Chapter 29: Twisted Tales

Pete arrived at the cabin during the photo processing session with Shannon, calling out for Lara since he didn’t find her at the main house. The four of us took a break to refresh our high by burning another joint down to a roach. Lara and Pete then excused themselves, apparently to do some ‘homework’ together. Had Shannon not been there, I would’ve sniggered. Shannon and I still had work to do, so we returned to the darkroom.

“How long have they been going out?” Shannon asked me as she checked the framing of a negative on the enlarger’s easel.

“A couple of months, about,” I replied.

“Do you think they’re really going to do homework?” she asked dubiously.

I let out the reserved snigger after all. “If I know Lara, probably not.”

“She seems pretty open about it. I mean, with the hot tub and stuff.”

“Mm,” I murmured. “Lights going out. How long do you want to do it this time?”

“Seven looked good when I stripped it, earlier.” She let out a sniff. “When I was a sophomore, I was barely dating, let alone hot-tubbing with guys.”

“Mm,” I repeated.

I dialed the lamp timer to the desired setting while Shannon worked the dark box with the photo paper.

“Time’s set,” I announced.

“How can you tell in the dark?”

“I just know how to point it by now.”

“Cool. I’m loaded. Let ‘er rip ... She’s like the opposite of you.”

“Hmmm.” I flipped the switch and the exposure began. “Maybe so.”

“Well, I don’t know! Maybe you’re a wild man yourself, but you don’t let on if you are.”

The lamp seemed to stay on forever. Did I fuck up the timer setting?

“That seemed like more than seven seconds,” I observed, when it finally switched off.

Shannon laughed. “Nah, I think time is just moving slower for the two of us right now. You want to pull it out?”

“Sure.” I removed the print and tonged it over to the chemical trays. “I’ve always been the quieter of the two of us, I guess.”

“Obviously. But, that’s not a bad thing.”

“Maybe I’m too quiet sometimes,” I mused.

“Like when you’re not telling me you had a girlfriend?” Shannon teased.

“Yeah, like that,” I said sheepishly. I stirred the print as I heard Shannon loading another negative. “What’s the next pic?”

“One of you. Looking a bit wild, I have to say. So are you a wild man?” she asked, her voice casual.

“I am what I am,” I replied simply.

“Ooh, a mystery man, then. How long have you been with Heather?”

“Since August, when I was in Montauk.”

“So I missed my chance by a few months, huh?”

I laughed. “I guess so. But I thought you didn’t want to talk about that anymore.”

“After today, I guess I said. It’s still today.”

“True,” I agreed.

“No, I’m just being silly. The pot makes me say things I probably shouldn’t,” she said with a giggle.

“I don’t care. It’s funny.”

“Well, that’s cool, Matty. I’m just giving you a hard time.”

“I deserve it, I guess.”

“Maybe a little!”

Shannon exposed the next print as I dropped the previous one into the last rinse tray.

“Maybe this should be the last one,” she mused.

I shrugged, a pointless act because it was completely dark. “If you think you have what you want.”

“For now. I still have some others of the mic that I took over Thanksgiving to print, but that’s going to be multiple exposures and stuff. Not sure if I’m up for that right now.”

“I’d be into seeing how you do that.”

“Sure,” she said. “But some other day. I’m feeling a bit out of it, now. Here, can you develop the last photo?”

“Yeah.” I dropped the last print into the bath as I heard Shannon plop down onto the bed.

“This is such a cool setup you have here, Matty.”

“Thanks. It is pretty damn nice to just develop what you want, whenever you want.”

“Yeah, and you can even nap between prints ... Is Heather a good photographer, then?”

“Yeah, I think so. She has an eye for detail. Like you do. I think you’ll like her.”

“Yeah, sounds like it.”

There was some silence as I finished processing the print. I flipped on the red safety lamp to make it a bit easier to finish it up.

“It’s in the rinse,” I announced. “Should I hit the lights?”

“I think I’d go blind right now if you did. It’s like visiting the sun, I swear! Give me another minute to rest.”

I sat down on the edge of the bed, next to her. She was lying back on the covers, her form barely discernible in the red light.

“Are you and Heather serious?” came her ruddy voice.

“You mean as a couple?”

“Yeah.”

I paused. The answer was easy. “We are.”

“What’s that like?”

“What do you mean?”

“I haven’t ... I’ve never been with someone in a serious way.”

I considered the meaning of this, wondering what ‘serious way’ meant. Before I could answer, Shannon continued, a bit nervously.

“I’ve dated a couple of people in high school, but it didn’t last. I’ve always been too busy, with ballet, photography, stuff like that.”

“Nothing wrong with that.”

“I know. But I’m also about to go to college, and...” She trailed off for a moment and then spoke quietly, some sadness in her voice. “I’m just wondering what’s going to happen there.”

“Why?”

“When I go to parties like the one last night, it just seems like I’m missing out on a bunch of stuff.”

“I think you know how to party just fine. I was the one who crashed out!”

“It’s not that. I don’t mind a beer or some pot, but really, I guess I mean with guys. I have no idea where to start. What to say. I mean, look, I tried to dance for you last night. How lame!”

“Come on, it wasn’t lame. It was great! And when you find the right person, you’ll be fine. Your dance will be just the right thing.”

“Yeah, that’s what they say, I know. But how do you find them?”

“Like we found each other. But, it’ll be someone else, even better, you know.”

“Hmm. I guess that’s true. But you’re the first guy I’ve ever spent any serious time with, Matty. Believe it or not. And I’m still doing ballet and photography, but somehow I have time to hang out with you, too. And just my luck, you’re taken. So what if there’s not any more of you out there?”

“I’m sure there are plenty,” I said simply.

Shannon laughed. “Know any names?”

“No,” I admitted.

“I’m sorry, I must be making this a bit awkward again.”

“No, it’s fine. Talk it out.”

“Talk it out. Talk it out, he says! You make things so easy, Matty. Okay, well, then I take it you’ve had sex, huh?”

I felt a twinge, but subdued it. “Yeah, I have.”

“I haven’t.”

I admit I was a little surprised by this, but I wasn’t sure why. As a result, I took too long to answer.

“Which maybe is sad, I don’t know,” Shannon continued nervously.

“It’s not sad, don’t say that.”

“I’m seventeen, though. A little late these days it seems...” she sang.

I laughed. “Oh, so you’re a Zep fan too?”

“Sometimes.”

“But heaven is well worth waiting for, “ I completed.

I felt Shannon’s hand pat my back. “See? You’re so sweet.”

“Thanks, but honestly, I don’t think it’s sad. Opposite, really. If I could go back, maybe I wouldn’t have made some mistakes that cost me.”

“Like what?” she asked.

“Eh, it’s a long story. But it’s easy to rush into things, harder to get out of them. I would’ve waited for what was right.”

There was a period of silence.

“You’re a good friend, Matty,” Shannon said quietly.

“You too, Shannon. Don’t worry about stuff. You’ve got a lot going for you. And since it’s still ‘today’, I’ll say this: you can bet that if I wasn’t with Heather, we’d probably be more than friends.”

“I know. And that’s why it’s so cool to be here right now, but also kind of really hard.”

“Life is both cool and hard. It’s all good.”

“Oh Matt, I wish I was half as confident as you are!”

I burst out laughing. “Okay, maybe you really don’t know me, then!”

“I’m serious. You seem to have everything figured out. You’re like an eighty-year old guy in a teenager’s body!”

“Um, thanks, I think. But I really doubt that, based on some of the stupid shit I’ve done recently! Then again, I guess I’ve been through some things, and maybe I’ve learned something, too. Just passing it on.”

Shannon sighed. “I guess that means you won’t be breaking up with Heather anytime soon, huh?”

I took a breath. “She’s the love of my life.”

“Really?”

“As far as I know. Then again, I’m way too young to be saying shit like that, right... ? Still. She’s incredible.”

“Wow,” Shannon murmured.

“But that doesn’t mean you and me can’t be great friends. I don’t believe in that.”

“Is she coming to the Winter Dance?” Shannon asked expectantly.

“Mm. No, she can’t make it up because of exams. I’m a bit down about that, but she’ll be around after Christmas. And I’ll make sure we three hang out.”

“That’d be really cool.”

Shannon spoke after another period of silence, her words coming both quickly and slowly. “So, I’m still a bit stoned – a lot stoned, actually – and I’m probably going to regret this later, but I’m just going to ask you something anyway. As a friend.”

“Go for it.”

“Will you go to the Winter Dance with me?”

“You should do it,” Heather answered.

“Whatever.”

“I’m serious,” she said, most seriously.

“Come on. Really?”

“Yeah. It’s her senior year. Has she ever been to a dance?”

“No. Didn’t sound like it.”

“Ironic, since she’s a dancer. You have to take her then.”

“Wouldn’t that be weird?”

“If it was that weird, why did you even ask me?”

“I wasn’t asking! I was just telling you what she said. Anyway, I bet she changes her mind once the—” I caught myself in time, silently cursing myself for not having told Heather about my pot smoking yet. I had to get that out one of these days.

“Once what?” Heather asked.

“Once she thinks about it, I guess.”

“Is she still there?”

“No, she left a while ago. It was kind of awkward, obviously. I told her I wasn’t sure if I could do that, since I was together with you, but that I’d think about it, you know, or something. Then I told her I was turning on the lights.”

“Nice. Way to crush a girl’s dreams, Matt,” Heather chided.

“Whatever! You’re too funny.”

“Let me talk to her. What’s her number?”

“Whatever.”

“Her number, Matt.”

“No.”

“Her number.”

“No. How was your day?”

Silence.

“Really?” I asked.

“Yeah. Trust me, it’ll be fine. She obviously wants to go with you, so you should be a good friend and do it.”

“This might be the strangest thing I’ve ever heard of.”

“What?”

“My girlfriend is calling another girl to invite her to be my date to a dance.”

“I wouldn’t have to call her at all if you’d quit dragging and put in some damn effort yourself. And anyway, what’s strange about it?”

“Nothing,” I muttered, shaking my head. “Nothing at all, obviously. But I’m going to be missing you like crazy that night.”

“No, you won’t. You’ll be too busy being the rock star after the talent show. What’s her number?”

I reluctantly gave her Shannon’s number, feeling like I was opening something I’d never be able to close again.

“You think she’s home now?” Heather asked.

“Probably. She had to stop at the photo place to get some batteries, but she’s probably back by now.”

“Okay, bye.”

Heather hung up before I could say another word. I stared at the receiver and then shook my head. Yeah, life was cool and hard ... and confusing as hell sometimes.

When she didn’t call back right away, I wandered over to Lara’s room. She was working on an assignment, radiating the glow of someone recently laid.

“I thought Pete helped you with your homework,” I said sarcastically.

“We felt like having sex instead,” Lara answered with a grin. “But you probably guessed that, observant guy that you are. Those pictures Shannon took are pretty cool, huh?”

“Yeah, some good ones. I guess we need to be careful that our moms don’t see them, though.”

“Hmm. Yeah, you’re right. Hadn’t thought of that. They’ll ask where we took them. Obviously it’s not Brian’s or Bruno’s house!”

“I have to remind Shannon of that,” I muttered, making a mental note.

“How was last night with her?”

“Fine,” I shrugged nonchalantly.

“She has the hots for you, huh?” Lara asked directly.

I looked at her. It wasn’t really a question, I knew. “Yeah, you might say that. But she knows about Heather, so it’s all good.”

She glanced at me archly. “Thanks to me.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I wasn’t worried. We’ve always just been good friends. Still, I know I should’ve said something sooner. But for her sake, not mine. So anyway, yeah. Thank you, and all that.”

Lara nodded smugly. “No problem. So does Heather know that Shannon digs you?”

“Oh, does she!” I sighed.

Lara made a frightened face. “Uh oh. What happened?”

“Shannon asked me to go to the winter semi-formal with her.”

Lara raised a brow. “This happened last night?”

“No, today actually.”

“Today?” she exclaimed. “She asked you, even knowing about Heather?”

“Yeah. But we’d just go as friends, of course.”

“Oh, of course!” Lara echoed, dubious.

“No, really, as friends. That part of this story is totally fine, no problem there. So, I told Heather that she asked me.”

The brow went even higher. “And she’s going to kill Shannon when she comes in December?”

I laughed. “If only it was that easy. No, Heather’s calling Shannon right now to tell her to go with me.”

“Heh, she’s probably—Wait, did you say Heather wants you to go to the dance with Shannon?”

“Yep.”

Lara was clearly confused by this as much as I was. She nodded appreciatively. “Well, I guess why not,” she murmured, shrugging as her face contemplated the scenario.