| The cause and effect.
first focus: Pierre.
He looks back and sees nothing. He attempts to catch his breath as he slinks through a stranger’s backyard. Exhausted, he hugs up against a corner of the adjoining house. He wonders about the others, if they got away. It wasn’t quite what he had in mind, but that doesn’t bother him too terribly. He had made it out and that’s all that would matter come tomorrow. With that all behind him, he casually makes his way through the alleyway and out onto the street.
“Who are you?”
He stops dead in his tracks He got careless to think there wouldn’t be anyone out here. But he had come this far...He smiles and turns to face them.
“I’m just a ghost.”
The curious girl stares at him for a few seconds, then replies.
“Well, that would explain the skull mask, I suppose. So does that mean you’re haunting me?”
He takes in the question and the girl before him, his smile now even wider.
“Well, maybe.”
“Well, that is my yard you just came out of.”
His eyes take the place of his now diminished smile.
“You live here?”
“I just moved in earlier today. Perhaps that’s why you seem so surprised to see me, huh Mr. Ghost?”
“Could be.”
She reaches for the front door and starts to turn the knob. She pauses and smiles at the boy.
“Well Mr. Ghost, I’m pretty tired. It has been a rather long day.”
“Yeah.”
“Maybe it’d be a good idea if I didn’t tell my parents about this. I mean, they might not want to stay here if they knew that this place was haunted, right?”
“Right.”
“Besides, it looks like it may prove to be interesting to stick around here. At least, for a little while.”
He removes his mask and holds it down to his side. His face solemn.
“It’s not, really.”
Her smiles wavers, but only temporarily.
“So it’s not Mr. Ghost, then?”
“No, it’s Pierre.”
“Oh, Pierre the Skull. I think that suits you much better.”
He appears to recover his composure.
“What about you?”
“Me? I’m Joy.”
...
“They caught me on Wright Street. I didn’t even know there was a Wright Street.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I mean, nobody ever goes to that part of town...Well, not unless they live there.”
“That’s true.”
“Since it was my first offense they let me off with a warning.”
“But I’m guessing your parents didn’t let you off that easy?”
“Fuck no! I’m grounded for a month.”
“Damn.”
“Eh, I’ll be out within a week.”
“After that it’d start to seem like they’re the ones being punished.”
“I know, right?”
“What about the others?”
“Caught. They deserved to.”
“Why’s that?”
“They were fucking hanging outside of Turkey Hill with their masks still on for like an hour.”
“You’re kidding me?”
“I’m not. They are actually that stupid.”
They both start laughing. However, it occurs to him that in his account of the casualties Pierre still remains...unaccounted for.
“So what happened with you? I didn’t hear anything. Did you make it?”
“Yeah...Well, kind of.”
“Kind of?”
“This girl saw me coming out of her yard on Houston Street.”
“Where the hell is Houston Street?”
“Three blocks north of Wright.”
“That doesn’t really do anything for me.”
“You’ve lived in this town your whole life. I’ve only been here a few years, but I’m the one who knows where it is.”
“...”
“A block south of Ridge.”
“Oh, I guess there is a street there. So...what about this girl?”
“She was hot.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Who was it? Anyone I know?”
“She said she was Joy.”
“Joy? Never heard of any Joy.”
“I didn’t think you would have. She said she just moved here yesterday.”
“You talked to her, huh?”
“Well, I had to explain what I was doing in her yard.”
“So what’d you tell her?”
“...That I was a ghost.”
“A ghost?”
“I still had my mask on.”
“I see. Pretty smooth.”
“I don’t know. There was something about her. I think anyone else would’ve just dismissed me completely after something like that.”
His eyes light up in conjunction with the sly smile now stretched across his face.
“Is Pierre in love with this Joy?”
“I just met her!”
“But you are blushing, so I’ll assume that to be a yes. I’d never have expected anything like this from you.”
He struggles to find a valid argument. When he comes up empty it is then that he realizes his friend’s observation to be correct. His friend is amazed to see him this way. It is then that he decides:
“I have to meet this girl.”
“Well, I’m sure she’ll be in school on Monday.”
“Or so you’re hoping.”
“Yeah, I am.”
He smiles.
...
“I’m home!”
He takes in his own echo and the pitch black house. Despite this, he continues on.
“Mom!...Dad!...Is anyone here?!”
Accustomed to just such a reception, he navigates his way through the darkness to the telephone. He plays back the messages.
“Message one.
Hi, Pierre. I won’t be home ‘til late tonight, so...I don’t know what you’re going to do for dinner. I guess, just get something and I’ll pay you back. See you later. Bye.
Saturday, five sixteen pm.
Message two.
Hey, it’s me. Uh...I won’t be home ‘til sometime next week. I’ll call back when I have a better idea of when that’ll be. Talk to you guys later. Bye.
Saturday, five eighteen pm.
Message three.
Keuleyan. I guess you’re probably still at work. Oh well. Me, Miriam, Eric, umm...a bunch of other people, I’m sure, are meetin’ up at Joan’s place at nine or so. Not really sure for what. Just thought you might be interested. So hopefully we’ll see you there. Later, man.
Saturday, six forty pm.
Message four.
So it seems I beat you home. You going to the thing tonight at Bocek’s house? Thought we’d cruise over together, so get back to me.”
Saturday, eight o seven pm. End of messages.”
He shakes his head in astonishment.
“Unbelievable. How does he even do that?”
He thinks about the possible night ahead of him.
“Bet they’ll have food.”
He picks up the phone and dials.
“Hello, Mrs. Boyle. This is Pierre.”
...
“I should’ve figured that you were expecting me to drive.”
“Well, I am grounded. And anyway, it’s here in town, so it’s not like it’s killing you on gas.”
“So is this a party or…?”
“I don’t know. I ran into Miriam and Eric earlier and they told me about it.”
“Oh.”
“Told me to make sure you came.”
“What? Why?”
A devilish grin stretches across his face.
“I’m not entirely sure.”
He looks suspiciously to his right, his friend sitting there in the passenger seat.
“But you have some kind of idea though, don’t you?”
“We’re all friends, Pierre. So why should you think there’s something more to it?”
He scowls in disbelief.
“Joan’s going to be there.”
“Well, it is her house we’re going to.”
He smiles again.
“Yeah…I know.”
“So that’s it.”
Still smiling.
“Uh huh. So what do you think?”
“She is cute.”
“Yeah?”
“And we’ve known each other all this time and I don’t know…It’s definitely crossed my mind before…So how do you think I should go about this?”
“I’m sure you won’t have to.”
“Really?”
“She’ll make it happen.”
Now he smiles.
“Okay.”
“See, that’s how it happens. You don’t just meet some girl…”
He pauses.
“That’s just not how it works. But you and Bocek…make sense.”
He tries his best to maintain his focus upon the road, but the car still veers off a bit.
...
She sits there, not terribly interested in anything that might be going on downstairs. All that she cared about hadn’t shown up yet and she was starting to even wonder...
“Everyone else has been here for awhile now. Davis was supposed to see to it that he came. That’s what you told me. So where is he?”
“Hey, calm down. He’ll be here. He probably just had to work late.”
“I think I should’ve known better than to trust that idiot to do anything important like this. Maybe I should’ve asked him myself, but then he would’ve...He could’ve said ‘no.’ What if he does? Just laughs when I tell him. This was a really stupid idea. How did I let you talk me into this? So I can just be embarrassed in front of all these people. I mean, I’m not like you. This isn’t easy for me, doing something like this. I’m not all that brave, not like you are. He’s got to say ‘yes’ or else...I just don’t know how I would go on if he doesn’t.”
“He will. We wouldn’t let you put yourself out like this if we thought there was any chance that it wasn’t going to happen.”
“Yeah?”
“Of course.”
“So does that mean you know he likes me?”
She smiles.
...
“Keuleyan, you made it.”
He smiles rather nervously.
“Yeah, so where’s Joan?”
Not expecting such an immediate reaction.
“I believe she’s upstairs.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
He impatiently makes his way toward the steps, leaving his friends to speculate.
“So he’s going right after it then?”
He shakes his head in disappointment.
“I told him she’d come to him.”
“Yeah, that’s what I would’ve thought.”
“He must really like her a lot.”
“I guess...So there’s beer here, right?”
...
“Who’s there?”
“Me...”
Her eyes widen.
“I was looking for Joan.”
She hits her friend on the arm to get a response.
“Ow...uh, I’m in here.”
“Well, can I talk to you?”
She bites down on her lip.
“Yeah, alright. Just give me a second.”
“Okay.”
Her friend smiles.
“It seems you won’t have to tell him after all.”
“Well, I’m still nervous.”
“You’ll be fine.”
She’s hesitant to smile but gives in anyway.
“I guess so.”
“I’ll let him in.”
As she heads for the door, she stops halfway. She rushes over to the girl and hugs her.
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
“So we’ll talk later?”
“Later.”
She finally opens the door and smiles.
“Pierre.”
He responds.
“Hey, Miriam.”
“Well, I’ll see you later.”
“Okay.”
After she’s out of the room, he shuts the door. He smiles.
“Hi.”
She puts on her brave face.
“Yeah, so it’s good that you could come because...well, it is.”
Embarrassed, she laughs.
“Well, I was told that I was supposed to come so…”
Instantly dejected.
“Oh…”
“No, no! I really wanted to come and see you...uhh...”
Her eyes light up to see his face right now.
“So is that true, that you came for me?”
“Yeah...”
“Because you like me?”
“Well, I do...”
“And well...I like you too, Pierre.”
“So I’ve heard. That’s why I wanted to talk to you.”
Her eyes absolutely radiant.
“Yeah?”
“I really like you…”
Her beaming face.
“Uh huh?”
“But, you see, yesterday I met this other girl…”
Her brilliance begins to fade.
“What?”
“And I really like her too and...”
“...”
“I’m sorry, but this isn’t going to happen.”
“Oh.”
“And I wanted to tell you, because it wouldn’t be right to lead you on.”
“Yeah...Thank you. You’re such a good…person to let me know like this and...I hope…that things work out with this...other girl...because...you really deserve it.”
He goes to hug her.
“No, it’s okay. You don’t have to.”
She forces a smile.
“I understand and...well, we’re still friends, right?”
He smiles.
“Definitely.”
“Well, that’s good...I’m glad to. Really...really...glad.”
“So I’ll see you...”
“Uh huh.”
He walks out of the room and…
“Can you close the door, please?”
He looks away.
“Yeah.”
“Thank you again, Pierre.”
He shuts the door.
“I should’ve know. God, I’m such an idiot. And...at least he was so good about it. He really is…If only I could’ve...”
She lingers there for but a minute before she falls into it.
...
They witness his unaccompanied return from a point of curiosity.
“Pierre...Where’s Joan?”
“She’s still upstairs.”
“Well, isn’t she...”
He shakes his head.
“I don’t think so.”
He looks to the friend he had arrived with.
“I think we should get going.”
...
He can’t help noticing the look on his friend’s face, as it was nothing he could remember having seen before. It did not seem to fit him at all and it’s awkward appearance only added to the uncomfortable silence. Though he’s not certain of an exact hand, he can’t shake a sense of guilt. Nevertheless, he pushes for a cause of…
“Hey.”
His eyes firmly focused on the road.
“Hmm?”
“So what exactly happened back there? I mean…What did you do?”
“I just told her how I felt.”
“But I thought you liked her?”
“I do.”
“I don’t get it…Then why were we in such a hurry to leave?”
“Because I do like her but…”
“What?”
“I also like Joy.”
“Oh?”
“Actually…I’m pretty sure I love her.”
“But you just met her. You don’t just love someone all of a sudden like that. That’s not how it works.”
“Why not?”
“Christ, Pierre. You talked to her for not even five minutes. How can you fall in love with someone that fast?”
“But I did.”
“You know nothing about her beyond her first name and where she live and that you think she’s attractive. Where you know practically everything about Joan, like that she likes you. So what if this girl doesn’t like you?”
“I don’t know. Maybe she will, though.”
He shakes his head in light of his friend’s unyielding hopefulness and laughs.
“You know Miriam’s going to be all over you after this.”
…
“Pierre, answer the goddamn door now!”
“Not so loud.”
“That asshole made me lie to my best friend and had her crying all last night!”
“But there are neighbors. And what if his parents come out?”
“His parents are never home, anyway…Now open...”
From the other side of the door.
“Do you promise to stop yelling and at least pretend to hear me out?”
“Why the hell should I?!”
“Because I never agreed to anything you had planned on happening last night and as mad as you may be at me, you have to admit it was a shit situation to put me in.”
“…”
“And her too.”
She sighs in accepting responsibility.
“Can you please let us in so we can talk?”
The door slowly swings open, he already heading for the stairs. His guests enter, closing the door behind them, and file up the stairs as well. He nudges her to prompt...
“I’m...sorry for attacking you like that. Especially to come to your house and do it. No matter what may have happened last night, you’re still my friend and you didn’t deserve that...so I am sorry.”
“Yeah. It’s okay. And so I guess I’m sorry about...whatever I made you think was...well...”
“We know what you mean.”
They enter a room and seat themselves.
“But...”
As she struggles to comprehend the events that had led them here.
“I really thought you liked her. Didn’t you?”
“I do…I mean, I did. I don’t know…Maybe I still do.”
She grows re-aggravated in light of such indefinite reply.
“Then what is it, Pierre? Why aren’t you with her then? You like her but…But what?”
“There’s…”
He’s unsure of how to go about response, that it may just illicit further contempt. But in preparation, he’s reminded of the cause of all of this. How she smiled and it seemed to be such an impossible thing, as if it never existed before him. And maybe not beyond him. That only he was privy to such a spectacle. He had to smile himself.
“There’s someone else.”
In unison.
“Someone else?…Who?”
His eyes now firmly focused.
“Tomorrow.”
“What do you mean…”
“Tomorrow?”
“Maybe you’ll get to see her tomorrow at school.”
“See who?”
“Who is she?”
He just smiles.
“Pierre.”
…
“So how did it go? She wasn’t too…”
He smiles and shakes his head.
“Well, at first.”
“Was she…”
“He got her to calm down, saying he never told her he wanted…”
“Yeah…So…”
“He said…Well, he mentioned this other girl.”
“Oh, right. Her.”
“Yeah, but he never really went into any kind of detail. He wouldn’t even tell us her name. Just that we might meet her tomorrow.”
He laughs a bit.
“Wow…um…Jesus.”
“What?”
“Friday when we…”
“Yeah?”
“Well, when we heard the sirens, we all took off. He ended up in someone’s backyard on Houston Street…”
“Wait. Where the hell’s Houston Street?”
“Somewhere down off of South Ninth.”
“Sure, okay.”
“Yeah, so he’s coming out of this yard and this girl spots him. Now he tries his best to play it off until she tells him that it was her yard he just came out of. I don’t know, I guess she had just moved in that day. She didn’t seem too concerned with some stranger creeping around her house, apparently. From everything he was saying, which...He wouldn’t shut the fuck up about her...But he’s convinced that maybe she likes him also.”
He starts laughing to have a more detailed account of recent history.
“It’s just Pierre being himself. I mean, he’ll realize the girl was just being nice or whatever, you know?”
“Yeah.”
“And he’ll go back to Joan and she’ll...Well, you know she’ll forgive him ‘cause that’s how she is.”
“She really likes him.”
“And he really likes her. It was just bad timing.”
“Probably.”
“Still...”
“Hmm, what’s that?”
“I’m really interested in meeting his Joy.”
“So that’s her name?”
“Uh huh.”
He turns down in thought momentarily.
“But what happens if he is right?”
“I don’t know...Then I guess it sucks to be Joan.”
“I guess so.”
He smiles.
“There’s always Nolan, though he doesn’t have that same exotic charm like Pierre does. I mean, he’s fucking French. You just can’t compete with that.”
“Wasn’t he like born in Montreal or something?”
“It's kind of annoying, when you think about it."
...
The phone’s ring reverberates throughout the darkness of the relatively empty home. Looking to maintain the former atmosphere, he picks up.
“Hello?”
“Oh! Hi, Pierre. I wasn’t expecting...”
“Hi, Mom. How are you?”
She laughs slightly.
“I’m fine. And how are...”
“Dad called yesterday. He said he doesn’t think he’ll be back ‘til sometime next week. He’ll call again when he knows for sure, though.”
She sighs, annoyed.
“Now Mathieu was going to come home for his birthday.”
“Matt’ll be home?”
“Uh...Yeah. He’s coming home Friday.”
“Just for the day?”
“Probably the whole weekend, I’d imagine.”
“So is that why you called then?”
“No. I was calling to tell you I’ll be home late, so...Did you eat dinner last night?”
“Yeah, me and Davis went to Joe’s.”
“Well, what were you thinking of for tonight?”
“I don’t know. So I’ll see you today then?”
“Oh, I didn’t mean...No, probably not. I just didn’t want you to...”
“Well, tomorrow?”
“I should still be around before you go to school. I’ll make you breakfast if I am.”
He smiles.
“You don’t have to.”
“Well, it’s not a problem. Anyway, I was just letting you know. So I should see you tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
“Goodbye, dear.”
“Bye, Mom.”
Silence returned, he lingers about trying to retrace...
“I can’t remember now what I was thinking about. Damnit, Mom…So I wonder if there’s anything to eat? Even though I’m not really hungry. But I know if I put it off, I’ll just forget later.”
He navigates his way past the silhouettes of the evening that have come to entirely be home at this hour. Upon reaching the kitchen, he finally allows for some light.
“When I see her tomorrow...I wonder what I should do? I guess I haven’t really thought this through all too much. But maybe when I do see her...I can’t do anything if she’s...like what if the teacher has her up front? She may not even be in any of my classes. I have no idea what grade she’s in. And she could go to Catholic or Hempfield instead. No. I’m just letting what Davis said get to me. And I do kind of feel about everything that went down last night with Joan...I don’t know why Miriam had to do something like that anyway. You fucking ask and check with people before pulling something like that. And I bet now…everyone probably knows what was supposed to happen and that it didn’t...She said she was crying. How can she live that down? She should’ve said something before. I mean, if she’s liked me all this time. But then if I had met her, what then? What would I’ve done? Break it off and then what would everybody have thought of me? It’ll be better this way, I think. It will be, because tomorrow...It’s going to happen because I know it will. I really want it to and she...When she smiled like that, I think that showed she does too. Yeah...Tomorrow. And then they’ll understand and I won’t have to feel bad anymore about it. I just hope I don’t have to wait all day, though. That’d be pretty annoying.”
He exits the room, taking the light with him.
...
Sprawled out on the night all aglow...Downstairs, someone lets themselves in.
...
“So today’s the day then?”
“Well…”
“Assuming that she’ll be there.”
“What are you guys talking about?”
“You mean you didn’t hear? About the girl Pierre dumped Joan for?”
“I didn’t dump her. We were never even together. So knock it off with that shit.”
He turns his head toward the window, smiling as he does so.
“It doesn’t really matter anyway. Nobody thinks that, I’m sure.”
“So who’s this girl you were talking about?”
Dreading anything further his friend may have to add...
“Her name’s Joy. She...I met her Friday. She just got here and...”
“And he loves her, just like that.”
“She must be pretty amazing then, to already know you love her.”
“I think she is.”
“Yeah? Well, that’s cool.”
“You can’t honestly be condoning this?”
“Fuck you, Davis.”
“Why not? To meet someone like that, I don’t think probably happens so often, you know?”
“It’s nice to know someone’s on my side.”
“I’m not against you in this. It’s just being realistic. There’s a chance this won’t work out the way you want it to. I just think it’s something you should be prepared for. But not in the least against you.”
“Well...I appreciate the concern, but...I know it isn’t really necessary. It’s going to happen, so you don’t have to...You don’t.”
...
“Yeah. Pierre.”
“Can I go to the bathroom?”
“Alright.”
He hands him a hall pass.
“Here you go.”
He closes the classroom door behind him and makes his way down the hall. No one else around…
“Seventh period. The day’s almost over...Where is she? I should’ve found out when I talked to her. Why didn’t I ask?”
He enters the restroom. He goes over to the sink and runs the water cold. Not really sure as to his reason for coming here, he allows the water to trickle through his fingers.
“Was it dumb to think it was just going to all fall into place for me? Just because I want it to...Why should it?”
He can hear foot steps approaching. He turns off the faucet and attempts to dry his hands. As someone comes in, he walks out.
...
“So did...”
“I haven’t seen her.”
“Well, she just moved here Friday.”
“Yeah, what’s your point?”
“Maybe she didn’t register yet?”
“That takes a day or two process. If she registered today, then she probably won’t start until tomorrow or Wednesday.”
“I guess it’s possible. But I don’t know...”
“Are we going or what?”
“Where’s Miriam?”
“Well, her and Joan...”
“I think I’m going to walk home.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. I’ll see you later.”
“Alright then. Later.”
He smiles, already completely aware of the situation.
“Hey, Pierre. Maybe tomorrow, you know?”
He smiles in response.
...
He meanders through the other students and the cars looking to pick them up. Successful, he starts down the hill.
“So...”
He stops dead in his tracks.
“I’m not entirely sure how to get home. It’s pretty embarrassing, but...Would you mind walking me home?”
He smiles and turns to face her.
“I guess.”
second focus: love.
Having allowed some minutes to pass in an awkward silence, he feels now to be as good a time for making small talk as any that might lie ahead.
“Well...”
She finds herself completely thrown by such sudden dialogue, as if she’d fully expected them to remain closed lip the whole way home.
“Uh...Sorry. What is it?”
“Well, what if you hadn’t ran into me? How would you’ve found your way home?”
She smiles for his concern.
“I could’ve just asked someone else. Probably not to walk me home, but how to get there.”
“I’m not so sure that would’ve worked out necessarily.”
“Well, why not?”
“Most people here are jerks and they wouldn’t go out of their way to help some new kid.”
“Really? How come?”
“Because it’s like I said ‘they’re jerks.’ That’s how this town is. We hate everyone and so they don’t like us either.”
“They who?”
“Oh. Other schools. Like across the river is Eastern and we don’t get along with them at all. And up until like a year or two ago, we weren’t allowed to play each other because of some big fight that happened at a football game before I moved here. Maybe before I was even born.”
“So you’re not from here either?”
“No.”
“Where did you...”
“Montreal, until I was five. Then we moved here.”
“Why here?”
“My mom got an offer to teach at the one college and she wanted to take it. My dad’s company had an office in Philadelphia. This is where my mom was from, so we came here. My brother really didn’t like it though.”
“You have a brother?”
“Yeah, an older brother Matt. Why?”
“No reason. I just…Well, I’m an only child. So do you have any other brothers or...”
“Just him.”
“How old is he?”
“Twenty two.”
“And you’re...”
“I’ll be seventeen in February.”
“So he was about ten when you moved here. No wonder he didn’t like it. I’m sure he’d gotten pretty attached to Montreal by then. You were still probably young enough that it didn’t matter.”
“No. Well...I mean, it didn’t bother me. That’s why he was upset though.”
“Then what was it?”
“He was born in Boston, so to have lived there and Montreal only to end up here...”
“Yeah. I guess I can understand his point. So you said your birthday’s in February, right?’
“Uh huh, Valentine’s Day.”
“No it’s not.”
He pulls out his wallet and retrieves from it his driver’s license. He then places it into her hand. She examines it carefully before handing it back.
“Oh, that’s completely fake.”
“It’s not.”
“It is. Your birthday’s probably something lame like March twentieth or August fourth.”
“Well, when’s yours?”
“Well, it’s..."
She smiles, half embarrassed.
"March twentieth, actually.”
“Isn’t that the first day of spring?”
“Hmm?”
“I think it is. I’m not sure if it’s always the same day, though. But it’s usually around there. The weather starts to get good again. My birthday’s in the middle of winter and it’s kind of depressing if you don’t have plans with someone.”
“I guess, to think of it like that...”
“I don’t really. I was just trying to make you feel better about having such a lame birthday.”
“Well, thanks...And for helping me get home too. I really appreciate it, Pierre.”
“It’s no problem.”
“So you live nearby then?”
“A few blocks away.”
“A few?”
“Five or six.”
“Five or six?! You should’ve said something. That’s pretty out of the way.”
“Not really. Only about ten minutes. It’s fine. So don’t worry about it.”
She stalls out.
"What is it?"
"Pierre..."
"Yeah?"
"Why are you being so nice to me?"
to be continued... |
