White Oleander Page #3

I guess it's hard getting older...

...pretty girl coming up in the house.

Ray, honey? What are

you doing out here?

Nothing, baby.

Just having a smoke.

Looking at the stars.

And this is $40,

not even $40 a month.

- Forty dollars is $40.

- You waste $200 in one night.

- You've been doing it weekly.

- I won last week.

What else are you doing

with the money, Ray?

- You can't even look at me.

- I'm looking right at you.

You weren't. And you've got

your car out there.

God knows what you spend on that.

That comes out of my pocket.

- Don't ruin this.

- Ruin what?

You didn't come in till 3:00

in the morning.

- I was with John.

- She's drinking again.

And who else?

I saw you eyeing her.

Thought you all were

going to a movie.

I had a lot of homework.

- How come you aren't playing poker?

- The game got cancelled.

- They coming home soon?

- Not too long.

Well, there's plenty

of food if you want.

Thanks.

This isn't right.

Is everyone gone?

- It is my business! This is my house!

- It is not!

- Get out of my room!

- You abide by the laws I put down!

I am not gonna get out! I waited up for

you. I want to know who you were with!

Don't give me your sh*t.

You stayed up to drink.

- I stayed up to catch you, you whore!

- You should know.

Try it again,

I'll take you out, b*tch.

Carolee! You walk out that door,

don't you bother coming back.

Why the hell would I want to? I've been

down this road with you before, Mom.

Sorry, Davey.

I can't go through this again.

Carolee.

You used to like it before you started

doing that b*tch. Admit it, bastard!

- You're screwing her!

- You need to call your sponsor.

- Screw my sponsor!

- Go back to bed.

I should've gotten rid of her.

Know what I'm gonna do?

I'm gonna go in there

and cash her check.

Hey, Starr. Starr. Hey! Starr!

Give me that gun.

- What the hell is wrong with you?

- Get off!

Starr! Starr!

Get off of me, goddamn it!

Get off of me!

No, Ray! Goddamn it, Ray.

Get off of me!

No, don't cry. We're not like that.

We're the Vikings, remember?

Astrid? Can you talk to me? Astrid?

Astrid? Can you talk to me? Astrid.

Talk to me. Can you talk to me?

She's coming around. This boy saved

your life. If he hadn't called 911...

...you'd be dead.

- Who did this to you, Astrid?

- Who shot you?

- I don't know.

Hey, watch your feet.

- Okay, rug.

- Got it.

- Where's Ray, Davey?

- He's gone. They're both gone.

I'm sorry.

I'm so sorry I ruined it.

Doesn't matter.

Something would have.

Bye, Astrid.

Okay. One step.

- Davey.

- We got you, Astrid.

Okay, step.

We got her.

It's okay. We got you.

We'd prefer to find a permanent place,

but we have so many children right now.

You need special attention,

which you'll get at McKinney Hall.

They have all sorts

of activities for kids.

You're dead, b*tch!

You hear me? You're dead.

Don't ever look at my boyfriend

again. You hear me?

You look at my boyfriend,

you're dead!

Next time you and your friends jump me,

I'll cut your throats when you're sleeping.

- What do you want?

- I was looking at your picture.

It's good.

Who is it?

- How come you chopped off your hair?

- None of your business.

- You're still beautiful.

- Looks don't interest me.

That's easy for you to say.

You've never been ugly.

Look. It's the puta.

She's so ugly now.

You're not ugly.

You write as if you're surprised

to find me still beautiful even here.

Our beauty is our power, our strength.

We can't allow them

to change us, to lessen us.

I will never grant them that

satisfaction and neither should you.

So is this your first time in Mac?

Figured. You're so unfriendly.

- Life's easier without friends.

- Maybe. I like it here.

It's better than being in a foster home.

It's the floor you can't fall below.

- What's that?

- A letter.

- From who?

- My mother.

- And where is she?

- In prison. For murder.

- And your father?

- Don't know the guy.

How about you?

They were junkies.

She OD'd when I was 6.

He disappeared a couple years later.

- I was born addicted to heroin.

- Really? What was that like?

I don't know. I was out of rehab

by the time I was six months old.

So...

- What's the deal? Are you gay?

- What?

I don't know. I get this feeling from you,

like you're not interested in guys.

You're right. I'm not.

You think that's funny? I'm sick of this.

I'm not gonna let you do this again.

Why don't you shut up?

You're not even in this.

- Cut it out.

- She does this sh*t.

I'll beat your ass.

Wait until we get off the van.

- Back off.

- I'm gonna push you farther.

- What if they catch us?

- They'd put us in McKinney Hall.

- Hurry.

- Come on.

Come on, come on.

The guy's a genius.

I started out copying his stuff,

but no...

I could never touch him.

He's great. But you're better.

You're insane.

No, I'm not. I mean, he's a great

cartoonist, but you're an artist.

What's the difference?

Well, that's like asking

why a joke is funny.

Either it's funny or it's not.

You're either an artist or you're not.

You are.

It's hard because they keep moving.

That's good.

Don't look. I'm not done.

- There's another one. Do you see it?

- Yeah.

The Lyrids shower is visible

most of the night.

The brightest star is Vega.

But you can't look right at it

or you'll miss the fainter meteors.

You can trace them back to Lyra.

How do you know all that?

A kid I used to know.

I used to have a foster home

right over there.

It's nice living on the beach.

Do you ever think about your father?

Not really. He was an a**hole.

I think about mine sometimes.

That when I'm an artist...

...he'll read about me in the papers

and he'll want to meet me.

I'm not gay.

I know that.

I'll show you the one

that he did of me.

It's right here.

They're not bad, for what they are.

For what they are?

What are they?

Cartoons.

No, they're not.

They're so much more than that.

I mean, he's really talented.

- Don't do it again, Astrid.

- Do what?

Attach yourself to anyone who

shows you the least bit of attention...

...because you're lonely.

Loneliness is the human condition.

No one is ever going to fill that space.

The best you can do is know yourself.

Know what you want.

And don't let the cattle

get in the way.

You're not talking about me.

You're talking about yourself.

Sometimes I get the feeling you

don't even want me to be happy.

Why wouldn't I want you to be happy?

- Where are they sending you?

- I don't know.

Look.

The comic book store

will hold letters for me.

Wherever they take you,

keep checking there.

Why do we have to go

to Mexico to buy this stuff?

It isn't FDA approved.

- What's it called?

- DMSO.

- What's it for?

- All sorts of things.

You'll like these people. She's an actress

and he does something with television.

- Do they have any kids?

- No. They're looking to adopt.

She's had an incredibly hard time.

She's very smart.

She's just missed a lot of school.

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