The Monsters of Blessing Street (Halloween Special 2023)

Chapter 7: The Cinemagic Theater

October 5th, 1989.

George's Pov.

As it had always been since we enrolled at 1273 Rockefeller High, it was a regular Friday. Today is a good day because it is Friday, the only day when students enjoy themselves. After all, we don't have to worry about weekend homework. Nothing good ever happened, but everyone is glad when Friday is just around the corner. Not that I'd do it, mind you.

I wouldn't do it; instead, I would leave it out and accept a failing grade or, as I have done ever since, just toss it away in the trash. No matter what I did, I was still going to get a failing grade.

I continued to stare about the room, paying little attention to what the teacher was saying, until the recognizable sound of "ring" suddenly rang in my ears. For the record, I suddenly recognized that my puns were not very good as I wrote this. A good example of that is this joke. On the other hand, I was just 18 at the time. 52 is about how old I am right now. Indeed, time passes by very quickly.

"Okay, I think that's it for today. You know, just have a good weekend everyone, no homework this weekend. Also, uh, get home safely!" As everyone left the classroom, the teacher said this. But I doubt anyone was able to hear him.

My three closest friends, Milo Dennis, Franklin Wade, and Tony May, were already in the school's parking lot when I arrived. "Hey guys," I remarked as we piled into Franklin's car.

The way back to Blessing Street remained unchanged. We mostly just made jokes about how I beat Dylan's ass, which has become an ongoing occurrence since it happened. Franklin did, however, say something thereafter that I wasn't prepared for.

"So, word on Blessing Street is that you have a girlfriend?" From the rearview mirror, Franklin smiles at me. Tony almost spat up his water. If anything else could be inferred from Milo's face, it simply conveyed shock.

With my mouth gaping out and my eyes wide open, I had only just begun screaming at Franklin. "W-Who told you?!" Poking my head between the seats, I demand. "'Who told you?!' No, motherfucker, the question is, when were you going to tell us you had a girlfriend?!" Tony was frantic, though not because I had a girlfriend at the time; rather, it was because he thought I had dated someone before him. "I..." I had no idea what to say. But then I only thought of one word: girlfriend.

"Wait... a girlfriend?! Who the hell said she was my girlfriend?!" Continuing to stick my head between the chairs, I exclaimed. "So, what are we supposed to believe? that she is only a friend?" When Milo asked, I looked at him and noticed that he was air-quoting the word 'friend.'

"Yeah, she was just a friend." The fact that Krovlenka kissed me on the cheek only happened because I gave her that dopey Elmo doll furthered my desire to keep them from thinking I had a girlfriend. Krovlenka didn't do it out of pure love for me.

"Hey, look, we're not angry with you, well, Tony is the one exception. We're happy that you have a girlfriend now." There was no question about it; Franklin's words seemed honest.

"Look, I'm sorry, but she's not my girlfriend. We're in the first step if you will. Just my opinion, though." I threw my hands up, wanting to prove my innocence. "That's just my opinion; I don't know how she feels about all of this," I said, hoping to calm their skepticism and Tony's annoyance.

He was slumping his shoulders and looked out the window with his arms crossed, so I could tell he was angry. Those were indications that his jealousy had begun to take hold. But since it was only a crush, I knew he would eventually forget about it. He did forget about it, and I wasn't surprised by the fact that he did since I expected that he would have done so. The very next day, the fool forgot all about it. Oh, that Tony. May God rest his soul...