20

  Cody

  There were tons of hot girls at the party, at least someone else would think there were tons of hot girls at the party. Cassie was there, so were Heather, and Rebecca, along with a majority of the varsity cheerleaders and a few of the sophomore JV A-listers. To someone else every girl there would have been the picture of desire, but to me, there was only one girl there who was worth my attention. Susie was wearing this knee-high black skirt with one of those belts with a big round black buckle. A red top, she had become more found of wearing red after rocking that dress Somewhere Else and it really was an amazing color on her. She had sheer black stockings and black heels. Ever since that night Somewhere Else I found my eyes wandering to Susie whenever she was in my field of vision. I started to pick up all these wonderful little motions her body made when it moved. The way one foot went in front of the other to give her hips this soft, gentle sway. I noticed the way she tossed her hair back when she laughed. God help me, even the way she drank a beer was sexy. The way her head moved back, the way she closed her eyes, the way the condensation from the can just slipped down her fingers and a scant drop landed on her face, the way she wiped off said drop in a quick movement without even thinking about it. I found myself completely enthralled with every graceful perfect move her body made.

  The party was at Joseph’s house. He was one of the more affluent members of the community and he lived on a ranch with a big back yard and few neighbors around to call in noise complaints of high schoolers having too much fun celebrating the fact that the first half of their last year of school was over. I had Susie’s favorite drink memorized, diet coke and rum. I tasted it myself and couldn’t believe someone was willing to drink this, but Susie drank diet coke and didn’t gag so she must have been accustomed to that so sweet it’s almost bitter taste.

  “Got your drink,” I smiled, handing it to her, I couldn’t help but smile as I looked at her. We hadn’t done anything as big or declarative as hold hands in the hallway or get busted making out behind the lockers. But we had done so much, we had done so much Somewhere Else. After that night I finally, truly, understood Christian’s fascination and even, to an extent, I understood his obsession. It was a magical place, where magical things could happen. A place that could give your life meaning, give your life worth. I don’t blame him for falling so head over heels for the trappings and pearls that Somewhere Else offered someone.

  I haven’t read Susie’s chapters yet. She’s already sent me a few and told me, in a cold voice, she’s still trying to figure out how to tell this story in the form of a memoir as opposed to a case disposition. I have a few from brad too, and I haven’t read them yet either. I want to get my thoughts down, point out the moments I thought were important before my bias is corrupted by the input of Brad’s opinions and the anger and accusations of Susie’s.

  “Oh my god, you are the best,” Susie smiled, that wide smile, those perfect teeth, just the right amount of blush on her face, just the right amount of eyeshadow. She was pure perfection. She laughed as she took her drink, we clicked our drinks together and began to imbibe.

  “You’re going to love this,” Susie seemed to be so much bubblier and more affectionate around me, and I’m sure that I had seemed just enthusiastic about spending time together that she did, “Christian is here, he actually came, and I heard he was talking with Bailey,” she raised her eyebrows.

  “Christian and Bailey? The Tuba player From band? Is that the girl with the glasses, and always wears her hair in a ponytail? Kind of tightly wound up.

  “I’m not sure, but she is here with glasses,” Susie smiled, bit her lip and raised her eyebrows, “And her hair is in a ponytail,”

  “Wait, she’s from our english class,” I pondered for a moment, “Okay, that could be perfect, she answers questions almost as often as Christian does, word I’ve heard is she’s one of the last few hold outs actually still reading part four of The Once and Future King without resorting to CliffsNotes,” I said. I felt good for Christian, he could find someone like himself, someone with a brilliant love for literature, someone he could maybe share a kinship of some kind with. “Good, good,” I said, nodding, “I should get him a beer, get something to loosen him up, he’s probably doing everything he can to keep from sweating,” I looked over the party trying to find him. I spotted him, and I saw Bailey laugh and put her hand on his shoulder. Oh man, that meant he was in, it had to have meant that. Susie had put her hand on my shoulder more than a few times tonight.

  Bailey tugged on her ponytail for a minute and excused herself, I grabbed a beer and came up to Christian. “So Bailey, she’s cute man, good for you, saw you making time,” I said, patting his back.

  “What no, we were just talking,” Christian blushed and looked down, he wrung his hands together, for a moment he let out a quick laugh. “I mean, she’s okay, we were talking about how Mordred-”

  “Common interest, that’s the key man, you can do this,” I handed him a beer, “I have total faith in you that you can do this, you know that right?” I asked him, gripping his soldier, wanting so bad for things to work out for this man who had quickly, and through circumstances unimaginable, had become one of my closest friends.

  “I don’t know, I don’t think I’ve ever talked to a girl this long, at least not one over here. Girls here are so different from girls somewhere else,” he said, shaking his head, “Somewhere Else, they think I’m some great hero, they ask me if I’m a prince, but over here, I’m playing with the hand over here dealt me, I’m just afraid she’s going to see how worthless I am and just laugh at me,” he said, worry in his voice.

  I saw his confidence waning and did everything I could to encourage him, “Hey,” I gave his shoulder a squeeze as he took a drink of beer. After downing so much of Somewhere Else’s mead, he could handle a bud-lite like it was nothing. He damn near chugged it. I thought, at the time, that was good for him. Something to build his confidence.

  I’m sorry to say that, Brad.

  I turned to him and looked him right in the eye as soon as he put his drink down, “Hey, listen to me, right now, I mean really listen, you killed the Big Bad Wolf, dude, you actually killed THE Big Bad Wolf,” I said, “Do you know how much ball that takes? Do you have any idea? We all saw you do it, saw you slash your sword and roar in victory, you killed the Wolf, you can talk to a girl, trust me,” I turned my head and caught another look at Susie. She was chatting with some of the other cheerleaders, “If you can kill that Wolf, you can talk to a girl,” I told Christian.

  “Okay, you’re right,” Christian nodded, he took another drink of beer finishing the can and crushing it in his hand, “You’re right, I can do this,” he said, continuing to nod.

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  After giving my friend the pep-talk, I went back to Susie, a wide smile on my face as just as much confidence as I thought I was able to give my friend Christian. “He’s in, he’s so in,” I said, nodding with the kind of confidence that man who had the experience I had a scant few days ago would have. “This is going to be great for him, who knows, this could actually get him to spend a weekend in the real world as opposed to Somewhere Else, I think that this may be the most important night in Christian’s life. The night he finally sees that Somewhere Else is a fun place, but it can’t hold a candle to how things are here in the real world,” I said, putting my arm around Susie, holding her close. She didn’t resist, she let me, she even put her hand on my chest.

  Two girls came up to us, Heather and Rebecca, “Hey Susie,” they both cocked their heads in a way that teased her, “Oh, Cody, right? Second string,” they shared a laugh with each other.

  “Let’s see how much you laugh when I win our last game,” before what happened between Susie and I somewhere else I may have been embarrassed and bashful in this moment. But I had my arm around Susie, and she had her arm around me, there was nothing in the world that could have dented any confidence I had.

  I turned to Heather, “So your boyfriend got busted with some pot, what do you think? You going to wait for him?” I said, smiling.

  “Oh, him,” Heather rolled her eyes, “He’s an idiot, besides it’s not like we were going to last past prom, I’m going to USC, there’s going to be tons of guys, hotter guys,” she looked up and down me, gave me a once over, “So many hotter guys in college,” she said, looking to Susie.

  “Maybe, but why not have fun here while we can,” Susie clung to my arm, wrapping around it like a python, “Everyone’s having fun right now, screw thinking about tomorrow, screw thinking about tomorrow while you’re at a party,” she grinned.

  The two girls looked at Susie and almost on instinct knew exactly what had happened between the two of us, “Oh, yeah, I can see that,” Rebecca said, ending with a bit of a laugh.

  Just then Bailey came up to us, or rather she came up to Heather and Rebecca “Oh my god, I just had like, the lamest guy make a pass at me,” she was still laughing.

  “What happened?” the girls laughed as Bailey recovered herself, “So many stupid high school guys here,” Heather said, “Did he try to get lucky behind a haystack?” she asked.

  “Worse, he was doing so good for so long, if he wanted to fool around, I actually might have,” she smiled, “He called me, M’lady, oh my god I couldn’t help but laugh,” she said.

  “Wait, what did he do?” I asked, knowing she was talking about Christian.

  “Like, we’re talking and I’m thinking he’s kind of cool, and I’m ready to go fool around, I was practically about to drag him somewhere private, and he comes out with this line, something like, I don’t want to dishonor your virtue m’lday, who the fuck even says that?” she laughed. “He was so lame, like I knew he was lame when we started chatting, but I thought that he was that cool ironic kind of lame, but no, he’s actually just really lame, he must be some kind of fucking fedora tipper,” she said.

  “It probably just slipped,” Susie said, “I’m sure he didn’t mean it to sound like that,” she said, defending Christian for what would be the last time.

  “I asked him where his Fedora was, who even talks like that?” Bailey shuddered, “I am so glad, I can’t belive I was thinking of hooking up with him,” she laughed, “What a loser, I mean, I know he decked out Gary and I thought that was kind of cool, but he probably just got a lucky shot in, he is such a loser,” she repeated.

  “Hey, I’ll be right back,” I gave Susie a squeeze and went to go find Christian. He had found himself another drink and was downing it by a hay bale.

  “Christian, what happened man, I thought you were in?” I asked.

  “Fuck living here!” he took another drink, “Like I even care what that harlot thinks, I mean, she’s no princess,” Christian said.

  “What did you do?” I asked.

  “I just talked to her like I talked to girls Somewhere Else, it works over there, but over here I just get laughed at,” Christian crushed his can and tossed it to the ground, “I really just don’t belong here, and this place keeps reminding me I don’t,” he said, shaking his head.

  “Christian, it’s okay,” I rested my hand on his shoulder, “You made a mistake, I can understand, I really can,” I said.

  “Can you, can you understand what it’s like to know there’s this great amazing world waiting for me every weekend? Understand that it’s waiting for me as soon as I slog through all these damn responsibilities and the bullshit I have to deal with here?” Christian shook his shoulder and bucked my hand from him.

  “I know this night didn’t work out for you, you just need more practice,” I said, “You can find a princess over here as easily as you can find one over there,” I said, trying to speak to him in terms I thought he would understand.

  “When we were at the party, the last party, the party Somewhere Else, when I spoke to Cinderella,” he said.

  “You can’t compare a girl here to a literal princess, you must know that,” I said.

  “She was amused by my company, found my stories of heroism and bravery some good entertainment. I didn’t outright ask her for a dance because she already had her prince, and I’m not a prince myself, only a prince can get a princess. And I’m no prince,” Christian shook his head.

  “Hey, look at me,” I grabbed Christian’s shoulder and forced him to look at me, “That’s how that world works, no one gives a shit if you’re a prince or not here, you just made a mistake. That girl, Bailey, she’s no princess either, you can meet a lot of girls like her, you can meet girls even more beautiful, you can meet girls even more understanding,”

  “She laughed at me, I have enough gold to pay for her college education and she laughed at me,” Christian said.

  “It’s complicated, I know that things make sense in that world,” I thought back to my night with Susie, my night in that world where so many things seemed to make so much sense, and then I thought about the chaos and randomness of this world that Christian was so desperate to escape, “But that world isn’t real,” I said, “So take the hit, take the dragons claw of embarrassing yourself at a party, and heal up, and move on. Your story doesn’t end when we finish high school, you still have a life here even after that, we all do,” I said, “And with the gold you’ve acquired, and the confidence I’ve seen you gain in our time Somewhere Else, I know you can do great things, who gives a damn if those great things don’t happen until college, they can happen for you, I’m sure of it,” I said, trying to reassure him.

  “I want to go home, I don’t fit in at parties here,” Christian said.

  “If you want to go home, go home,” I said, “If you feel like you don’t fit in, go home,” I said, “It’s high school, it doesn’t matter,” I said again, “We have like, two more months here, that’s it. After that you’ll have the whole world in front of you. You’ll find your way in this world someday, I promise,” I tried to reassure him.

  “Thank you, Cody,” Christian said, “You’re right, the gold we’ve made, the adventures we’ve had, that’s the only way I’ll be able to find something,” he said.

  “It’s not about gold and Somewhere Else,” Cody said, “Even without the leg up that the gold gives us I know that you can find what you’re looking for, I know you can find your princess, you’re going to meet a girl someday. One who gels so much with you, one who loves what you love, one who understands you,” I said, trying to encourage him.

  “Easy for you to say, you already found yours,” Christian said. That took me back for a moment, did he see me sneak off with Susie that night at the party? Did he see Susie’s arm around mine, did he see the way I looked at her, the way she looked at me. I wanted Christian to have a girl look at him like that so bad. The sad thing is he finally had found one who did, and then everything went so wrong. Christian eventually found his princess, and then things went so bad. Not Bailey, not some ignorant freshmen girl at the party, not a girl at college and not a girl he met as an adult. He met the girl who would love him even under the direst of circumstances. And he loved her so much, that poor bastard, none of us could have expected what had happen to have happened. We all had our problems with it, but Christian was happy, and she was happy. How much debate can one put up against that?

  “I’m going to go home, I’ll see you next Monday,” Christian said, leaving the party. I thought by next Monday he meant the following Monday, he didn’t, he literally meant the next Monday. One week after the party. I have no idea how he excused an absence that long, but he did always tell us his parents didn’t care about where he was.