Something About Us

The Weak of Christmas Break

December 2010

Enter: Cody Kapoor

      Pembroke Academy sounded painfully quiet during Christmas break. Some of the boys who came back early were astounded at how the school that had once been bustling with rowdy students and hawk-eyed teachers had suddenly become so quiet. It was nothing new to me.
       I was used to staying at Pembroke for Christmas. My parents didn't want me back during the Christmas break. They'd never say it outright but I knew. They talked to me with a stiff formality and the house felt unpleasant. So I stayed back and opted to spend Christmas here.
       Every night they would set up a few Xboxes and have the boys who remained entertain themselves. The first few days were bearable but after that I longed for all of my friends who were probably having a great time with their parents and their siblings. I could hardly stand to be around the guys who were left, so I had retreated back to one of the empty lounges where the fireplace was burning brightly.
        I held bowl of chestnuts and would throw them into the fire just to watch them burn. Chestnuts roasting on an open fire. That was a Christmas carol, wasn't it? If I had something that would hold the chestnuts in the fire and kept me at a safe distance I would have tried roasting them.
        "There are starving children out somewhere in the world and you're burning chestnuts?" said a voice behind me. I snapped my head around and my eyes caught the grin my roommate October Burgess wore.
       Then he had grown his hair around shoulder-length. He looked like a girl from behind with those satiny dark tresses falling in an unbroken wave to his shoulders. A crop of side-fringe cheekily covered one of his blue eyes. His hands were behind his back.
        "Wha . . . why are you here? Didn't you say you were going to be spending Christmas with your family?" I asked, completely shocked. I never thought I would be happy to see quiet, bookish October but I was.
        "I did," October said. "I'm back now."
        "Why?"
        "'Cause I wanted to come back early. Are those salted?" October walked over to me. He had a brightly wrapped parcel in his hands all done up in red wrapping paper speckled with gold stars.
        October put the present between us and sat down. I offered the bowl of chestnuts to him and he picked up one. He popped it between his lips and chewed. October's teeth had been an odd sight when he first came to Pembroke. He had a gap so wide it looked like a third tooth could have been there. A little while after he received braces and he still had them now. His gap was long gone but he still looked like a goof with that mouthful of metal.
         "How are you eating these?! They're horrid!" October cried. "These need salt. And a lot of it. You can stop sneaking peaks at the present. It's yours. I bought it for you with a little of my Christmas money."
         I couldn't hold back my smile. October returned it; a genuine smile complete with a flash of braces. I carefully wriggled my fingertips under the seams of the present and peeled back the paper. A book; Battle Royale by Koshun Takami. Our English teacher had offhandedly mentioned the book to our class. The promise of violence had all of us salivating at the thought of getting our hands on a copy.
       "Whoa," I muttered. "Have you read it yet?"
       "Of course not! Well, not yet. I just thought you'd like this."
       "I do. . . . thank you."
       "You're welcome," October's eyes turned to the flames which flickered brightly as they ate up the firewood. His eyes looked clear because they were such a soft shade of blue.
       I turned back to the book in my hands. It was weighty and thick. I wasn't much of a reader and this six-hundred paged tome made me feel a little nervous. I flipped to the book's backside and read the blurb. It sounded terrifyingly violent. I opened the book up and scanned the first page.
       October moved until he was right next to me. His shoulder brushed mine. He reclined, propping himself up by his elbows. "Read it out loud. Let's hear it." His blue eyes stared directly into mine and it was like he was seeing me for the first time. He wasn't looking at the class-clown, the guy everyone loved to be around, the one who was always invited to the dorm parties. He was looking at the real Cody. The boy who was afraid of being alone, who put on an image of himself just to be liked.
       "Why'd you really come back?" I whispered.
        October didn't look at me. His eyes were downcast. "I didn't think you'd like being alone."
         Before I knew it my lips were on his and I could hardly understand why but at the same time I knew it was something that I truly wanted. It different, but right. I put my hand on his waist and he held my shoulder tightly. I pulled away and his eyes were wide. His breath in quick bursts. I smiled and he gave a laugh. "Wow." He breathed.
         I was about to respond when he kissed me again. And I kissed him back. And we kissed and kissed until I felt like I was going to explode with happiness. Such a stark change from the way I had been steeped in sadness before.