bubble and boil. Stabs like a dagger, makes you stagger on the hot tin foil.
Mind your mind or it will surely spoil, then you sleep down in the soil. Nothing comes from nothing, come on Royal Oil..." I was singing as I wiped down the front counter. The Music Lounge was my record store. Well, it wasn't just mine, and it wasn't just a record store but that comes later. It was Saturday and the morning was absolutely beautiful! It was spring morning in Chicago, and the store was empty. I sent the two people I had scheduled for the morning shift home early, so I had the place to myself. I was taking advantage of being alone and singing loudly to The Mighty Mighty Bosstones blaring over the stores intercom speakers.
"Royal Oil, big trouble brewing.
Long lonely road, long road to ruin. Wrong path to take, great big mistake. And then you sleep down in the soil. Nothing comes from nothing, come on Royal Oil!" I finished and the song ended. Someone cleared their throat and I jumped, dropping the windex bottle. I looked up and was so humilated.
"Good song." The guy standing there said.
"I didn't know anyone was here." I said, feeling myself blush. I normaly would not have cared, but this guy was very attractive. We just stood their awkwardly until he finaly broke the silence.
"I was wondering if I could leave these here." He said, holding up a stack of fliers.
"Yup. We keep stacks of these next to the register." I said, taking them from him. "Battle of the bands?" I asked.
"Yeah, I own the board shop-" He started to say, but he was interupted by very loud bagpipes.
"Oh my god! I'm sorry!" I said, and ran back to the office slash employee lounge. I turned the volume on the intercome down, and ran back out.
"Dropkick. Nice." He said, and smiled. His lower lip was pierced.
"Yeah. I'm a Murphy's fan." I said, and he laughed.
"So, you were saying?" I asked.
"I was saying I own a board shop a block down. We sponser a battle of the bands out at Rolling Rock Bar & Grill every few months or so." He said.
"Awesome! I think I'll have to come out for this." I said.
"I hope so." He said, and smiled again. I kept looking at his peircing. He was tall so I kind of had to look up at him.
"Where is Rolling Rock?" I asked him.
"You havn't heard about it?" He asked.
"No. I'm new here. My friend Terance lives up here, and I moved out to help him open up this place." I explained.
"Oh, I see. Well if you want I can pick you up from here and we can walk over." He said. "Bring as many people as you want."
"Okay. Sounds good." I said, and looked at the flyer.
"This Saturday." I read off of it.
"8:00." He said, and smiled. He started to walk away.
"Wait!" I shouted.
"Yeah?" He asked.
"I'm Laura." I told him.
"Oh! I'm sorry. I'm Spencer. Call me Spence." He said.
"You can call me Lola." I told him, and he looked at me funny.
"Lola?" He asked.
"Yeah. I hate my name, so Terrance named Lola a long time ago." I explained.
"Right. Lola it is then." He said, and left. As soon as he was out of site I jumped in the air and shouted "YES!". I hadn't met anyone since I had broken up with my ex, Scott, almost six months earlier. I ran back to the smoking room to call Angie, my best friend.
We had a smoking room enclosed with glass in the back of the store for our guests who wanted to hang out and smoke. We also had a Music Lounge full of couches, chairs, and these little computers with headphones attached to them to listen to and sample music. Every once in a while we would have promotional parties back there.
"ANGE!" I shouted when she answered.
"What? I thought I don't come in until five?" She asked.
"You don't. I just met the HOOOOOOTEST GUY!" I shouted.
"WHOA! Calm down Lola. Fuck." She said. "You get so loud."
"Sorry! He owns the board shop we always walk by on the way into work. The one we always forget to check out!" I shouted.
"Awesome. Can I call you back?" She asked. "I'm kind of uh...in the middle of somehting with Terrance." She said.
"EW! Are you two having sex?" I shouted.
"NO! I wouldn't have answered. But we are about to, so bye." She said, and hung up.
"EWW! Crackhead!" I shouted, even though she had already hung up. I didn't understand why she answered if they were just getting ready to-
I stopped my train of thought there. I didn't want to think about it. I heard the front bell ring, signaling that someone was coming in. I looked up and saw a group of teenagers come in. I put my cigerette out and walked out of the smoking room.
"Hey! What are guys looking for?" I asked.
"You." One of them said, and winked at me.
"Very funny Smurf." I said. He came in all the time with his friends to hang out and look around. He was prety funny and a good kid, so we enjoyed having them all around. They were all skater kids. I think Smurf was the oldest, and he was only 15. I was 25, and having him around sometimes made me feel so old.
I want back behind the counter and sat down in a big comfy chair we kept back there. There was a ton of space behind the counter, and plenty of room. There were a few rugs back their, and two beanbags as well. I picked up my book and read while Smurf and his buddies walked around and laughed making fun of the rap section. I read for a while, then looked outside. It looked so nice out there. I didn't want to be in the store at all. I hated working Saturdays.
"See ya later!" Smurf said, and waived. His buddy's followed him out. I sat around and read until about 1:00 when Warren came in.
"Hey War!" I said, excitedly. I was bored out of mind.
"Hey! Isn't your shift almost up?" He asked me.
"Yup. Sho iz!" I said, and he laughed. "It's been dead as bread all morning." He gave me a weird look.
"You and your weird retarded sayings." He said, and walked back to the employee lounge to clock in. I noticed his hair was dyed red that day. All of a sudden the Bad religion song that was on cut off and Aretha Franklin came blasting over the speakers. I started laughing so hard. He walked out dancing and singing into a stapler!
Thats how most days were at The Lounge.
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