Perfectly Hopeless

by Hood, Holly

Henri moved closer to the closed shops on the sidewalk. Besides the passing motorbikes the night was still—a little to still.

  He concentrated on his footsteps trying to keep his thoughts on that instead of the creepiness all around. He was exhausted and ready for a couple hours of sleep before the hospital in the morning.

  He stopped walking, setting the picnic basket and radio at the door of the old second hand store. He removed the items inside of the picnic basket and tossed them in the garbage. He didn’t have the energy to lug it the rest of the way home. At least this way it was going to a good home.

  ***

  Jake crunched the beer can in his grip and then sent it airborne toward the dumpster next to the yogurt hut. “Hand one over, come on.” He ordered his buddy. It was safe to say he was wasted. It was safe to say they all were wasted.

  Jake leaned back against the picnic table, smiling at the stars. He spilled half the beer on his red shirt as he tried to take another drink. “Did you see that kid’s bowtie?”

  Arnold tipped his head back, downing his beer. He shot Jason—Jake’s other friend since grade school—a look. “Can’t say that I did, Jake.”

  Jake scoffed, ignoring the fact that his friends never wanted to entertain his rants about Maven and her new boyfriend. He sat up. “I can’t believe she would rather hang out with that guy instead of me.”

  Jason scratched his head. He didn’t understand the fixation with one girl when there were so many willing to give Jake a chance. “I hear he’s a nice guy.”

  Arnold jumped, dodging the half full beer that flew past his head and into the side of Jason’s. Jason shook his arms that were now soaked with beer and stared down at his shoes. “What the hell, Summit!”

  “You were asking for it. Don’t hang out with us and talk about how nice her new boyfriend is. I don’t want to hear it.” Jake snapped. He jumped from the picnic table. Jason and Arnold watched him wrench another beer from the cooler and pitch it at the window of the yogurt hut. Glass shattered instantaneously, spilling onto the concrete.

  Arnold raised a powerless eyebrow at Jason. Jason shook his head, refusing to offer any suggestion. He stood up. “I’m outta here. You’re going to get us arrested. Grow up, Jake, she’s moved on. And it’s pretty clear why…you’re an asshole.” Jason shook his head, and started walking down the cobbled path to his house. He only lived a couple blocks away.

  ***

  Flynn threw his hands up in defeat at Tori as her red charger rolled backwards out of the driveway of his parent’s house. He gritted his teeth as the squealing tires and gravel rocketed against the side of the house sending the stray dogs in the neighborhood howling and barking.

  He cursed under his breath all the way to the door.

  The kitchen light came on just as he expected. It was his mother.

  “How was the hop? Where’s Tori?” His mother looked past him to the door. “Was that your girlfriend peeling out of here at such a late hour? Flynn that girl has the manners of a narrow-minded hog.”

  Flynn kissed his mother on the cheek as a means of an apology. “That she does. Another reason I dumped her and told her to find someone else to drive crazy.”

  His mother smiled. “Good for you.”

  Before he could fill her in Sandra came through the door, her hair was unresponsive from the humidity and her heels were dangling from her fingertips. She let them drop on the kitchen floor pulling up a seat. “Hey momma. Hey Flynn.”

  Flynn rounded the counter taking an apple from the fruit basket.

  “How was the dance, Sandra?” Their mother asked.

  “Fine. I danced with Clinton a couple times.” She started, plucking the bobby pins from her hair as she rattled on about the dance. “Jake Summit showed up. He didn’t even wear a dress shirt. Can you believe the nerve of that boy?” Sandra tossed the last pin on the tabletop and then let out a laugh. “And who let Henri wear a bowtie?”

  Flynn inhaled the apple he was chewing down the wrong pipe, his eyes flew open and he clutched his throat, staring at Sandra. He waved a hand, but he knew it was too late. His mother’s dark hair whipped around just as fast as her body to look in him in the eye.

  “Henri?” She asked. Her eyebrows knitted together angrily. Sandra stood up, wishing she hadn’t said a thing about the bowtie.

  “Henri said he was going to bed. Henri should be up in his room.” Their mother said, but her words only echoed the room.

  Flynn opened his mouth to say anything at all. But his mother was already barreling up the stairs to confirm Henri was indeed gone.

  “Why didn’t you tell me not to say anything?” Sandra hissed, horrified she had ratted Henri out. If she would have only thought a little harder it would have made sense, nobody knew Henri was there. But it was too late now.

  Flynn slammed his apple down on the counter. “Because I didn’t think you would be home for hours. Why can’t you be like April and stay out late making out with boys you’ll never marry?”

  Sandra gasped. Flynn took off after his mother trying to control the situation.

  ***

  Henri’s phone chirped.

  He fished it from his pocket. The glint from the moonlight caught his attention before he looked at the text message. All below the window of the yogurt stand lay shattered glass.

  “Shit.” Henri muttered to himself, he slowed to a stop at the deserted yogurt hut. Beer cans were scattered all around the tables. But there was nobody in sight. He wondered who would do such a thing. There wasn’t very much crime in Portwood, it was a safe place to be.

  He kicked at the glass with the toe of his shoe and checked his phone.

  It was Maven.

  Tonight was the greatest night of my entire life. You’re the best, Henri. 

  He grinned, the glass the furthest thing from his mind, he was tangled in Maven once again, intoxicated by the mere thought of her.

  You mean I didn’t scare you away with my weird dance moves? 

  Nothing weird about it. You were perfect. Goodnight, Henri. And good luck tomorrow. I will see you as soon as I can ok?

  Henri nodded. Happy to know someone he cared about would be by his side after all was said and done.

  Ok. Thanks. I’ll text ya from my bed if they allow it. Dream of me, ok?

  I couldn’t think of a better kind of dream. 

  Henri hesitated on sending his next text, but he was feeling kind of gushy.

  I know love is something you feel jaded by, but I really think I am in love with you. And if for some reason I never am able to say so, now is the perfect time.

  He couldn’t be sure the surgery would go the way he wanted it to. He didn’t want to close his eyes without ever telling Maven how he felt. He wasn’t one of those people who believed you could fall for someone in the matters of weeks, but he knew she was the person he could love for a lifetime. Life was just forcing him to be honest a little sooner then he wanted, but it didn’t matter to him, he had a feeling it was something he would always want to say to her no matter where they were in their lives.

  ***

  Jake stumbled from out of the brush. He zipped his pants. And right before his eyes was the one person he didn’t want to see.

  Henri looked up, startled Jake was even there. He thought he was alone. That undoubtedly explained the broken glass at the yogurt hut.

  “Henri.” Jake slurred, using the picnic table to make it over to Henri.

  Henri shoved his phone into his pocket. “Jake.”

  “Henri, why you running around so late at night,” Jake hiccupped. He climbed up on the table, falling sideways as he took a seat.

  “Heading home right now.” He looked him over. His eyes were bloodshot, his hair disheveled. It all proved just how intoxicated he was. Henri wanted no part in it.

  “No, no. Why don’t you stay?” Jake patted the picnic table. “Sit. I’d offer you a beer, but I drank them all.” Just then Arnold appeared from the brush. He looked more aware of his
surroundings then Jake did Henri noticed. Arnold’s gray eyes clouded with concern at the sight of Henri. He knew Henri shouldn’t be there.

  “Hey, Henri. I am really sorry about the window. Jake’s just a little drunk.” He sighed. “Maybe I could pay your family tomorrow for the damages.”

  Henri nodded. “It’s not my yogurt hut. But I’ll be sure to let them know that it was an accident.”

  Arnold nodded, turning toward Jake. He grabbed him by the arm. “Let’s get you home.”

  Jake pushed Arnold, hardly bringing himself to standing. “Everyone wants to tell me what to do.”

  Henri’s phone chirped. This caught Jake’s attention. Henri refused to pull the phone from his pocket. But that didn’t stop Jake from waiting for him to make a move. “Are you going to check that?” Jake said, pointing toward the phone.

  “Nope.” Henri replied casually. Suddenly his phone was ringing making matters worse.

  Jake stepped forward. “What’s wrong, Henri? You don’t want me to see you talking with my ex girlfriend?”

  Arnold stepped in between the two of them trying to diffuse the situation. “Jake. Home. Now.” He tried his best to push him the other way. But Jake was a lot bigger then he was. He had pushed him around since elementary school. Jake shoved him in a flash, knocking him into the table.

  “Arnold you go if you’re so worried about going home.” Jake pointed at Henri’s cell that hadn’t stopped ringing. “Do you want me to answer it?”

  Henri shook his head. “It’s probably just my cousin checking to see where I am.”

  But Jake wasn’t satisfied with that answer. Henri flinched. Jake yanked the phone from his pocket shoving him with his free arm. The ringing quickly ended.

  “What do you think you’re doing?” Henri asked, dusting himself off. He had to give it to the guy he had a good amount of muscle on his side. He had almost made him eat the concrete.

  “Jake give him his phone back. He hasn’t done anything to you.” Jake ignored them both reading over the texts between him and Maven. His blood rocketing through his veins and making him angrier and angrier with every heartbeat, the thought of Maven having a nice time with anyone else made him furious. He squeezed the phone in his fist and then threw it at the window of the yogurt hut, letting out a guttural scream of anger. It crashed, a new symphony of glass showering the ground. Leaving both windows of the yogurt hut smashed.

  Henri backed up, but Jake was gaining on him. He couldn’t even understand what he was saying, he was in shock. His body inundated with adrenaline, telling him to run instead of fight like normal guys his age would do.

  Arnold jumped in trying to pry Henri loose from Jake’s grip. He hadn’t admitted to anyone, but he knew Henri was sick. And even though he had been sworn to secrecy he wasn’t about to sit there and let Henri get pummeled by Jake. Arnold pushed and shoved Jake trying his best to release Henri.

  Henri shoved against Jake, the foul smell of beer on his breath. The moment turning into nothing but a nightmare that he didn’t want to be a part of. He could hear his phone echoing from inside the yogurt hut.

  Jake swung, his fist coming into contact with the side of Henri’s face all the while Arnold was shouting at him to just lay off and leave poor Henri alone. Jake didn’t have empathy for Henri, he was beyond that. He was angry and drunk and irrational. He swung again landing another fist, only this time it was the side of his body because Henri was doing his best to duck and dodge each fist that crashed in a fury against him, burning his flesh, making his body ache.

  “Why do you think you’re better than I am? Did Maven tell you about our kiss?” He swung again, both of them stumbling into the picnic table out of breath. Henri tried to stand up.

  “What are you doing? What kind of guy doesn’t even throw a punch? Fight for her.” Jake growled, shoving Henri with everything he had left, knocking him against the wall of the yogurt hut and finally he dropped on his own free will into the glass beneath him.

  Henri lifted his head, resting his arms on his knees. Jake was panting, out of breath at this point. He told himself to just get up and start walking. This kid was drunk and the quicker he got away the better. He wasn’t far from home.

  “Jake.” Arnold said over and over again. Henri closed his eyes, concentrating on his breathing, trying to control his heart. Trying to will it to just relax and not go haywire. He licked his lips, bringing a hand to his forehead, blood staining his fingertips.

  He didn’t understand why he deserved this. Why Jake wouldn’t just leave him alone. His heart crashed harder and harder, he clutched his chest, staring up at the stars, praying for a miracle.

  Arnold’s frantic screams crashed into Henri’s conscious. Henri turned, shocked to see the concrete brick coming for him, guided by Jake, a sudden heat nipped at his scalp. His body crumpled on the asphalt. His heart pounded erratically in his chest, the last thought in his mind was making it home—if he could just make it home.

  And then all fell quiet. He couldn’t hear Jake furiously screaming at him any longer. Or hear Arnold pleading and crying for Jake to stop what he was doing. He couldn’t hear that owl anymore either, his eyes fluttered, going fuzzy. He concentrated on the fist slack above his head in small blurs of color.

  And then everything went black.

  ***

  “Tell us one more time.” Flynn’s father asked on the porch steps. There the three men in the house stood, waiting on Henri.

  Flynn squeezed the bridge of his nose. He had been relaying the same story for almost an hour. He didn’t like to be the one to rat Henri out, but his entire family was freaking out. “I set up a spot down by the lake for Henri and Maven. You know, it was a special night. He was dead set on making tonight amazing before tomorrow morning when everything went back to normal. That’s where I left him.”

  Doug Levitt—Henri’s father scrubbed his chin. He sighed. “He’s probably having a good time. Making up for lost times.”

  “Then why no answer on his cell?” Flynn’s dad said with an even bigger and more concerned sigh then Henri’s own father. “He knows how much we worry about him.”

  “We all were young once. Some things outrank even your own wellbeing. Sex would be one of them.” Doug chuckled, taking a seat. “Hell, if I was dying I would be getting it in with as many girls as I could get my hands on. Just give him a little while longer.”

  Flynn shot his dad a look. Henri’s parents were so simple. Henri was just as important to his parents as their own kids. His mother opened the screen door for the millionth time, poking her head out. “Have you seen him? I’ve called his phone damn near fifty times now.”

  “He’s probably with Maven still. Let it alone for another hour then we’ll go look.” His dad’s body squared up, he dropped down on the porch steps wringing his hands together restlessly.

  Flynn felt awful. His stomach was sour. He had orchestrated the entire thing and now his family was miserable wondering and waiting on Henri to return. Henri hadn’t even answered the phone for him.

  His mom popped out the door again. “I can call the Wilders.” She let the door thud softly behind her.

  ***

  The phone sounded through the house, echoing the hallway. Maven listened suspiciously to the heavy footsteps bounding across the floor. She looked at her clock, it was past midnight.

  Holding her breath she listened warily.

  “Maven is home in her bed….she has been for some time…I did not know that…well I will see if she knows anything.” Her mother’s words stopped and her doorknob rattled. Maven jumped out of bed, her heart beating hard in her chest.

  “Henri was with you at the hop tonight?” She eyed Maven. It wasn’t like her daughter to lie. Maven’s head dropped in embarrassment. “No time to feel bad now. Did he say he was going home after he dropped you off?”

  Maven’s heart sink. She felt unsteady and ill. “He didn’t walk me home. I told him to hurry home because of tomorrow. I swear I didn’t
know anything about his procedure until after the hop. Is everything alright, mom?” Her mother waved a hand and swiftly shut the door.

  Maven pressed herself against the door, clutching her chest. Tears spilling down her cheeks as she listened to her mother. “Maven said she went home alone. Henri was on his way as far as she knew. She said she knew nothing about tomorrow. Yes, I believe her.” There was a soft click, which told her the call ended.