In Pleasantview Intermediate School, Beau remained silent. He had always remained silent; he was ranked the quietest student in the whole eighth grade.
No one knew what was going on his head; even his family members didn’t know what was going on his mind. Then again, no one wanted to know what went on this little Beau’s head. Now that he had just turned thirteen, he seemed to have gone off into his own little world. A little world, that had no one else but himself.
Before, it wasn’t like this; before, when he hadn’t found himself in that dilemma, it wasn’t like this.
Eventually, it seemed like what remained of his family wasn’t his family. He needed to vent; he needed a relief. That’s why he set up a meeting with someone he felt shared his same problem.
When he received his quiz, he immediately crumpled it into a ball of paper.
The girl who sat next to him—Raven Poe—looked at the crumpled piece of paper on his desk. “Another bad grade?” she asked.
“How does a three out of twenty sound?”
She snickered. “Wow. You know, your mom’s going to find out with the report cards. They’re coming out tomorrow.”
“By mail?”
“Even if it wasn’t by mail, you know that Mrs. Redwood is going to send a letter to your house.”
“Old Lady Redwood’s letter will have to go through me first. Like the other ten letters she’s sent.”
“This is going to hurt your college.”
“You’ve always said that.”
“Don’t you want to go to college then get a good job as a salesman, rather than a guy who flips burgers…?”
“You have a point. But, that’s all the burgers I could spit on.”
Raven shook her head. “What an ambition.” She showed him her grade: a perfect twenty out of twenty.
“Good job, Valedictorian.”
“Thank you.”
“Do you think you’ll get valedictorian senior year?”
This was a question never asked to Raven Poe. She sighed, while folding her paper. “I have to tell you something.”
“What? What is it?”
“Um, I’m moving over the summer.”
Beau seemed to not have heard, since he continued to draw whatever he was drawing. “…You’re moving…”
She nodded. “My parents decided to go to Veronaville. I have a grandpa there, and he’s going to split up his deed. My mom’s the eldest child, so she has already got a good piece of land with a house in Veronaville. And-and, their schools are all included in the top fifty of the country.”
“…And, you’re moving over the summer?”
“Yeah…”
Beau shrugged. “But, you still can come and visit, right? I mean, your brother is Pleasantview’s sheriff.”
Raven laughed. “He’s decided to transfer. He also has a part in Grandpa’s deed, since he’s the first grandchild.”
“So, you might never come back…”
“Yeah, I guess.”
Beau nodded his head. “Who else knows?”
“Well, only you right now.”
“Hm…I feel special.”
“…Yeah…”
“Did you do good?” Janie asked as she cut in line behind Dustin.
He smirked as he listened to the complaining of the guy she had cut in front of. She told him to shut up.
Instead of answering her question, he retaliated by asking her the same question.
“Of course,” she answered. “Have you seen my grade in that class?”
Now that she mentioned it, she was on the top ten of Griffin’s Chemistry class. “Well, why didn’t you say so?”
“I’m a genius, don’t you realize?” she mockingly asked. “I have parents who are the top physicians of the city.”
“Gosh, I didn’t realize,” he teased.
“Where’s your girlfriend?”
“She always brings her lunch: organic stuff. I hate going eco-friendly.”
She laughed. “Don’t you feel sorry for the environment?”
He shrugged. “We all die anyways.”
“So, what class do you have next?” She picked up two fruit cups.
“I have English.”
“With?”
“Why?”
“Don’t you want a little cheat sheet for the upcoming pop quiz?”
“Oh my God, who’s giving the quiz?”
“Wade’s class. And, I heard, Peterson’s.”
“God, I have Peterson’s next.”
“Would you like the cheat sheet?” She picked out a slice of pizza.
“Oh, get me one. And, yes, please, I would like the cheat sheet.” He paid for his lunch and waited for Janie to pay for hers.
When she did, she followed by him, her lunch in hand.
“Wow, you like sweet things,” he noted.
On her tray, she had brought two fruit bowls, peach yogurt, strawberry sherbet, and a piece of chocolate strawberry cake. Her drink was a cherry smoothie drink, and the only thing that was considered non-sweet was the slice of Hawaiian pizza.
She smirked. “That’s because I lack sweetness in my life.” She gave him a wink. “You’re lucky. You have a whole feast of sweetness waiting for you.” She motioned to Angela.
“I guess.”
She set her tray down at her table. Lilith eyed Dustin.
“What are you doing here?” Ginger asked.
“Shouldn’t you be over there?” Jeremy asked, pointing towards Angela’s place.
“Whoa, guys. I invited him,” Janie admitted as she reached into Ginger’s backpack.
“Why?” Lilith questioned, still eyeing Dustin.
“Cheat sheet?” Ginger asked when Janie took out the encrypted paper. “Why are you giving it to him, Janie?”
“He’s a friend.” Janie turned to Dustin and smiled as she gave him the paper. “I need this back. Jeremy has Wade for sixth.”
“Sure thing. Meet me at the gym between the passing period.”
“Yeah. Sure thing,” Janie replied as she sat down and paid no mind to Dustin, as if she had tuned him out.
Dustin headed back to his table. Angela gave him a look.
“What?”
“…No…no, nothing.”
Soon afterwards, Chase, Greg, and Kyle joined them with their own friends. Sophomore Ashley took her spot across from Angela.
“Hey, Lee, I haven’t seen you in a while,” Dustin admitted.
Nalee Punyawong smiled. “I have a life too, you know.”
At this end of the lunchroom, people flocked to be in Angela Pleasant’s presence. From freshman to seniors, people knew that to be with Angela was to be known.
But, Angela paid no mind to those wannabes. She kept a small group of at least twenty people close to her: three freshman, five sophomores, four juniors, and seven seniors.
“Are you keeping things from us, Nalee?” Ashley asked.
Lee shook her head. “I wish I did.”
“How’s Susie?” Omar asked. “I haven’t seen her beautiful face for a long time.”
“She’s fine. She’s too busy running away from your ugly face.”
The group burst into a roar of laughter. Leave it to Lee to bring about the laughter. Dustin noted how Chase immediately began chattering away with Lee. Recently, the two had become closer, as if trying to exile Ashley.
As his group of friends continued to chatter about nothing, Dustin caught a glance of Janie’s table. She, too, was also laughing with her friends. Inside, secretly, he wished that he and she were the only two people in the world and her laugh only belonged to him.
By the time the dismissal bell rang, Beau was more than ready to head to the park.
“How can you be sure that this person will meet you there?” Raven asked.
“I trust the person.”
“Can I come along?”
The thought of Raven coming with him made him excuse the idea as quickly as it was formed. “No.”
Her face darkened a bit. She said nothing, but he knew what had to be going through her mind. Raven was his best friend, though it was impossible to comprehend why she would be friend with a rather…stupid person. But, she never complained.
“Maybe next time…” he suggested.
“You must really like this person.” Her face was full of expression. She was at times like a mood ring, changing at all times.
Beau shrugged. “I guess.”
“How can you guess? Shouldn’t you know?”
“I’m still deciding.”
“…Do you like, like this person?”
Beau smiled. “What would you do?”
“You’re my friend; I wouldn’t care.”
Beau nodded. “I knew you’d say something like that.”
“So, do you like, like this person?”
Beau stared off for a moment. “Well…something like that…”
The Long Way had never seemed longer. Beau took his time; he wasn’t in such a rush. His secret tryst was something not to be rushed, but to be enjoyed.
He could almost taste the excitement on his tongue. The bile that was slowly rising in his stomach came from the anxiety that had formed into millions of knots the night before.
Finally, he found his way into the Crumplebottom Park. The playground was empty and the slight breeze that passed by easily caressed his already goose-bumped skin.
He sat on the swings and waited. The anticipation that that person would come sent chills down his back.
After an hour, he saw someone coming in the distance. But, he knew that it wasn’t that person; this person had already headed towards the bathrooms.
Beau sighed. Was that person really going to come? Was that person going to listen to what Beau had to say? Had to express to that person?
“Are you Rox666?”
Beau turned around. His smile widened. “Yeah. Sit down.”
That person nodded.
For the longest time, a cold silence passed by the two.
“Why did you want to see me?” the person asked.
“…I think we have a lot in common.”
“Really? Like what?”
“…We’re both lonely…”
The stunned silence gave Beau his answer.
“And-and I think that…that we shouldn’t have to be lonely.”
“Keep talking…”
Beau sighed. A blush formed in his cheeks. “I see you everyday…I really think that we can help each other…And-and, I’d like to help each other by…by…um…what I want to say is, I think you’d think that I’m weird and everything, but I think it would work…”
“What are you saying?”
“I-I know you don’t know me, and I don’t really know you…but I think I love you…Will you go out with me?”
The person looked at Beau with very surprised eyes. “Isn’t-isn’t this going a little too fast? Sh-shouldn’t we get to know each other or something?”
“I-I know, but we can do that while we date…”
“I-I’ve never done this kind of thing before.” The person was blushing furiously.
“I know you’d think that I’m weird…”
“No-no, I don’t think that but…I-I’m not that kind of person…”
“Oh…” Beau sighed. “…But I like you.”
“…Thanks.”
“…And, I want to be friends with you…And-and, maybe you’d change your mind if we became friends first? Should we do that?”
The person smiled. “I-I guess that sounds alright…I mean, aren’t all relationships started like that…?” The person laughed. “God, I don’t even know your name!”
“It’s Beau. What’s your name?”
The person looked towards the bathroom as if anticipating for someone to come out. He then turned towards Beau with the whitest smile Beau had ever seen. “I’m Lawrence.”
Brandi sensed something when she arrived home. For one, Beau was out of his room and Dustin was already in his room.
“How was your day?” Beau asked. Strange. He had never asked before.
“Fine. How about you, Honey?”
Beau didn’t immediately reply. He looked towards the kitchen—as if pondering something—then turned his gaze back at his mother. “Mom, what would happen if I were to date?”
“Date?” The thought came as a surprise. She allowed Dustin to date when he was thirteen…was Beau wanting the same treatment?
“Yes. Date.”
“Well, I don’t know.”
“You let Dustin date when he was thirteen.” So, he wanted to same treatment. “Why can’t I?”
“Honey, I’ve known the Pleasant family for a very long time…Now, do I know this girl?”
There was the catch: it wasn’t even a girl. “Well…you know the person. You know the person very well. They come from a good family, too.”
“Oh?” Brandi picked Ricky up from his crib and cuddled him. “And, how about the girl’s parents? Would they allow her to date?”
Again, another lie. “Of course. They’re very responsible…She is a good kid.”
Brandi smiled warmly. “Is it Raven?”
Where did she get that idea from? Raven was…Raven. She would never be someone else to Beau. The thought of his mother even brining her up in this conversation made him question if his mother was either really dumb or just didn’t take care of him too much. “…Uh…well…”
“If you don’t want to tell, then I won’t bother to ask. I just thought that you and Raven would make a cute couple. She’s such an adorable little girl; and she’s very smart, too.”
Without another response, Brandi made way to the kitchen.
As for Beau, the shock that his mother would think of Raven as adorable wouldn’t settle in him. But, he had to admit that the greater fear was that his mother suggested that he date Raven…
He couldn’t do that; he could never do that. For one, Raven was his best friend. Secondly, she would be moving to a different city nearly a hundred or so miles a way. Lastly, and most importantly, he could never date her because he was sure of himself.
He was completely sure that he was gay.
“So, you actually read,” a voice behind Dustin said on Thursday morning in the library.
Dustin smiled. He knew the voice. “Yes, I read.”
Janie quickly sat down next to him. He noticed that she had picked up a Physics book.
“AP?” he asked, motioning towards the book.
“You’d expect.”
“So is it?”
“Of course.” She looked at what he was reading. “Hey, The Scarlet Letter. That’s a very sophisticated novel. I didn’t know that your puny brain can take such a sophisticated novel…”
“…I think that could be a compliment, somehow.”
“I read that two years ago, for my honors class.”
“And, did your sophisticated sophomore mind comprehend it?”
“Comprehend it? Dude, I raped that book.”
The confused look on his face made her laugh.
“I meant I was the only one who passed that exam with a full score. I mutilated it; in other words, I raped it.”
“What foul language.”
She shrugged. “My good sir,” she began with an English accent, “my language is frilly and lined with silk while I drink my Darjeeling tea with my scones and crumpets.”
He laughed. He also answered in his English accent: “Well, when you do have Darjeeling tea with scones and crumpets, please call on me. I would not want to miss out on such a lustful opportunity.”
She laughed. “I don’t think they’d call it a ‘lustful opportunity’.”
He shrugged. “Well, I ran out of words. It’s too early in the morning to think. And, the only thing going through my mind is-.”
“Sex,” she answered with a lewd smirk.
He smiled. “God, what goes on in your head is too complicated for me to understand.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I was going to say vampires.”
For a moment, both were silent. Then, suddenly, they busted out laughing. The librarian ominously came over to them. She raised her finger to her lips.
They hushed down, attempting to hold in their laughter. When the librarian walked away, they let out snickers.
“How can you say vampires?”
“I just wanted to prove my point!”
“Come on, every guy has to think about sex whenever they hear sex-related words!”
“Well…” He scratched his head.
“Talk about sex, have you and your girlfriend done it yet?”
“Isn’t that too personal?”
“Just wanted to know.” She shrugged her shoulders. “If you don’t want to tell me, then you don’t want to.”
“Yeah, I don’t think I would want to tell you now.”
“So, where’s your girlfriend, now?”
Dustin shrugged, honestly not knowing where Angela was. Last night, she had called to ask if he wanted to go to a party, but he declined. Even when she tempted him with the promise of a bong and a long walk with pot.
“Wow. You don’t know where she is? Some boyfriend you are!”
“I don’t think she’d mind this time.”
“Why?” Her eyes grew wide under her thick-rimmed glasses.
He leaned in closer to her ear. He got a full nostril-full of her scent: some kind of citrus berry. She didn’t smell like smoke, and he liked the awakening smell. “She scored some pot last night.”
She grinned from ear to ear. “Pot?” Her eyes twinkled.
“Oh, you addict,” he joked.
“You can’t say no to it either.”
“…You got me.”
“Well, that’s one thing we both like.”
“Oh? How about music?”
“Do you have to ask? I’m into indie and punk.”
“That’s another thing we both like.”
“I like sweet things.”
Dustin recalled the other day when she had purchased all of those sweet items for her lunch. “Semi-sweet. I’m scared of diabetes.”
“Well, I’ve had sweet things since I was able to eat, and I’m in perfect condition.”
The bell rang and the students began to shove books into their bags.
“Want to get some frozen yogurt after school?” Janie suddenly suggested.
“Is that a date?” he teasingly asked.
She smirked. “If you want it to be. I certainly do.”
A smile flickered at the corners of his mouth. “Okay. So, I’ll pick you up?”
“Okay.”
“Do you even have a car?”
She sheepishly grinned. “I catch rides with Jeremy.”
“Jeremy? Jeremy who?” A hint of concern lined his voice like a fine poison.
“Jeremy West.” They walked out of the library, and he was following her, though their classes were opposite ways.
“The valedictorian?” he asked, attempting to maneuver between her and the myriad of people just heading towards them. He bumped into some people, but had no apologies to pay them.
“Yep. He’s one of my besties. And, his parents are good friends of my parents.” She swung her bag of her shoulder.
“Just a friend?”
“God, you sound like my dad! Yes, just a friend!” She laughed. “Shouldn’t you be going the other way?”
“Just a friend, right?”
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think that you’re too concerned.” Playful teasing lined the way she was looking at him. “If I was your girlfriend, I’d be jealous of me.” Reaching her room, she disappeared behind the door.
He followed her. The nerds of the officially recognized AP Calculus class all turned to look at him with wonder lining every aspect. Nonetheless, he didn’t know a single face in that class.
Janie was already sitting in her seat towards the back. She was talking to—he presumed—Jeremy West.
Dustin trotted to her seat. She grinned at him. “Stalker,” she announced.
He noted that Jeremy was good looking and was looking at Dustin with genuine wonder. Dustin wanted to punch his face.
“Are we still on for afterschool?” he asked.
“Sure.” Janie looked at Jeremy. “Want to come along, Jerry?”
“What’s afterschool? Pot?”
“Frozen yogurt,” Dustin interrupted as he grabbed Janie’s hand. “And, you’re not invited.”
“Hey, that’s not nice-!” Janie began, but was cut off.
No one’s lips had ever felt softer or tasted sweeter or felt more perfect than Janie Alders’. And, Dustin was totally assured.
No comments:
Post a Comment