Status: Slow updates.
Absolute Schoolboy Glamour
Chapter 1 and Only
"Finny was a good man, he changed the school, the way it was." Leper said, absolutely and utterly something unexpected of him. His wife Emily, laying a dainty hand on his shoulder. Her face emitted pure sadness. Nothing else. It didn't show understanding, it didn't show the emotion needed to make things any better. She had not known Finny the way I did, not even the way Leper or Chet did.
"Honey, we should start leaving. It's almost sundown now, it'll take a few hours to get home..." She trailed off, softly. She didn't want to cut the silence short, for Lepers sake, but she did want to go home. The day was long, and full of people she did not know.
"Yes... well, Gene, don't be too sad. Phineas wouldn't have liked that too much. I bet he would cheer you up right now," He smiled slightly. "... if he were here." The smile vanished.
"If he were here, he'd make fun of me for being mopy." I corrected, chuckling a bit. He joined in.
"You're right, he would tell us we were being melodramatic and that we should jump from the tree to gain our manliness back!" He laughed outwardly. I smiled. That sounded quite like him.
"Yes, well, I should be leaving soon too. My train leaves in the morning, quite early, and I have yet to pack. You two have a safe trip."
After shaking hands and then breaking into a hug, Leper and Emily and I went our separate ways. Enjoying our separate peace at heart. I was still at the river, my city shoes ruined beyond recognition, staring at the cursed tree. The one that I jumped from so many times safely, the one that Finny jumped from safely so many times, and not so safely once.
"Damn you Phineas, you shouldn't have made me jump the first time. I shouldn't have jumped at all. Or maybe if I had gone up before you, the limb wouldn't have been jounced at all..." I drifted off, waiting for him to tell me to shut my mouth, to go away one last time. "I'm sorry I killed you, and that you are dead." The words easily flowed out of my mouth, and down the river. At that moment, I felt like I had when the doctor had come and gotten me to tell me Finny was fine. He had told me sports were done for Phineas. I sobbed like I did then, my nails digging into my scalp. Except this time I wasn't hiding my face, I was trying to sheild it. I stayed there in the rain until it was well past dark, my clothes completely soaked. I wasn't sure if I was crying, still. I might've been, but I didn't know, I couldn't tell the difference between the rain hitting my warm face and salty tears. They might as well be the same thing! I was laughing now, thinking of how Phineas would've looked down upown my sad emotions over him. I was disgusted with myself now, how could I have pushed my own best friend out of a tree because of my jealousy. That was as low as I had ever gotten. With a final look at that damned tree, I got up from the old log placed there only a few years ago and walked towards the Devon Inn.
I woke in the morning, two hours before my train left. I stumbled into my room late in the night, stripping my wet clothes and only putting on dry underwear, and into my bed. I felt like I hadn't slept at all, my head throbbing.
I showered before my departure, the warm water slid down my face, waking me up a bit. I turned the water to cold, to wake up a bit. It worked. It felt awful, but my eyes were now open. I stepped out carefully, wrapping a towel around myself. I walked through the next hour in a hazed sort of way. I didn't think of much. Only of what I could think about. Dixie, for one, where my family was. I needed them now, even if not before, it was better later than never. I guessed as much.
When I entered the lobby of the hotel , I checked out. Just like that. So, I walked away from Devon, walked away from it all. The river, the tree, the giant tower, the tall trees that seemed to go on forever, never changing. I walked away from Phineas. I felt no guilt now, 15 years later. I already sulked in remorse when it happened, when it ended.
"Honey, we should start leaving. It's almost sundown now, it'll take a few hours to get home..." She trailed off, softly. She didn't want to cut the silence short, for Lepers sake, but she did want to go home. The day was long, and full of people she did not know.
"Yes... well, Gene, don't be too sad. Phineas wouldn't have liked that too much. I bet he would cheer you up right now," He smiled slightly. "... if he were here." The smile vanished.
"If he were here, he'd make fun of me for being mopy." I corrected, chuckling a bit. He joined in.
"You're right, he would tell us we were being melodramatic and that we should jump from the tree to gain our manliness back!" He laughed outwardly. I smiled. That sounded quite like him.
"Yes, well, I should be leaving soon too. My train leaves in the morning, quite early, and I have yet to pack. You two have a safe trip."
After shaking hands and then breaking into a hug, Leper and Emily and I went our separate ways. Enjoying our separate peace at heart. I was still at the river, my city shoes ruined beyond recognition, staring at the cursed tree. The one that I jumped from so many times safely, the one that Finny jumped from safely so many times, and not so safely once.
"Damn you Phineas, you shouldn't have made me jump the first time. I shouldn't have jumped at all. Or maybe if I had gone up before you, the limb wouldn't have been jounced at all..." I drifted off, waiting for him to tell me to shut my mouth, to go away one last time. "I'm sorry I killed you, and that you are dead." The words easily flowed out of my mouth, and down the river. At that moment, I felt like I had when the doctor had come and gotten me to tell me Finny was fine. He had told me sports were done for Phineas. I sobbed like I did then, my nails digging into my scalp. Except this time I wasn't hiding my face, I was trying to sheild it. I stayed there in the rain until it was well past dark, my clothes completely soaked. I wasn't sure if I was crying, still. I might've been, but I didn't know, I couldn't tell the difference between the rain hitting my warm face and salty tears. They might as well be the same thing! I was laughing now, thinking of how Phineas would've looked down upown my sad emotions over him. I was disgusted with myself now, how could I have pushed my own best friend out of a tree because of my jealousy. That was as low as I had ever gotten. With a final look at that damned tree, I got up from the old log placed there only a few years ago and walked towards the Devon Inn.
I woke in the morning, two hours before my train left. I stumbled into my room late in the night, stripping my wet clothes and only putting on dry underwear, and into my bed. I felt like I hadn't slept at all, my head throbbing.
I showered before my departure, the warm water slid down my face, waking me up a bit. I turned the water to cold, to wake up a bit. It worked. It felt awful, but my eyes were now open. I stepped out carefully, wrapping a towel around myself. I walked through the next hour in a hazed sort of way. I didn't think of much. Only of what I could think about. Dixie, for one, where my family was. I needed them now, even if not before, it was better later than never. I guessed as much.
When I entered the lobby of the hotel , I checked out. Just like that. So, I walked away from Devon, walked away from it all. The river, the tree, the giant tower, the tall trees that seemed to go on forever, never changing. I walked away from Phineas. I felt no guilt now, 15 years later. I already sulked in remorse when it happened, when it ended.