“Mom! Ricky’s crying again!” Beau complained as he ran to his mother’s room.
Brandi was chattering on her cell phone and paid no mind to her son’s complaint.
Beau shrugged and went back to his room, where he easily chatted away on Myspace.
A few moments later, Dustin came into Beau’s room. He was looking for a shirt that he let his brother borrow.
“I think it’s drying,” Beau admitted as he typed away.
“Who are you talking to?”
“A friend.”
“Do I know this friend?”
“Why should I tell you?”
“Don’t get smart with me. What if it’s some seventy year old pedophile that rapes and kills little boys?”
“It’s a friend from school.”
“Guy or girl?”
“That’s too personal.”
Dustin shrugged. “I’m just looking out for you, that’s all. I have a Myspace too, though I rarely use it. I know all about those perverts and what they want.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever. Can you get Ricky? Mom’s on the phone.”
Dustin sighed. “Whatever. If you find my shirt, put it in my room.”
“Okay.”
Dustin then left.
Beau then sent a message to another person. Will you meet me at the park afterschool tomorrow?
The_Embalmer: Who’s this?
Rox666 : A friend.
The_Embalmer: Should I trust you? Do I even know you?
Rox666: Of course you do. I live here in Pleasantview, and I live on the same street. I just want to talk to you. I’ve been watching you for a while now, and I think you’re cute.
The_Embalmer: Are you asking me out?
Rox666: Maybe.
The_Embalmer: *Laughs* Should I trust you?
Rox666: Of course. I’m a very trusting person. And, plus, would a seventy year old rapist really tell you where he lives?
The_Embalmer: Well, you have a point…How’d you find me?
Rox666: Friend of a friend’s friend list. I
The_Embalmer: Well, you should add me.
Rox666: I sent you an add request.
The_Embalmer: That was you?
Rox666: I bet you denied it.
The_Embalmer: *Laughs* You bet. But, send me another one.
Rox666: Okay. So, I’ll see you at the park, tomorrow afterschool?
The_Embalmer: I get out at three.
Rox666: Then, I’ll see you at four.
At first, Angela had been a good girlfriend. She wasn’t clingy or mushy, and she had given Dustin space. But, lately, she criticized everything he did. For example, she’d criticize his way of dressing, though she had been the one who had suggested it.
He didn’t want to admit it, but he was getting tired of it; tired of her.
So, when the thought of breaking up with Angela came to him, he didn’t reject it right away. He pondered it. And, now, he kind of wanted it.
Angela was…was too complaining. He wanted to free himself and be what he wanted to be; have friends he wanted to have. For the past two years, he had been molded into what Angela thought was perfect. He went to the parties that had the same arrogant and stuck up people. They all seemed to have plastic surgery.
But, his mother loved Angela. She thought Angela was a doll. She even planned out how Dustin and Angela would live when they got married.
Now, Dustin was on the swing in front of the house. Now, he thought about what his mother had said about Angela.
He looked up to see Janie Alders coming back from a walk. He hadn’t noticed it, but she was in his Chemistry class. She turned to see him and smiled.
He waved to her, a friendly gesture. He got up and walked across the street. “Hey.”
“Hey.”
“Ready for the test?” He was talking about the Chemistry test.
“I didn’t even look at my notes.” She didn’t seem too surprised about it.
“Are you gonna?”
“Nope.” She smiled. “In a few months, we’ll be in college.”
“True.”
“So, I could fail every test that I’ll have for the rest of this year.” She laughed.
“Won’t your parents be mad?”
“I don’t think they care much anymore.”
He nodded.
“Hey, you’re going out with Angela Pleasant, right?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“Is she a pain in the ass?”
The way she casually asked made him laugh. “What do you mean?”
“Well, Lilith and I are best friends and she always complains about her sister. So, I wonder who the hell would be able to go out with such a…a…”
“Bitch?” Dustin asked.
Janie blushed. “T-that’s a harsh word.”
“I know it may sound mean, but it’s the perfect word. I admit that she’s acting kind of bitchy nowadays.”
She smirked. “Wow, you must’ve fallen out of love with her.”
“…I guess.”
She sighed as she looked at the setting sun. “Well, I should get going. I haven’t had dinner yet.”
“Uh, my mom’s having a barbeque Saturday. Want to come?”
“…Uh…I don’t think your mom likes me…”
“What makes you say that?”
“Well…she looks at me with this disapproving look; she kind of squints her eyes at me like she’s glaring at me or something.”
“She must have a hard time looking at you, since she’s getting blind…” he lied. “Anyways, you should come. It’s going to be fun.”
“Well…I’ll think about it.”
Brandi stared at the picture of her late husband as she fed her toddler. It was interesting and miraculous at how she had conceived Ricky just the day before Skip passed away.
How long was it going to be since she actually found herself living life without Skip? Years ago, when he had just passed away, she found herself wondering if she could actually live life. And, now, she was fine with it.
The death of her husband had become a distant memory that would sometimes call forth her tears, when she thought long and hard about it. But, she rarely had time to think long and hard about it, since her hands were full with three children.
But, she still couldn’t believe that her boys were growing up; a sign that she was getting old. She was nearing thirty seven and the thought of eventually dying alone frightened her and contaminated her thoughts when the boys were at school and Ricky was sleeping.
She heard the door open and went to greet the opener.
“I invited the Alders’ family,” Dustin announced.
Instantly, Brandi glared. “Why?”
“Mom, they’re good people and-.”
“Yes, Mr. and Mrs. Alders are good people. I just don’t like their daughter.”
“She’s a good person too. Open up to her.”
“…Are you implying that you like her? You have Angela!”
“Mom, I’m just saying she’s a good kid. I wouldn’t cheat on Angela,” he lied.
“Good. I wouldn’t like you if you did.” She sighed. “Well, I guess it might be okay. I haven’t seen the girl dye her hair neon green or pink. I just don’t like her lip piercing…”
“But I have a lip and a nose piercing.”
“That’s different. And…I don’t like the way she dresses.”
“She dresses fine.”
“She’s a menace to society.”
“Lilith is the menace.”
Brandi shrugged. “If you’re going to argue, I don’t feel like it. Dinner will be ready in an hour. And, can you see Ricky? He’s been misbehaving lately…I don’t feel like disciplining him.”
“Sure. Is he in your room?”
She nodded and he headed away. She made way for the kitchen. She took out the cutting board and began to cut up a macabre of vegetables. Tonight would have to be stew surprise.
Her mind began to give her the image of Janie Alders. Now that she thought about it, if one were to remove the atrocious eye liner and piercings, dress her up in a nice sundress, and comb her hair, she would be a beautiful girl.
And, she came from a very good family.
What if…what if she and Dustin became a couple? Oh, their kids would be adorable…And, Dustin could easily get a good a secured position in the hospital.
Brandi immediately shook her head. “I shouldn’t be thinking about that,” she muttered. “He has Angela. Their kids would look good too…”
But, Angela’s family didn’t have connections to the hospital.
After an hour phone call from Angela after dinner, Dustin trotted to his room. He plopped on to his bed and took out the outside reading book he had for his English class: The Scarlet Letter.
As he continued to read it, he began to wonder what would’ve happened if he was put in the same situation as the main character. As he continued to wonder, he wondered who his other significant person would be…
And, he laughed at the ironic thought of him cheating on Angela with Lilith.
He mentally went through all of the eligible girls in the neighborhood. But, they all tested negative in his compatibility test. One, though, tested positive: Janie.
From what he had observed, she was a very fun girl: positive, outgoing, and cute. He glanced at his hands, imagining the feel of her hair and body under his fingertips.
And, the more he imagined it, the more he felt excited; felt hopeful.
He set his book down and laid on his stomach. He took out his PSP and played his fighting game, attempting to get the thought of him and Janie out of his mind. It was not a good attempt when the hero of his fighting game got the damsel in distress.
Why couldn’t he stop thinking about it? Why was she the only one who might be able to be compatible with him after a hundred or so other girls in the neighborhood?
“Dustin?” his mom called out after a knock on the door.
Dustin got up and opened his door. “Yeah.”
“Just came by to say good night.”
“Okay.” Dustin looked at his mother from her toes to her face. God, when did she grow so old? “Mom, when’d you get those wrinkles?” he joked.
She laughed. “Oh, Honey…”
“Can you believe I’m going to college?”
“…No, Honey, I can’t.”
“God, then Beau will be going…then Ricky…”
“Yeah, time flies by fast.” She sighed. “Still not done with your homework?”
“Just a report, Mom, no big deal.”
“I don’t want you failing in your last semester of high school.”
“What difference does it make? I’ll be going to college, and I’ve already been accepted.”
“Reputation,” Brandi answered, “I don’t want your reputation to be damaged. You know how it is here; reputation is everything.”
Dustin nodded, remembering all of those people with a bad reputation and how Pleasantview’s society now treated them. Such as Nina Caliente or Cassandra Goth…
Brandi laid a hand on her son’s shoulder and gave him a good pat. “I think we should be getting to bed. It’s a school night.”
After dropping Beau off at school, Dustin headed to his own school. He knew that he was obligated to pick up Angela; but he didn’t want to hear her dull explanation of why she had to call three times after he had gone to sleep.
After parking his car, he grabbed his books and spotted the face he was unintentionally looking for. “Janie!”
She turned around, the gleam of her glasses reflecting the sun’s brightness. “Hey, Dustin.”
He quickly jogged to her. “Did you study?”
She smirked. “Course not.”
They began to walk, while he volunteered to test her on the formulas. He was genuinely surprised to find out that she knew all of them.
“Where’s your girlfriend?” she asked as they stopped by her locker.
“Forgot to pick her up.”
“Won’t she cause a scene?”
“I’ll play it cool; she always plays a scene.”
Janie laughed. “Well…I got to get to first period.”
“Oh? What do you have?”
“Calculus.”
“Wow. Uh, yeah, I got to get to class too. Oh, and hey, what about Saturday?”
She smirked while walking backwards to her class. “It slipped my mind.” She turned around, just as she was about to collide with the brawny PE teacher, Mr. Hutchison.
“Watch it.”
Dustin snickered as he watched Janie apologize in the utmost sincere way and nearly ran to her first period.
The bell hadn’t rang yet, so Dustin decided to do a little tour. He stopped by the snack line and purchased a quart of 1% milk. He meet up with some of his friends from the baseball team: Greg and Kyle Myrtle, Omar Richards, and Chase Thompson who was the only one younger than the others. He, though, was the rookie of the varsity baseball team.
“You going to sign up for next season?” Kyle asked, showing signs that he had a date with some pot the other night.
“Why didn’t you invite me?” Omar asked as he nudged Kyle.
“To what?”
“You had some pot last night, didn’t you?”
“…Roman Callaghan invited me.” Kyle smirked. “We’re partying at Damon’s on Saturday. Anyone interested?”
“Of course,” Dustin replied. “…Oh wait. Damn it, my mom has a barbeque this Saturday.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Chase admitted, “You always ditched your mom’s barbeques.”
“Not this time.”
“Why not?”
Dustin smiled as he looked at the carton of milk. “Well, I invited someone…”
“Other than Angela?” an astonished Greg asked.
Dustin’s cheeks turned a bit reddish. “Yeah.”
“Who is it?” Omar inquired. “Is it someone we know? It has to be a chick, right? Or is it a guy?”
“It’s a girl.”
“Are you cheating on Angela?” Kyle gasped.
“No-no, she’s a friend. And, she just moved across the street and-.” With that little slip, Dustin’s friends knew exactly who this person was.
“It’s Janie, right? Janie Alders?” Omar sounded a bit too excited. “She’s the only one who just moved into that creepy house across from yours!”
“Okay, Omar, you’re over exaggerating. The house is only a Victorian styled place,” Chase admitted.
The bell rang and the group broke off, Kyle and Omar headed towards their side of the school, and Greg, Chase, and Dustin headed off into their opposite side of the school.
“Did anyone study for Smith’s Chemistry test?” Chase asked. He had Smith for second period, and he was rarely known to study for anything. It was a wonder how a sophomore of his study skills was able to get into such an advanced class as Smith’s Chemistry class.
“I didn’t make a cheat sheet.” Dustin’s eyes rolled.
“How’d you study?” Chase inquired.
“I did a small review. How are things with Ashley?”
Chase’s expression dimmed. “We broke up.”
Greg shook his head. “The whole world knows that the number one chick to never date is Ashley Carson. How many times have we told you that she would never be serious about you?”
“She may be a good friend, but she’s a…a bitch.”
“Hey, you’re okay, right?” Greg asked. “You’ve moved on, right?”
Chase slowly nodded. “Yeah. I-I’ve moved on.”
“Good,” Dustin admitted. “Now, you can move on to bigger girls. Like, that one.” He pointed to Marianne Sutters, the girl with a rather…attractive body.
“Yeah,” Chase replied. “I can move on.”
At the Algebra II room with Mr. Hanes, Greg and Dustin took their leave. Before the late bell rang, Dustin poked his head out to see Chase turn to his English class.
“Do you really think he’s fine with this?” Dustin asked as he took his seat next to Greg.
“Course not. We all know how serious he is about Ashley. He was like in Heaven when Ashley agreed to go out on a date with him.”
“…Yeah, you’re right.”
The late bell rang and Mr. Hanes began his lecture on the different types of parental graphs.
