Season 2 – Episode 12 – Act II

            You doing ok?

                                                            Yeah

Meet me at the smoking spot this aft?

                                                            K. What time?

            3?

                                                                    K.

Karine chastised herself for being so nervous to meet up with Terry.  He was her best friend for Christ’s sake!  He wouldn’t judge her.  She just hoped he wouldn’t want to talk about her feelings and stuff.  For the first time ever she hoped he’d want to go into one of his endless rants about his Cherry angel.

He was already there when she arrived, smoking a cigarette which he passed to her when she stepped out the door. She took a drag and passed it back.

“So like uh, thanks, eh?” he said.

“For what?”

“Helping me get back with Cerise.”

“Uh huh.”

“And for telling…”

“Ok well I gotta go so…”

“Karine, wait!”  He took her arm before she could turn around.  “You know I love you, right?  You know you’re my best friend.”

“Oh my god, are you gonna sing a song about it?”

“Remember back in Sec 1 when I thought Erica was hot?” he chuckled.

“Yeah, I do actually.  You were so dumb.”

“I know.  But you set me straight.  You told me how she was a total uber-bitch.”

“Yeah, and you promised to start hating her too.”

“And I still do!”

“Yeah,” Karine laughed.  “So how come we kept hanging out with her?”

“I dunno, that’s all you.  It’s just, my point is I’ll always have your back.”

Karine rolled her eyes, trying not to show how touched she was.  “So you really do that in hockey practice?”  She looked at his hands knowingly.

“Um, you want me to have gotten this in hockey practice?”

“I dunno,” she shrugged.  “Did you say anything to him?”

“Not really.  I just sorta beat him up.  I’m not even sure he understood why.”

“Did you hurt him real bad?”

Terry looked at Karine in the eye and nodded.  “Yeah, I did.  You mad?”

“I dunno.  But I’m not gonna thank you if that’s what you’re hoping for.”

“It’s not.  I know it was a dumb-ass move.  Cerise says I have a Pacey Witter complex.”

“What’s that?”

“He’s the dude who plays Peter Bishop on Fringe.”

“I don’t watch Fringe.”

“You should, it’s good.”

“So what’s the… whatever complex?”

“It’s like a white knight complex except on a creek or something.”

“Oh!” Karine laughed.  “Pacey Witter!  You mean from Dawson’s Creek!  Oh right, yeah totally.  You totally have a Pacey Witter complex, all loving Joey even though she waffles all the time and is a total loser who ends up marrying Tom Cruise.”

“Cerise isn’t a loser.  And she’s not gonna marry some weirdo.”

“She gonna marry you?” Karine smirked.

“No one’s marrying anyone.” Terry wobbled his head mockingly.

Now everything was good again.  He’d squared things with Karine and was back with Cerise.  He’d tried to get her to go to his dad’s place after school but she reminded him he had hockey practice.  Cool that she still knew his schedule.  He thought about ditching since he wouldn’t be able to play anyway with his hands all messed but Cerise had pre-existing plans with Sarah and Cassie and apparently that was more important than hanging with her boyfriend.

When he got to practice he wasn’t sure if he should put on his hockey gear or if it was a waste of time.  Coach was nowhere to be found so he went to the locker room. 

“Whoa!” hollered Townsend.  “Trebichavsky!  What happened to your hands?”

“Got in a fight,” Terry shrugged nonchalantly.

“Let’s check it out,” laughed Townsend as he grabbed Terry’s hands and ripped at the bandages.  Terry pretended it didn’t hurt.

“Meh, nothing major,” shrugged Robertson.  “You can do better.  Chicks dig scars dude, bruises are for pussies.”

“Next time I’ll try to make it a knife fight,” smirked Terry.

“Coach isn’t gonna let you play with those mitts,” said Nick Morgan.

“Why not?” asked Townsend.  “Like he hasn’t played with messed up hands before?”

“Look at him,” said Nick.  “He can’t even make a fist.  You won’t be able to hold your stick.”

“I know a couple puck bunnies who can hold it for you,” laughed Robertson.

They all laughed along until Coach came along and started giving Terry shit.  He turned his hands around, asked him to make a fist, which he couldn’t really as his fingers were still somewhat swollen.  Terry assured him he’d already seen a nurse, which was bullshit but he’d had these kinds of injuries before, he knew how to take care of it.

Terry stayed in his civies but went to the rink anyway to watch the others play. 

“So did you win?” asked Nick as they trotted out to the ice.

“Huh?”

“Your fight?”

“Yeah,” smiled Terry.

“Cool,” Nick grinned.

Everything was so totally awesome.  Cerise hadn’t even realized how much she’d missed Terry while they’d been apart but it’s like everything was back to normal now even though it was weird with him living at her place.  Which is perhaps why they were spending so much time at Karine’s lately.  Cerise supposed it was only right – since Karine had basically gotten them back together – but she still felt a tad resentful.  Whenever they went to Karine’s house she felt like the third wheel even though she was Terry’s gf. 

“So talk about how he’s presented as an anti-hero through the whole thing but then at the end it’s like he’s actually a straight-up hero,” said Karine in between bites of her ravioli.

They were having a gourmet dinner or Chef Boyardee at Karine’s and giving Terry advice on how to write his English essay.

“I don’t get it,” Terry replied.  “How is he a hero?”

“’Cause in the end he does the right thing and all the cynicism was just a front,” said Cerise before Karine could respond.

“And all the stuff at the beginning is the illusion of him being an anti-hero?” asked Terry.

“Right,” Karine nodded.

“It’s to mislead us?”

“Right.”

“Ok, so, how would I say that?”

Karine and Cerise shared a look.  “You want us to just write it for you?”

Terry grinned widely.

“Fuck you, I’m not doing your homework, you lazy ass,” Karine snorted.

Terry put on his puppy-dog eyes.  “But I’m dumb and you guys are smart and you’re good at writing and I’m a loser.”

“Nice try, shithead.”  Karine rolled her eyes.

“I’ll proof it for you,” Cerise offered with a smile.  “We can write it together.”  She squeezed his arm and he leaned over and gave her a peck on the lips.  “I love you,” he whispered.

“Stop making me puke, losers,” Karine scoffed.

Terry’s phone buzzed and he whipped it out of his jeans’ pocket.  “Seriously?” he asked, incredulous.  “Your sister is texting me now?”

“Julie?”

Terry showed Cerise the text, which asked when they’d be home for dinner.  “I’m telling her we’re eating here,” said Terry as he typed with his giant thumbs.

“She still being super crazo-annoying?” asked Karine.

“Hello!” Terry waved the phone in the air.  “It’s insane.  She’s like, always in my room.  Sorry, I mean, I know it’s not my room but, it’s just like, awkward.”

“Ahem, told you so!” Karine coughed into her hand.

“So what am I supposed to do?”

“The offer still stands,” Karine shrugged.

“Um, no offense,” said Cerise, surprising herself with her bout of honesty.  “But I think I’d kinda prefer if Terry didn’t live here… with you.”

Was it Cerise’s imagination or did Karine just smirk knowingly.

            Terry looked mildly panicked.  “Um, me and Karine aren’t like that.  You know that, right?”

            “I know, but still.  I don’t really want you living with any girl.”

            “Why,” Terry grinned.  “Jealous?”

            “No, I’m just saying.  I mean, you know.  I don’t want some girl all living with you and… and staring at you and… Karine, you understand what I’m saying right?”

            Karine giggled.  “Yeah, totally.”

            “So you’re jealous,” Terry smirked.

            “No! I’m just saying!”

            “Yeah, all the chicks want me,” Terry grinned, stretching his arms behind his head.

            “Oh shut up, loser,” Cerise smacked him lightly with her hand.

            “Ouch!” he said, clutching his chest as though she’d hurt him. 

            She giggled and they kissed while Karine loudly smacked her food.  “So what about one of your guy friends?” she asked.

            “Yeah, I guess,” Terry nodded.  “There’s my hockey friends, Townsend, Robertson, Morgan.  Or there’s the guys.  Imagine living with Vani?”

            “That’d be hilarious,” laughed Cerise.  “He’d probably be just as annoying as Julie though.”

            “Yeah I guess.  But I’m not super good friends with any of my teammates.  I mean, Townsend is such an ass, and Robertson’s kinda white trash to be honest.  Nick’s cool but I dunno.  It seems really weird to ask.”

            “You could apply to live in rez for next year,” suggested Karine.

            “Yeah, that could be cool.”

            “But you’re from here.  They only let people from far away live in residence,” said Cerise.

            “You could get your own apartment in Ste-Anne’s.”

            “That’d be awesome,” nodded Cerise.  “But expensive.”

            “I don’t even have a job right now,” said Terry.

            Cerise looked at her watch.  “We should go.  Didn’t you say you wanted to drop by Vicky’s and see Britt tonight?”

            They all looked at one another and seemingly had the same thought at the same time.

            “Duh, I can’t believe we didn’t think of it sooner!” Terry exclaimed.

            “It’d be perfect!” agreed Karine.  “You could see Britt all the time!”

            Terry frowned.  “Vicky’s place is tiny though.  And it’s in NDG.”

            “Yeah but come on, can you think of somewhere better?” asked Cerise.

            “Other than here?” asked Karine.

            Terry shook his head.  “Ok, well, let’s go talk to her I guess,” he said, slurping up the last of Cerise’s meal, which she’d pushed towards him.

            They said their goodbyes and were out the door in an instant, finally leaving Karine behind, to have some time alone as a couple, even if it would just be the twenty minute drive to NDG.