Red and Blue Chronicles Box Set

Chapter 9

Dear Bump, Dad sent us a check.

It must have been a lot of money because Aunt Frannie tucked it away in her shirt and had a big glass of Dad’s whiskey. “Oh boy,” she gasped, “we’re gonna be having a nice Christmas.”

She promised we’d get a VRC and a new snow suit for me.

Also, I think I’m turning into a pervert.

My p***s hurts.

I’ve been rubbing it at night before I fall asleep. And I’ve ruined it because it keeps leaking. Except, when it squirts, it feels so good that I can’t stop doing it again. I can’t sleep if I don’t make it squirt.

It all started when I slept over at Boone’s. That was two days ago. After we got our first snow. It was the day after his birthday. November 13th.

He turned thirteen, so it’s his lucky year.

“If you sleep over there,” Aunt Frannie warned, “you better be a good boy.”

Of course I was going to be a good boy. Why wouldn’t I be a good boy?

When I rang the Lunds’ door bell, my stomach twisted all up. My mouth tasted like metal. I clutched my bag and waited for someone to let me in. They hardly ever heard their doorbell, on account of all the noise the Lunds make. Eventually, Lene stuck her face in the window and came to the door. “Hello, Derek.”

I nodded. “Hello, Lene.”

“Boone says you’re sleeping over.” Her eyes were like a bed time sky. She wore a yellow sweater and Sylvester the cat slippers. “What’s in your bag?”

“My s—stuff.”

“My bedroom is next to the living room. But I never sleep. You can come up and visit our baby later.” She turned on her heels and I let myself in. “Cassandra misses you.”

Inside, it smelled like lemon and beets. I set my bag down by the couch and walked to the kitchen where I stopped in the threshold. Mrs. Lund had her back to me, stirring something in a big ceramic pot. “Hi, Derek,” she greeted me without turning around, “Boone is downstairs. You know, he’s still being punished, but I expect you guys will be quiet, right?”

“Ye—es, Ma’am.”

She spun around and wiped her hands on her pale blue apron. She had lipstick on her shiny mouth and her hair was tied back in a long blond ponytail. “Okay then, off you go.” She licked the spoon and stared at me for a moment. “Supper is in ten minutes.”

Supper? I’d already eaten and hadn’t planned on eating with the Lunds, on account of me wanting to vomit whenever I do. “Um, Mrs. Lund, I al—already had a s—sandwich with my aunt.”

“A sandwich? Please, that’s not supper. You’ll eat with us. You’ll like it. It’s my specialty.”

Mrs. Lund has the same exact eyes as Nick. They find a spot inside yours and make a nest. I couldn’t argue with her, so I nodded and left. Downstairs, I found Boone watching Top Gun again.

He’d been watching it every day ever since he’d been grounded.

“Hey, Boone.”

“Shh,” he hissed, “they’re kissing.”

I watched the screen. Gross. Their tongues kept slipping in and out of their mouths like slimy snakes. It made me cringe. “I’m gonna g—go read a co—omic in your bedroom.”

Boone only nodded. His eyes didn’t leave that TV.

When I passed Nick’s room, my heart jumped up inside my throat. The door was ajar. He wasn’t home. I had to see his things. I pushed on the door. My eyes swarmed around like bees over a strawberry patch. I was terrified that Nick would show up and tap me on the shoulder. “Hey pervert,” he’d say, “what are you doing in my bedroom?”

But something pulled me in and I took a shy step inside. I could smell him. I could smell him on his clothes and sheets.

Nick smells like sun tan lotion and Ivory soap.

I looked at the walls first. They were plastered with posters. One got my attention. It was the picture of some guy with hair like a spider and white make-up on. His name was Robert Smith. Beside it was a picture of a skeleton face, and the caption read: “Didn’t hurt that much.” In the corner, there was a brown guitar. It leaned on a dresser with drawers over filled with clothes. Nick’s blue sweater hung over the edge of the second one. On top of the dresser, there were a whole bunch of things. Some papers with music on them, some drawings he made, rubber bands, a statue of Rocky, some magazines, and some used up Kleenex. On the floor, there was even more stuff. Clothes, socks, more magazines, empty containers of yogurt and Jell-O, some cracker crumbs, and a pair of black boxers.

I never knew Nick was so messy. Even his bed was undone. There was a bag of chips on his pillow. He’s going to need a maid when he’s older.

For sure.

Of all the things I saw in his bedroom, one thing stuck out the most: on his bed stand, right beside his Halloween mask, there was a large hardcover book. I walked over to take a closer look at it. It was at least six hundred pages.

If Nick is dyslexic, then I wonder how long it took him to read it? What kind of book would be worth all that time and energy?

I picked it up and read the title. Professional cooking. Learn the tricks of trade. From classical French cuisine to the newest trends.

A recipe book? Why is Nick reading this? It can’t be for school. People say that he’s flunking every class and won’t be getting his high school diploma.

I don’t care.

Then just as I was passing out of his room, Mrs. Lund called out. “A table! Et on se grouille!”

Mrs. Lund insists on speaking French to the kids. I understand most of it but can’t put two words together without sounding mentally challenged. Nick speaks French fluently, so does Lene.

Boone, not so much. “I don’t plan on dating no French girls anyway,” is what he says.

Upstairs, Johan set the table, while Mrs. Lund poured the soup into bowls. They were square bowls. I’d never seen bowls like that. “Hands cleaned?” she asked.

They weren’t. Boone and I went to the bathroom, followed by Lene and her doll. She made us wait while she meticulously scrubbed the doll’s fingers. “Our baby has to be squeaky clean, don’t you think?”

Boone barked a laugh. “You’re so nuts, squirrels wanna crawl up your ear.”

The smell of Mrs. Lund’s cooking had begun to make me hungry, and since I hadn’t seen Nick around, I figured I would be okay. I felt my muscles relax and I pulled out my designated chair, then sat down. “It smells ni—ice Mrs. Lund.”

“Why, thank you, Derek.” She turned to Boone and slapped his shoulder. “See? See how polite he is? He has manners.”

Boone shot me a murderous stare and picked up his spoon. “That’s ‘cause he’s a suck up,” he said with a grin.

Johan chuckled a little, and we all dove right in. The soup tasted like fall, but without the cold. It was purple and really thin, but filling. I was enjoying it.

Then, just like that, Nick walked into the kitchen.

Like magic.

I hadn’t even heard the front door. He appeared right out of nowhere. And at the wrong time, too. I had just put a piece of bread in my mouth. Now it was stuck there, because I couldn’t swallow it. I knew I would choke to death if I tried.

“Where have you been?” Mrs. Lund asked.

Nick tucked a loose strand of his ash blond hair behind his ear and shrugged. “Davie had an audition. For, uh, a musical.” David and Nick have been hanging out again. Boone says they see each other all the time. “He didn’t get it ‘cause his parents didn’t sign the form.”

Johan smiled at Nick. “It’s nice that you give David some support, son.”

Helga’s face tightened. She doesn’t like David? “We’ve already started supper, and you know the rule.”

The rule is, when someone shows up after the first bite has been eaten, that person has to wait until the meal is done, and then have whatever is left over when the table has been cleared.

“Helga, let him eat. We have a guest.” Johan gestured for Nick to sit down.

Mrs. Lund didn’t seem pleased at all, but she didn’t say anything.

Nick went to the sink to rinse his hands, then pulled out the only available chair at the table. The one directly facing me. My chest tightened, as that piece of bread began to slowly disintegrate inside my mouth. I finally swallowed it.

Nick poured himself two ladles of the soup and started eating as though he hadn’t eaten since last Christmas.

No one was talking. If it weren’t for the radio, we could have heard each other breathing.

Lene, who was sitting to Nick’s left, tugged on his shirt. “Will you help me braid Cassandra’s hair after supper?”

Nick glanced over and winked at her. “Sure thing, baby cakes.”

“She has to look pretty for her baptism.”

“Honey,” Mrs. Lund said, “I told you, were not having a doll baptized.”

Lene pouted. Her lips were like an upside down apricot slice. “But Mom, she’s going to go to hell if we don’t. And her father is Irish Catholic, we can’t expect him to accept that.”

Boone snorted a laugh and soup came flying out of his nose.

Nick c****d his head, looking at me with a smile in his eyes. “Irish, huh?”

My cheeks combusted. “I’m—I’m no—ot that doll’s f—father.”

“So, you’re denying your paternity?” Nick seemed very amused. “I think we should have a blood test done.”

Boone twitched and yelped with laughter next to me.

Mrs. Lund fought back a smile. “Enough, Nicolai. Leave the poor boy alone.” She stared down Lene. “And you, young lady, you are not to read another one my lady magazines, understood?”

Of course, I didn’t have another bite after that.

After dinner, Boone and I decided to go downstairs to play a game of Monopoly. We weren’t allowed to go outside, on account of him still being grounded an all. Nick had disappeared again.

Boone and I were alone in the basement, playing and eating left-over Halloween candy.

“So when’s your dad coming back?” Boone was chewing on some Tire Sainte-Catherine.

“Dunno. Aunt Frannie s—says after Christmas maybe.”

“What are you getting?”

“A VCR.”

Boone’s eyes widened. “Really. Wow. Lucky.” He landed on the “go to jail” square. Again.

“So, your br—brother had to take the ca—car back?”

“Yeah. But he said he didn’t care. He doesn’t need a car. Davie’s got a car now.”

David has everything. He doesn’t even have to ask, but it’s strange because he always looks sad. Like something is broken inside him.

“So, are you gonna go to the stupid Valentine’s Day dance?” Boone tried to sound like he didn’t want to go to the school dance, but I knew he’d been planning for it ever since Mrs. Saint-Amour announced that we were going to have one this year.

“Dunno.”

“O’Reilly, you have to come. I mean, you have to.”

“Why? “

“Because. You just have to.”

I frowned and shrugged. “Who are you—ou going with?”

“Kenya.”

Kenya is a black girl from Africa. Her skin is almost blue. She wears flowered dresses and yellow ribbons in her hair. People used to tease her a lot. Until Boone started beating everyone up.

“Did she s—say yes?”

Boone raised a brow and smiled. “She’s the one who asked me. Did you see her eyes? I’ve never seen eyes like that. I’m gonna try to kiss her. If she lets me. I really hope she lets me. Do you think she’ll let me?”

I can’t see why on earth she wouldn’t. Boone has nice lips. They never have left-over sleep on them, and his teeth are straight and white because he brushes them a lot. He never has bad breath, well, only on Saturday morning after he’s had Johan’s onion omelet.

Not that I would kiss him. I wouldn’t kiss Boone. No way.

“Dunno,” I said. “Maybe. De—depends, I guess.”

“On what?”

“On if she wa—wants you to.”

He sighed. “Gee thanks, Red. That really helps a lot.” He rolled the dice. “Well, anyway, it’s worth a shot, right?”

“I guess.”

“What do you mean? Don’t you wanna kiss a girl on the mouth? Besides, it’s necessary.”

“How so?” I couldn’t find the necessity he was talking about.

“To get hair down there. To have your d**k grow. For your voice to change. You know. Things like that. That’s how Nick got so tall. He kissed a lot of girls. He started way before me. Says he was kissing girls back when he was in diapers.”

For some reason, I could believe that. They were rumors at school that Nick had dated every girl in his grade. “Well, okay, b—but what if girls don’t wa—wanna kiss me?”

“Plenty of girls wanna kiss you.”

“Right. Na—name one. And Lene doesn’t count.”

Boone rubbed his chin and looked up to the ceiling. He didn’t say anything for at least five minutes.

“Well?” I insisted.

He slapped his thigh and smiled like he had won an Olympic gold medal. “Heindrika.”

I wrinkled my nose. “Your cou—cousin from Oslo?”

“That’s right. Remember, she kept trying to get you to go in the shed with her?”

I remember. She didn’t have a neck or knees, and her face looked like yellow Play-Doh. “That doesn’t cou—count either.”

Boone folded his arms around his chest. “You wanna watch Top Gun?”

“You’re kid—kidding right? Boone, no.”

“So what then?”

“Dunno.”

Boone’s face lit up. “You wanna make prank phone calls? We could do the one where I pretend I’m being murdered.” One time, he actually had a woman in tears. “We’ll get the phone from the kitchen and plug it down here. My mom’s doing the neighbor’s hair tonight and Dad’s watching TV, so.”

“What ab—about Nick?” I couldn’t help asking.

“Nico? He’s with Davie. He won’t come home until we’re sleeping.”

Disappointment and relief were rolling around inside my gut. “Oh. Wha—what are they d—doing?”

“They go by the river a lot. And, uh, Davie has this practice room in some warehouse where he dances I think. So…why do you keep asking me about my brother all the time?”

My eyes darted up. Saliva got caught in my throat. “I d—don’t. I was just ma—ma—making conversation. I don’t ca—care what your brother d—does.”

“Yeah, you do. Don’t lie. You’re always looking at him.”

My heart beat in all different directions. “I ne—never look at him.”

“Yeah, you do.” Boone casually got to his feet and turned the TV on. “It doesn’t matter if you do, I don’t care., Red.” He popped the Top Gun cassette into the machine. “You can play with my GI Joes if you like. I’m gonna watch this.”

GI Joes? I haven’t played GI Joes since last year. And I wasn’t even playing really, I was just lining them up and shooting them down with a rubber band. “Fine,” I said, “I’ll b—be in your room, not playing.” I went to his room and plopped down on the bed. I stared at the ceiling for a long time. Finally, I got Boone’s GI Joes out of the shoe box and lined them up. Then I heard some noise.

Voices.

I c****d my head and tensed my neck. It was Nick, and David was with him. I shot my last soldier down and went to the door. I heard Nick’s bedroom door shut and the voices became muffled, but I could still hear them talking through the wall that separated the boys’ rooms. I couldn’t make out all the words, on account of Johan doing an excellent job on the isolation in the basement.

I tried going back to preparing the second battalion for combat but couldn’t concentrate. I kept trying to hear what they were saying. Once in a while, I would hear Nick or David laugh, then it would get quiet again.

Before too long, my curiosity got the best of me and I crept out of Boone’s room. Boone was in the play room and couldn’t see me standing in the narrow hallway connecting the two bedrooms. I stood between Boone’s door and Nick’s. Now that I was closer, I could hear a little better.

I heard David’s voice first. “Why not?”

There were playing music. It was like rock music but softer.

“Stop,” Nick said. I could barely hear him.

I stood stiff with my back against the wall, listening to them whispering to each other.

“You keep saying you wanna get out of here, Nick, and this is your chance. If you come with me, we could—”

“I told you already.” Nick’s voice had risen over the music and he sounded upset.

“Why? I’ve got a job lined up and that guy says that it’s a lot of money.”

“A job, Davie? You know what kind of place that club is.” Nick had lowered his voice again. “And you’re gonna dance there?” I heard a thump and then Nick said, “You’re so f*****g naive. One day, you’re gonna get yourself into something you won’t be able to get out of.”

There was a long silence and I almost changed my mind about eavesdropping. Then I heard David again. “That’s why you should come out there with me.”

The music had stopped and I held my breath, pressing my back up to the wall, with my ear tuned in to their private conversation.

“Nick.” David’s voice had a strange sound to it. Like he was hurting. “I need you.” My heart skipped a beat. Had he really said that? David was getting upset, too. “I can’t do this alone, but Nick, I can’t stay here anymore, I can’t stand my f*****g dad. You know how bad it gets for me sometimes. And you don’t have to go to Loyola. You don’t have to put up with that s**t. God, I swear Nick, I’ll f*****g kill myself if I stay here for—”

“Shut up, Davie,” Nick said, and his voice was hard. “Don’t say s**t like that. You’re too good for that. You got talent. Man, you got something at least. Something to shoot for.” He paused and then spoke again. Softer. “What the f**k do I have, huh? I can’t even read this book.”

“Nick, no, that’s not true, and you know it. You have everything going for you. I think you’re the most beautiful, the most—” But David stopped.

I hadn’t taken one single breath. I opened my mouth to let some air in and closed my eyes. I don’t know why I felt so weak. There was something in David’s voice that made my belly feel tight and warm. I kept hearing those three words in my head.

I need you. I need you. I need you.

My cheeks were hot and my p***s was getting hard.

Then I heard Nick whisper again. “They’re gonna kick me out. ‘Cause of the knife. And if they don’t kick me out, I’ll have to do the whole year over again.” Nick’s voice dropped to a whisper. “And I’m not doing that. No way. My mom already thinks I’m a failure or something. She doesn’t even believe that I’m dyslexic. She thinks I do it on purpose or something.”

“Oh, Nick. I’m sorry. Come here.”

I couldn’t even swallow anymore. They were barely whispering now. I took a step closer to Nick’s door.

“Don’t, Davie,” I heard Nick say.

“Why? Why can’t I touch you? Why can’t I—”

“No.” Nick’s voice was sharp and brutal. “Enough of that.”

“Damn it, Nick. One day you let me, the next you don’t.” David’s tone had changed. He was whining. “You can’t keep doing this to me. You’re killing me. Look at me. It tortures me the way you—”

“No, get out.”

Though the order wasn’t meant for me, I jumped at the sound of those words, and ran back to Boone’s room with my heart in my throat. I shut the door behind me and leaned up against it. My breaths were uneven, and I couldn’t seem to get the rhythm right. I sat against the door with my head resting between my knees. Had David left?

No. He was still in Nick’s bedroom. They weren’t talking though. I couldn’t hear a thing. Except for the music. They had turned it back on.

I couldn’t get that tightness in my belly do go away. And it wasn’t just my belly anymore. That warm feeling had moved down into my privates. I decided to go to the bathroom.

I hurried down the hall, and on the way, listened for any voices, but heard none. Just music.

I locked myself up in the bathroom and sat on the counter with my back to the mirror.

That’s when it happened.

My p***s was swollen, like in the morning, but even if I wore my loose pajama bottoms, they still felt too tight. I didn’t really wanna touch it, because I know it’s a dirty thing to do. Mom says you only touch it when you wash, but I couldn’t just leave it inside my pants, it was starting to throb.

What could I do? The door was locked. I checked it twice.

I only touched it a little. Just the tip because it was wet.

I need you.

My p***s twitched inside my fingers and I shivered.

My knees bent. After. I cleaned myself up with toilet paper and flushed three times. I went back to Boone’s bedroom and lay down. I felt very tired all of a sudden.

Boone came in later and climbed on top. He has a bunk bed and it squeaks a lot. “Are you asleep?” he asked.

“I wa—was a little, but not really.”

“Sorry ‘bout what I said before.”

“It’s okay.”

“Do you wanna go for a bike ride down by the river tomorrow morning? We could try to find a turtle.”

“Yes.”

“Derek?”

“Yes?”

“I think my brother’s gonna run away soon.” Boone’s voice was full of doom. “I know it. He’s gonna leave, and he won’t say goodbye.”

I tensed up. “He wou—wouldn’t.”

“Yes, he would. You don’t know Nick.”

“I hope he stays,” I whispered, half for myself.

Later, when I was pretty sure that Boone was asleep, I crawled out of bed and leaned close to the wall. In Nick’s bedroom, the music played softly and I couldn’t hear any voices. I crept out of Boone’s room again. Wanted to see. Or hear. In the hall, I came face to face with David, who was stepping out of Nick’s room. He wore all black clothes. There was a thin moon beam coming through the basement window and all I could make out of his features were his dark eyes shining in his pretty face. He stopped and looked at me, tipping his head a little.

I was frozen, trapped by the look in his eyes. He was watching me as though I was something special. I felt something in the air between us. Something heavy that made my chest tight.

David narrowed his eyes. “Good night, little boy,” he whispered and walked away.