"You know what? Fuck Horace. Fuck his ambition. Fuck his inheritance. Fuck his stupid fucking handsome face!" Enoch wasn't sure whether or not his outburst was relevant to the current area of discourse but he had been holding that one in for the past few miles.
"Watch out," Laurie hissed, throwing an arm up in front of Enoch to save him from stepping on a recently mangled squirrel. Enoch stared at it detachedly as they passed by.
Ian laughed dryly, "You're crazy, man. Horace is a horse-faced douche bag just like you. But at least he doesn't have that nose."
Enoch seethed. He had not asked for an opinion. And anyway, Ian knew that picking on Enoch's looks was hitting below the belt.
"Ian, have I ever told you about how sweet your sister looks when she comes?"
Ian took a swipe at him. It was the only retort that he knew. Enoch ducked away not-so-gracefully, laughing. Ian may have had the sort of body that made girls swoon but at the end of the day, his brain was about the consistency of oatmeal. Enoch could have had more engaging conversations with that puree of squirrel he'd just seen.
"I wish you wouldn't do that," Laurie grumbled. Laurie was cool and all, but he could be such a soccer mom sometimes.
"I hope Frannie is awake when I get home," Ian mused aloud. Enoch was on the verge of telling him that if the baby was awake, then so was Adelaide but Laurie spoke first.
"I'm going for a walk in the woods," Laurie's voice had a way of commanding attention, regardless of what was being said. Laurie had adopted that from his father. All Enoch's father ever did was whinge.
"'A walk in the woods'? Who are you? Walt Whitman?" Ian's attempts at humor usually fell this flat. Enoch groaned.
"He was trying to tell us politely that he needs to take a piss. You're so fucking stupid. Anyway, I never--" Enoch's soliloquy was cut short by a loud splash and the scattering of magpies. The boys stopped in their tracks. Enoch's heart was pounding and he didn't know why.
"What was that?" Enoch didn't think that he had been startled enough to justify the quiver in his voice. They paused in anticipation of further sounds but heard nothing.
"The falls," Laurie concluded. And with that he took off.
Enoch watched in fascination as Laurie speedily disappeared into the woods. Enoch cocked his head to the side.
"Now why would he go and do a damn fool thing like that?" Enoch was posing the question more to himself than to Ian. Laurie was going to make Enoch run and Enoch hated running.
Ian looked back and forth between his friends like a dog with two masters.
"Come on," Ian ultimately decided, skipping after Laurie for the second time that night. As Enoch diverged from the path, he thought that he should have liked dying in a car crash better than running all the way to Pleasant Falls. Already he was plotting how best to get back at Laurie for this.
I had a lot of fun writing this chapter even though Enoch's perspective does not lend its self to the overripe descriptions that I so love. However, I suspect that we will not be getting his point of view again for a very long time. Important events will start to unfold and there will be no occasion for Enoch's horse-faced douchbaggery.
ReplyDeletePoor Enoch! I hope after all the important events are all out of the way, he can get another POV in. But I suppose I can be content in settling with seeing him at random occasions. :P
ReplyDeletehehe Yeah Maybe I'll fit him in again during a party that I have planned. He does so love being the center of attention.
ReplyDeleteI think Enoch is actually quite good-looking. His face is more interesting than the other's. Although his name does sort of make me think of Eunuchs :)
ReplyDeleteThis seems really ominous. I wonder what made that splash.
Ha! Yeah I named Enoch after the public library system in the town that I grew-up in. All of the libraries there are named for a man called Enoch Pratt who I assume was some rich guy that donated bucket-loads of money to the library system. In retrospect, it was a pretty fitting choice seeing as how my Enoch is a little bit of a prat. :p
ReplyDeleteLOL "did I ever tell you how sweet your sister looks when she comes?" HAHAHAHA! Badass...that guy is my favorite.
ReplyDeleteI am also curious about this splash...I hope its not Cully trying to off himself. Damn angsty teenagers!
haha Yeah, Enoch supplies me with oodles of amusement. And he would certainly like to think that he's badass.
ReplyDeleteHe was totally bluffing about that sister thing, btw. :D
Maybe it's just me but Laurie is the one I'm falling for.
ReplyDeleteI'm starting to think that Laurie is going to be the center of the story. Which is not something that I intended in the beginning. He isn't even in the prologue!
ReplyDeleteI have to agree, I'm liking Laurie as well. :D
ReplyDeleteHi there! I ran across your blog twice now-- while snooping through what other people were reading and while reading Lothere. Clearly something is telling me to read your blog. :)
Hey there, Lunar Fox!
ReplyDelete*Does Lotherian Bunny Dance of Welcome*
Hope you're enjoying the story! Plenty of Laurie to come in the future. ;)
As an additional footnote to this chapter, I should probably mention that Ian was thinking of Thoreau when he said "Whitman". Enoch didn't realize it and Laurie just didn't feel like correcting him.
ReplyDeleteOh shit, I bet that's Cully...
ReplyDelete(I commented on the prologue but I don't know if it got sent. Anyway I'm Maruutsu, long time no see! )
ReplyDeleteHow did Horace get so handsome though? Did Angela cheat on Alex? Is he the only good looking Goth? Inquiring minds need to know.
Must be hard on Enoch. He looks like a clone of his father, the poor dude.
Maruutsu!!!!!!!! *waves* It is so good to see your screen name in front of my face!
ReplyDeletelol No, Angela has never cheated on Alex to my knowledge. If it helps, Horace is not terribly handsome although he is better looking than Enoch. Enoch finds his own appearance perfectly acceptable but recognizes that Horace is the better looking son.