Chapter 13 -- Gold Digging
There was a bed. The sheets were lime green. Beige spots stained the wall behind the wooden headboard. A lamp was lit beside the bed on a stand. Sunlight splatters the bed. Or is that a more complex version of a spotlight? Anyway, there was a sound of empty space. No music. You could hear the faint sound of breathing. Lips were smacking. You don't see their bodies; it's just their heads at first. Their eyes are closed. You can hardly tell how nervous they are. Wide view. They're in their underwear. Joe is wearing these gray boxers. What I found uniquely attractive about Joe were his freckles. They traveled from his upper back and across his shoulders and arms in a faded pattern on his lightly tanned skin. Bobby has on this kinky pair of white briefs that is clearly a G-string in disguise. He looked different without his hip-hop gear. It was like he had nothing to hide behind. His body had a smooth Latin tan and his proportions dwarfed in comparison to Joe's. They were both on their sides while they were kissing. Bobby was slightly on top of Joe. His left hand was deep within Joe's underwear. It moved. Joe moaned.
They stopped kissing. Eyes are open now. It's like they need to pause to think or follow some obscure instruction. Then Joe immediately pulls his boxers down to his knees. He lifts his butt. Bobby moves away a little bit and then proceeds to grab a handful of his flesh. It's exactly the size I expected it to be. Joe was pretty tall. Bobby pulls the skin back. He rubs it, and then gets ready to suck cock. He licks the tip of it. Testing the water. Bobby's pulling it up and down while he's sucking on the head. Joe pats his head, like he would a child or a dog. It goes on like this for a while. Then Joe lifts Bobby's head up and signals him to lay back while simultaneously ripping off Bobby's G-string. It was a quick movement and Bobby's stiff penis springs into action. Joe bends down to lick it once. It's like he's taunting it. He lifts Bobby's legs up and is ready to -- the video pauses.
"See? This is the sort of thing I was talking about. Doesn't it make them look like whores?" Timmy smiled at his own rhetorical question.
We were in his dorm. It was the biggest one in the entire school. And it was all his.
"You were right."
I nodded. The video was distasteful. There was nothing in there but empty shells. We were sitting in chairs in front of his computer. The monitor displayed the humiliating scene. It was like the video froze Joe and Bobby to this specific time in their lives.
"Anyway, I just wanted to show you on what you were missing out on. It makes you wonder about the rest of our dubious gang. Gold members. Indeed. Perhaps Paul and Pierre have more interesting backgrounds."
Tiny knots of mischievous thoughts were squirming their way into Timmy's mind. It showed when he gave that certain smirk.
"Why do you call him Paul and not Boo?"
Timmy sighed, slouched back, and twiddled with his thumbs.
"Because we're not friends."
I was surprised to see a little resentment in the statement he made. It was true though. I stared out into the balcony. He had the best view of the sandy beach. Multi-colored specks of people scattered everywhere. And from here one could see the high-rise glass buildings of downtown Honolulu. The clear baby-blue sky looked almost animated. I don't know why, but it made me think of ice cream, orange juice, and a Popsicle. Was summer always so endless here?
"I didn't think that life as president of the student body would be so racy."
He got up and went towards a small fridge.
"What do you mean?"
I spun around in the chair.
"I'm talking about all the drama and tension and even the farmyard noises Pierre was making at the college party."
I heard him snap a can. He tilted his head back and drained the soda into his body.
He continued, "Doesn't anybody care who I am and all the things I can offer?"
Did he actually felt undermined?
"Maybe they just feel intimidated," I answered.
He burped.
"Well then maybe I should do something extreme and show everyone that I'm not someone you can just walk all over. Stupid Lucky. I'm glad that he's leaving."
He gave me that smirk again. I nodded and smiled. The other Gold and Brown members, along with a few of the school staff and various students, were currently writing Lucky a goodbye card, wishing farewell to the ex-president. The computer screen still had Joe and Bobby frozen in position. I had the feeling that Timmy looked at this every night. His hands would fidget in places they shouldn't. What kind of level is `extreme' compared to everything he's done already?
"What exactly is that guy's problem?" Lee asked over the phone.
I was at the payphone on the second level of the school. I was probably the only one using this. Everyone else had their cell phones. There was a large window beside it where I could see the courtyard. The gardener was planting something outside. Tropical flowers were becoming part of the norm in the setting of a place like this.
"I don't know. Maybe he just loss interest."
My neck was sore. I shouldn't have lifted those weights. Workouts were rarely ever about passing a limit. It was always about finding one.
"I think you could do better, Ettie. You can't wait forever for Damien to make up his mind."
The gardener outside placed a heliconia flower into a hole he had dug. The rosy petals lazily drooped to one side.
"I know what you're trying to say. Maybe I'm the one who's not ready and he can just sense it. Maybe that's why he acts the way he does. I don't know. What about you? How's your life?"
I heard Lee yawn.
"Whatever you say. Work's been real slow. I was able to get that television fixed. Now I can watch TV in my room. Ettie..."
I leaned against the wall. The cold surface felt cool against the heated hide of my skin.
"Yeah?"
Lee sighed on the other line, "Nothing. I just wonder sometimes. Will this thing with Naomi work out? And if it does, am I really ready to be a father figure to Alexis?"
They say that the most beautiful flower only blooms once every twenty-five years. The gardener carefully unearthed the soil in the courtyard. With delicate hands he places the seeds beneath the ground. I'd say that any bud could have the potential to bloom into something more magnificent.
"I think that you were ready a long time ago. And that you would've had a career, maybe even a wife and kids, if it weren't for me."
I twirled the cord around my middle and index finger.
"Listen, Ettie, don't ever blame yourself. We've had this discussion before, you know? And I'll say the same thing I say all the time. There's no way in hell I'd ever give you up. But now you're growing up fast. And I have to grow up too."
Lee laughed on the other line.
"What's funny?"
"I'm just remembering all those times I tried cooking dinner after Mom and Dad passed away. It was a crap fest waiting to happen."
The gardener outside was finished. All he had to do was wait. Patience. I wondered if I should wait around too.
"That was funny. And nasty. At least you tried. I have a feeling that tonight is going to be a crap fest too."
He paused for a second before he replied.
"Sorry. That was my beeper. I'm being called down to get the next stock items purchased before Thanksgiving. What's happening tonight?"
Page Break
I walked meticulously across the school. Tonight was the big night. There was an aura of excitement, layered with the eerie feeling of this holiday. Could we really call it a holiday? It was more like a special event, a night where people were allowed to leave their inhibitions at the door. Moments pass us by in our lives. They are callous little parts of ourselves that seduces us into feeling insecure. But then there are times when we are allowed to feel like we can let go. And just be free. Halloween is that time of the year when you can feel free from all those insecurities... by masquerading as someone else.
I remember the first time I went trick-or-treating. I was a ghost and Lee was He-Man. Our father took us around the neighborhood. There was this one house in particular that really freaked me out. Along the pathway towards the house was a lawn filled with fallen autumn leaves. The closer I got to the house the more frightened I became. I looked back to see my father. He waved and signaled for us to go further. I huddled closer to Lee. I think I started screaming when the people dressed as zombies popped out of the leaves. I tried running back to my father but Lee stopped me and told me that they were just people in costumes. I looked closer at the zombies. He was right. They were just a bunch of teenagers. They laughed. We started going closer to the house again. A man was dressed as Freddy. His claws pointed towards us. My brother was the first to approach him and opened up his bag. Freddy opened his hands and quietly placed the candy in Lee's bag. His smile was cynical. When it was my turn, Freddy shrugged and pointed to a bowl of candy beside him. I finally understood and went towards the bowl to get my own candy. When I reached inside a hand grabbed my arm from inside the bowl. I screamed.
"Ethan!"
A boy in a skeleton costume called out to me.
"Snowy?"
He took off his mask.
"Man, you're the hardest person to snap back to reality. Nice costume, by the way."
He grinned toothily. The acne around his cheeks and forehead shined under the light. It had been getting better.
"You mean the wings, undershirt, and white pants?"
"A sexy angel. It suits you."
We walked together, Snowy and I. The hallways are filled with spiraling paper rolls of orange and black.
"I haven't seen you around that often," he said quietly.
The distance wavers. It dwindles deliberately over the herald of misgivings.
"I've been busy."
I can't tell him. Not yet. It eats at you sometimes.
"But Snowy, I think it's established now that you're the closest friend I have here. It's just a lot's been going on and I don't even have time for workouts in the morning."
What Sophie had told me the night before replayed in my head. He blinked a few times, adjusting to the dim lights near the gymnasium doors.
"I know. You're part of student council, the basketball team and you are also currently employed. Just promise me you'll chill when you have time. Cool?"
"Cool."
We were by the entrance now. Cobwebs picked at our hair.
"So what's been going on with you?" I asked.
"Nothing."
I fixed my left wing. It felt crooked behind me.
"Just say it. You can trust me."
He paused for a moment. The white bones of his costume were glowing.
"There's this guy that's been bothering me for a couple of weeks now. But don't worry about it I handle it."
My hand went on his shoulder.
"What's his name?"
He sighed, "Kari."
"Who?"
"Like I said. Don't worry about it"
He opened the gymnasium doors.
"Damn. You did all this?"
The inside of the gymnasium transformed into the inside of a Transylvanian castle. Tables filled with body parts and medical equipment lay on one side. The walls flickered red stains of dried blood. Bobby was on the stage by his DJ set. Lights cascaded across the gloomy candles. A backlight flickered every other minute along with the sound of thunder. Pathetic fallacy.
"Two weeks worth of hard work. Joe did most of the planning and shouting."
"Damn. Just damn. No wonder you've been so busy. I'm going to find something to drink."
I smiled. Demons, ghouls, doctors, cross-dressers, monkeys, knights, and superheroes... they all gathered here to dance, laugh, and have a good time. Snowy went to go find the punch bowl. My eyes searched for familiar faces. The sound of music thumped along side my heart.
"Well if this isn't ironic," someone shouted from behind me.
I turned around to see Damien with black leather pants, a red cape over his shirtless body and horns over his spiky hair. He had glitter on his torso.
"I thought this would have suited my name. Ever watch The Omen?" he asked.
His hand slipped across my shoulder. I nodded.
"We did good work."
I knew he was pretending like he couldn't hear. His large hand grabbed my arm, signaling me to follow him. He pulled me across the dance floor. The costumed people were dancing to Thriller. All over the bleachers lay a splendor of Jack-O-Lanterns that many students had made and donated. Electric candles had brought them to life. There would be a vote later to determine the best looking one. There was one with a cut out of a cat under a crescent moon. That one had my vote. Damien pulled me into a familiar area, the locker room. We walked further pass the door till the music was more of a blur of sounds.
"Now I can hear you better. Ethan, are you sure you're ready for tonight?"
His eyes were always this soft brown whenever he looked at me like that.
"Yeah. If it doesn't work than there's always something else we can do. Timmy is starting to open up a little. Hopefully, this'll work and we'll find out what really happened."
He stepped closer. There was a tingle in my body that was coming from my groin. I could still hear the music from the gym.
"I can't believe you did all this for me."
My eyes drifted away.
"Thanks, but it wasn't just for you, Damien. It's for Bobby, Joe, Lucky and especially Kyle too."
He looked at me intensely.
"Still..." he trailed off.
What did he really want from me? After all this time, I still haven't figured it out.
"Why are you acting like this?" I asked him.
"Like what?"
He turned around, pretending to fix his cape.
"One minute you're giving me the cold shoulder and the next minute you're... different."
"I don't know what you're talking about," he calmly said.
The cape made him look like he had massive shoulders instead of just broad ones. The shadow behind him was menacing. All he needed was a tail.
"What is this? What are you afraid of?"
He looked down before looking up at me.
"You."
Before I could reply with my confusion Joe rushed through the door. He was dressed as the Riddler from Batman. Question marks scattered over his green spandex. Images of the video I saw earlier today gushed in my mind. My cheeks turn red.
"Uh, guys," he said with a smirk, "It's time. Timmy's here."
I turned to look at Damien. He seemed a little more anxious than usual. He scratched his ear. The three of us then made our way back. There was something deep down inside of me that always fought certain urges. It slithers across my soul. My dad once told me that I was like a yolk inside an eggshell. He didn't know whether to boil me first or crack me open and fry me. Sometimes people are ready to take action without thinking. Don't waste time. But most often than not, you need time to think things through carefully before you screw your life over.
There were monstrous bats and spiders that hung from the ceiling. Hell's creatures were everywhere. Tombstones lay row by row in the mist of a darkened disco moonlight. Eyes. It was those eyes that held the breath of fire incarnate. They stared up above a platform. There was something wicked that came this way. It glided through crowd and stairs. Blood gushed from his thick face. His canine teeth were elongated. His long fingernails caressed a slender microphone as if to signify the persona of a phallic symbol.
"It is I. Count Timmy!"
Joe rolled his eyes.
"I hope you all are enjoying tonight's festivities. Of course this wouldn't have been as successful without the help of the other Gold members and Brown members."
The dressed up vampire glanced at us from the stage.
"There will be costume and jack-o-lantern prize giving, as well as a dance off by the end of the night. And the person who wins sexiest costume of the night will get a special surprise."
He winked. There was an `I'm going to eat you alive' twinkle in his eye. Joe rolled his eyes. Damien expressed worry.
"Don't worry. He has an occult for saturated imperatives. Is it time yet?" Joe asked.
Damien patted his shoulder, "No. It seems kind of harsh... and publicly humiliating. We're not like him."
Timmy was about to say more when a hand firmly grasped his shoulder. A large looking hobbit whispered something in his ear. Celly.
Joe coughed, "I've had just about enough of this shit."
Damien and I gave him a confused look. It wasn't long before he ran up the stage. I tried grabbing onto his costume. A plastic question mark was now taped to my hand.
"Hey, Timmy! You forgot about my little announcement."
Joe's Riddler's costume sparkled under the spotlight. His hands were extended.
Timmy Montega gave him a smirk that I would never forget.
"As amusing as this may sound, I have more important business to care of."
He then turned to the crowd of costumed teenage boys, "Enjoy the party, everyone."
Joe was furious and ready enough to make a scene. Damien was signaling me to do something.
"Now's not a good time," I told him.
Joe grabbed the school president by his cape, "Don't you fucking turn your back on me."
I had told Damien about the tape that Timmy had in his room. It was only fair that he tell Joe and Bobby about it. None of us expected The Riddler to smash Dracula's face in. Timmy fell on his knees and wiped the blood on his face. It was real. The student body held their collective breath.
The new school president got on his feet. And then he ran off the stage and out the gym doors. Frodo was hot on his trail.
Joe walked passed us.
"He deserved it."
We didn't say anything. The question mark on his back glittered as he hugged Bobby who was dressed as a nun.
Damien surprised me with a look of sympathy on his face.
"Go after him, Ethan. Celly's not really good at consoling people. He's too self absorbed."
I nodded.
Before I left he grabbed my arm, "I'm going to calm the crowd down and get the event moving."
Searching for the diabolical duo wasn't that difficult. By the time I had gotten to the Gold Member office Celly had given up. He was standing by the doorway, cheeks flushed. Frodo the Hobbit never looked so hungry.
"I tried," he shrugged.
"I know, Celly. Thank you."
He shrugged again and left as I entered the office. The lights were turned off. I could see storm clouds forming by the window.
"Timmy?"
No answer. I could see the form of his body sitting by the desk. I don't know where he was looking but it gave my spine a sharp feeling.
"They all hate me."
There was this feeling at the pit of my stomach. Gnawing. I had this feeling before. I remember throwing up in front of the crossing guard when I was little. It felt like warm flesh was spewing out of my mouth. Why was I feeling like this now?
"Celly doesn't hate you. And you've got to admit that you gave Joe enough reason to hate you. Didn't you know how he and Bobby would feel?"
Lightning struck, followed by the sound of the sky ripping apart. There was an instant flash by his face. His fangs seemed sharper. Blood drips.
"People who take the extra step, that extra mile, they go places. They become somebody..."
"Hard work can get you there. But trampling over others won't grant you respect no matter how much success you get."
Bloodshot eyes stared directly to my own. There was a hint of blue in there.
"Your kindness and sweetened words are only a front to your true intentions, Ethan Jackman. You want me out just as much as they do."
There was that feeling again. I knew it now. Guilt. It eats at you when you know you deserve it but you still deny it. The crossing guard didn't know it then, but I was sick because my parents died and I didn't even have a chance to say goodbye.
"Then why didn't you say anything?"
He gave me the smirk, "Because it's what I would have done."
Life's a stage. My grandmother taught that to my mother who passed it on to me. I only learned a few days ago that it wasn't an original metaphor. If Shakespeare was right then whom was Timmy trying to play?
He sighed, "Do you know why my father adopted me?"
I walked closer.
"No. Why?"
He clasped his hands together.
"Because, Ethan, it's good for publicity."
"I'm not sure-"
"It's true. He adopted the kid nobody wanted so that it could raise awareness for the school he spent his whole life to build."
I sat by his chair like I had yesterday.
"Is that why you didn't attend the academy earlier on?"
He nodded, "I didn't want to be a part of his marketing plot. I never actually spent any time with the man. He was always doing business and I was always being followed around by his right hand. Floyd. He's been more of a father to me than Daddy ever was."
"Floyd, as in your dad's school rep?"
"Yeah, that's him, natty sense of fashion and stoic sense of humor."
I nodded.
"Then why did you decide to come here?"
He crossed his arms like a defense mechanism.
"I don't think you would understand."
"Just say it."
"To show him that I was worth it."
It was raining now. The evening sea breeze had finally caught hold of the humidity and the evaporated moisture gave way to the drops of water that fell from the cloudy sky.
"Ok. But I can't help but feel a little frustrated. How did you do it? How did you have in you to release confidential information about the investigation? How could you let an innocent person get arrested when you knew the truth about the letter you found? How could you use Celly's friendship with the rest of the student government to blackmail them into voting you as president? How could you do that to Joe and Bobby? Was it all to prove something to your father?"
I tried hard to stay calm, but I couldn't help the bit of anger that seeped out of my mouth. He stayed quiet. Rain was lightly drumming on the window.
"When Floyd was here to talk to you he didn't seem happy with you and even told you that your father felt the same way."
"I know!" he shouted, "I know that you can see right through me... and I'm so shallow and conniving and manipulative..." His voice was cracking, "Even after everything I've done my father only proved me right. He wanted me to step down as president not because it wasn't morally acceptable but because it was a bad PR stunt. In the end it was still about the publicity. And now I can't even make it up to any of you."
"Timmy, if all you're worried about is yourself, then you shouldn't be sitting there, on that chair. You are the student representative of the school now. Who do you think you need to prove your worth to?"
It was too dark to see the expression on his face.
And after a long pause he asked, "What should I do?"
"Start by fixing your nose. You look like a bloody heavy weight boxer."
Even in the dark I could see the sly smirk on his face reappearing.
"I suppose I should start with an apology to a few individuals."
"That would be a very good place to start."
"And then maybe I should work my way up into some community service, like shutting down urges perhaps."
That familiar name came up again.
I lifted an eyebrow, "I know this is completely off topic but what's urges? I heard of it-"
"You mean you don't know," he laughed, "It's an illegal bohemian rave down by the harbor set up by a group of students in the school. I can't believe you don't know about it. Bored stares, friendly betting, casual prostitution, drug trafficking and a few broken windows... I thought it was very amusing when I first heard of it."
My eyes widened as I remembered the conversation I had with Sophie at the coffee shop.
"Tell me more, Timmy."
I was soaking wet by the time I got to the condominium. Water dripped from my eyelashes as I searched for the room number. I dialed it and a surprised voice was able to buzz me in. The security guard gave me a suspicious look. I forced a smile as I waited for the elevator. My body shivered. The elevator took long to open and longer to reach the floor. I walked quickly and tapped on his door. The sound of movement echoed. The door opened.
"Ethan? What are you doing here at this time?"
He looked like he just woke up. His perfect hair was bunched around. Messy. I thought it looked better that way.
"Timmy found a way to let me out of the school. I need to talk to you."
"You're soaked. What is this about?"
He yawned.
"Two things."
My heart was pounding loud enough for me to hear it in my ear drums. He nodded but his attention span was shorter than usual.
"The first is that I don't think we should go through with the plan. I think it's going to be ok."
He didn't argue. Maybe he would in the morning, but I guess he really wanted to sleep.
"And what's the other thing?"
I had never been more nervous in my life. My body was shaking. Even though he was dead, I had come to an ultimate realization. Life was short.
"Damien, I want you to have sex with me."
His eyes widened. He stepped back and held the door. I walked in and closed it behind me.