The Speed Chronicles (13 page)

Fuck shit fuck

EXT. CHARLIE'S HOUSE—DAY

Bella exits to find Charlie greeting the driver, JACOB BLACK, 16, Quileute Indian, amiable, with long black hair, and hints of childish roundness in his face. Charlie and Jacob help Jacob's father, BILLY BLACK (from the photos), into a wheelchair. CHARLIE: Bella, you remember Billy Bla …

… zona. Give it up for the rain. And he shakes his wet baseball cap onto Bella's head.

BELLA: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

She heads toward her seat, brushing off her hair. But she freezes when she sees—Edward. Terrific.

Bella straightens, girding herself. Then strides to the table, and confidently drops her books down, ready to address him. But he looks up at her—   Hello.

EDWARD: Hello.

Bella stops. Stunned. He is direct, precise, as if every word is an effort for him.

EDWARD: I didn't have a chance to introduce myself last week. My name is Edward Cullen.

She's too shocked he's talking to her to answer.

EDWARD (prompting): xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

time … as the SUV PEELS out, WIPING THE FRAME—

107EXT. HIGHWAY, PACIFIC NORTHWEST—DAWN107

The sun begins to rise on the empty road as a sleek, BLACK MERCEDES SEDAN with tinted windows BLASTS through frame—108INT. MERCEDES—SAME 108

Jasper driv lic in the passenger seat. Bella is in the back, her eyes red from crying. She talks on her cell phone –

BELLA: Mom, it's me again. You must have let your phone die. Anyway, I'm not in Forks anymore but I'm okay. I'll explain when you call …

JAMES FRANCO
is an acclaimed actor, director, artist, and writer. His film appearances include 127
Hours, Howl, Milk
, and
Pineapple Express
. On television, he starred in the critically acclaimed series
Freaks and Geeks
. Franco has written and directed several short films, and his visual art was featured at Clocktower Gallery in New York. The author of
Palo Alto: Stories
, his writing has appeared in
Esquire
, the
Wall Street Journal
, and
McSweeney's
. Franco has an MFA in creative writing from Brooklyn College, an MFA in fiction writing from Columbia University, and is enrolled in the PhD program in literature at Yale.

wheelbarrow kings

by jess walter

I
'm hungry as fuck.

Mitch knows a guy getting rid of a TV. A big-screen supposed to work great. Mitch says he watched UFC on it.

That don't make sense I say. A guy just giving away a big-screen.

Mitch says the guy has two TVs.

Mitch talks a lot of shit so I won't be surprised if there ain't no TV.

Fish and chips is what I really want. I got twelve dollars which would be plenty for fish and chips. So hungry.

Mitch says it's a heavy-ass TV and we'll need a wheelbarrow for sure.

I ask where the fuck are we supposed to get a wheelbarrow. Like I just carry a wheelbarrow around. Sometimes Mitch.

He says we'll pawn that TV for two hundred easy. Then I could spend my twelve bucks on fish and chips or steak or whatever the fuck I want.

Mitch's sister lives up on the south hill. He says she's got a wheelbarrow. She and her husband garden and shit. I met his sister one time. She seemed cool.

I started loving fish and chips when we had it at middle school. I never had it before that. I used to think chips were the different kind of fries with ridges like we had at school. But it can be any fries.

If we do get two hundred bucks for that TV me and Mitch are gonna gear up over at Kittlestedt's. On Kittlestedt's icy shit. Get on a big old spark. None of that scungy east side peanut butter we been bulbing for a month now. Not after we sell that TV. No more twelve-buck quarters for us.

We gonna amp up on a couple of fat bags Mitch says.

I'm hungry as fuck I say to Mitch.

We gonna eat for days after we sell that TV he says.

He wants to take a bus up the south hill to borrow his sister's wheelbarrow. Mitch has a bus pass. I got that twelve dollars but no way I want to spend a buck twenty-five on the bus. Because you can't even get that east side shit for under twelve. Twelve is the cheapest I ever seen. Anywhere.

You comin' Mitch asks.

If I do spend some of my money on the bus least I could eat then. Fish and chips. Or even just get a tacquito at Circle K and some Sun Chips. I like them Sun Chips too. But I ain't buying food unless we sell that TV.

Mitch's bus pass is expired. He wants me to pay for both of us on the bus. Fuck that I say. We get off. The bus drives away.

And I think of something. How the fuck are we gonna get that wheelbarrow all the way downtown from his sister's house anyway. It's like two miles. And we'd have to take the wheelbarrow back. Uphill.

Yeah that's true Mitch says.

I known that fucker two years. First time he ever said I was right.

First time you ever been right Mitch says.

Fuck I'm hungry.

You keep saying that. Fucking buy some food then Mitch says.

But he knows I can't. I need my twelve bucks. He's just fucking jealous 'cause he ain't even got enough for a bump.

There's a coffee place downtown where I know this girl. I went to school with her. We walk down there. Keep our eyes open for wheelbarrows. You see wheelbarrows at construction sites sometimes it seems like. But when you need one you sure as fuck don't. I don't think there is a wheelbarrow in all of downtown Spokane.

The coffee shop has outside tables either side of the door. There's two guys in suits and sunglasses drinking iced coffee. They're eating scones. Them fucking scones look great. I'm hungry as shit. The business guys give me a look. Inside the coffee shop I lick my lips to get the salt.

The girl I know ain't working. Sometimes she gives me the day-old pastry. She'll say what happened to you Daryl. And I'll say what happened to you. I forget her name. She's kind of fat now. She wasn't fat in middle school. She was pretty hot I think. But she's fat now.

But that's not what I mean when I say what happened to you. About her being fat. I'm just fucking around. And I did know her name before. I just don't know it now.

Anyways it don't matter because she ain't working. Some guy is working instead. With a goatee. I ask him is the girl who works here around. He makes a face like what girl or maybe he just thinks Mitch and me stink. And he looks at the stain on my T-shirt. I was having a hot dog at the Circle K a few days ago and I was with Todo and that fucker waits until you take a bite of something and then he says the funniest shit. He could be a stand-up comedian Todo. I forget what he said exactly but the ketchup squirted on my shirt. And then it left this stain.

Mitch flops down in a booth.

The goatee guy watches Mitch pick at his face. You have to order something if you're gonna stay here the coffee guy says.

They got these cinnamon rolls must be half frosting. Fuck me I am so fucking hungry. The goatee guy looks at me like I'm a fucking jerk-spazz.

That girl—I have to start over. And then her name comes. Marci! Marci said come in and she'd give me something from the day-olds. Marci. I can't stop blinking.

Marci's not here.

Can you check. Can you check if she left me something from the day-olds.

I am so fucking hungry.

A couple ladies with shopping bags come in.

The goatee dude rubs his head. He leans forward like he's telling me a secret. If I give you tweakers a scone will you get the fuck out of here.

Give us each one.

They got a day-old basket next to the register. The dude takes two scones and gives them to me. One is a triangle. That's the one I want.

Come on Mitch I say.

We go outside. It's funny. Them two business dudes are sitting there eating scones. And Mitch and me are eating scones. Only we didn't pay for ours. Who's the fucking smart guy now.

Only that scone ain't too good. It don't taste like nothing. Not like that cinnamon roll would've. Or like fish and chips. More like wood chips.

Fuck me. I'm even hungrier now.

Mitch and me decide to just walk to the dude with the TV's house. Maybe he's got a wheelbarrow Mitch says.

It's over the river in a big house I never seen before. A covered front porch with a fridge out front. There's like ten people hanging at the house but it ain't a party. Mitch says the dude is strictly into weed but there's a smoked lightbulb on the front porch. I think maybe we'll get hooked up here. But the dude with the TV is all business.

He's eating a Hot Pocket while he talks to us. Fuck me I want that Hot Pocket. So fucking hungry.

You fucking stink this dude says to Mitch.

Yeah I'm gonna go home and get cleaned up after we sell that TV Mitch says.

What's wrong with this guy he asks.

He's just fucking hungry Mitch says.

The dude's got a brand-new TV in the living room. Two little kids are on the PS2. They're playing
Call of Duty
. I'm good on that game I say but they don't look up. The TV is pretty big. How big is that TV I ask.

Fifty-five inch the dude says. He says that's his new TV. The Double Nickel he calls it. The Sammy Hagar.

The picture is too sharp though. It's like sharper than your eyes. That would freak me out. Life ain't that real. On
Call of Duty
I see shit I never knew was there.

The other TV is on the back porch. It ain't even plugged in. It's an old-school projector TV. I worried Mitch was full of shit. But here it is just like he said. This TV is the biggest TV I ever seen. I don't even know how big. The thing's probably five feet tall and five feet wide. Probably three feet thick. It's fucking huge. Like a room. Mitch is right we're gonna need a fucking wheelbarrow.

You want it it's yours says the dude who lives here.

You know anyone who has a wheelbarrow around here Mitch asks the dude.

He looks at Mitch like get your own fucking wheelbarrow.

There's an alley behind the dude's house so Mitch and me go walking along there looking for a wheelbarrow.

I am so fucking hungry. For a while in middle school we got free lunch. But then my mom worked at the air force base and we got off free lunch. She used to make me cold lunch but whenever there was fish and chips I'd buy my own school lunch. That's how much I liked it. And chili. I liked the chili fine but I really liked them cinnamon rolls. It's funny they always had cinnamon rolls and chili in middle school. I don't know why. They just did.

Fuck. I am so hungry.

I'm gonna kick your ass you don't stop saying that Mitch says.

You can't kick my ass.

A ten-year-old girl could kick your fucking jittery ass.

That girl's six-year-old sister could kick your picker ass.

That girl's newborn baby sister could kick your smelly ass.

That girl's kitten could kick your ass.

That girl's kitten's fleas could kick your ass.

Sometimes Mitch cracks me up. He ain't no Todo but sometimes.

We walk down that alley. There's a kid's Big Wheel. There's a turned-over grocery cart but it's got busted wheels.

And that's when I see it. Hey Mitch look. No shit. Next to a fall-down garage in back of this house. Leaning up against it. It ain't even rusted. A goddamn almost brand-new wheelbarrow. You hear that saying My Lucky Day and I guess sometimes.

There's a little chain-link fence with bent poles. I climb it easy. Grab that wheelbarrow. I wheel it up and heft it over the fence to Mitch. We push that thing back down the alley. We're practically running.

We fucking feel like kings.

I get one-fifty and you get fifty Mitch says. Out of the blue like that.

That's bullshit. I went and got the wheelbarrow.

I knew where the TV was he says.

Don't be a dick Mitch. We both gotta push that thing to the pawn.