Chapter 11: Riding in cars with boys
[Scene: The Hen Tie High parking lot. Zoi walks slowly, with Kunzite hovering close by]
Zoi: So are you going to the beach? This Saturday, I mean.
Kunzite: Where are you all going exactly?
Zoi: Blackmoon Cove.
[Kunzite narrows his eyes]
Kunzite: I really don't think I was invited.
Zoi: I just invited you.
Kunzite: [frowns and looks away] I can't…
[They walk to a shiny black convertible Maserati]
Zoi: Funny, I don't recall seeing this car in the parking lot before now.
Kunzite: It's new. Get in, Zoisite.
[Zoisite opens the door and slides into the passenger seat. He hopes his euphoria at being invited into Kunzite's car isn't too obvious as he tightens up his ponytail and tucks it into his shirt. Otherwise, he knows his hair will look like a tumbleweed by the end of the trip.]
[Kunzite starts up the car and the sound system spring to life with the bass blaring]
Sound system: "There must be some kind of way out of here/said the joker to the thief…"
Zoi: All along the Watchtower!
Kunzite: You know Jimi?
Zoi: Of course I know Jimi! The man is a god!
Kunzite: [smirks] Tell me something I don't already know.
[The car takes off tearing up the streets of Hen Tie with the squealing of tires and electric guitar. Kunzite is paying absolutely no attention the speed limit, but Zoi doesn't seem to mind.]
Kunzite: What is your mother like?
Zoi: She looks a lot like me, but she's prettier.
[Kunzite gives him a dubious look]
Zoi: She's also sort of flighty and a bit of a dreamer. In that regard I take after my father.
Kunzite: How old are you, Zoisite.
Zoi: I'm fifteen.
Kunzite: [under his breath] Jesus.
Zoi: What?
Kunzite: You're still a child.
Zoi: I am not! Besides, my mother says I have an old soul. You don't seem much like a senior in high school yourself.
[Zoi watches Kunzite driving in silence and notices how sleek and glossy his hair is. As they speed along, it whips behind him, but then falls right back into place, without so much as a split end or a tangle]
Kunzite: So what's your new stepfather like?
Zoi: Young, handsome, broke, and irresponsible. He's Italian, they met in Rome. She's young for her age and I think he makes her feel even younger. At any rate, she's crazy about him.
Kunzite: Do you approve?
Zoi: Does it matter? He wouldn't have been my first choice, but he does make her happy.
Kunzite: That's very generous of you… I wonder…
Zoi: What?
Kunzite: …If she would extend the same courtesy to you.
Zoi: I-I think so. But she's my mother. That's a little different.
Kunzite: What if the guy you hooked up with was really scary.
Zoi: What do you mean by scary? Multiple piercing and tattoos?
Kunzite: I suppose that's one definition of scary.
Zoi: What's your definition of scary?
Kunzite: I don't have one.
[Zoi giggles behind his fingers. Kunzite smiles at him.]
Kunzite: Do you think I could be scary?
Zoi: Hmm…I think you could be, if you wanted to.
Kunzite: Are you frightened of me now?
Zoi: No.
Kunzite: …
Zoi: So are you going to tell me about your family now? It's got to be a more interesting story than mine.
Kunzite: What do you want to know?
Zoi: You're adopted?
Kunzite: Yes.
Zoi: What happened to your birth parents?
Kunzite: They died a very long time ago.
Zoi: I'm sorry.
Kunzite: I don't remember them. Metalia is my mother now.
Zoi: And you love her?
Kunzite: Yes.
Zoi: You're very lucky.
Kunzite: I know I am.
Zoi: And your brothers and sister?
Kunzite: That's a bit more complicated.
[Kunzite stops outside Zoi's front door]
Zoi: [unbuckles his seatbelt and climbs out] Thanks for the ride. I hope we can do this again some time.
Kunzite: You'd better call your father and let him know you were sent home from school so he doesn't drive all the way there to pick you up.
Zoi: [Untucks his ponytail] Don't worry. I'm sure he's already heard about the biology incident. There are no secrets in Hen Tie.
[Kunzite smirks for only the briefest of instants]
Kunzite: Have fun at the beach. Good weather for sunbathing. [Gazes up at the ever present ceiling of dark clouds] Will you do something for me this weekend?
Zoi: Yes.
Kunzite: Stay away from the Black Moon Clan. They are a bunch of inbred freaks.
Zoi: Huh?
Kunzite: And don't drink any alcohol. Especially not if some guy like Mamoru offers it to you. Same goes for pot. If anyone lights up a joint, walk away. If they take offense, or try to pressure you, get the hell out of there. Even if you have to call your father. "More for the rest of us" is the only normal response. And if Motoki offers everyone a ride home in his van, make sure he doesn't drop you off last.
[Zoi just stands there. baffled, as Kunzite drives away]