Chapter Five
After Malcolm stormed off, the remaining Creatures and Arthur were left to scrounge around for cheap food and subjects to talk about. Lunch was spent quietly over fish and chips, and the walk back to the apartment wasn't much louder, except for the clopping of feet against pavement. As they neared the flat, they passed a bus stop, watched over by a huge poster promoting the Maxwell Demon tour.
"Brian Slade," Arthur murmured, staring up in awe.
"Yeah," Ray replied. "We've been trying to get tickets, but its been sold out since the day they went on sale. Of course, we'll spend all day at the door and never get in."
"We may catch a glimpse of Maxwell, and then it'd be worth it," Billy put in and Arthur didn't know if he was being serious or sarcastic.
The other band members didn't seem inclined to tell him, so he merely asked, "You think Curt Wild will be there?"
"You must have heard about the break up," Pearl replied.
Arthur flushed. "Well, yeah… but I figured, they're just so bloody perfect together, they'd work it out."
"I doubt it," Ray put in. "But I'd sure love to see him. He's amazing musician."
"He's amazing period," Arthur replied quickly.
Ray grinned. "I think our Arthur has a crush. A crush on Curt Wild." Arthur stammered out a denial, but the others just laughed. "Well, maybe we will see your boyfriend at the concert. But with you around, I don't know if he'd go back to Brian…"
Arthur rolled his eyes and shoved Ray off the sidewalk. Ray retorted by grabbing Arthur's scarf and taking off. Soon the entire group was running down the streets of London, leaving the bystanders to wonder why.
*
He couldn't sleep. Arthur stared at the ceiling, eyes fixed on a small crack in the plaster, but his mind was on Malcolm, who still hadn't returned. Ray- across from him in Malcolm's bed- didn't seem to have a problem sleeping, but Arthur was worried about his new friend. As soon as he heard the door creak open that night, Arthur looked to the clock. It was nearly midnight.
When Malcolm didn't enter the room, Arthur slowly got up and crept into the living room- which he found was empty. A quick glance around, however, revealed an open window. Arthur peaked out and saw the small young man, legs dangling over the edge of the fire escape, smoke trailing from a lit cigarette between his lips. That left plenty of room for him, so Arthur climbed out, whispering, "Hi."
Malcolm looked up and smiled. "Couldn't sleep?"
"No." Malcolm offered him his cigarette, which Arthur declined with a shake of his head. It was silent for a few minutes, until Arthur asked softly, "Do you want to talk about it?"
"What?" Malcolm asked, with a vacant stare.
"Earlier… I thought you might want to talk."
"Its nothing new. My mum wants me home, my dad doesn't. That's always the story, isn't it?" Malcolm asked, a knowing smile on his face.
"What did you want?"
"To be free. This was my dream," he said, looking up at the stars. "Just to be myself. And they can't accept me." He shrugged and turned to Arthur. "So what about you? Do you have a dream? A goal?"
Arthur smiled shyly. "When I was younger I wanted to be a novelist. The next Oscar Wilde, you know. Without the jail and poverty, of course."
Malcolm laughed. "'Those who find ugly meaning in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault'."
"The Picture of Dorian Gray."
"I read it in school, a lifetime ago."
"Do you ever regret leaving home?"
"No. I was… boxed in there. Prep school, uniforms… it was like prison. If you can't be yourself, what's the point? Hiding, building walls… if that's life, you're living it wrong."
Arthur smiled and stood. "I'm heading in. You coming?"
"I'll be inside in a while," Malcolm said. Slowly, he pulled his knees up to his chest and stared out into the smoky sky.
*
Arthur opened his eyes the next morning to an empty bed across from him. Arthur rose and headed out into the living room, sure to pull a t-shirt on over his bare chest. Billy and Pearl sat cross legged on the floor, playing cards.
"Deal me in, fellas?" Arthur asked, plopping down beside them.
"Want a scone, Arthur?" Ray called from his position in the kitchen.
"Yeah," Arthur replied and looked up in time to catch the stale pastry flying through the air at him. "Watch it, Ray! Those things are deadly."
His roommate rolled his eyes and hopped over the counter. "Poker?"
"What else?" Billy replied, tossing seven cards at him.
"Where's Malcolm?" Arthur asked absently after a few moments of silence.
"No bloody clue," Ray answered as he studied his hand. "Bugger it. I'm out."
"He went off this mornin' without a word," Billy replied. "Raise you two."
"Call," Pearl replied, but his softly spoken direction was drowned by the door slamming against the wall and a squealing roommate flying across the room.
Malcolm pounced on Billy, who was closest to the door, and wrung his arm. "Guess what?"
"You got a date?" Ray asked, then shook his head. "Never happen. What, then?"
Malcolm glared at him, then whipped out a small envelope. "Lycenium Theatre, February fifth- Maxwell Demon and the Venus in Furs!"
Ray tackled him from across the table and grabbed the envelope. "How the hell did you get these?"
"If I told you, I'd have to kill you," Malcolm said and grinned.
"How many are there?" Pearl asked worriedly, with a glance to Arthur, who stood completely still during the exchange.
Malcolm rolled his green eyes and said, "Five, of course." He winked at the slowly smiling boy. "One of us goes, we all go."
After Malcolm stormed off, the remaining Creatures and Arthur were left to scrounge around for cheap food and subjects to talk about. Lunch was spent quietly over fish and chips, and the walk back to the apartment wasn't much louder, except for the clopping of feet against pavement. As they neared the flat, they passed a bus stop, watched over by a huge poster promoting the Maxwell Demon tour.
"Brian Slade," Arthur murmured, staring up in awe.
"Yeah," Ray replied. "We've been trying to get tickets, but its been sold out since the day they went on sale. Of course, we'll spend all day at the door and never get in."
"We may catch a glimpse of Maxwell, and then it'd be worth it," Billy put in and Arthur didn't know if he was being serious or sarcastic.
The other band members didn't seem inclined to tell him, so he merely asked, "You think Curt Wild will be there?"
"You must have heard about the break up," Pearl replied.
Arthur flushed. "Well, yeah… but I figured, they're just so bloody perfect together, they'd work it out."
"I doubt it," Ray put in. "But I'd sure love to see him. He's amazing musician."
"He's amazing period," Arthur replied quickly.
Ray grinned. "I think our Arthur has a crush. A crush on Curt Wild." Arthur stammered out a denial, but the others just laughed. "Well, maybe we will see your boyfriend at the concert. But with you around, I don't know if he'd go back to Brian…"
Arthur rolled his eyes and shoved Ray off the sidewalk. Ray retorted by grabbing Arthur's scarf and taking off. Soon the entire group was running down the streets of London, leaving the bystanders to wonder why.
*
He couldn't sleep. Arthur stared at the ceiling, eyes fixed on a small crack in the plaster, but his mind was on Malcolm, who still hadn't returned. Ray- across from him in Malcolm's bed- didn't seem to have a problem sleeping, but Arthur was worried about his new friend. As soon as he heard the door creak open that night, Arthur looked to the clock. It was nearly midnight.
When Malcolm didn't enter the room, Arthur slowly got up and crept into the living room- which he found was empty. A quick glance around, however, revealed an open window. Arthur peaked out and saw the small young man, legs dangling over the edge of the fire escape, smoke trailing from a lit cigarette between his lips. That left plenty of room for him, so Arthur climbed out, whispering, "Hi."
Malcolm looked up and smiled. "Couldn't sleep?"
"No." Malcolm offered him his cigarette, which Arthur declined with a shake of his head. It was silent for a few minutes, until Arthur asked softly, "Do you want to talk about it?"
"What?" Malcolm asked, with a vacant stare.
"Earlier… I thought you might want to talk."
"Its nothing new. My mum wants me home, my dad doesn't. That's always the story, isn't it?" Malcolm asked, a knowing smile on his face.
"What did you want?"
"To be free. This was my dream," he said, looking up at the stars. "Just to be myself. And they can't accept me." He shrugged and turned to Arthur. "So what about you? Do you have a dream? A goal?"
Arthur smiled shyly. "When I was younger I wanted to be a novelist. The next Oscar Wilde, you know. Without the jail and poverty, of course."
Malcolm laughed. "'Those who find ugly meaning in beautiful things are corrupt without being charming. This is a fault'."
"The Picture of Dorian Gray."
"I read it in school, a lifetime ago."
"Do you ever regret leaving home?"
"No. I was… boxed in there. Prep school, uniforms… it was like prison. If you can't be yourself, what's the point? Hiding, building walls… if that's life, you're living it wrong."
Arthur smiled and stood. "I'm heading in. You coming?"
"I'll be inside in a while," Malcolm said. Slowly, he pulled his knees up to his chest and stared out into the smoky sky.
*
Arthur opened his eyes the next morning to an empty bed across from him. Arthur rose and headed out into the living room, sure to pull a t-shirt on over his bare chest. Billy and Pearl sat cross legged on the floor, playing cards.
"Deal me in, fellas?" Arthur asked, plopping down beside them.
"Want a scone, Arthur?" Ray called from his position in the kitchen.
"Yeah," Arthur replied and looked up in time to catch the stale pastry flying through the air at him. "Watch it, Ray! Those things are deadly."
His roommate rolled his eyes and hopped over the counter. "Poker?"
"What else?" Billy replied, tossing seven cards at him.
"Where's Malcolm?" Arthur asked absently after a few moments of silence.
"No bloody clue," Ray answered as he studied his hand. "Bugger it. I'm out."
"He went off this mornin' without a word," Billy replied. "Raise you two."
"Call," Pearl replied, but his softly spoken direction was drowned by the door slamming against the wall and a squealing roommate flying across the room.
Malcolm pounced on Billy, who was closest to the door, and wrung his arm. "Guess what?"
"You got a date?" Ray asked, then shook his head. "Never happen. What, then?"
Malcolm glared at him, then whipped out a small envelope. "Lycenium Theatre, February fifth- Maxwell Demon and the Venus in Furs!"
Ray tackled him from across the table and grabbed the envelope. "How the hell did you get these?"
"If I told you, I'd have to kill you," Malcolm said and grinned.
"How many are there?" Pearl asked worriedly, with a glance to Arthur, who stood completely still during the exchange.
Malcolm rolled his green eyes and said, "Five, of course." He winked at the slowly smiling boy. "One of us goes, we all go."