Chapter Text
Scene 1
Evelyn Ferris lay on the couch with a smile on her face and a wine goblet in her hands. The goblet was almost full of chardonnay, but it wouldn't be for long. She chuckled as she watched the show in front of her - All's Fair starring a Ms Kim Kardashian - and picked up her smartphone. Her social media application was turned to her home page - Moms of Cooper County Elementary & Middle School.
She began to post.
EvieFerris303: Any other moms relate far too well to "All's Fair"? You know, Kim K's latest show?
It wasn't long before two other members of the group started typing. Their responses came swiftly.
Jaq_Max (group moderator): You have no idea, Evie. #SingleMomPowerFantasy #DivorceGoals
She exhaled for a moment. She should've guessed Jacqueline Maxwell would be the first to agree, but at least Jacqueline gave her a positive reaction. However, the next message was from a member who only joined a fortnight ago.
Ana_Stacy_OM: That show's my guilty pleasure. I know I shouldn't like it but I do. Sorry for butting in - this is my first post. My boy's starting at CCEMS this week!
Jaq_Max (group moderator) proceeded to react to Ana_Stacy_OM with celebratory emojis.
Evelyn took another gulp of her chardonnay as she composed a private message to both of her interlocutors. She suggested they get coffee together some time. Her eyes drifted back to the screen.
As she watched the sequence of glittering images, she wondered why it had come to this. Her divorce had been finalized almost two years ago... I shouldn't have needed one, she thought bitterly to herself. My mom was happy... She took another swallow of chardonnay. She grit her teeth as her mind continued; it's his fault. Mom told me I'd be happy with him. He failed.
Scene 2
"ALRIGHT! I'LL DO IT!" He may have been bellowing, but he knew he was acknowledging defeat.
The smaller child - the one who had been making his last few days an unutterable hell - immediately let out a yell of glee and hugged him with a clinginess that reminded him of a frog covered in glue.
"Thank you Chris! You're the best big brother ever!" the smaller child exclaimed.
"You can let go now, Bryce," Chris said. He looked at his raven-haired, blue-eyed, bespectacled younger brother with a glare. Bryce released him.
"You can be the Captain, like I promised!" Bryce declared energetically as he thrust an action figure into Chris's hand.
Chris lifted the action figure to his eye level. He saw what looked like a sour-faced knight with a transparent pink sword, mostly red armor with some contrasting blue components, and a broom atop the helmet. I'm gonna hate every minute of this, aren't I?
"Thanks again bro! Rulebook's on your bed!" Bryce said before darting out of his room like a hummingbird.
Chris closed the door of his room and looked at himself in the mirror. He imagined what he'd look like if he seriously started playing this game too much. He pictured his brown eyes framed with glasses and his body shrinking. He looked away and stalked towards the bed. Stupid nerd game, stupid nerd little brother. He picked up the rule book, which was placed open and page-down on his sheets. The inside cover bore a large label reading "PROPERTY OF BRYCE FERRIS. DO NOT STEAL!" He closed the book and took a long look at its cover - the illustration was of another scowling knight just like the action figure he had been given. Emblazoned across the cover was a stylized logo that read "SPACE KING" with "Core Rules" as the subtitle. The fact that the book was an inch thick filled him with dread. He wondered if he could get out of this by asking Coach to give him additional football practice, as much as that would hurt.
Scene 3
Chester Maxwell exhaled as he dug into his pocket to retrieve the house keys. He opened the door, closed and locked it behind himself, and shrugged off his backpack. He didn't announce his arrival back from school - he knew no one would be home.
He walked to the kitchen and got himself a glass of milk. When he opened the fridge, he saw his dinner already plated, wrapped and waiting for him to heat it up. Mom's PTA meeting is tonight he knew. He guessed she had many other things to attend to as well, like visiting the other mothers of the school. Like cheering on the school's sports teams even when they were just practicing. Even though he wasn't on any of them.
"Community involvement is part of being a good mom," he reminded himself.
He took out his homework and walked up the stairs. Half way up the staircase, he nearly tripped. When he got to his bedroom he looked at himself in the mirror; his limp blond hair and green eyes seemed dull in the low light, so he decided to open the blinds for now. The rays of the afternoon sun streaked across the walls of his room and highlighted the various posters and toys he had; most were of dinosaurs and some were anatomical models of these ancient creatures. How would the paleontologists know where the organs were? he pondered as he spread out the various books and worksheets he had to focus on.
Several hours later, he had finished dinner. Homework was done and nothing else was there to distract him from the house's quiet.
Boy I... sure hope you can come back... some day. Dad.
He shook that thought out of his head as he washed up his dinner plate, placed it in the draining rack, and went back upstairs.
Later that night he lay on his bed looking at the ceiling. The house's quiet remained undisturbed. Two frustratingly-unanswered questions lingered in his mind, and using a show or game or book to distract himself would only prolong his confusion.
Dad's gone and mom's never here... why? Am I just... not good to be around?
Scene 4
The red-headed boy looked out of the car's window as the vehicle approached his new school.
"You'll do fine, sweetheart," his mother said to him. He pulled his backpack off the car floor and began to open the door. At least I have Henry with me he thought.
"Thanks, mom," Harry O'Malley replied. He waved her goodbye as he closed the car door and turned towards the school. He barely noticed the dull red-brown bricks of the structure and cracked pavement leading through the main gate. God's punishing us he thought as he remembered how quickly they had to move, at how their old town had turned against him and his mother. She broke a promise to God... but something at the edge of his field of vision suddenly stirred him out of his thoughts.
On the nearby lawn sat three boys. One - a brown-haired kid in a football jersey - was clearly taller and likely older than the others, although even the others were likely older than him. The first of those others had black hair, blue eyes and glasses, whereas the second hand blond hair and shared his eye color. The three boys had several thick books sitting between them with glossy, text-filled pages, and each held an action figure that looked like a strange knight. Are they playing Crusades? He walked up to them.
"What's this game?" he asked.
Immediately, the kid in the football jersey stood and looked at him challengingly. "Why should we tell you?" Internally he felt almost a sense of shame. Course they don't wanna play with me, I'm too young. I'm not cool enough am I? he thought to himself. C'mon... how can I make them like me? He momentarily fidgeted under the disapproving glare of the taller boy, but then he remembered something. Older boys like the kind of stuff in those shows mom doesn't let me watch...
"How about this?" he began as a smile began tugging at his lips. "How do you drown a Jew? Glue a penny to the bottom of a pool!"
The boy in glasses snickered.
"How do you get a Jewish girls' number?" he continued as his smile grew sadistic. "You roll up her sleeve!"
Both the boy in glasses and the biggest boy let out a chuckle.
"And what's the worst thing about being a black Jew? Being forced to sit in the back of the oven!"
With that, even the blond boy seemed to feel like he had permission to laugh. He joined in with the other two. Meanwhile, the dark-haired boy looked like he was almost doubled over.
"Oh, and they killed Jesus," he added with extra relish. "So there."
The kid with glasses immediately grinned, stood, walked forward, and patted him on the shoulder. "Alright bud, let's show you the game!" he cheerfully said. "I'm Bryce. This is my big bro Chris," he pointed to the tallest of them, "and that's Chester," he finished as he gestured to the blond.
"Harry," he introduced himself in a slightly squeaky voice that made him cringe again. He sat down with the three elder boys. In the back of his mind, he hoped they wouldn't learn about Henry.
END OF PART 1