Monday, November 08, 2004
2.
2.
Charlie sat on the stage uncomfortably. He hated these things with a passion, but he endured them because of two reasons. First, it got him out of class early. And second, Brother Benjamin Leary, S.J.C. was a rabid, rabid hockey fan. As a result, the hockey team had enjoyed a sort of renaissance in recent years, and was now considered on the same level as the football team. It helped that the Holy Mother Tigers hockey was on the verge of winning their third Connecticut state hockey title in as many years. The football team, on the other hand, had only managed a 6-4 record and hadn’t made the state playoffs. Therefore, Brother Ben had decided that a pep rally was in order for the Tigers. Fortunately, today was also a half day, so the pep rally wouldn’t be too long.
After sitting through a few interminable Pep Club sketches, he watched as the Holy Mother cheerleaders ran through their paces. They were mostly girls from St. Brigid’s in Hamden, though a few had squeaked through from Lauralton Hall. Charlie’s girlfriend was on the squad, though to him, that made it worse. Kat Masters loved being with Charlie, but he’d begun to suspect that she was more in love with the attention that came with being with the second most popular guy at Holy Mother then with him. Love, he thought, what the hell am I even thinking about that for? He was only seventeen, after all. But he’d begun to think more about that lately, and less about just getting his rocks off. He couldn’t see himself with Kat in ten years, after all. The way things had been going lately, he couldn’t see himself being with her for another ten days. Now, Doug, on the other hand, had picked the right Masters twin. He’d...
Doug nudged him, interrupting his reverie. “Hey, dumbass. Wake up. Leary just introduced you.”
Charlie grimaced. “Just woolgathering. Sorry.” He got up and walked over to the podium. “Sorry, Brother Ben. I was just, uh, working up some plays.”
“No problem, Charlie. Charlie Ferris, everyone!” The crowd of assembled students cheered. Charlie figured most of them were more happy for the break from classes also, but he smiled anyway.
“Hi, guys. Glad you all decided to come to this mandatory pep rally.” A few laughs, but not a killer. “Er, well, anyway. I just wanted to say thanks to Brother Ben for all his support of the team this year, and especially for that great banner over the gym door.” Applause, and a brief ‘Brother Ben’ chant. Charlie continued. “Listen, I know you guys are all itching to get out of here for vacation, me included. But I just wanted to let you all know that we’re gonna win this thing for you tomorrow.” He waited out a ‘Golden Boys’ chant. “You know us, that’s for sure. But for the freshmen and the alumni, here’s one last look. Bill Ryan, come on up!” Bill rolled his eyes, but got up anyway. “Jack, get up here. Jack Shanahan!” Jack, who had been feigning hiding behind Jake Chambers, joined them at the podium. “ And you all know my right-hand man here.” Doug came up to the mike and put his arm around Charlie’s shoulder. “Me and the meatball here, we’re gonna bring that trophy home again this year. Then it’s up to you, Chambers.” Jake Chambers looked around, and then shrugged. “Hey, we know you can do it, Joker. But we’ll be looking in on you.”
Doug took the microphone. “All kidding aside. We couldn’t have gotten where we are today if it weren’t for the support of all you guys, especially the seniors. Holy Mother isn’t a bunch of punk chumps. We’re the best in the state for a reason.” He looked out at the crowd of kids, teachers, and alumni gathered in the doorways at the other side of the gym. “Let’s pray.” The entire audience recited the “Our Father” and then Bill took the microphone and stepped out from behind the podium. Even in a blazer and tie, he cut an imposing figure, towering over the assembly from the stage.
Bill’s voice boomed through the gym. “Are we going to win this game?”
The crowd roared back. “Yeah!”
“I can’t hear you, I said, ARE WE GOING TO WIN THIS GAME?!?”
“YEAH!”
“Our Lady of Victory!”
“PRAY FOR US!”
Doug smiled as the audience cheered and began chanting “Golden Boys” again. There was the sound he craved. Unlike Charlie, he loved the pep rallies, the whole spectacle of it all. He’d managed to convince Brother Ben to let Cerebus play at one of the football pep rallies, which had been the largest group they’d played to, and it was phenomenal. Brother Ben slapped him on the back, then shook the others’ hands.
“You boys sure know how to get a crowd going,” he said. “Make sure you bring home that trophy.”
Kat sat on the front steps of the Holy Mother gym, waiting for Charlie to emerge. She was craving a cigarette, but there was no way that she was going to light up here. Not if she intended to remain a Holy Mother cheerleader and off of Sister Helen’s shit list. So she sat on the steps, drumming her perfectly groomed nails on her knees and chewing vigorously on a piece of strawberry Bubblicious. Come on, Charlie, she thought ruefully, I’m dying out here. But she knew that she had to wait out the process that was Charlie getting geared up for a game. He had to load his bag, get his jersey, light some candles, ogle the freshmen homoerotically. Well, maybe not that, but she’d gotten used to sitting around.
If you came upon Kat Masters sitting on the steps, you’d guess she was a cheerleader even if she weren’t wearing the Holy Mother uniform. She was a tall girl, with piercing blue eyes and long blonde hair pulled into a ponytail. She had perfect skin and long, perfectly manicured fingernails, and she was well-toned from a life spent shuttling between practices and cheerleading meets. In short, she looked like exactly the sort of girl you’d expect to see on the arm of someone like Charlie Ferris.
She and Charlie had been together for nearly two years now, but sometimes she didn’t really feel like she knew him. They were always together, and yet she felt like a piece was missing from the relationship. Gary hadn’t been any help. She got the feeling that he didn’t like her, and the feeling was mutual. Gary was just a geeky rich kid who Charlie was obligated to hang around with. And then there was the French girl. She was sure that Colette was after Charlie, and she worried that she had some competition there.
“Ready to go?” Charlie stood in front of her, a hockey bag in hand.
“It’s about time,” she snapped, “I didn’t think you were ever coming out.” She held out her hand, and Charlie pulled her up into an embrace. He kissed her lightly on the cheek.
“I love you too,” he said. They walked across the track to where Charlie’s car, a beat-up 1982 Dodge Colt, was parked. He tossed the bag into the back seat, then walked around and opened Kat’s door for her. He waited until she was in, then closed the door and got in on his side. They drove in silence for a few minutes.
“So, who’s going to be at this party tomorrow night?” Kim lit a Marlboro Light and rolled the window down. Charlie coughed, and then opened his window.
“Probably the entire class, if I know Doug. Officially, it’s the usual suspects, but with Cerebus playing, God only knows.”
“That’s cool, I guess. I assume the Purple-Haired Wonder is co-ordinating things?”
“Yes, Audra is running the show.” Charlie turned the car toward Westville. “How about Kim? Is she coming?”
“You said Doug’s playing, didn’t you? You think she’d miss a Cerebus show?”
“Good point.” They rode in silence again for a couple of minutes. Kat finished her cigarette and tossed it out the window. She didn’t like the silence, but she couldn’t think of a way to break them, and Charlie seemed to be in one of his moods. It’s probably the game, she thought as they headed toward her house. Charlie honked the horn and waved at Doug’s uncle John as they passed Doug’s house. He pulled the Colt into the driveway and got out without turning off the motor. He opened Kat’s door and helped her out.
“So I guess I’m on my own tonight?”
“It’s game night, “ he said as he pulled her bag from the back seat, “and you know how it is.” She rolled her eyes, then kissed him lightly, almost half-heartedly. If he noticed, it didn’t register on his face as he let her go.
“Call me, okay.”
“I’ll try. I’m going over to the rink, and then I’ll probably try to sack out early.” He walked her up to her front door, then walked back down the drive and got back into the Colt. She stood in the gray late afternoon chill and watched him drive off. As it began to snow lightly, she turned and walked into her house.
Bill turned the Olds into the long driveway of Gary’s house slowly, so as not to lose the trailer carrying their equipment. He and Doug had spent most of the afternoon loading the gear, and now would not be the time to have it careen off into the Bethany Woods. Behind him, Doug followed in his beat-up ‘78 Dodge Aspen. They were coming to set up Cerebus’ equipment for the show that they’d be doing during Gary’s party after the game. Bill had been looking forward to this weekend since Gary had suggested the idea back in January.
Gary had known in advance that the Connecticut state title game and his parents’ impending vacation would intersect, and he also knew that his parents wouldn’t care what happened in the house while he was gone. So he put a bug in Doug’s ear about the party, and soon most of the senior class were bugging their parents for permission to attend the party. Gary’s parents assured the few parents who’d had concerns that nothing untoward would go on at the party. Bill had just laughed at that when Doug had related the story to him.
“Yeah, nothing but drinking, rocking, and fucking,” he’d said to Doug. Bill’s parents hadn’t been one of the people calling. Of course, that’s because he hadn’t told them he was going anywhere after the game, other than to a paying Cerebus gig. Technically, he hadn’t lied, because Gary was paying them to play. And besides, his parents probably wouldn’t even notice if he were out all night anyway. They didn’t particularly notice him at all unless he was in trouble for something, or if he did something good in a game. Then his dad, who most times would just as soon kick him out of the house as look at him, would slap him on the back and ask if there had been a scout at the game.
Bill had to laugh at that idea. The only scouts that were coming to Holy Mother hockey games were coming to see the real Golden Boy, and that was Charlie Ferris. He didn’t really like Charlie all that much, but he had to admit that Charlie was probably the best all-around player that Bill had ever played with. He didn’t even know why he hated Charlie that much, and sometimes he wondered if he was just being jealous. After all, he did have the captaincy, and he was banging the head cheerleader.
Now Kat, there was the issue, he thought as he pulled up in front of Gary’s house. He had lusted after Kat Masters since Doug had introduced her to him in 7th grade. In those days, Charlie was just a big hockey geek whom no one really knew and who barely spoke English. Kat had been pleasant to Bill, but she seemed to tolerate him more then anything else, because he was friends with Doug, and Kat’s sister Kim was attached to Doug’s hip. So they’d dated a few times(if you can consider being driven to the movies by your parents a date), but nothing ever really came of it. Then Charlie had hit puberty with a vengeance, and Kat flipped over him like nobody’s business. Bill had become an afterthought. He’d thrown himself into hockey, figuring he’d find a way to show up Charlie, but had ended up becoming his main line of defense.
As a result, when Doug had suggested that they form a band, he’d jumped at the chance. Girls liked musicians, right? Especially guys in rock bands, right? Playing bass in Doug’s band, he’d found a new level of confidence, and he’d left the memory of Kat in the dust. Or so he liked to think. But the truth was a bit harder to take, especially after his own puberty issues had leapt to the fore.
Fuck all that, he thought as he got out of the Olds and lit a Camel, I’ve got work to do.
Charlie sat on the stage uncomfortably. He hated these things with a passion, but he endured them because of two reasons. First, it got him out of class early. And second, Brother Benjamin Leary, S.J.C. was a rabid, rabid hockey fan. As a result, the hockey team had enjoyed a sort of renaissance in recent years, and was now considered on the same level as the football team. It helped that the Holy Mother Tigers hockey was on the verge of winning their third Connecticut state hockey title in as many years. The football team, on the other hand, had only managed a 6-4 record and hadn’t made the state playoffs. Therefore, Brother Ben had decided that a pep rally was in order for the Tigers. Fortunately, today was also a half day, so the pep rally wouldn’t be too long.
After sitting through a few interminable Pep Club sketches, he watched as the Holy Mother cheerleaders ran through their paces. They were mostly girls from St. Brigid’s in Hamden, though a few had squeaked through from Lauralton Hall. Charlie’s girlfriend was on the squad, though to him, that made it worse. Kat Masters loved being with Charlie, but he’d begun to suspect that she was more in love with the attention that came with being with the second most popular guy at Holy Mother then with him. Love, he thought, what the hell am I even thinking about that for? He was only seventeen, after all. But he’d begun to think more about that lately, and less about just getting his rocks off. He couldn’t see himself with Kat in ten years, after all. The way things had been going lately, he couldn’t see himself being with her for another ten days. Now, Doug, on the other hand, had picked the right Masters twin. He’d...
Doug nudged him, interrupting his reverie. “Hey, dumbass. Wake up. Leary just introduced you.”
Charlie grimaced. “Just woolgathering. Sorry.” He got up and walked over to the podium. “Sorry, Brother Ben. I was just, uh, working up some plays.”
“No problem, Charlie. Charlie Ferris, everyone!” The crowd of assembled students cheered. Charlie figured most of them were more happy for the break from classes also, but he smiled anyway.
“Hi, guys. Glad you all decided to come to this mandatory pep rally.” A few laughs, but not a killer. “Er, well, anyway. I just wanted to say thanks to Brother Ben for all his support of the team this year, and especially for that great banner over the gym door.” Applause, and a brief ‘Brother Ben’ chant. Charlie continued. “Listen, I know you guys are all itching to get out of here for vacation, me included. But I just wanted to let you all know that we’re gonna win this thing for you tomorrow.” He waited out a ‘Golden Boys’ chant. “You know us, that’s for sure. But for the freshmen and the alumni, here’s one last look. Bill Ryan, come on up!” Bill rolled his eyes, but got up anyway. “Jack, get up here. Jack Shanahan!” Jack, who had been feigning hiding behind Jake Chambers, joined them at the podium. “ And you all know my right-hand man here.” Doug came up to the mike and put his arm around Charlie’s shoulder. “Me and the meatball here, we’re gonna bring that trophy home again this year. Then it’s up to you, Chambers.” Jake Chambers looked around, and then shrugged. “Hey, we know you can do it, Joker. But we’ll be looking in on you.”
Doug took the microphone. “All kidding aside. We couldn’t have gotten where we are today if it weren’t for the support of all you guys, especially the seniors. Holy Mother isn’t a bunch of punk chumps. We’re the best in the state for a reason.” He looked out at the crowd of kids, teachers, and alumni gathered in the doorways at the other side of the gym. “Let’s pray.” The entire audience recited the “Our Father” and then Bill took the microphone and stepped out from behind the podium. Even in a blazer and tie, he cut an imposing figure, towering over the assembly from the stage.
Bill’s voice boomed through the gym. “Are we going to win this game?”
The crowd roared back. “Yeah!”
“I can’t hear you, I said, ARE WE GOING TO WIN THIS GAME?!?”
“YEAH!”
“Our Lady of Victory!”
“PRAY FOR US!”
Doug smiled as the audience cheered and began chanting “Golden Boys” again. There was the sound he craved. Unlike Charlie, he loved the pep rallies, the whole spectacle of it all. He’d managed to convince Brother Ben to let Cerebus play at one of the football pep rallies, which had been the largest group they’d played to, and it was phenomenal. Brother Ben slapped him on the back, then shook the others’ hands.
“You boys sure know how to get a crowd going,” he said. “Make sure you bring home that trophy.”
Kat sat on the front steps of the Holy Mother gym, waiting for Charlie to emerge. She was craving a cigarette, but there was no way that she was going to light up here. Not if she intended to remain a Holy Mother cheerleader and off of Sister Helen’s shit list. So she sat on the steps, drumming her perfectly groomed nails on her knees and chewing vigorously on a piece of strawberry Bubblicious. Come on, Charlie, she thought ruefully, I’m dying out here. But she knew that she had to wait out the process that was Charlie getting geared up for a game. He had to load his bag, get his jersey, light some candles, ogle the freshmen homoerotically. Well, maybe not that, but she’d gotten used to sitting around.
If you came upon Kat Masters sitting on the steps, you’d guess she was a cheerleader even if she weren’t wearing the Holy Mother uniform. She was a tall girl, with piercing blue eyes and long blonde hair pulled into a ponytail. She had perfect skin and long, perfectly manicured fingernails, and she was well-toned from a life spent shuttling between practices and cheerleading meets. In short, she looked like exactly the sort of girl you’d expect to see on the arm of someone like Charlie Ferris.
She and Charlie had been together for nearly two years now, but sometimes she didn’t really feel like she knew him. They were always together, and yet she felt like a piece was missing from the relationship. Gary hadn’t been any help. She got the feeling that he didn’t like her, and the feeling was mutual. Gary was just a geeky rich kid who Charlie was obligated to hang around with. And then there was the French girl. She was sure that Colette was after Charlie, and she worried that she had some competition there.
“Ready to go?” Charlie stood in front of her, a hockey bag in hand.
“It’s about time,” she snapped, “I didn’t think you were ever coming out.” She held out her hand, and Charlie pulled her up into an embrace. He kissed her lightly on the cheek.
“I love you too,” he said. They walked across the track to where Charlie’s car, a beat-up 1982 Dodge Colt, was parked. He tossed the bag into the back seat, then walked around and opened Kat’s door for her. He waited until she was in, then closed the door and got in on his side. They drove in silence for a few minutes.
“So, who’s going to be at this party tomorrow night?” Kim lit a Marlboro Light and rolled the window down. Charlie coughed, and then opened his window.
“Probably the entire class, if I know Doug. Officially, it’s the usual suspects, but with Cerebus playing, God only knows.”
“That’s cool, I guess. I assume the Purple-Haired Wonder is co-ordinating things?”
“Yes, Audra is running the show.” Charlie turned the car toward Westville. “How about Kim? Is she coming?”
“You said Doug’s playing, didn’t you? You think she’d miss a Cerebus show?”
“Good point.” They rode in silence again for a couple of minutes. Kat finished her cigarette and tossed it out the window. She didn’t like the silence, but she couldn’t think of a way to break them, and Charlie seemed to be in one of his moods. It’s probably the game, she thought as they headed toward her house. Charlie honked the horn and waved at Doug’s uncle John as they passed Doug’s house. He pulled the Colt into the driveway and got out without turning off the motor. He opened Kat’s door and helped her out.
“So I guess I’m on my own tonight?”
“It’s game night, “ he said as he pulled her bag from the back seat, “and you know how it is.” She rolled her eyes, then kissed him lightly, almost half-heartedly. If he noticed, it didn’t register on his face as he let her go.
“Call me, okay.”
“I’ll try. I’m going over to the rink, and then I’ll probably try to sack out early.” He walked her up to her front door, then walked back down the drive and got back into the Colt. She stood in the gray late afternoon chill and watched him drive off. As it began to snow lightly, she turned and walked into her house.
Bill turned the Olds into the long driveway of Gary’s house slowly, so as not to lose the trailer carrying their equipment. He and Doug had spent most of the afternoon loading the gear, and now would not be the time to have it careen off into the Bethany Woods. Behind him, Doug followed in his beat-up ‘78 Dodge Aspen. They were coming to set up Cerebus’ equipment for the show that they’d be doing during Gary’s party after the game. Bill had been looking forward to this weekend since Gary had suggested the idea back in January.
Gary had known in advance that the Connecticut state title game and his parents’ impending vacation would intersect, and he also knew that his parents wouldn’t care what happened in the house while he was gone. So he put a bug in Doug’s ear about the party, and soon most of the senior class were bugging their parents for permission to attend the party. Gary’s parents assured the few parents who’d had concerns that nothing untoward would go on at the party. Bill had just laughed at that when Doug had related the story to him.
“Yeah, nothing but drinking, rocking, and fucking,” he’d said to Doug. Bill’s parents hadn’t been one of the people calling. Of course, that’s because he hadn’t told them he was going anywhere after the game, other than to a paying Cerebus gig. Technically, he hadn’t lied, because Gary was paying them to play. And besides, his parents probably wouldn’t even notice if he were out all night anyway. They didn’t particularly notice him at all unless he was in trouble for something, or if he did something good in a game. Then his dad, who most times would just as soon kick him out of the house as look at him, would slap him on the back and ask if there had been a scout at the game.
Bill had to laugh at that idea. The only scouts that were coming to Holy Mother hockey games were coming to see the real Golden Boy, and that was Charlie Ferris. He didn’t really like Charlie all that much, but he had to admit that Charlie was probably the best all-around player that Bill had ever played with. He didn’t even know why he hated Charlie that much, and sometimes he wondered if he was just being jealous. After all, he did have the captaincy, and he was banging the head cheerleader.
Now Kat, there was the issue, he thought as he pulled up in front of Gary’s house. He had lusted after Kat Masters since Doug had introduced her to him in 7th grade. In those days, Charlie was just a big hockey geek whom no one really knew and who barely spoke English. Kat had been pleasant to Bill, but she seemed to tolerate him more then anything else, because he was friends with Doug, and Kat’s sister Kim was attached to Doug’s hip. So they’d dated a few times(if you can consider being driven to the movies by your parents a date), but nothing ever really came of it. Then Charlie had hit puberty with a vengeance, and Kat flipped over him like nobody’s business. Bill had become an afterthought. He’d thrown himself into hockey, figuring he’d find a way to show up Charlie, but had ended up becoming his main line of defense.
As a result, when Doug had suggested that they form a band, he’d jumped at the chance. Girls liked musicians, right? Especially guys in rock bands, right? Playing bass in Doug’s band, he’d found a new level of confidence, and he’d left the memory of Kat in the dust. Or so he liked to think. But the truth was a bit harder to take, especially after his own puberty issues had leapt to the fore.
Fuck all that, he thought as he got out of the Olds and lit a Camel, I’ve got work to do.
