The John Hughes Club

Chapter Sixteen

After watching nearly 45 minutes worth of Some Kind Of Wonderful, we're now all sat down, eating and talking about the film.

"I don't know about you lads, but I'd definitely pursue the pretty rich girl, not the longtime tomboy best friend." Pipes up a confident boy called Tyrone.

Another boy is obviously not agreeing, shaking his head hard. "I don't think I would. Watts and Keith are best friends. Their connection is cemented in that friendship. It's real. More real than anything Amanda could ever give to Keith...there's a lot to be said for that."

Smiling, Chas then politely interrupts. "Do you think that if Amanda and Keith end up together, that she'll stay with him?"

Zigs grimaces, crossing his arms. "Nah! She's too used to filthy rich spoilt boys. A girl like her wouldn't want to end up with a guy reeking of grease and oil who one day dreams of being an artist. Girl's like Amanda need clean cut stability."

Ros then eagerly jumps in. "Amanda isn't that shallow, Zigs. She knows that Hardy isn't right for her, just like she knows that the rest of the spoilt rich boys aren't for her, either. She agreed to go on a date with Keith, because she liked him. Money or not, you can't change the way your heart feels about someone." She's now very much looking at Chas, like she's waiting for some kind of an approval from him.

"I think Ros is right, there's more to Amanda than meets the eye." Ella states with a smile, eating some of her grapes from a small tub. "I think Amanda is wanting to experience dating a new kind of boy, because the boys she usually dates, are nothing but rich and boring twats." Even when she's delivering a put down, Ella sounds so cute as she's doing it. That gentle lisp of hers, makes her sound like the most inoffensive soul there is.

Leaning forwards in his uncomfortable plastic school chair, Chas is obviously enjoying the discussion. "I think we're often conditioned to pursue the more beautiful, the more affluent of people, but there's beauty in the unlikeliest of people. That is what's happening between Keith and Watts—they're discovering love with the unlikeliest of people at the unlikeliest of times." The softness of his stare and his smile soon find me; finding me before turning his attention to everyone else. "Okay, how do you feel about this question—rich in life, poor in love or poor in life, rich in love?"

As we're all pondering on his question, pondering on what we've just watched in the film; I'm watching how a boy so young is commanding the room. In his own encouraging way, he's getting a bunch of teens to talk about stuff, to open up their thoughts—it's actually an amazing thing to see. We teenagers can get so caught up in being teenagers. Life can be an endless road of school, homework, friends, family, emotions and expectations. Some of us, find it hard airing our feelings and our thoughts, but here, Chas is giving us all a place to do just that...it's cleverly brilliant.

"That's easy, bro—rich in life, poor in love—I want the nice car, clothes and house." Tyrone sniffs, jubilantly grinning.

"That's a hard one. I want the nice everything, too. Maybe I'll just be rich, then buy myself one of those premium sex dolls; one that looks like Camila Cabello." With his crude compromise, Zigs is lifting his eyebrows high with the honesty of that crudeness.

Twisting her face with just how unimpressed she is with his answer, Ella's throwing Zigs a bemused glare. "You boys are so predictable." With a bored eye roll, she's then looking at me. "How about you, Mindy...rich in life, poor in love or poor in life, rich in love?"

Inhaling with a smile, I already have my answer. "Poor in life, rich in love...every time." My eyes wander to where Chas is, wandering to where my admiration is still seated. "Money doesn't buy a happy life. You can surround yourself with all of the best and expensive things, but without love in your life, those things will eventually mean absolutely nothing. Having real love, will make you far richer than all of the millionaires, billionaires, trillionaires and zillionaires out there."