Bullets
Childhood Pacts
Her sapphire eyes frantically searched his face, desperate to find the joke. “Joe, you can’t—“
“But that’s the thing, Stell. I have to... but I’m not going.”
Estelle raised her eyebrows questioningly. “And how does that work?”
He shook his head. “Tell me what you think the song Holiday is about.” He paused. “And then tell me who wrote it.”
“But… how – you still have to go—“
“Yeah. But my parents are refusing to let me.”
Estelle fell silent, folding her arms across her chest and lowering her eyes while continuing to walk. Joey studied his best friend’s reaction. She was trying to find the loophole in the plan, he was sure of it. He too, wondered the same thing – how could Billie Joe and Adrienne Armstrong defy the law to save their son?
They walked silently along the familiar neighbourhood streets for the new few minutes, while the typical sounds and sights of early summer began. Residents slowly dragged out their ticking sprinklers, eager to water the perfect rose gardens before the heat began to rise. Crickets clicked constantly, their contribution to the summer symphony anything but unnoticeable. The outside world moved perfectly to routine, yet it was the world of an eighteen year old boy that had been so cruelly disrupted.
It was after a few minutes that the pair found themselves at the very same park Joey had spent the previous night at with Melanie. The two teenagers wandered over to the swings where they both took their seats. Joey, still silent, rocked back and forth slowly, pointing the toe of his faded shoe down into the woodchips. Estelle, however, remained still, the features of her face contorted into an expression of deep thought.
“Have – have you said anything to Melanie, yet?”
Joey kept his gaze directed down to the ground, shaking his head. “She’s probably worked it out by now.” He looked up to Estelle’s sombre face. “You know what her parents are like,” he added bitterly.
Estelle grimaced. “You two remind me of the Montagues and Capulets from Romeo and Juliet, seriously.”
Joey rolled his eyes. “What, we both have parents who ‘only want the best for us’ but then the divisions cause us both to die in the end?”
Estelle punched him on the arm. “You’re so clueless.” She sighed, her face returning to its state of solemnity. “You go on about her parents, but do you realise how hard it actually might be for you guys to be together?”
Joey nodded reluctantly, bringing his elbows to his knees and resting his head upon his hands. “She’s got the right-wing parents while I’ve got the left. Her parents were big Bush supporters, I know that. I’ll never forget that near disaster for a dinner when it was my dad versus hers about politics.” He winced at the memory. “And my dad dropped out of high school, while both her parents are Ivy-league graduates. Oh yeah, I can see your point there.”
Estelle gave a sympathetic smile, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze. “You have to tell her sometime. If she really likes you, she’s not going to take her parents’ opinions seriously.” Her sapphire eyes gave him another one of those deeply searching looks, the kind where Joey felt a foreboding feeling in his stomach. Estelle was smart, and she knew what she was talking about. He had to trust her judgement.
“I s’pose I’ll have to,” the teenager replied with a sigh, throwing his head back and tightly squeezing his eyes shut. “And here I was, thinking that all I had to do was apply for college. What a joke.”
“While you’re in this mess, there’s no way I’m accepting any college offers,” Estelle said sharply. “Remember our childhood pacts that we’d stick together, always? Well this is no exception.”
“You can’t do that!” exclaimed Joey, jerking upright. “Don’t let this stupid mess ruin your dreams to become a world-class surgeon!”
“Don’t try and make me break this pact, ‘cause it ain’t gonna work,” Estelle replied with a smile. “We’re sticking together, no matter what, and don’t think that you can’t change that.”
Joey's mouth twitched slightly. “So does that mean you’ll come to Melanie’s house with me?”
Estelle rolled her eyes. “Nice try, smart ass.” The expression on her face became serious once again. “There are some parts of your life that you’re going to have to work out on your own.”
“But that’s the thing, Stell. I have to... but I’m not going.”
Estelle raised her eyebrows questioningly. “And how does that work?”
He shook his head. “Tell me what you think the song Holiday is about.” He paused. “And then tell me who wrote it.”
“But… how – you still have to go—“
“Yeah. But my parents are refusing to let me.”
Estelle fell silent, folding her arms across her chest and lowering her eyes while continuing to walk. Joey studied his best friend’s reaction. She was trying to find the loophole in the plan, he was sure of it. He too, wondered the same thing – how could Billie Joe and Adrienne Armstrong defy the law to save their son?
They walked silently along the familiar neighbourhood streets for the new few minutes, while the typical sounds and sights of early summer began. Residents slowly dragged out their ticking sprinklers, eager to water the perfect rose gardens before the heat began to rise. Crickets clicked constantly, their contribution to the summer symphony anything but unnoticeable. The outside world moved perfectly to routine, yet it was the world of an eighteen year old boy that had been so cruelly disrupted.
It was after a few minutes that the pair found themselves at the very same park Joey had spent the previous night at with Melanie. The two teenagers wandered over to the swings where they both took their seats. Joey, still silent, rocked back and forth slowly, pointing the toe of his faded shoe down into the woodchips. Estelle, however, remained still, the features of her face contorted into an expression of deep thought.
“Have – have you said anything to Melanie, yet?”
Joey kept his gaze directed down to the ground, shaking his head. “She’s probably worked it out by now.” He looked up to Estelle’s sombre face. “You know what her parents are like,” he added bitterly.
Estelle grimaced. “You two remind me of the Montagues and Capulets from Romeo and Juliet, seriously.”
Joey rolled his eyes. “What, we both have parents who ‘only want the best for us’ but then the divisions cause us both to die in the end?”
Estelle punched him on the arm. “You’re so clueless.” She sighed, her face returning to its state of solemnity. “You go on about her parents, but do you realise how hard it actually might be for you guys to be together?”
Joey nodded reluctantly, bringing his elbows to his knees and resting his head upon his hands. “She’s got the right-wing parents while I’ve got the left. Her parents were big Bush supporters, I know that. I’ll never forget that near disaster for a dinner when it was my dad versus hers about politics.” He winced at the memory. “And my dad dropped out of high school, while both her parents are Ivy-league graduates. Oh yeah, I can see your point there.”
Estelle gave a sympathetic smile, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze. “You have to tell her sometime. If she really likes you, she’s not going to take her parents’ opinions seriously.” Her sapphire eyes gave him another one of those deeply searching looks, the kind where Joey felt a foreboding feeling in his stomach. Estelle was smart, and she knew what she was talking about. He had to trust her judgement.
“I s’pose I’ll have to,” the teenager replied with a sigh, throwing his head back and tightly squeezing his eyes shut. “And here I was, thinking that all I had to do was apply for college. What a joke.”
“While you’re in this mess, there’s no way I’m accepting any college offers,” Estelle said sharply. “Remember our childhood pacts that we’d stick together, always? Well this is no exception.”
“You can’t do that!” exclaimed Joey, jerking upright. “Don’t let this stupid mess ruin your dreams to become a world-class surgeon!”
“Don’t try and make me break this pact, ‘cause it ain’t gonna work,” Estelle replied with a smile. “We’re sticking together, no matter what, and don’t think that you can’t change that.”
Joey's mouth twitched slightly. “So does that mean you’ll come to Melanie’s house with me?”
Estelle rolled her eyes. “Nice try, smart ass.” The expression on her face became serious once again. “There are some parts of your life that you’re going to have to work out on your own.”