Snapdragon Book I: My Enemy

by Brandon Berntson

  Eddie and Albert teased Malcolm.

  “Jeez!” Malcolm said. “Are we going through all this again?”

  “What’s that?” Jeanie asked.

  “He wants to know if we’re gonna put him through all the embarrassment again,” Masie said. “Because I just said he’s sweet.”

  “Well, we just might,” Jeanie said. “Sweet like candy. Like honey.”

  On cue, Masie, Jeanie, and Rheanna all bent down and ruffled Malcolm’s hair, pinched his cheeks, ran their fingers along his lips, through his hair, ‘ooh’d,’ and ‘ahh’d,’ blew kisses, and did just about everything they could to make Malcolm giddy with humiliation. Despite the embarrassment, he had a dreamy look in his eyes. It made everyone laugh. Even Malcolm was smiling, glasses crooked on his face, his hair ruffled. He had lipstick on his cheek, too. The girls drew the attention of other people standing in line, who raised their eyebrows.

  “Hey, the quiet one smiled!” Rheanna said, pointing at Gavin.

  “He just needs some affection, too,” Jeanie said. She knelt, putting her hands on her tan knees, and huskily whispered into Gavin’s ear.

  Seth couldn’t hear what Jeanie said, but Gavin’s cheeks burned bright red. His eyes widened. Gavin trembled and looked at Jeanie in awe, wonder…and perhaps even love. Shocking everyone, Jeanie planted a loud, forceful kiss right on Gavin’s lips. The boy swooned and almost fell over before Eddie caught him.

  “Jeanie Masterson!” Rheanna said, shocked.

  “Holy cow!” Albert said.

  “You lucky dog!” Eddie said, beaming.

  Gavin stared in wide-eyed disbelief. He was in a dreamy daze as well. It was nice to see the boy smiling, Seth thought.

  “Wow,” Gavin said, out of breath. “That’s the best thing to happen to me since I dreamed about the pala….I mean…since I dreamed about defeating the American rebels from the onslaught of tuberculosis.” Gavin shuffled his feet awkwardly, exchanging glances with his friends. Jeanie and the girls didn’t seem to notice.

  “Well well,” Jeanie said. “Another sweet talker. You’re really a gentleman hiding away in all that shy flesh, aren’t you?”

  Gavin blushed, and Jeanie smiled. She looked at Albert and Eddie, and said, “Don’t worry. The night isn’t over until everyone blushes.”

  Eddie and Albert looked at each other, then at the ground. Their cheeks colored.

  Jeanie threw her hands into the air and cried:

  “That’s the game! Jeanie wins by a hairball!”

  Gavin erupted with laughter, whether at Jeanie’s random use of the word, ‘hairball,” (something he would have done) or her dramatic reaction. People in line glanced their way, looked at them awkwardly, and shuffled along again.

  The line moved until it was finally their turn to order. They stocked up on sodas, popcorn, and candy. Albert got two corn dogs.

  It was dark when they headed back to the car. Crickets chirped in the surrounding areas outside the drive-in. The screen showed a parody between a hotdog and a tall malleable cup of Coca-Cola.

  “We’re still early,” Rheanna said, relieved.

  “Don’t forget,” Jeanie said to Eddie, Albert, and Gavin. “You’re more than welcome to hang out with us if you want. Bring some chairs if you can.”

  Eddie nodded. The three boys disappeared into the throng of moviegoers with their sodas and popcorn.

  “Let’s get set up,” Jeanie told them. She opened the trunk, pulling several chairs and blankets out of the back. “I got four,” she said. “Hmmm. I wasn’t counting on another party.”

  “We can sit on the hood against the windshield,” Masie told her.

  “Good ole, Mase, always thinking,” Jeanie said.

  They set the chairs in front of the car, the blankets and pillows on the hood.

  “We can sit on the hood, Jeanie,” Seth said.

  “Nah,” Jeanie said. “You guys relax. We’ll switch after the first movie.”

  Seth nodded, grabbed his soda and Hot Tamales, and sat in one of the chairs. Malcolm sat next to him with Rheanna on the other side. Rheanna leaned over to Malcolm and said, “Now when things get boring, me and you can hop in the back seat.”

  “Rheanna Goodwine!” Jeanie said. “You are a God-fearing, Christian woman!”

  “Go spit!” Rheanna said.

  Malcolm blushed. “What did you invite me to?” he asked Seth.

  Seth looked at Malcolm and held his hands up, shrugging.

  Rheanna got up and adjusted the speaker on the pole beside the car.

  Minutes later, Eddie, Gavin, and Albert showed up with folding chairs of their own.

  “Hey!” Jeanie said. “We got the whole crew! We’re gonna have a regular party!”

  The boys situated themselves around the car. Everyone had a decent spot in which to view the movie. The night was warm and calm. The stars were out. A sliver of the moon was visible. Other moviegoers were getting situated, talking amongst themselves as they waited for the show to begin.

  “Hope no one has to pee,” Jeanie said.

  “Oh, man!” Eddie said, and stood up, bolting toward the restrooms as if he’d just remembered his bladder was calling.

  Laughter followed Eddie all the way to the popcorn stand.

  vii

  Express Train wasn’t as good as they’d hoped. Rheanna enjoyed it more than anybody else, but it produced the desired effect. For more than ninety minutes, it took everyone’s mind off the troubles in Ellishome.

  By the time the movie was over, mostly everyone had to go to the bathroom.

  “The bad thing about this is,” Rheanna said. “Your pop and candy don’t last through the second movie.”

  “We should’ve brought some more things,” Jeanie agreed.

  “That would’ve saved some money,” Rheanna said.

  “If you guys still want something, you should let me buy,” Malcolm told them.

  “Are you loaded?” Rheanna asked.

  “Not loaded,” Malcolm said. “But you did pay my way in, and you bought my popcorn and soda.”

  “The kid’s got a point,” Jeanie said. “I just don’t like accepting charity from the younger crowd.”

  “Make an exception,” Malcolm said.

  “Anybody want anything?” Jeanie asked, looking around.

  “We’ll come,” Eddie told her. “I still have some money.”

  “Seth?” Jeanie said. “Mase?”

  “Just get us something, will you, Jeanie?” Masie handed Jeanie a ten-dollar bill, and asked for something to quench her thirst, another tub of popcorn, and something sweet for Seth.

  “Okay,” Jeanie said. “Let’s go troopers.”

  Everyone sauntered off, leaving Seth and Masie by themselves. They stood up and sat on the hood of the Mustang. Masie looked up at the stars, deep pools of liquid in her eyes.

  “You having a good time?” she asked.

  Seth nodded.

  “You sure found yourself a handful of friends,” she said, turning toward him.

  “I know,” Seth said. “It just kinda happened all at once. We just met Albert today. Gavin has a hard time at home with his mom, though, I think. Everyone’s kinda scared for him.”

  “He’ll get over it.”

  “No. It’s not like that, Masie. She’s mean to him. He came to school one day limping. He said he fell off his bicycle. But I’ve never seen him on a bike. I don’t think he has one.”

  Masie shook her head. “How do you know all this?”

  “Just stuff like that I’ve noticed. Little signs. We went out to the meadow today, and he started crying, telling us how bad she is. It was hard, watching him. Eddie asked him if he wanted to spend the night so Gavin could get away from his mom.”

  “Seth, that’s horrible.”

  “Please don’t say anything, Mase.”

  “I won’t.”

  The movie screen was blank. People carried on around them. A teenage boy chased his girlfriend in front of the Mustang. T
he girlfriend screamed, and the boyfriend laughed. To their right, two guys were throwing a Frisbee under the bright lights, which came on briefly during the intermission.

  Seth looked at the stars, following Masie’s stare. “Remember when we looked at the stars that day, Mase?” he said. “Out in the meadow?”

  “Yeah,” she said. Masie smiled. She put her arm around his shoulders. “I’m surprised you remember that.”

  “It wasn’t that long ago,” he said.

  “I didn’t mean that,” Masie said.

  Seth figured she was talking about the context of the memory; that he would choose to remember a moment like that. “It’s not going to last, though, is it?”

  Masie looked at him. “What do you mean?”

  “All this,” Seth said. “Movies. Ice cream shops. Going to the pond. It’s not gonna last. I can feel it.”

  “Gosh, Seth,” Masie said, and sighed. “How did you get to be so melancholy? You’ve been acting strange a lot lately, too. I thought it was because of what’s been happening in town, but you seem different. You ask questions and talk sometimes the way a ten-year-old shouldn’t. Are you okay?”

  Seth nodded. “Maybe I get it from my sister.”

  Masie hugged him. “I hope if you get anything from your sister, it isn’t that.”

  They sat for a while until Masie said, “Does that worry you?”

  “The end of things? Yeah.”

  “It doesn’t have to end. You know that, don’t you?”

  Seth shrugged.

  “None of it has to end,” Masie explained. “You keep it the best way you know how. I don’t think Jeanie will stay here forever, or even Rheanna. My guess is that they won’t.”

  Seth accepted this and nodded.

  “Nothing stays the same, like how it is for you,” she said. “No matter how much you wish you could hold onto it. Nothing stays the same for me, either. That’s just not the way things are. People change. Places, too.”

  Seth thought about Ben…his immortal companion.

  “It’s weird,” Masie said. “Believe me, I think some of the best times are what we’re doing right now. But this won’t last forever, either. It’ll change. I’ll have to move out in a couple of years, get a job, support myself. I’ll be wishing for these times again.”

  Seth didn’t want to think about his sister leaving, let alone moving out. The day would come, of course, and when it did, he’d accept it whether he wanted to or not.

  “Just savor it,” Masie said. “You’re gonna look back and think about how good these times were. How special. You’re gonna want them back. You want to be one of those people who look back, feel good, and say, ‘I remember when…’ And you’re gonna be able to do it with a smile on your face, glad you have the memories you do. That’s the trick. I think you want to look back, not feeling sad, regretting this memory or that one. The key is to look back and be thankful for the things that happened to you, that they were made for you and no one else. That you made them what they were. Maybe that’s something you can help Gavin with. He already has things, I bet, he wishes he could forget. But he’s never going to. Help him make better memories, Seth, so that when he’s older, he can say, ‘I remember how my mom was so terrible, everything that came out of Ellishome, but I had these friends: Seth, Eddie, Malcolm, Albert…’ Maybe he’ll do anything to have you all back someday. That’s what you want to create.”

  Seth sat in her arms and thought about everything she’d said. It made sense. His sister had a way of making him feel like he was under perfect care. With her guidance, how could he go wrong?

  “Sorry,” she said.

  “About what?”

  “All that. I go off, pretending I know what the hell I’m talking about, but I don’t really know. It just sounds right sometimes.”

  “That’s why I love you, Mase. I like it when you talk like that.”

  “You’re the best little brother a girl could have,” she said. “You know that?”

  They sat for a while in silence, people carrying on around them. Soon, the others returned and handed out drinks, popcorn, and candy.

  “Thanks, Jeanie,” Masie said, taking her soda.

  “I got some change for you somewhere,” Jeanie said.

  “Hey, are we gonna switch around since there’s not enough chairs?” Rheanna asked.

  “I wanna sit next to Rheanna,” Eddie said.

  Everyone stopped and looked at Eddie.

  Rheanna blushed.

  “Well well well,” Jeanie said, shaking her head with her hands on her hips.

  “Don’t you start, Jeanie,” Rheanna said, pointing her finger.

  “Good ole Rheanna Goodwine has finally met her match. This is unexpected. I have to hand it to you, Rheanna ole girl—”

  “Jeanie!”

  “You are a go getter—”

  “Jeanie!”

  “I would have never thought. You hide it so well. I did not see you once display any affection for the boy, other than playfully, of course.”

  “Jeanie!”

  “Yes, Rheanna? Yes? What is it?”

  “Quiet. Or I’ll sock you so hard, you won’t remember who you are, where you came from, what year this is, or what planet you’re from.”

  Jeanie made a gesture with her hands as if pushing something down. “Okay. Okay,” she said. “I was only foolin’. She is cute, though, isn’t she Eddie? I mean, that lustrous, jet black hair and fair skin. Like an enchanting ghost, you are, Rhee.”

  “Jeanie, shut up,” Rheanna said.

  “Zipping it,” Jeanie said, and was quiet.

  Rheanna bent down to Eddie’s level and said, not caring who heard, “You can sit next to me anytime, anywhere, handsome. You got that?”

  Eddie, even in the dark, turned bright red. Albert clapped him on the back and smiled.

  “All the goodies were Rheanna’s and Malcolm’s and Masie’s treat,” Jeanie announced. “So that is where you bestow your thanks.”

  “Thanks Rheanna and Malcolm and Masie!” everyone chorused.

  After some awkward fumbling, they exchanged seats, getting situated once more. The bright lights dimmed, and the movie screen lit up, announcing more cartoon antics and previews.

  “Let’s get this movie started,” Rheanna said. “And this one had better be funnier than the last one.”

  “Yeah, this one had better be funnier than the last one,” Eddie repeated. He looked at Rheanna, smiling, ignoring the chuckles all around.

  viii

  The movie was considerably funnier than the first. Everyone felt better about their night out. As the credits rolled, and cars and trucks began to move out, a sadness hung in the air at their parting.

  “Well, we’d better go,” Eddie said. “I told my mom and dad we’d get back as soon as the movie was over.”

  “It was nice meeting you, Eddie,” Rheanna said, putting out her hand. Eddie shook it, smiling. “You’re a real gentleman. Don’t ever change.”

  “Bye, Albert,” she said. “Bye, Gavin.”

  Gavin and Albert held up their hands, waving goodbye.

  “Bye. It was nice meeting you,” Masie called.

  “See ya next time,” Jeanie said.

  Seth and Malcolm said good-bye and Eddie, Gavin, and Albert disappeared, taking their chairs with them.

  “Well,” Jeanie said, pausing, and sighed. “It looks like we’re on our way.”

  The blankets, pillows, and chairs all went into the trunk. When everyone was in, Jeanie started the Mustang, and drove out with all the other vehicles.

  “The second one was definitely better,” Rheanna said.

  “Agreed,” Jeanie said. “If anything, it was good to get out. I had a lot of fun.”

  “It was fun,” Masie said. “I’m glad all the boys were there.”

  Jeanie nodded. “Rheanna finally got a little admirer. Lucky Rheanna.”

  Rheanna turned and gave Jeanie a sarcastic smile.

  Malcolm, Seth, a
nd Masie laughed from the back seat.

  “Jeez, I’m tired,” Jeanie announced, yawning.

  Masie yawned as well.

  They made it out of the drive-in and onto the road, heading back into Ellishome. Jeanie drove down Main Street across town, then steered onto Shadowbrook Lane. The night was pitch black around them. They drove with the windows down, the radio turned low.

  Malcolm’s house soon came into view, and Jeanie stopped the car in front of the porch.

  “There you go, Malcolm,” Jeanie said. “It was fun having you. We’ll have to do it again sometime.”

  “Thanks for inviting me,” Malcolm said. “I had a real good time.” He turned to Seth. “I’m glad you came by, Seth. Thanks.”

  “Sure,” Seth told him.

  Rheanna stepped out and pulled the seat forward for Malcolm, who climbed awkwardly out of the car. “Bye,” he said. “It was nice meeting everyone.” He raised his hand, walking to the porch, and up the steps.

  They said good-bye and waved, watching Malcolm until he was at the front door. He turned once to wave good-bye before disappearing inside.

  “That is one polite boy,” Jeanie said.

  “I like him, too,” Masie admitted. “He’s a good kid.”

  “They’re all good kids,” Rheanna said.

  “You got a good group of friends there, Seth,” Jeanie said.

  Seth felt flustered. “Thanks. We all got sitting together at school and just started hanging out. We didn’t meet Albert until today. But I like him. I like all of them.”

  “Good kids,” Jeanie repeated, as if speaking to herself.

  She turned the car around and drove through town until they came to Seth and Masie’s house. Jeanie stopped the car in the driveway, and they went over the same ritual of parting.

  “We don’t do this stuff enough,” Jeanie said, sitting strangely calm in the driver’s seat.

  “Yeah,” Masie agreed. “It’s hard to find the time.”

  “We need to make the time,” Rheanna said.

  “Let’s not slip away from each other,” Jeanie said, profoundly.

  They were quiet for a moment. Rheanna looked at Jeanie with concern. “I thought we were slipping away,” she said.

  “What?” Jeanie asked, looking at her friend.

  “I thought we were. Since the last time we went out, we’ve hardly talked at all. The only time we see each other is at school.”