Phantoms of the Moon

by Michael Ciardi

If anyone in the vicinity of Belle Falls had ever cared to know the speed at which the Earth orbited the Sun, he needn’t stretch his inquiry any further than Ryan Hayden. The boy’s mind was like a treasure trove of astronomical trivia, always ready to embellish a conversation with trinkets of wisdom. Aside from Ryan, there was probably one other boy who was equipped to match wits with him, and it was by no coincidence that these two intellectuals had formed an almost exclusive friendship for the past eight years.

  Before Ryan arrived in town, Victor Walden may have been in the biggest stage of transition in the area. In one way, he and Ryan shared a similar misfortune. Losing his mother to cancer at a very young age caused a level of uncertainty to develop within Victor. He never experienced an emotional bond with a woman that boys required as they matured. His father, although a decent, hard-working fellow, had lost his desire to parent after his wife’s death and retreated to his occupation as a chemist. He often suggested to his son that he should follow a similar path if he ever expected to gain any recognition in the world.

  Not being one to disappoint his father, Victor spent much of his childhood honing his skills in physics and advanced mathematics. The acknowledgment he sought, however, probably would not be fully appreciated until he graduated from high school. Being a wiz at organic chemistry may have contributed to his popularity among his teachers and the socially inept, but in terms of attracting the attention of a girl, it was a rather useless proposition.

  Victor was a tall, gangly boy who rarely fussed over his personal appearance. His mouse-brown hair was shaggy, misshaped and long overdue for professional modifications. His idea of fashion was a pair of cotton slacks (clean or unlaundered, made no difference), usually accompanied by a mulch-colored shirt. Victor often noted that true geniuses, such as Albert Einstein, never squandered precious time mulling over what to wear. In order to eliminate this predicament, Einstein had five identical suits hanging in his closet. Victor, of course, had never actually inspected Einstein’s personal wardrobe, but this story summed up his detest of the superficiality associated with appearances in general.

  If one was searching for Victor in the course of a school day, the most logical place to find him was in the science laboratory. The second favorite spot of incubation for those who actually studied at school was the library, and it was here that Victor elected to study this early afternoon. His dull chocolate-colored eyes peered feverishly over the equations in his trigonometry book. During his most intense moments of solving problems, he gnawed on his pencil’s eraser ravenously.

  Ryan usually joined his friend this time of day and they amused themselves by volleying astronomical trivia across the table. When he arrived today, Victor had already solved the answer to Ryan’s question-of-the-day, which only came to Victor’s attention earlier that same morning. Ryan enjoyed testing Victor’s knowledge on a daily basis, perhaps hoping to stump him on occasion. But by the time he dropped his book bag underneath the table, Victor glowed with the confidence of someone who did not have a chance of ever being outwitted.

  After Ryan sat down across from him at a rectangular table in the center of the library, Victor offered his friend a closed-mouth smile that beamed with superiority. “Nice try,” he said coolly. “I bet you thought you had me tricked on that one.” Victor finished scratching a numeral on a scrap of notebook paper and then eased it across the table to Ryan’s awaiting hand. “Read it aloud,” he insisted.

  Ryan peeled the corner of the paper over and read the numeral. “Sixty-six thousand seven hundred miles per hour.” Ryan’s face gleamed with a degree of satisfaction before he concurred with his friend. “Give or take a mile or two, that’s precisely how fast the Earth orbits the Sun. Correct again.”

  Victor immediately raised his hands above his head in a mock gesture of arrogance, but then quickly reverted to his humble roots. “Maybe it’s obvious that I have way too much time to kill,” he chortled. “I need to get out more often.”

  Ryan appeared a bit uncomfortable before making his next statement. “Hey, Victor, speaking about getting out, I’m going to have to take a rain check on that exhibit at the municipal building tonight.”

  “You’re kidding me,” Victor complained. “We’ve been waiting for this event for almost three weeks now. Need I remind you that they’re displaying new telescopic images of the Jovian system?”

  “Yeah, I know,” answered Ryan despondently. “I’m sorry I have to miss it.”

  Victor sensed that his friend was in one of his typically forlorn moods. It was not unusual for Victor to see his friend brooding, particularly since his grandmother’s death two years ago. But lately, Ryan’s temperament seemed inordinately unpredictable, and Victor attributed this to a current problem occurring in the boy’s household.

  “No big deal,” Victor assured his friend, hoping that a softer tone might encourage Ryan to feel less frustration. “We’ll do it next week.”

  “At this point, I don’t know if I an commit to any week. Things have gotten pretty intense around my house.”

  “Your grandfather is still drinking, huh?”

  Ryan nodded his head sheepishly as he lowered his voice to avoid detection from the eavesdropping librarian. “I think he’s trying to kill himself,” he whispered.

  “Any chance of getting him some professional help?” Victor questioned in an equally hushed voice.

  Ryan shook his head regretfully because he already speculated that his grandfather had surrendered his will to live. To Ryan, it was more than likely that the old man’s purpose for survival hinged to his ability to create as much sorrow as possible before his own inevitable demise.

  “Maybe you could talk to your old doctor about him,” Victor suggested.

  “I thought about calling Doctor Evans,” Ryan admitted. “But I’m not sure if he even deals with these kind of things. Besides, I haven’t spoken to him in over two years.”

  Victor gnawed more tensely on the eraser now. However, the solution to this problem could not be solved through the compilation of any numerals. “I’m hoping that you can get this worked out. To be honest, I’m a little worried about you.”

  “Is it that obvious?”

  “Let’s face it, Ryan, even a few months ago you wouldn’t have turned down the chance to see photographs of Ganymede and Europa.”

  Ryan nodded his head in agreement before he said, “You know, Victor, I never thought things were going to be easy around my house after my grandmother died, but now it’s almost unbearable living with that old drunkard.”

  “Did you ever think about moving out?”

  “Every day, but I need to save whatever inheritance I have left for college. I can’t rely on my grandfather to help me out. It’s almost as if he’s looking for a reason to hate me now.”

  “If that’s the case,” Victor remarked, “maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea to give that psychiatrist you know a call. I could give you a ride to Cloverton if you need it.”

  Ryan seemed grateful for the offer and managed to allow a half-smile slip into his expression. “Let me think about it a little bit, Victor,” he said pensively. At that precise moment, the library doors swung open and three girls sashayed inside. Their entrance generated instant attention from the few occupants, especially from the spinster-like librarian. The girls chattered incessantly, as seventeen-year-old girls have a tendency to do when engaged in social activities.

  Neither Ryan nor Victor recognized two of the three girls, but the one girl had been frequenting the library on a regular basis for the past two weeks. Hailey Gardner had brought two of her friends with her today, but she soon separated herself from them in order to make her presence less intimidating. Although most of the tables in the library were empty at this time of day, she typically sat at a table adjacent to the boys. Victor had keenly noticed that Hailey never seemed to be working on any schoolwork, and in some instances even neglected to open a book.

  Victor’s analytical nature sometimes spawned irration
al computations, and one in particular had him crunching numbers and biting erasers for the past ten days. Ryan never bothered to question where Victor’s formulas originated, mostly because he did not take him seriously when the topic strayed to anything remotely associated with women. According to the data Victor compiled in his scientific calculator, it was mathematically improbable for a seventeen-year-old girl to continually select a location in proximity to boys that she did not know personally. In Victor’s mind, it was rather obvious that she had intentions of interacting with at least one of them. Based on Hailey’s posture and darting glances, Victor ultimately concluded that her target of interest was his best friend.

  Had this girl been of a lesser caliber in terms of what determined popularity in high school, Ryan might have entertained the notion that she liked him. But Hailey Gardner was not a likely candidate to socialize with people outside her normal circle of friends, which generally excluded anyone connected to intellectual pursuits. This label, at least, seemed appropriate for most of her schooldays, but lately Hailey began to identify with the maxim that one should never judge others solely by what they saw. In truth, she had grown weary of her cheerleader-like persona, and sought closer observation from a boy who appreciated her mind as well as her physical attributes.

  Victor handily calculated that such a person did not exist. No one needed a scientific scholar to predict the shallow-sighted intentions of high school boys. Even if such a person did exist, he was not likely to possess the prowess to entertain the affections of a girl like Hailey Gardner. She had always been a girl admired by her peers, whose spirited disposition had her pegged for social stardom since early childhood. But sadly, her unpretentious beauty and svelte figure only proved to be detrimental in terms of what she sought now. Had anyone looked closely behind the reflection of her unflinching eyes, they would have discovered a girl who was as inquisitive as she was gorgeous. The problem was as it had always been: no one ever really looked.

  Hailey initially attempted to dare her friends with activities that challenged their intellects, but she was met with blank stares and cockeyed gazes from the majority whom she once found enticing. After befriending the captain of the high school’s basketball team, Hailey became especially bored with her pursuits. In frustration, she turned her attention to the library and began to search for someone who promised more than just the short-lived thrill of physical folly. In order to give herself a more conservative appearance, Hailey pulled her long raven-black hair into a ponytail and outfitted herself in high-necked sweaters to disguise her ample cleavage.

  Despite these attempts to blend in with the masses of Belle Falls High School, Hailey’s reputation preceded her. Even her girlfriends considered her actions dubious, and went as far as to suggest that her intentions were merely hinged to her insecurities of not having control of every conceivable situation. If any of this gossip held merit, Hailey silenced her interior motives. One thing was certain: Hailey was accustomed to getting what she wanted, and she had never tried to initiate any conversation with a boy before setting her sights upon Ryan Hayden. The apparent lack of interest on Ryan’s part only created a greater challenge in her mind.

  Today, Hailey perched her nubile figure at the table directly opposite Ryan. As usual, Ryan pretended not to notice her flirtatious gestures. She occasionally flipped her ponytail from one side of her neck to the other and leaned forward in the boy’s direction with an open palm extended across the tabletop. Her eyes, as bright and vivid as any star Ryan had ever gazed upon, blazed precisely at him, but he refused to acknowledge such sweet temptations. He even managed to brush off one of her patented grins that had routinely reduced boys of higher status to groveling imbeciles.

  What Hailey failed to perceive was that Ryan did not intentionally neglect to respond to her advances. He simply did not possess the expertise to reply in a way that seemed appropriate. Even Hailey’s mere dimpled cheeks caused his skin to speckle with goose bumps. His hands sweated profusely at the notion of trading words with her. In short, he was in no mood to solidify his reputation as an outcast among his peers.

  Victor smirked ebulliently at his friend’s discomfort. After all, a girl forwarding any sort of attention to either of them happened less frequently than a solar eclipse. Victor realized Ryan had to seize the opportunity while it presented itself. “Don’t act so nervous,” Victor advised his friend.

  Ryan fidgeted in his chair as if he was sitting on a plate full of needles. “She’s looking over here again,” Ryan whispered, somewhat embarrassed by his display of awkwardness.

  “Of course she’s looking,” Victor affirmed in a hushed voice. “She’s been coming in here for two weeks now, and forgive me if I’m being pompous, but I don’t think she’s an active member of the book-of-the-month-club.”

  Ryan’s cheeks flushed as he busily scribbled some lines onto the pages of his open notebook. “I don’t even know what to say to a girl like that,” he murmured.

  “How about just trying to introduce yourself?”

  “No way,” said Ryan, shifting his gaze back to the notebook paper. “Besides, I have too much on my mind right now. She’ll only complicate things.”

  Victor nearly lunged out of his seat in order to shake some sense into Ryan, but he managed to contain his frustration for the sake of his friend. “That’s exactly the kind of complications guys like us dream about, Ryan. She obviously already likes you.”

  “And you know this for sure?”

  Victor tried not to roll his eyes and he continued to punch some numbers into his calculator. “Don’t you listen to the rumors around here? According to her friend Monica, who sits behind me in chemistry, Hailey’s got this new thing for smart guys.”

  Ryan swerved his eyes back to Hailey again. She attempted to smile in order to lure him closer, but Ryan hastily averted her gaze again. “I’m not that smart,” he declared, with a typical lack of confidence creeping into his tone.

  “Apparently not,” Victor huffed disappointedly. “I know that if I were you I’d— ”

  “You’d sit here and shiver in your shoes just like me,” Ryan finished his friend’s statement as if he had a prophetic edge in this conversation.

  Perhaps Victor did not want to admit his own inexperience, but it was far easier for him to see the foolishness in others before recognizing it within himself. The potency of Victor’s words usually hit the mark. “How many times do you think a girl like Hailey Gardner is going to look your way before finding someone else to take her out?”

  Ryan did not deny his friend’s valid point. But the fact remained that Ryan had never conversed with a girl on a personal level. He certainly was able to help her with organic chemistry, but to discuss anything outside the realm of science or the field of exploration caused him to quiver convulsively.

  “I’m going to take a pass,” Ryan decided. “I’m not ready for this.”

  “Okay,” Victor conceded. Remembering their earlier conversation had caused him to be merciful. He then tried to make light of the situation on the behalf of his friend. “I know what you’re trying to do,” he chuckled. “Make her stew a little longer. That gets them every time.”

  The fact that Victor offered any speculation on what stimulated interest in a girl’s heart was enough to make Ryan feel uneasy. Ryan then glanced at his wristwatch with the urgency as if he was late for another chance encounter. “I have to get to class,” he announced in a voice pitched high enough for Hailey to distinguish. “And I’m sorry about tonight, Victor. I was looking forward to it.”

  “Well, I guess Jupiter’s moons are all mine,” said Victor, holding out his arms. After a giggle meant for those who were easily amused, Victor lowered his arms. “Don’t worry. I’ll give you a full rundown in the morning.”

  Ryan stood up and quietly closed his notebook. Although he was no longer looking at Hailey, he sensed her eyes trained on him from afar. He was not about to give her the chance to dissect him today. In order to avoid p
assing the table where she sat, he ducked out the side door. A few minutes passed. After Ryan was gone and clearly not coming back any time soon, Hailey stood up and marched over to the table where Victor still worked diligently.

  Victor sensed the girl’s shadow behind him, but he was almost too afraid to turn around and acknowledge her presence. Much to her dissatisfaction, he nonchalantly continued to tinker with his trigonometry. Hailey cleared her throat three times before Victor finally pivoted in his chair. He casually set his chin in his palm and fanned his fingers over his left cheek in an effort to conceal a crater-sized blemish. At this moment he noticed how thrilling her beauty was at close range. Her creamy white skin appeared as soft as it did delicate.

  However comely she might have been, Hailey was not feeling particularly attractive on this occasion. In fact, she felt strangely uncomfortable with the prospect of being snubbed in the middle of the library by Ryan Hayden. She assumed an almost defensive posture by crossing her arms in front of her body, perhaps revealing some of her own insecurities in the process.

  Hailey proceeded to loosen her ponytail and let her sable-colored tresses spill across her shoulders like a silk shawl. “This is so embarrassing,” she declared while glancing back at her snickering girlfriends.

  Victor shrugged his shoulders and replied, “I’m sorry you feel that way.” He then offered her a chair before asking, “Do you want to sit down?”

  “No, I’m fine. I’ll stand,” she insisted. “You’re in my friend Monica’s second period class, right?” Hailey was almost ashamed to admit that she did not know Victor’s name, but he was neither surprised nor offended by this circumstance.

  “Yeah.” Victor gnawed on the tip of his pencil more rapaciously now, while Hailey tried to convince herself that his habit was not a distraction. Before losing her desire to extend this introduction, she reluctantly held out her hand, which mistakenly was interpreted as a gesture of friendship. After a few seconds, Victor slapped his moistened palm against her hand and squeezed it with the enthusiasm of a puppy being petted for the first time.

  “I’m Hailey Gardner,” she said as if she had never really had to state her name to anybody before. Then she waited patiently for Victor to stop salivating and utter his own name. She stalled several seconds before realizing that she needed to coax the syllables out of him. “And you are?”

  “Oh,” Victor gushed with a predictable loss of composure. “My name is Victor. Victor Walton.”

  Hailey nearly had to pry her hand away from Victor before continuing. “Look, Victor, I guess you guys figured out by now that I’ve been coming in here a lot lately.”

  “Have you?” said Victor. He attempted to sound perplexed by her confession.

  “So tell me,” said Hailey, with an exaggerated sigh. “What’s the deal with your friend? Why did he run out of here so fast?”

  Victor turned his head towards the doors where Ryan had hastily retreated. “Oh, I think he was late for class or something.” The conjured excuse did not fool Hailey. His second response was closer to the truth. “Ryan is a little shy. Okay, maybe he’s a lot shyer than most guys, but you understand.”

  “He doesn’t have to be afraid of me,” Hailey smiled, now sensing as though she had gained control again. Her perfect teeth almost melted Victor in his chair. Even the scent of her lilac-scented perfume caused him to tingle with delight in places he was too unfamiliar to admit. As she removed a piece of paper from her purse, Victor watched her take a red pen firmly in hand. The mere motion of her hand scribbling with the pen across the paper’s surface seasoned his mind with amorous notions.

  “I’ll tell him you were asking about him,” Victor offered in a pathetically feeble voice.

  “I have a better idea,” Hailey decided. She then tore the piece of the paper she wrote on and folded it in half. “I wouldn’t normally give my number out to a guy I don’t really know, but you seem harmless. Can I trust you to give this paper to your friend?”

  Hailey forwarded the slip of paper to Victor’s shaking fingers. He nodded his head in agreement as he received his instructions from Hailey. “Tell him to call me. I want to talk to him. Okay?”

  “Sure,” Victor gulped as if he was parched for the details. “Do you want me to give him a message, or just tell him to call?”

  Hailey giggled and wiped her moistened hand on her blue jeans. “Just tell him to call me,” she repeated, trying not to sound grossed out by Victor’s excessive perspiration. “I’ll make it worth his effort.” Without further comment, Hailey pivoted in her stance and returned to the table to retrieve her books. Victor would have been lying to himself if he denied checking out her tight, round backside as she glided across the floor.

  Victor did his best to conceal his jubilation, but surely his excitement oozed from every pore at this point. After all, the possibility existed that someone other than he had noticed their conspicuous conversation, which ended with an exchange of paper. Gossip of this nature served to improve his status among his peers.

  For a young man who spent the better portion of his youth trying to live up to his father’s expectations, Victor held that paper as preciously as he might have caressed a woman’s hand. In fingertips not yet calloused and tainted by years, Victor suddenly realized that the numerals in his palm compiled to create a formula for happiness. He only hoped Ryan was wise enough to calculate the rarity of such an opportunity before Hailey Gardner’s motivations changed once again.