Nolan Lancaster was not going to the Fall Dance. He’s repeated that to several people, including half the hockey team and 5 girls, none of whom he liked and 2 of whom he barely knew. He’d never planned to go, and he was glad when Elise told him that she was sorry, but if Gen and Dante couldn’t go to the dance together, she couldn’t go with him. He’d immediately agreed and they had made plans to, instead, have dinner at Zabat’s and then hit a comedy double feature at the theatre. Just the three of them. It m nade Nolan all the happier that he could keep Gen company, because he still felt sort of guilty that he hadn’t somehow guessed what Brett had planned and stopped him. He dressed in a nice pair of slacks, a button up shirt and a tie that was so loose the knot was halfway down his chest. On his feet were his dress loafers.
Gen dressed for the night out in a short blue jean dress with black leggings underneath and a brown turtleneck underneath. She wanted to stay home and mope … maybe while eating a gallon of ice cream and crying. The first school dance and Dante couldn’t go with her, so she was damned if she was going to go. She sniffed and looked at her face, on which was no make up, but she had brushed her blonde hair out and put it back. Basically she was dressed semi-formally. Dinner at Zabat’s and a double feature. Then she could go home, cry and try and get that ice cream down before she fell asleep in a wet pillow. She’d been doing good until she heard about the dance and had been getting progressively depressed ever since.
Elise Girard was ready to go to her anti dance night out with her best friend and her boyfriend. She was a big believer in solidarity and she could not enjoy a dance with Nolan when the whole event was ripping Gen’s heart out. Dante would come back and there would be other dances. Elise was in a deep cherry red flowery sort of shirt dress with black leggings and tall boots. She even left her hair loose with no toque. She wore her usual little bit of makeup, powder, mascara and tinted lipgloss. She kept it simple. She was pulling a black beaded necklace over her head when she heard Stefan in his room talking to his mirror as a practice date.
“LaTonya, you look lovely tonight. Can I have this dance? My lady may I please have this dance? Would you...dance with me?”
Elise stood in Stefan’s doorway and cleared her throat “Probably best if you just ask the question once...” She smiles “Are you excited?” It was Stefan’s first date ever. She sniffed the air “Are you wearing cologne?” She made a face.
Stefan jumped at his sister’s voice “Fuck don’t sneak up on me. Elise I am so nervous...she’s so pretty and funny and smart and she said yes to me?” He sniffs at his wrist “Is it too much?”
Elise giggles “The fresh air walk will help. Just be you. You’re awesome as you are. Take a breath little brother.” She went and gave him a hug “You got this.”
She left him trying a frightful experiment with some hair pomade and headed to Nolan’s to collect him before Gen. Elise had a sort of fuzzy charcoal grey shawl thing over her shirt dress she had borrowed from her sister and she carried a small black purse. She knocked on Nolan’s door.
Nolan had been waiting on Elise and when she knocked on the front door, he opened it almost immediately. “Hey…” he looked at her as he toed into one shoe. Since he was staring at her, he missed the second shoe. Several times. “Um … sorry.” he apologized and stepped out after calling over his shoulder. “Mom! We’re leaving. No late parties!” he closes the door behind him. “You look fantastic.” he leans in. “I want to kiss you now, because I won’t be while we’re with Gen. That’s not fair.” and he’ll move to kiss her for as long as he can.
Elise drinks Nolan in as he steps out of his house and moves to her “Thank you...you look very handsome all dressed up.” She tugs at the tie a bit as she pulls him in to kiss him as well “We have now…..and after…” She kisses Nolan intensely because she adores kissing Nolan and can barely get enough of it “Mmmmm” She moans into the kiss. She can sort of feel her lipgloss smudging on him but she gets lost in kissing him and doesn’t care. Soon her hands are in his hair and she’s on her tiptoes.
Nolan kisses her, tastes her and holds her. He could kiss her for days. He moans softly when her hands go in his hair and his are quickly in hers as he loves her hair. “Elise….” he murmurs into the kiss, lifting her up and putting her on one of the risers. Suddenly he hears a huff and breaks the kiss to see Stella Ferris-Smith walking by on her way to the school and the dance. He watches her and looks at Elise. “What’s her problem?” he wonders aloud.
Elise is floating….well Nolan is lifting her but same difference. It was magic. Then it was interrupted by Stella and she scowls a bit after her “Maybe we weren’t musical enough?” She chuckles a bit “Maybe she saw my Levar pin and knows I didn’t vote for her?” She shrugs “OK….to Gen, and Greek food and then movies. I looked up these movies...they have minimal romance so we don’t bum Gen out. They’re both ridiculous British satirical comedies. We might hate them but it’s for a cause. One’s sort of a buddy cop thing and the other is like zombie-sih but not quite zombies?” The movies were Hot Fuzz and The World’s End. A double feature since they had the same director and lots of the same cast. If she can she’ll take Nolan by the hand and walk towards Gen’s house, not noticing in the fading light that he has pinkish lipgloss obviously smeared to one side of his mouth and hers is smeared to the other side. When they get to the Beaulieu house Elise cheerfully knocks on the door.
Gen is looking at her brother. Rene is dressed in black on black and he looks fantastic, but a little nervous. “You’ll be fine. Have fun. This is literally your big ‘coming out’ party.”
Rene blows out a big breath and nods. This is his first dance with someone he wanted to be with, as opposed to a boy someone helpfully set him up with thinking he was too shy to ask her. When Gen calls this his ‘coming out’ party, he actually laughs. “Smart ass. You have fun, too Gen.” he gets to the door just in time for the knock, so he opens it and raises his brows as he sees the smeared lip gloss on both Elise and Nolan. “Um … hey ….” he motions to his face. “You’re kinda … smearing … um … yea … see ya.” and he bails, heading for Tristan's to pick him up.
Nolan blinks, not understanding what Rene means at first, until he hears the word ‘smearing’ and then it hits him. “Fuck.” he ducks in the door and turns immediately left into the Beaulieu bathroom where he gets toilet paper for he and Elise. He wipes his face, and hands Elise some for herself. Staring out the door, he calls. “Um … hey Gen …”
Elise starts to greet Rene and gives him an approving look “Hey nice outf….” She wipes at her mouth and then in the light sees Nolan’s and giggles “Ooops….good catch, thanks. Have fun Rene.” She takes the toilet paper from Nolan and cleans up her side of the mess “Thank you and sorry about that. I’ll skip the gloss next time.” She turns and clears her throat “Hi Gen. Are you ready for a night of Greek food and weird British movies?”
Gen sees that Elise and Nolan have arrived and that they are wiping away any signs of their make-out session. She’s happy that they’re happy but at the same time she feels a pang of jealousy. She really needs that distraction. “Yes … please!” she hurries to the door. “Maman, Papa I’m leaving!” she heads out with them closing the door and as they head down the walk, she smiles, glancing at the school and they turning away from it. “You guys are so nice doing this for me.”
Nolan walks on one side of Gen, leaving the other for Elise. “You’re going to have a great time.” he assures her. “That's what friends are for, right?”
Elise hooks her arm through Gen’s if she can “You would do this for me and this will probably be way more fun than the drama that might come up at a school dance. Seriously at my old school….girls on one side of the gym, boys on the other and by the end of the night half the bathroom stalls had people crying in them and there was a guarantee of at least two fist fights. It’s like a little petri dish of hormones going on over there. And our little brothers are in it….god help them. Who’s Rene all dressed up for anyway?” She walks and talks. In truth she’d be happy to slow dance with Nolan but she meant everything she said about dances. They were bittersweet.
Nolan walks with the girls, half listening to them and half just looking around as they move. It’s a nice Friday night, which helps. Better to be outdoors than indoors. He does hear how miserable school dances could be.
Gen shrugs. “Maybe we can go to the next one. I hope we can go to the next one.” she sighs and then smiles smugly. “He found someone special. Like really special, I think.” she pauses. “No doubt you’ll hear about it all by Monday, if not earlier.” she replies a bit coyly, as she doesn’t want to be the one outing her brother if he doesn’t want to be outed.
Elise lets out a little “Oooooh! Go Rene. Well I hope he has a good night. And we will go to the next one. Don’t you worry Gen. Dante will come home.” She giggles a bit “Stefan was practicing for his date by talking to his mirror. It was sort of adorable. He’s going with LaTonya Hawkins-Domino….Keisha’s little sister. I hope he doesn’t make a total ass of himself…..poor kid. Speaking of Keisha, did you know she started working for the Perk to learn how to be Buni? That’s like the best thing ever. I wonder if Mabel will try to shadow Zilpha….because in her case that was a weird casting. She keeps doing this old lady voice that sounds like she’s reaching out from her death bed.” She chuckles.
Nolan glances down at the girls as they talk and smiles. He’s done the right thing, he’s sure. They seem to be having fun, as always. For him, that makes it all alright.
Gen nods. “He will. He’s getting good grades and keeping out of trouble, just like he promised.” There’s a lot of hope in her voice. Then she gasps about Stefan’s date. “How did he get her to say yes?” she wonders. “Nothing against Stefan, but he isn’t the smoothest boy in town.” and then she laughs about Kiesha. “Will she try the accent? Oh I sort of hope so and I sort of hope not. Yikes.” and then she sighs. “Zilpha isn’t half dead. She’s strange, but I like that about her.”
Elise looks past Gen for a moment and gives Nolan a little smile. She was there for Gen but she didn’t want him to feel ignored either. “Dante’s determined to get home to you. That’s good.” Elise giggles “I dunno...and none taken. Stefan’s like a mini me of our Dad….mind you Dad charmed Mom so meh…..” She shrugs and then ponders “I dunno if she’ll do the accent. Either way she’s Buni. Mabel is strange too...she just needs to tap into eccentric not hyper. Zilpha is eccentric.”
As the trio walk on Brooke Martin comes out of the Love Shack with a brown paper bag and then breaks into a smile and crosses the street towards them, her eyes on Nolan. “Nolan Lancaster with two dates….hello ladies.” She leans into Nolan’s ear “If I had known you were into threesomes I would have chosen the younger brother.” She teases. Brooke is wearing a little red dress that leaves very little to the imagination and thigh high black boots with an open black leather biker jacket.
Elise suddenly grips Gen’s arm and then lets go of it and steps towards Brooke, squaring off with her “Leave him alone.” She spits out with surprising ferocity. She’s also sort of blocking Gen as Brooke had inadvertently mentioned Brett by referring to Nolan as the younger brother.
Nolan is perfectly happy just looking around, although he couldn't help but glance in the window of Earthcakes to see Zilpha at the register reading a book. When Brooke comes up to him, his eyes widen. “No … no …” Brooke had almost always ignored him as the boring brother, which he’d been fine with. He is still sort of stammering when Elise comes between them. Moving closer to Gen, he is ready to protect her, but he isn’t sure if Brooke is planning on being mean. She’s usually slutty, because Brett had been with her several times.
Gen is laughing at the whole idea of Stefan being a Mini Me, but it was so true. But his father adored his mother despite being a little … oddly shaped. That would have to count for something to someone. She is almost ready to reply to the whole idea of Mabel as Zilpha when Brooke Martin is in front of them, seemingly coming on to Nolan, who doesn’t look comfortable at all. But she also mentions Brett and she bites her lip. She wants to be strong and brave. “You can’t have one just because the other is in prison, you skank.” she spits out, mildly shocked that her words were so venomous.
Brooke looks almost amused by the whole thing and makes a point of looking down at the short girl who’s name she’s forgotten and then to Nolan and then to Gen. “Proudly a skank. You should have just let him you know...then your bad boy would still be here….I’m sure he’d forgive one little fuck….” She taunting now but Elise suddenly lunges at her and she jumps back.
Elise was all sweetness until someone found her temper and Brooke found it. Her little hands balled into fists and she almost leapt at Brooke drawing one hand back like she was going to hit her. “I WILL PUNCH YOU IN THE TIT BITCH! FUCK RIGHT OFF!” She had a wild look in her eyes like she was totally ready to fight Brooke.
Brooke stepped back further “Jesus...ya psycho…..I was just teasing….” She started to walk away. People in the street were turning and staring.
Elise was still advancing and gave Brooke a little kick which just missed as she pulled her leg out of the way “I SAID FUCK OFF!” This time Brooke did fully exit and looked surprised by the tiny angry teenage girl.
Gen tenses and is ready to strike when Elise goes off. How dare that bitch… Elise misses, but Gen steps forward. “You worthless CUNT!”
Nolan just can’t believe Brooke’s gall, even though he’s seen it before. But when he tells Gen that she just should have let Brett have his way, he is stunned for a second. Before he knows it both girls are heading for her. He starts by putting a restraining hand on Gen’s shoulder, which seems to work, but Elise is kicking and he tries to pull her back and put his arm around her waist. “She’s not worth it.” he tells them both. “She really isn’t.” He is hoping things will deescalate and not ruin Gen’s evening. “Let her go get another case of crabs or something.”
Gen calms a bit, but is standing with her fists by her side, shaking. “God … god … god …”
Elise is tiny enough to get easily pulled by Nolan and she’s calmed a bit by his arm around her waist. She watches Brooke walk away as she catches her breath and her adrenalin stops pumping. Exhaling finally she goes to Gen “I am so sorry about that Gen…” She looks at Nolan too but then back at Gen because what Brooke said to Gen was so many times worse. “Nolan’s right...she not worth it.” She reaches for Gen “Can I give you a hug….I’ll wait if you’re too pissed...I get that.”
Gen is still shaking, but she pulls Elise into a hug like she was a long lost relative. “Oh my god that bitch .. that cunt … that seeping, weeping cunt!” she is breathing hard. “How can she SAY that? How?” she is calming … slowly.
Nolan lets Elise go to Gen ane won’t defend her and he doesn’t know why she would do that anyway. “Come on … let’s get some greek food in us. Watch a couple great movies and .. fuck em, jsut have fun.” he will lead them hopefully to Zabats without more trouble.
Elise hugs Gen tightly and then lets her go and nods at Nolan “Let’s do that. Forget her seeping weeping…..ok no more Brooke vag references or we’ll lose our appetites.” She can’t help but laugh. Elise is a little more blunt with her female friends and so far Nolan seems to take it ok when he’s with them. “Greek food is almost as good as sushi….almost.” If she can she’ll hook her arm through Gen’s again and walk towards Zabats after a sweet look in Nolan’s direction.
Gen releases Elise with a slight laugh. “Good point. Maybe you can still have fish for dinner anyway?” she half teases. She is feeling a it better just being with Elise and Nolan. SHe sees the sweet look and doesn't have to look at Nolan to know he is returning it.
Nolan smiles a bit at the girls. This wasn’t the end of the world. The evening could still be saved. “No ruining my appetite. I skipped lunch preparing for this dinner.” he places his hand on his flat stomach. “I’m starving.” he returns Elise’s sweet look with a loving one and opens the door to the Parthenon, holding it open for both girls and coming in behind them.
Elise is back to her full sweet bubbly self after the calming of her tamper and the departure of the awful Brooke. As they’re seated she beams at the menu “OK I am going to have that shellfish stew and we will not speak of it indencently because it’s divinity.” She holds up a finger at Gen and then smirks at her. Then she sighs at Nolan “YOU skipped lunch? You’ll have to order dessert and a large popcorn at the movies….or your metabolism might collapse.” She glances back at Gen “I swear he snacks between snacks.” Elise glances around the restaurant and sees a man and a woman dining together a few tables over. Interacial couple perhaps as the woman is black and….she does a double take and swats at Gen with her menu and leans in to whisper “Isn’t that Dante’s foster mother? Lydia? Who’s the guy? Does she have a boyfriend? Does Dante know about him?”
Lydia Alvin is sitting and making polite but awkward conversation with Joseph Samuels, a date set up for her by the good intentions of her dear friend Maria. She’s wearing a nice blue dress but only because it was encouraged. As pleasant as she smiles, she wants to be anywhere else right now. Too many set ups and never the right one for her.
Joseph Samuels is conversing nicely with Lydia Alvin. He’d been minding his own business in the grocery store when a strange Latina approached him. She seemed nice enough and they quickly discovered that they both had large amounts of children. And she seemed delighted when he told her that he was currently single. He found out why in the check out when this Maria woman effectively set him up on a date with the cashier, who he learned was Lydia Alvin. Joseph was basically stunned into accepting the date. Dinner at Zabat’s. Now he sat awkwardly, just as she did. The conversation was quite polite, but he would rather be with … well … elsewhere. Sweet relief came in the form of their waiter carrying their food, which both of them gave every bit of attention to that the food deserved.
Nolan laughs when Elise teases him. “You’re funny … like I wasn’t planning on desert.” They are seated and he looks at the menu, so hungry he is deciding more based on how much food he believes is provided instead of thinking what he’s in the mood to eat. While he does that, the girls start talking about another couple. He glances over and sees their meals, but both look like smaller portions than he’s in the mood for.
Gen looks over at the couple and blinks. “Yea …” Brooke and everything about her is shoved out of her head by the couple. “That’s Lydia. And … I don’t know her … her .. date? He looks like Levi, but way too old.” she shakes her head. “I don’t … I mean .. Dante never mentioned Lydia dating.” she sounds like she is sure he would have talked about his foster mother ever going out. Surely he would.
Lydia is happily distracting herself with beef mousaka when she spots Gen sitting with some friends and gulps. She gives a little smile and wave. This was not ideal. She didn’t feel like fielding questions from Dante. She had downplayed the whole idea of a date when Maria took her kids but Mina had been giving her the stink eye about the dress. Girl was growing up too fast. She asked Joseph a benign question and secretly hoped he was a fast eater “So, did you grow up in Vancouver?” She made a point of eating at least a quarter of hers while she waited for his reply to finish and gulped her wine. Lydia didn’t care if the man thought her table manners were atrocious. This would indeed be one date. Just like the time she was set up with Gurshan Singh, who actually had seemed a little disappointed by her polite dismissal at the end of the night. George Arnett was another set up but he talked so much she wasn’t sure if he’d even notice if she slipped out the back door of the Breakfast Nook. At least he simply smiled and shook her hand when she told him it was nice but no thanks. Adam Brate had just called a spade a spade and they had both admitted neither of them wanted to be on their set up date. But the honesty resulted in many jokes and the two had remained pretty good friends since, just never romantic as they never intended to be. Maybe she should pull an Adam and just tell Joseph before dessert. He was a bit harder to read so far.
Elise saw the wave at Gen and casually smiled “Interesting..” She whispers and then says at a normal volume “What are you both eating?” She sets her menu down “I know my stew but there will be baklava…..so good.” She looks at Nolan “Has your mom ever dated since her divorce?” Now she’s got her nosy mood on about all the middle agers and older folks in town. It was almost anthropological. She glances at the man with Lydia again and whispers to Gen “He does look like Levi….I thought Levi was old...I mean not like really old…” She shrugs.
Gen returns the wave from Lydia awkwardly. She couldn’t not tell Dante … because it was news … and he especially wanted news about his family. But she wasn’t looking forward to it. She finally looks at the menu. “Braised pork and then the fruit.” she announced after a moments glance. She also looks curious about Nolan. It felt like she physically avoided asking him if he was adopted, since he was so sweet and kind, especially towards Elise. But she had also seen him playing hockey and he took no prisoners. Then Elise mentions Lydia’s date again and she nods. “He’s older than Levi, but dresses just as sharp.” she notices.
Joseph answered when their eating was interrupted by a question. More conversation. “No .. I was born and bred in Toronto. We only moved here about four years ago. Vancouver, that is.” he eats quickly, but neatly and he doesn’t mind a bit if Lydia does the same. He drinks deeply of his wine. “So … you … foster …” he stumbles over the words. “Very noble endeavour. I … admire that.” he pats his suit coat pocket for his phone. He brought it. Surely it was on. He finishes his meal in record time and the moment he does his phone rings. He holds up a finger. “I should take this.” he tells his date, even though he hasn’t even pulled his phone out yet. He looks at the text message and suddenly laughs. “You little …” he murmurs and then he blows out a breath, finishes his wine and looks at Lydia. “I’m not being completely honest with you, Lydia. I like you, please don’t think I don’t. You’re a lovely woman, but … I don’t think you’re the one for me. I appreciate your friends … enthusiasm …. but I should have said no and not dragged you out and away from your kids.” he chuckles. “Or a good time doing whatever you want to do. Because this is just awful, isn’t it?”
Nolan scanned the menu carefully. “I think ,, lamb chops and … the honey yogurt … yea … that sounds filling.” He blinks when Elise asks about his mom. “No …” is surprised out of him. “I mean .. she’s not divorced for one. My dad won’t sign the papers. And she doesn’t date. I wish she would, but she won’t. I mean I get it but …” he shrugs. It’s all complicated and depressing.
Lydia nodded politely about where Joseph was from “Mmhm….” She sort of placated. Then she pursed her lips at the stumbling question slash compliment about her fostering kids. Suddenly he’s padding his pocket and then he gets a text and starts talking, letting her down gently. Her eyes go wide for a second and then she starts laughing, howling with laughter actually and exhales finally putting her hand on the table to steady herself “Oh thank god!” I don’t like you either. Maria made me do this too!” She’s not a quiet speaker as a general rule. Then she holds up the hand “I mean you’re nice…..but just not like that. I’m sorry you got dragged out here too. Maria worries I’m lonely without a man...but I’m not.” She gives a little wave to the waiter “I’ll take the rest of mine to go please?” She nods at Joseph and then chuckles “Thank you for calling it. It’s awful…..but at least it’s honest.” She sips the rest of her wine and as the waiter brings her a box she starts to scoop her dinner into it “Shall we call it a night? Because Maria still has my kids. I can go home and watch my from my grown up profile on Netflix with all the non PG movies...if I can sneak by her house.” She grins.
Elise looks approving about both their food choices “Delicious choices.” She eyes the man at Lydia’s table “Yeah he’s a fancy dresser…bit stuffy looking but maybe that’s just me.” She looks sympathetically at Nolan “Your dad didn’t make anything easy on you guys…..that sucks for your mom. She’s so nice.” Then she overhears Lydia and whisper shouts “It’s a setup…” She laughs and adds “Call off the surveillance!” Then she sighs a little “That’s kinda boring actually..” she has to laugh again.
Joseph smiles at her. She’s also a bit louder and more flamboyant than he likes in a woman, but he happily pays the check while her ToGo is prepared. “Oh, you’ve got quite the night planned.” he grins approvingly. “I might take a leaf out of your book. But first … a walk.” as soon as she has her food and he has his receipt, they can both leave. He heads towards the beach. Nice nice for a walk along it.
Gen watches the goings on at Lydia’s table. “Thank god.” she murmurs about the set up. It makes her letter to Dante a little less interesting … or a little more since she heard that Maria set them up on this date. He might find that hilarious. She looks at Nolan, sadly. “That sucks. Your mom seems nice.” she admits. “You look like her and are nice like her.” she admits.
Nolan watches the other dinner end, and looks at Elise. “No … he didn’t. But my mom told him to stay away. But I …. He didn’t before. But maybe with Brett gone, he’ll stay away? That’s his favorite. I’m just …” he shrugs. The waiter comes and he places his order. He looks at Gen and gives a half smile. “Thanks.”
Elise nods along with Gen “You are like your mom...not him, Nolan. And you’re ten thousand times better than Brett. Parents shouldn’t pick favourites if they’re good parents. Good riddance to him if he can’t see the awesome person that you are. We can…” She looks at Gen and back to Nolan and then the waiter comes and she orders her food.
Lydia closes and folds in the tabs on her food box and the waiter brings the machine to pay after taking the teenager’s table’s order. “A walk is good. You enjoy that. And thanks for keepin it real.” She pays her tab and stands up, offering Joseph a hand to shake after he’s paid his “Take care now. I’ll see you around town.”
Gen also looks at Nolan. “Yea … maybe he’s gone for good. And maybe I don’t know .. maybe if he’s gone long enough your mom can get a divorce without him?” she has no idea how that sort of thing works. She places her order with a smile which turns into a smirk. “Maybe we can set her up with whoever the hell that was with Lydia…” she adds innocently.
Nolan nods. “I’m still kinda scarred. Sorry.” he apologizes. “And who knows .. maybe she can get a divorce without his signature. Like .. abandonment or something.” he places his order, feeling light at that idea.
Elise reaches for Nolan’s hand. She’s not being romantic, but supportive since he said the word scarred. Her facial expression is one of concern “Don’t be sorry. It’s ok to feel all that Nolan.” She looks at Gen “Well if that guy’s a brother or something of the lawyer….then maybe he can scope out legal advice while wooing Sharon.” she can’t help but grin at the thought. “She wears nice clothes. She might like a suit.” Their conversation ebbs and flows from school gossip to music to hockey. Dinner is amazing and then dessert leaves them all completely content. Once the tabs are paid they walk again, this time towards the theatre and Elise pats her small belly “Oh I don’t even know if I can eat a bite of popcorn…” she laughs. The sun is down but the streetlights are on and there are still townsfolk milling about.
Gen had thoroughly enjoyed her meal, and the company even more so. She laughed at the whole idea of setting Nolan’s mother up with a lawyer. That would have some kind of poetic justice about it. By the time they leave, she is happy. The school dance would have started, and she didn’t mind not being there. She was with friends and she was already planning to suggest that, when he came home, she and Dante double date with Elise and Nolan. The guys didn’t have to be best friends, but it would help if they knew each other and Gen already knew that Dante didn’t blame Nolan for anything that had happened.
Maddox Brown decided at the last possible minute to go to the Academy Dance. His sister Hayley had gone with what felt like a little gang of her little friends, none of which had come by the house. When their mother asked who was taking her and their father looked interested himself, Hayley had quickly said she was going with Mason Stanley. Maddox doubted that but he didn’t honestly care much. It made his father happy, and that’s all life was ultimately about. Now he was moving through the trees towards Perkatory when he spotted a group. Two girls and a tall guy. He knew them on sight. And he was not in a good space after listening to his father harp on and on after Hayley had finally left. Immediately his brain started working. He wasn’t stupid, exactly. He went out of his way, crossing Water at 1st and getting in front of the trio by the laundromat. “Hey Gen.” he looked both girls up and down, literally undressing them with his eyes. “You still cock teasing?” his eyes move to Elise. “And you … miss high and mighty .. calling my friend a rapist and now you fuckin the rapists brother?” he moves a little closer to her. “I’d like to wrap that hair around my fist while I give you the pounding you deserve.” he smirks suggestively, looking rather dangerous for a second.
Nolan had thoroughly enjoyed the meal. And the dessert. Elise had suggested that she couldn’t eat any popcorn and Nolan almost agreed with her. Almost. He might be able to eat a small one … maybe. It had been an incredible meal. The whole night as turning into more fun than he’d imagined. He sort of thought he was just going to tag along with the girls, but he was a part of the evening and that made him feel like he belonged. Like he might even be good enough to be in Elise’s league. He didn’t even see Maddox walking up to them, but he sure heard him saying foul things to Gen. But what really got Nolan’s blood boiling is what he said to Elise. He barely even realized what he was doing when he slammed Maddox against the cinderblock wall of the laundromat. It was the swipe at him. Rapists brother. But the other words out of Maddox’s mouth didn’t help. Nolan pressed Maddox against the wall, his forearm in Maddox's throat. “What did you say?” Nolan growled, his voice surprisingly calm. “What did you fucking say?”
Maddox was shocked when Nolan reacted. This was the cooking and cleaning baby brother everyone teased. But he was pressed in the wall choking now and learning much differently. Maddox choked and sputtered, but could not answer. He could only choke. He tried to get his knees up, maybe nail Nolan in the balls.
Nolan anticipated the move and beat Maddox to it, slamming him hard in the testicles and still holding Maddox against the wall with his arm to his throat. “You leave my girlfriend and Gen alone, Maddox, or I promise to show you some more tricks that fucker Brett taught me.” He backed away, pulling Maddox off of the wall and pushing him towards Water street.
Maddox did not reply. He stumbled to his knees, taking in the life giving oxygen into his lungs. His balls throbbed and he stumbled into the street and across Water. Coughing, he headed towards the beach, his own hand at his throat. In his mind he decided not to go to the school dance … but he also would not go home. He did not ant to explain to his father what had just happened.
Elise had been smiling until she saw Maddox coming their way and before she could even say anything he was talking to them and being completely vile. First he started in on Gen and Elise felt her hands forming fists again, ready to take him on like she had Brooke. But then when he targeted her and so sexually she was caught off guard. She’d had a few guys be gross before, even her annoying little Twitter troll but Maddox’s words and the way he looked at her hit a vulnerability she didn’t even know she had and she shrank back from him, and from it. But Nolan didn’t. Nolan moved so fast he was a blur and he slammed Maddox into the laundromat and had his forearm across Maddox’s throat. Elise gasped a bit in surprise. She’d never seen this side of Nolan, but in another way, her heart just swelled and she felt protected from that awful vulnerability Maddox had revealed to her. The whole thing left her trembling though when Maddox stumbled away. Had Nolan just slammed another guy in the balls? Wow. She was overwhelmed and she reached for Nolan breathlessly and tearfully and tried to pull him into a hug “Oh my god….” She also looked at Gen and reached out a hand to her at the same time. She was seeking connection with them both but Nolan had blown her mind.
Gen was enraged and upset when Maddox called her a cock tease, but before she could do anything … before Elise could come to her aid again, even … Maddox turned the brunt of his attack onto her, saying vile things … and making what she was assuming were threats against her. But then Nolan reacted and she stepped back in shock. Not fear. No .. she felt perfectly safe. Nolan choked Maddox out, nailed him in the balls and literally threw him away. Elise pulled Nolan into a hug and reached for her hand at the same time. Gen took Elise’s hand and stepped a little closer to them. “Jesus Christ, Nolan.” her voice is full of admiration. He is a superhero right now, even to her.
Nolan could feel Elises tug and he pulls her towards him, hugging her tightly. “Are you alright? He breathes. Then he looks at Gen for a second. “Are you both alright?”
Elise is fully crying after it all processes in her head but she nods “Thanks to you yeah…” she exhales into Nolan’s shoulder and then even though they’re not trying to throw anything in Gen’s face with her being apart from Dante, her emotions bubble to the surface and she pulls back and looks at Nolan and spontaneously blurts out “I love you.” And then lets out another small sob. She suspects in this situation Gen won’t hold it against her and she’s really hoping it’s not too much for Nolan. She’s never said it to anyone but her family but there it is.
Nolan holds Elise, stroking her hair .. the hair Maddox threatened to … He inhales and exhales slowly, trying to calm himself. He wasn’t a shirt tempered guy, as a matter of fact, he was pretty even tempered. When she pulls back from him and tells him that she loves him, it feels like the most natural thing in the world and he replies without hesitation. “I love you too, Elise.” he gives her a quick kiss and breaks it, aware Gen is still here and they are supposed to not be tossing love and whatnot around in her face.
Gen watches Elise and Nolan and tightens her grip on Elise’s hand. She heard Elise blurt out her love for Nolan and him replying and she sniffed. “Oh my god, you two are so fucking cute!” she sniffs again and hugs into Elise’s side and part into Nolan’s. “And for that, I fucking love you too, Nolan.” she raises her hand. “Not like that … you know what I mean. Shit, Dante will love you after I tell him about this!” she proclaims.
Elise feels like she’s melting as she hears Nolan say he loves her too. She’s fully on board with the quick kiss but it feels nice nonetheless. She smiles at him after and then Gen squeezes her hand and calls them cute. She slides an arm to include Gen in their hug and giggles “We fucking love you too Gen.” And she gives Gen a sisterly peck on her cheek “And Dante…” She group hugs and then eases off “OK buddy cops and weird zombie robot shit time? Because that will all seem totally normal after everything else right?” She straightens her cardigan and gets ready to walk again.
Nolan smiles and laughs about Dante. “Well Dante’s gonna have to understand that my heart belongs to Elise.” he proclaims, not really joking at all. He nods down the street to the theatre. “To the .. all that shit you just said!”
Gen smiles and hugs Elise again. She laughs at Nolan. “I’ll let him know. I promise.” she claps. “To buddy cop weird zombies! Away!”
Elise ends up sitting in the middle with Nolan on the aisle side since he’s taller with longer legs. Gen’s on the inside but there aren’t tons of other people in the theatre. Before the lights go down she can see Brayden, the pharmacy guy sitting on the other side of the theatre with one of the Negron brothers. She’s pretty sure his name is Pedro. Nolan has popcorn. She and Gen both get drinks and Elise gets a small bag of licorice, which she’s happy to share. The first film is The World’s End which is very much a movie about a group of guys going drinking in some small British town. She looks between Gen and Nolan and curiously asks “Have either of you ever gotten drunk? I haven’t...but I’m a bit curious.” The beer after beer after beer in the film doesn't make it look appealing though.
Nolan has a large drink and a bucket of popcorn. He is willing to share, but he can take care of the whole thing over these two movies. He shakes his head when Elise asks about drinking. “No … I’ve seen drunks and … no thanks … unless the whole town is replaced by androids, in which case I might change my mind too.” he laughs and drinks deeply.
Gen happily shares in the licorice, her favorite. “I haven’t. I think Maman and Papa have overindulged on wine before, but they were nothing like this.” she motions to the screen. “I’d like to try. We should, Elise. I know Dante’s gotten drunk before. Maybe we should wait till he’s home and do it to celebrate?”
Elise glances at Nolan and nods “I get that….and how would we know if people have been replaced here? I mean we could accidentally stick them with pins….” She jokes and then smiles at Gen “That sounds like a great celebration. I wonder if I can sweet talk my sister into buying booze if I offer to clean her apartment top to bottom….” She points at the screen “Hey it’s Filtch….” From across the theatre there’s a “Shhh!” and Elise rolls her eyes a bit and smiles sheepishly.
Nolan intakes popcorn by the fistfull. The food is calming him .. good old fashioned comfort food eating. He swallows and scoffs. “Accidently, eh?” he jokes and then glances at Elise when she starts planning the party. He laughs at Elise’s comment and then grins as she … or maybe he … is shushed. He leans over and kisses Elise on the side or her head, inhaling her hair.
Gen giggles. “I have a list in my head already.” she replies to the pin sticking, and she does. When Elise wonders if her sister will buy them booze, she smirks. “Think she’d let us use the apartment and everything? I’d pay for her to spend a night at the Parthenon.” she wonders aloud and grins at the sushing. She rolls her eyes and sees the little kiss, which makes her happy, not jealous. “We need a kitty spy.” she decides.
Elise leans into Nolan’s kiss and smiles “Totally accidentally on purpose….” She freely admits and then ponders “Cherie’s apartment….hmmm….see my parents have a winter wedding anniversary...I was thinking i could convince them to go to the Parthenon…..then shoo my little brother to crash at his buddy Daniel’s and have my house to myself...which NEVER happens!” She turns to Gen “What’s a spy kitty? Is it like a sushi cat with a nanny cam?” She does a little sushi cat wave that’s a little robotic looking and then points at Nolan “Still not an android!’” then she slaps the seat in front of her “Oh you mean Mrs. Norris?” Followed by an even louder Shhhh! from across the theatre.
Nolan grins as Elise’s plan. “You have this all planned out, eh?” he feels it would be OK if it was Elise, even though he’s dealt with the empty house with drinking teens in it many times. Elise wasn’t his brother .. and neither was he. He laughs at the sushi cat wave. “Not my love bot?” he teases her and smiles when Elise gets the Mrs Norris mention. “Yea, Gen, we already have a Mrs. Norris.” he keeps his voice low.
Gen smiles. “Now that’s a great plan. You guys can have the bedroom.” she winks at Elise. She looks totally confused at the sushi cat reference and giggles at the love bot one. She winces when Nolan reminds her there is already a Mrs Norris in Alexandra. “Ugh … never mind than, although she’s more a bitch … probably has a dried out pussy with bats in it.” she shudders.
Elise giggles “Love bot...that sounds so naughty.” Then Brayden Kim stands up and looks at her with a giant shush and Elise stands up back at him and points to the front of the theatre “Oh move closer to the speakers...there’s like 7 people in here…..” She sits back down and clears her throat “I better not need a prescription anytime soon…” She lowers her voice a bit “Mrs. Norris needs a love bot...big time.” Then she shudders at Gen’s pussy bats comment “Ow…” she pretends to squirm “No wonder she’s such a bitch. Doctor ...is it chlamydia….no it’s pussy bats!” she cracks up at her own joke but doesn’t comment back about her and Nolan having the bedroom. That was too big of an idea to joke on for her.
From his seat beside his best friend, Pedro Negron sort of folds himself into his seat as a girl he is pretty sure goes to school with his siblings get into it over volume. It’s hard to tell if he is cringe crying or cringe laughing.
Nolan lowers his head into his half full popcorn bucket when Elise stands. His shoulders are shaking with mirth, but then Elise sits and keeps on talking causing him to bark out a laugh at the whole idea of Mrs Norris with a love bot. When Gen suggests that he and Elise might use her bedroom, he drops his head back in the bucket, inhaling butter and trying not to think about it.
Gen leans to the side in a fit of helpless giggles at the shushing and Elise’s reaction. She realizes she needed this level of fun. Her giggles don’t get better with Elise’s next joke. Then she leans into Elise and hugs her arm. “God I needed this so bad….” and she pauses. “That didn’t come out right, did it?”
Elise loves making both Nolan and Gen laugh and it’s meeting her goals to give Gen a fun night. She pats Elise’s hand as her arm is hugged “I think that came out perfectly.” She giggles “You realize I’m going to turn to you on Monday in a random class and just blurt out pussy bats?” she looks at Nolan “I won’t say it to you...people will think we’ve been doing something freaky…” She laughs. She glances at Brayden and Pedro. It had at least looked like one of them might be laughing.
Nolan lifted his head just in time for Elise to promise not to blurt out pussy bats around him. “I really appreciate that, baby. I really do.” he’s never called her … or anyone else baby before. He reaches for more popcorn, thinking he likes the sound of it.
Gen nods. “I know … “ she looks across her at Nolan and smiles. “Let people think you and I are doing something freaky. I don’t care.” she sighs happily.
Elise gets a warm feeling when she hears Nolan call her baby and grins at him. Then she laughs at Gen “Oh the gossip will explode….like pussy bats…” She shrugs a bit and chuckles realizing the joke is getting old but by Monday it will be funny again. The movie comes to an end with the town being destroyed and a dark ages narrated post apocalypse what happened next scene for the survivors. “Am I a sadist for just wanting to see them all get replaced by the robots or the blanks as they call them?” She shakes her empty drink container as the credits roll “I need to pee before the next one.” She gets up and looks at Gen because they often went together. Then she brushes past Nolan, small enough not to really need him to move and not minding her legs against his at all ever.
Gen giggles at one more pussy bat reference. It just made her happy. “I don’t think so, but that’s me.” she finishes her drink as Elise announces she has to pee and stands to go with her. She manages not to brush Nolan, but then she’s on her way to the ladies room with Elise.
Nolan shrugs. “That could make things really interesting.” he decides. The girls head for the restroom and, after thinking about it, he decides he can wait and is glad men had larger bladders than women. It came in quite handy sometimes.
Elise heads in and holds the door for Gen and then does what she needs to in a stall and comes out to wash her hands and rearrange her hair a bit while calling to Gen “Ok despite the Brooke and Maddox moments, it’s still been a good night….but holy shit we can’t just live a quiet life in this town can we?”
Gen uses the next stall and comes out a moment later. “It HAS … “ she agrees with Elise. “Thank you.” she washes her hands. “Now how fun would a quiet life be?” she demands to know, getting plenty of soap between her fingers. As she begins to rinse she casually roses out. “So … love … I thought you guys were past the I love you stage by now.”
Nolan pees, washes his hands and can get back to his seat before the girls do.
Elise is drying her hands now on a paper towel and looks a little shyly at Gen “It’s the first time we’ve said it to each other. We’re a bit slow moving but...it works. I do love him.” She exhales “First guy I’ve ever felt that way about…..and oddly I feel like Nolan might be just…..it...I know that’s idealistic but I can’t explain it.”
Gen grabs another paper towel. “Hey as long as it works, right?” she grins. “No … I feel that way about Dante. I mean we moved .. really fast but every step felt so perfect and natural and nice and beautiful. Like we were meant to be.” she sighs and rolls her eyes. “Now that I’ve spilled sugar all over my hands…” she giggles. “But Elise … are you ready? You know .. condoms and all…”
Nolan sits back in the theatre, drinking his drink and working on his popcorn. On his way back he picked up a box of Milk Duds. Just in case.
Elise giggles too “No it’s a good thing. And he’ll be back before you know it.” She clears her throat “Well no...but we’re not….doing it.” Elise brushes a stray hair from her face in the mirror “I mean I guess I should think ahead. He’s…...well the way Nolan is...it’s kinda up to me.” She sighs “I want to...but I’m also scared. I didn’t really even like having sex with Parker. I didn’t tell Nolan that part...I did tell him it really hurt me that I felt like it was all Parker wanted after we did it. But...it didn’t feel good….maybe there’s something wrong with me…..”
Gen listens and nods at her friend. “You SHOULD plan ahead. Because its better to have them and not need them than need them and not have them.” she smiles when she says Nolan seems to leave it up to her and then it fades a she talks about this Parker. She sighs. “That sounds horrible.” she tells her. “Dante was my first, and it was incredible, but lacking. SO I started … guiding him.” she shrugs. “Touch here, lick there, kiss here, tongue there. He’s not like Nolan .. if he wants to make love, he’ll let me know. But he’s also open to trying new things with me. And … I mean … you know what you like, right? Just take him in hand and ….” she smirks.
Nolan watches the old parts between the movies. All old and all classic.. Really interesting to him.
Elise crumples up her paper towel she’s been sort of just shereding and bins it looking thoughtful “Yeah...I’ll work on that. Maybe I should go on the pill or something too?” she sighs “But I’ll get some condoms too just in case. You’ll probably go to bed with Dante again before we even work up the nerve.” She laughs “OK, we should go back out there or Nolan will think we passed out from the pussy bats.”
Gen tosses her paper towel and nods. “I want to get on it too, because I don’t want to use condoms with Dante anymore. So … that.” she laughs. “I don’t even know what to hope with that.” she admits. “As soon as he gets home. But Elise … Nolan loves you. It’s pouring out of his eyes … and you should see him when those girls ask him out. Like he’s suddenly realizing there are other girls on this planet besides you. One asked him yesterday and he said ‘no’ nut in that way that was like ‘how could you even think of asking me out’ way.” she winces. “Oh yea .. we sort of left him in the theatre, didn’t we?”
Nolan pulls out his phone and looks at the time … again. What were they doing in there….
Elise frowns a bit about all the other girls liking nolan. She’d seen it of course. Then she has a look of dawning “Ugh Stella Ferris-Smith! That’s why she got all grumpy when Nolan and I were kissing outside his house….I bet she was one of the girls who asked him. I thought she was just being weird….” She starts for the door and nods “We did….” She has to laugh as she goes through and heads back to the theatre.
Gen giggles. “Probably because he always looks at them like they have asked the dumbest fucking question … and yet he still gets those jock followers.” she sighs because Maddox does too. Only he takes full advantage and Nolan does not. She heads back with lise and moves past Nolan. “Sorry … girls take a long time?”
Nolan was watching the pre movie previews. Some were movies he’d already seen, but were now within Alexandra’s grasp. The girls finally come back and he chuckles. “I don’t know why women take so long in the bathroom. I just don’t get it.” he mock grouses, moving out of their way so they can pass.
Elise looks comforted that Nolan doesn’t pay much attention to the jock followers and slides past him after Gen. “It’s probably best you don’t know.” She jokes to Nolan about why girls might take so long. In this case it might be, for now. She sits down beside him and leans in whispering in Nolan’s ear “I love you.” before she gives his cheek a light peck and settles back in. All the talk she and Gen had about the idea of her getting closer to Nolan had her head spinning a bit and her feelings for him on full tilt. They manage to settle in just before the lights start to dim again.
Gen passes and is settling back into her seat and giggles. “For your own safety, Nolan.” she assures him. She stretches out as best she can and claps her hands once.
Nolan arches his brows at the cryptic sort of earnings. “Then I don’t want to know.” Elise moves past him after Gen, of course, but Elise whispers an I love you into his ear, and then kisses his cheek. He shudders slightly and tilts his head to hers, turning it, kissing her hair, whispering. “I love you” and then kissing her ear before casually sitting back to watch the movie and offering the girls his candy. “Milk Duds?”
Elise has to giggle about being offered milk duds after expressing their love in whispers but nods and takes a few before passing the box towards Gen “Sure, thanks.” She’s crunching away casually and watching. It has a bit of a slow start this Hot Fuzz film with the odd funny line, funny but not hilarious. Then it gets unexpectedly gory with a decapitation scene and Elise turns her face into Nolan’s shoulder and closes her eyes “Ugh!” It’s a comedy...with gore. Elise turns back and looks at Gen with a grimace “I liked the blue goo robots better.” She squints at the screen “Is this the same town as the last film?”
Gen watches. It’s not hilarious, but it’s not exactly bad, either. “It’s …. Supposed to be funny … right?” she’s a smidge confused because the gors isn’t exactly funny to her. “Yea … me too …” she tilts her head at the question about this being hte same town as the last film “I …. I don't .. think so?”
Nolan watches, feeling a little lost. Actually more than that. But Elise is pressing her face into his shoulder and he tilts his head into hers to comfort her a bit, since he doesn’t want to put his arm around her for fear of rubbing it in Gen’s face. Gen asks about the town and he shakes his head a bit. “I don’t know … I mean … these are the same two characters from the last one, right? Maybe it’s a sequel or a prequel?”
Elise shakes her head “Same actors, different characters. I feel like the film maker has some kind of private joke they’re not sharing….ok this police station is a joke….” There;s another shush from across the theatre and Elise just turns “Clearly they’re fans….I’m going to be obnoxious and ask them….” She half stands “Hey Brayden….is it the same town?”
Brayden looks at Pedro like this girl speaking is some sort of sacrilege during a very important movie to him but answers “Yes,,,,do you not know these films? It’s the Edgar Wright Cornetto trilogy...look it up and stop talking. He’s a genius!” Then he sits and huffs.
Elise makes a bit of a face and mouths “Wow…” She tries to keep watching. There’s another death but slightly less gory and then the third death is a guy’s head being crushed by some sort of church spire and she pulls her sweater over her face and calls out “How is this genius?! It’s just gross!”
Gen doesn’t even try and stop Elise, because that wouldn’t be near as much fun. When that Brayden guy says it’s a trilogy and calls it genius, she can’t help herself. “Wait … If this is a trilogy why are they showing it in a DOUBLE FEATURE?” she demands.
Beside Brayden comes a bark of a laugh followed by a male voice clearly saying. “Oh dios mio esta gente (Oh my got, these people)!”
Nolan winces when Elise half stands, gapes when Gen complains about only two thirds of a trilogy being shown and leans over in the aisle laughing when the man with Brayden retorts in Spanish, which he doesn’t speak, but he can get the gist. “Oh my god .. oh my god…” he laughs, nearly out of breath.
Brayden snorts a bit at Pedro but then shakes his head and watches the film.
Elise just throws up her hands “And they kill the florist with the garden scheers…...gross but predictable.” She had been laughing along with Nolan and Gen and now calls over to Brayden and Pedro “Your trilogy is a basic bitch!”
Pedro sees the garden sheers murder and jsut shakes his head. “Don’t even let mi madre see this movie She’ll get ideas.” he murmurs. “Don’t get me wrong, friend. I like your movies . but your a little bit like my father and his favorite actor .. no wonder we’re friends.”
Gen huffs. “Hey Mr Breydon … you aren’t answering me.” she is suddenly being stubborn.
Nolan holds himself up on the rug with his fingertips, still laughing and not really spying attention to the movie anymore.
Brayden whips his head at the shorter girl when she says the trilogy is a basic bitch and then answers Pedro “Genius I tell you...genius.” He grins and then sighs at the blonde girl “Do the research…” He intones. “It’s not that kind of trilogy.”
Elise just clears her throat loudly and pulls out her phone in the theatre breaking all the rules. The little screen glows and she talks as she types “Cornetto Trilogy….” She scans the wiki for it and paraphrases. “Blah blah blah Edgar Wright...blah blah Simon Pegg...Nick Frost...Nira Park…..ok these two movies plus Shaun of the Dead….and they eat ice cream...cornetto ice cream in each movie. That’s the tie Gen. It’s fucking ice cream…..differnt flavours…..riveting. I still liked the other movie better.” She looks up having tuned out “What are they doing now? Who are these people?”
Brayden just face palms and laughs.
Gen rolls her eyes and is about to protect having to research when Elise just does it. Right there in the theater. At the answer, she rolls her eyes. “Oh for the love of fuck.” she cries, completely exasperated.
Nolan pushes himself up with his fingertips and leans in the other direction, crying with mirth into Elise’s shoulder.
Two beams of light begin to bob through the darkness of the theater. It’s not impossible to recognise the people attached to them as Peggy Nicholas and Henry Frost, the concession stand girl and the movie usher. Peggy stops beside Pedro and Brayden and Henry stops beside Nolan, Elise and Gen, but both have the exact same message for both parties.
“We’re going to have to ask you to leave.”
Brayden looks super annoyed “Hey sorry, we’ll be quiet….they started it. Oh my god you’re serious?” Brayden can see from her face she is and he gets up and grabs his stuff and files out in disbelief with Pedro. Once they’re outside he sighs “I have the DVDs….wanna come over and watch it without the chatty cathies?”
Elise gasps at first and tries to give the usher a pleading look “We’re sorry…” Then she shrugs “OK...whatever….we weren’t super into this one anyway. Come on guys…” She sees Brayden and Pedro getting kicked out too and suppresses a nervous laugh. Once they’re outside she looks at Brayden and gives an awkward shrug “Sorry?”
Brayden shakes his head and laughs “Are you?”
Elise smiles “Not really. I’m Elise by the way. I know your name is Brayden from your nametag at the pharmacy.” she looks at the guy with him “And I think you’re Pedro...unless you’re Samuel? Your brother is our math teacher and your other brother is in my drama class.”
Gen winces as they are asked to leave. But she knows this guy is serious, soshe just goes out with Elise and Nolan. She watches Elise talk with Brayden and Pedro and just stands idly by, grinning.
Nolan coughs and tries to stop laughing, but he’s outside before he comes close. Elise talks to the guys she was arguing with and he stands beside her, nodding at them.
Pedro is highly amused by all of it. Brayden offers to share the movie on DVD and he nods. “Sounds good to me.” he looks at the little lady who got them thrown out and nods. “I am Pedro. Angel is your teacher. My older brother. And Samuel is a couple years younger than I am.”
Elise nods at Pedro “OK….wow big family. This is my boyfriend Nolan and my best friend Gen...Genevieve. I am sorry if I messed up your plans. We’re having a goofy night just trying to have some laughs.”
Brayden nodded “I get that.” He was working hard on finding more fun in life lately too, for many reasons. “You really should watch all three movies when you feel like taking them on. They’re good. And Scott Pilgrim….it’s another Edgar Wright but set in Canada actually...Michael Cera….I won’t go on. Isn’t there a school dance tonight?” He looked curious that three high schoolers weren’t at it. He had never missed one of those back in his days at the Academy.
Pedro nods at Elise and Nolan. “I know Gen because I know Dante because my mother is a friend to that family.” he nods at her, politely. “My mother put him in her prayers.” he looks curious about why the students are not at the dance.
Gen listens to Brayden talk about the movies he likes as only a true fan can. She nods at Pedro. “Thank her, please. I don’t know if it will help, but it can’t hurt, right?” she shrugs at Brayden. “My boyfriend couldn’t make this dance, so I’m not going either.” she motions to Elise and Nolan. “These two decided to try and cheer me up … and it’s working.” she admits.
Nolan listens to them all conversing and nods when Gen explains why they’re not at the dance.
Brayden has a look of recognition about Dante and smiles at Gen “You’re Dante’s girlfriend? Awesome...he’s kinda connected to my family too. Our housemate...Gareth….is a …..well he’s basically one of Lydia’s kids. A long term foster like Dante. So Dante’s a sort of kid brother to him in a way. I know he had a shitty deal...I know you both did….and I hope Maria’s prayers help too. There will be more dances. Heard Levar got the pres gig….good for him...good guy. I did that for my last year. It was a good time, mostly.” He smiles and then clenches his jaw slightly and inhales “Anyhow...we’re gonna go watch Hot Fuzz on DVD. Nice to meet you guys.”
Elise gets quieter now as Pedro, Gen and Brayden have lots to say and it’s pretty engaging. “I’m glad it’s working Gen.” She smiles at Pedro and Brayden “That’s really cool...all of it. Enjoy your movie without us making noise. Nice to meet you both as well….” She starts to move off towards walking.
Gen nods. “Yea. I know Gareth and .. it was a pretty shitty deal. But I can look forward to the other dances. You two enjoy the movie uninterrupted.” she waves as they part ways.
Nolan is quiet during the last bit of conversation, but when the girls start moving, he moves with them. “Well … where to now?” he wonders, since they are a good hour ahead of schedule thanks to being booted from the theatre.
Elise walks along feeling pretty carefree for being booted from a theatre. “We could go hang at my house. My brother is still at the dance with LaTonya…” she says the name in a bit of a sing song. “My parents have a TV in their room so we can probably take over the living room. Actually I should show you the Banff Babe’s latest….they did a parody of The Shining...RedRum RedRum. Have you guys ever seen The Shining? Because if you haven’t we should watch that first.” They watch Brayden and Pedro go into Brayden’s house on the end of the street before passing them and walking down 3rd.
Gen nods at the tentative plans. “That sounds like fun. I haven’t seen The Shining. My mother thought it might be too scary so I’m up for seeing it.” she moves down 3rd with them. “It’ll be fun …. What’s it about?”
Nolan grins. “That should be interesting.” he comments. “I’ve seen it a few times from when I was a kid.” he admits and looks at Gen. “It’s about a haunted hotel.” he tells her simply, not wanting to spoil it for her in case she wasn’t into that.
Now Elsie gets very animated. She loves The Shining. They’re about to cut through the community gardens “Oh Jack Nicholson is so gooooood!” She’s about to say more when she sees a figure slumped on her back steps and frowns “Stefan?” She walks faster and confirms it is her brother and he’s weeping...loudly. “Oh my god Stefan...are you ok?” His breath is fast “You didn’t eat peanuts did you...where’s your epi pen?”
Stefan had been sobbing with his head in his hands and when Elise said epi pen he looked up and wailed at her “Aaahh haaaaaaa….it was an epi pen! Waaa...haaaa….LaTonya!” He’s mopping at his face with his shirt sleeves wearing a nice button up black shirt and jeans.
Elise pats her little brother on the back and looks back at Nolan and Gen “Take a deep breath now….do you want to go inside?”
Gen was interested in this haunted hotel movie when they spotted Stefan on the back steps. He’s crying and wailing about his epi pen. And LaTonya. “Hey Stefan … come on inside.” she coaxes him.
Nolan walks up with the girls and sees hos upset Stefan is. “Yea man … come on inside and tell us what’s wrong. Maybe we can help?” he half wonders what could be wrong. “I mean .. did LaTonya steal your epipen?” he ventures, but that sounds idiotic the moment he says the words.
Elise manages to get Stefan to his feet and kind of steers him towards going in while she unlocks the back door. She peeks in. The parents were thankfully upstairs or out. Either way it was ideal. She tugs on Stefan’s hand and almost has him headed for the couch when he reacts to Nolan asking if LaTonya stole his epi pen.
Stefan is being man handled by Elise but he lets her, even though she’s smaller than him now. She is older and her boyfriend and best friend mean well. But then Nolan asks if LaTonya stole his epi pen and he sinks to his knees on the kitchen floor and yanks the damned thing out of his pocket “No! She stole my heart…..she thought my epi pen was a boner and then we were through!” He doubled forward “I’m a gentleman….it was an epi pen!”
Elise’s mouth forms an O and she looks between Nolan and Gen. Her brother is so sad but she’s also fighting the urge to crack a smile because as sad as it is it’s also a bit hysterical “Oh Stefan….” She leans down and hugs her brother, but turns her face and fights a grin over his shoulder. “Let’s get you some ice cream? That sucks buddy…”
Gen is walking with Elise willing ot help Stefan if she can. He stops when Nolan asks what happened and sinks to his knees. His words make her eyes widen. “Mon Dieu….”
Nolan listens to Stefan and covers his mouth with his hand choking a laugh into a cough. “Oh …. Man … well … You know, man. Just explain it to her, you know. I’m sure it wasn’t a big deal.” he offers as much hope as he can and then realizes … what if LaTonya made a scene.
Elise now tries to get her brother into a chair at the kitchen table “Nolan...help me….dammit Stefan when did you grow so much taller? Gen….freezer. We have a big tub of chocolate vanilla swirl. And in the door of the fridge...chocolate sundae sauce….bowls in the cupboard to the left of the sink.” She sighs at Stefan “I feel like we need more information….I mean it’s in your pocket...was she getting handsy….how did this all happen?”
Stefan will allow himself to be moved to the chair by Nolan and Elise. He tries to calm himself “I tried to explain and she slapped me and called me a pervert…..no no we were dancing. We got close and well I guess she just felt it and jumped to conclusions….” He drops his face into his hands again.
Gen gets right to work collecting the ice cream, chocolate sauce, bowls, spoons and scooper. She has her back to Stefan but winces when he mentions he was slapped.
Nolan helps get Stefan in the chair and listens, wincing at his getting slapped. “Wait, you told her it was your epi pen and not your…” he cuts himself off. “And she STILL slapped you?” he hesitates. “Exactly HOW did you explain it, cause … I mean.” he shrugs. Stefan was a sort of awkward kid, right down to his shape, but surely his epi pen couldn’t be confused with a hard on.
Stefan tries to explain “We were slow dancing. We got closer together and then she pulled away and started freaking on me like I had done something bad. Then I saw her looking at the front of my pants and realized she was feeling my epi pen. It had moved while we walked to the dance. So then I said it was my epi pen and I would never. I was offering to take it out and show her….which I realize now maybe looked real bad considering. Then she called me a pervert and slapped me in the face.” He sighs “Worst first date ever. And now I’m sure half the school thinks I was actually being a pervert because she yelled.”
Elise sighs “It’s a misunderstanding. No one’s going to think that Stefan……” She walks over to Gen and grabs one of the bowls of ice cream for Stefan “Here this will help…” And she’ll help gather the others too until they’re all sitting with one and she and Gen have served them up.
Nolan winces. “Talk about a comedy of errors.” he declares. “But yea. It’ll be fine. Just explain it to her.” he is trying to think positive. He doesn’t know LaTonya well, but the cynic in him knows how people can be … as Maddox wasn’t the first to call him ‘the rapists brother’ in the time since Brett had been arrested. He takes his ice cream and digs in, hoping for the best for Stefan.
Gen sits with her ice cream. “LaTonya is a little shallow sometimes, but I’m sure she’s not like that. Usually she’s following around Tony Penhall like some groupie.” she rolls her eyes. Usually she isn’t one to gossip, but she had gotten into it in order to keep Dante as in touch with the town as possible. She takes her spoon and starts eating ice cream. Her next letter to Dante was going to be another long one … but it would have to do until she could tell him face to face.
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