Part 2
September 24, 1996. 08:00 hours.
Ghost Girl, I mean
Alice, I mean June! Yes, June walked in. She sat down and said, “Where is the
Peak?” I was shocked she was even considering my offer about the music
carnival. Steve poked me in my back. That eavesdropping jerk! “It’s a beach
downtown. There are ice cream stores there!” She chirpily giggled and asked,
“Have you gone there before?” I had, just once and that too with my annoying
and bossy brother Matt. “Yes, last year. It seemed like the only thing that
ever happened in this ghost town. Other than the ‘Friday night senior’s ball
and bingo’ at the community centres of course! Steve never misses those out”, I
said as I winked at Steve. She laughed at that; in a more friendly way today.
However you could tell she was thinking deeply about something. I decided to
make a move. “You wanna go with? I really do not want my brother’s company
again this year. I could take you along. He would feel, umm, you know what I
mean?” She looked at me puzzled at this before saying, “You are going to make
your brother believe that you have a girlfriend to go with you, so he wouldn’t
tag along?” “Umhm”, I said coyly. Maybe I had taken things too fast and too
far! Damn, she’d never speak to me again. “Ok.”, she said. Okay? Did she really like me now just because I gave her a penny
worth of attention? She didn’t seem like that kind though. Say something! She’s
waiting! “Okay then. Sounds like a plan. I’ll pick you up at five.” “I, well
never mind I’ll talk to you during Japanese”, she said as she got down. Dear
Lord, she knew how to kill a person of suspense!
September 24, 1996. 14:00 Hours.
She walked in and
placed her books beside mine. Everyone stared at our desk and I pretended I
wasn’t embarrassed. Some people even hooted but immediately stopped the moment
she turned her eyes to them. Big Red walked in and said, “Good job there June.
I was just going assign this noisy bunch a seating plan, according to your last
names.” Random sighs and roars escaped; I was still unsure about how I felt
about that. While Big Red moved people around, June said, “I have a condition.”
Of course she did! What was I thinking when ghost girl said yes? Maybe she
wanted me to be her lab rat and extract my brain cells for further examination.
I gulped and asked, “What is it?”
“You have to wear
a tux.”
“Are you kidding
me? A tuxedo to a rock music carnival!? I was kidding about the Friday Night
bingo and ball if you seem to have changed your mind.”
“Fine then, find
someone else to go with”, she replied arrogantly. The cold eyes were back.
“But why a
tuxedo?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“Okay then, I’m
not wearing one.”
“Okay then, I’m
not going with you.”
She was one
arrogant bleep. I tried weighing the odds; wearing an embarrassing stupid tux
versus millions of loser notes and a lifetime of humiliation in my graduating
year. She had picked the right scapegoat. After a long moment of silence, I
muttered, “Okay. I’ll be there in Tux.” I swear to God it was the wickedest
smile I’ve ever seen on any face! I tried reassuring myself everything will be okay
since no one from school would be there anyway. I would hope not.
September, 24 1996. 15:00 hours.
“Why is your last
name Campbell if you are Asian?” she asked. I was still annoyed with her for
the deal. Just one evening, I thought, and it will be all over. “That is a very
mean thing to ask when asked so directly.” She rolled her eyes and said, “Dagur
Campbell, do you by any chance hold and Asian genes in your biological
presence? It’s so weird that you remind me of Jackie Chan! Maybe I’m seeing
things. Ha-ha.” That sarcasm stung. I admit I look too obviously Japanese and
the only genes from my father are my grey eyes, but I still expected decent
sentence tones. “My mom is Japanese.” I said. Then asked her, “What are you
even doing in that Japanese class?” She scratched her head and said, “I was
sick of watching anime with subtitles.” I tried to hold it in but darn was she
cute while saying that? We laughed. That night I thought maybe she is a good
person after all. Then I tried to for not even for a minute consider we could
have anything, and fell asleep listening to 102.7.
The next few days
went by, listening to music with June each morning and talking about her half
toothed soft toy. And of course, waiting for Friday. I had to sneak out Matt’s
graduation tuxedo and make sure I washed it twice to eradicate it of Matt’s
odour. I also found a twenty dollar bill in it which I preferred keeping for
myself as compensation for his mere existence. I had a restless Thursday night.
Friday September 27, 1996. 14:50 hours.
“What are you
going to be wearing?” I asked June at the lockers. Her evil grin was
accompanied by a “You will see.” That made me feel more insecure and wonder if
this entire thing was one big joke. Maybe she would just show up in her usual
black T-shirts and ‘emo kid’ emotions. I knew I couldn’t throw her off at the
last minute either. She had threatened me to let the entire school know we were
“dating” if I messed things up. By now she knew already that she wasn’t the
most desirable partner, and anyone paired with her basically ended up in the kingdom
of the social outcasts. I was stuck. We listened to a talk show about Finnish horses
on our way home and she smiled all the way. She looked good that way. (That is when
you looked beyond her raccoon eyes!)
Friday September 27, 1996. 15:30 hours.
I reached home and
immediately dived into the closet. Mom and Dad had already agreed I could go
the Carnival alone and take the car. Matt had also mentioned about my freak
girlfriend and now my parents insisted on bringing her home once we were done.
I had already decided to lie to them about June’s curfew and get this problem
over with. I packed my camera so I could click pictures, but more importantly
so that I could prove it to Steve that I took “Alice” out. After I hogged onto
a sandwich, I put on a white shirt, black vest and black dress pants. Then
pulled on the coat from the tuxedo but decided to leave my hair messy and
collar unbuttoned. As I stepped out Matt saw me. “Holy crap Dag! A tux? I
thought you and Alice were going to the carnival man!” he said almost immediately,
“Her name is June.
And yes we are.”
“Liar why don’t you
just tell me you have *ahem* plans. Girls love guys in suits. “he said winking
at me. If I did try explaining to Matt about how I hadn’t even kissed a girl,
he maybe would make more fun of me. So I stuck with his assumption and said, “Here,
it’s twenty dollars. Don’t let ‘em old folks know k?” He happily took away his
own money from my hand. I didn’t lose anything, but there went my fuel money.
Friday September 27, 1996. 17:00 hours.
I waited outside
June’s home since 10 minutes before 5. I examined my hair and wished it was
longer. Then at 5 I walked up to her door and knocked. I was awestruck by the
lady at the door; long auburn hair, green eyes and a lean figure- very warm and
motherly, unlike “Alice”. “You must be Dagur. Oh how punctual! Come in.” she
said, forgetting to introduce herself. She then called out to June who emerged
from around the corner. I was in for an evening of surprises. June wore a satin,
peacock blue short dress with her hair loosely tied in the same cute bow tie. A
black leather bracelet was tied around her wrist and below it she wore black
sneakers.Pretty pearls adorned her now visible collarbones. She was adorable. I
reminded myself that looks could be deceiving and that all of this could have a
motive too. Who I inferred as Mrs. Caine, then said “Thank you for accompanying
June to the bingo and ball Dagur. “ Aaahh so that’s what this was. “My pleasure”
I replied. As June and I walked to the door Mrs. Caine said, “June has always
been keen in things so classic. You look like a stunning young man by the way.
I won’t keep you long though. Have fun dear.” She told to June as we walked
away linking arms.
The moment we
turned around her lawn bush she left my hand and started picking pins out of
her hair. “Woah Woah what’s that for?” I asked.“Where is the car? I promise to
explain, but we need to leave first.” She said. I held the door open for her
and she gave me a cold thank you, like she was forced to say it. Then as I got
in, her hair was halfway down already and she ruffled them lose. I hit the
pedal and asked her, “You basically are sneaking out? I’m helping you do that?
Damn it June! I could be blamed if they find out! They might even think we did
all this to you know- hook up or whatever!” I could feel her roll her eyes at
that, then she said, “I’ll not let them blame you. And we ARE NOT hooking up.”
As a novice driver I still couldn’t take my eyes off the road without hitting
an imaginary cow, and so I scowled at her while I looked at the road. When I did
finally stop at the traffic lights to look at her, she had transformed. Thick
black eyeliner, blood red lipstick and a skull and cross bones necklace that matched
her bracelet. The innocence had faded somewhere into her red and peaock blue
hair streaks. How had she managed to hide that? Maybe the pins. “Seriously?” I smiled
and asked. She stuck her tongue out and asked me to get some spirit. I told her
I would if I wasn’t wearing my brother’s tux and helping a girl who looked like
a hooker sneak out. She punched me on that one. It hurt but I pretended it didn’t.
Friday September 27, 1996. 18:30 hours
While we waited
for the performers at the now crowded beach, June outlined my eyes too in thick
black cold liquid. She said it made me look hotter. She also did something to
my hair but I wasn’t sure what. I decided to not care; not care about how I
maybe was actually enjoying her company. The night went as anticipated. June
sang to every song until her throat got dry and we would push through the crowd
to get water. When we couldn’t get back to the front we stood dipping our legs
into the cool ocean waves and I could somewhat hear her voice now over the loud
speakers. She might have kept at least a six feet gap between us. However she
occasionally twirled me around or laughed with me. And when at the slow songs
all couples danced, she sat on the sandy floor cross legged and just stared at
what I thought was nothing. She looked as wild as most other girls here, but
she gracefully stole my attention. Her hair was damp of sweat and the temporary
colour from them was beginning to fade. That’s when I suddenly remembered of
the dare for the first time in the
night. As I put my hand in pocket to get out my camera, June laughed and said, “You
won’t find it. It’s in the car. I’ll tell Steve. Consider it as a thank you for
bringing me here.” At that I wanted to be ashamed of myself. Suddenly felt it
necessary to tell her that it wasn’t like what she thought and I was actually
having a good time. Good time with her! Even if it just involved me stealing
glances at her rosy cheeks and 3 ear piercings. Instead all I could say was, “Thanks.
And I’m sorry. And welcome.” So many words? I obviously wasn’t thinking. She
smiled, a real one this time and said, “I wish this was every Friday.” At that
she stopped cheering and got up. “Where are you going?” I asked. “The curfew. I
have to be home by 11.” So we left. We listened to old tunes from the 70’s on
the way home and she dressed herself back up to just like before the carnival. If
you weren’t looking for it, you wouldn’t know she ever had any makeup on. She
obviously had done this before, I thought. Then we waited outside her home at
10:45 and she removed my makeup. She seemed so normal even after everything I
did. Was I even wrong? Then once she was done, she looked up and said she will
leave. I thought of moving in to kiss her but before that she turned her head.
Then dug into her bag and tied her leather bracelet around my wrist. “You will
be remembered. Thank you.” She said and stepped out.
Pretty abrupt eh? Don’t
worry though because part 3 will be up soon! Yes, once I started the story kept
expanding and now I’m in need of another part to it! But I will be at it soon! Have fun till then! :)
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