Post by Deleted on Oct 7, 2015 19:53:29 GMT
TOM HAGEN presents
an OTWD FORUM production
an OTWD FORUM production
____
BASTOGNE, FRANCE16TH DECEMBER 1944
'Fucking Krauts!' someone yelled while mortars kept on firing.
'They're coming from the left, just by the treeline!'
'They're everywhere now, sarge!' shouted one of the soldiers. 'We're in the eye of it now'
'Back to the city! Back to the city!' the captain roared.
Several soldiers were trying to make it back, hiding behind shacks and like, but Germans were still moving forward, trying to take out as many Americans as they could.
The captain addressed the three men that were near him. 'Go to the first floor of this building and cover our guys with suppressive fire!'
The soldiers did as they were told and ran inside. The captain looked around him - those who weren't fighting were either seriously injured or dead.
'What--' he said suddenly. 'Where's lieutenant Harp?!'
He looked around once more.
'Where's Harp, goddammit?!'
'He was by the west side of the town with some guys, trying to secure the area!' replied one of the soldiers. His leg was bleeding excessively.
Without thinking much, the captain ran to the west. While running throught the street, a huge explosion caused one of the houses to collapse, the force of the blast causing the captain to be violently thrown several feet away. He hit the concrete wall of the nearby building and fell to the ground.
With the obnoxious ringing in his ears that caused the sounds of battle to become muffled, the captain tried to stand up, but he felt pain in his right hand. He didn't feel it at all. Looking at it, he realized why - it was probably broken. He was righthanded... but he'll have to learn to be lefthanded for the time being. It wasn't easy, but he managed to stand up, albeit he was shaking slightly.
'Rock!'
The captain looked up and saw lieutenant Harp struggling to get up - when Harp was suddenly grabbed and hoisted up by a German soldier.
The captain immediately unsheathed the Luger he managed to get during the assault on Carentan. The German soldier immediately put a pistol to Harp's temple.
'Waffe weg! Schnell!' yelled the soldier.
'What are you waiting for?!' screamed Harp. 'Shoot him!'
But captain Rock didn't have a clear shot. He was aiming with his left hand, still shaking from the explosion. He couldn't be sure whether he'll kill a Kraut or his friend. And risking his life... after everything he found out about recently...
And then, for a very small moment, the entire world stood still.
******
STATEN ISLAND, NEW YORK
SEPTEMBER 2000
Several students were walking past old, metal gate. One of them was a young guy, looking slightly confused at his surroundings. Today was the first day of the academic year. He did attend the opening ceremony, but he didn't know his way around the place yet.
He walked inside, past the crowd of students. He picked his phone from the pocket and checked the timetable once again.
'Alright, second floor, room E' he whispered. He made his way up the stairs in no time and started looking for the right room. After a quick search, he managed to locate it.
He still had ten minutes, but decided to go inside anyway.
The guy was surprised at the view. There were about ten people already inside - all girls. Sitting in groups, they seemed to be lost in discussion.
'Uhm, hi' he said sheepishly.
Not all of them noticed his presence, but after a while the place went quiet.
'Well, hello' said one of them after a while. The guy simply smiled a little and sat behind one of the desksthat were free, almost at the centre of the room. He pulled a notebook out of his bag to prepare for the class. The classroom was once again filled with the noise and the guy could swear that he heard one of the girls saying something among the lines of 'He's cute'. Flushing slightly, he ignored the statement.
How the hell that happened? Did he end up being the only male member of the class? Not that it was a bad thing. The only problem was that girls made him shy.
But that's what high school is for, right? he thought. To change that.
His thoughts were immediately interrupted when the door to the classroom opened once again to reveal yet another man walking inside. Wearing eyeglasses, sporting a five o'clock shadow and the top of his shirt being unbuttoned, he seemed to be some kind of show-off.
'Hi there' he said, his voice full of confidence. He looked around the room and noticed another student sitting nearby. He made his way there and sat next to him.
'Well, for a moment I thought I ended up in the ladies room' he said, yawning.
'And that would be bad, because...?' joked the other man. 'Unless that's a problem. How gay are you?'
'Uh, no. I'm sure my car's going the right way' laughed the show-off. He wanted to say something else, but he was interrupted by the teacher walking inside.
'Good morning, everyone!' he said.
'Good morning, sir' some peopple replied.
'Yeah, whatever' murmured the show-off.
'Welcome to Port Richmond High School!' the teacher greeted them. 'I'm Joel Deadwaste, PhD...'
'Now that's something I forgot about' said the show-off, ignoring the teacher. 'Name's Rock' he said, extending his hand.
The other guy looked at him for a moment and accepted his hand. 'It's Harp'
FORT LEE, NEW JERSEY
APRIL 2004
'We are so proud of you!'
'Thanks, mom' said Harp, slightly embarassed. His father patted him on the back.
'You're on the top of your class, having the best grades. The graduation will be a formality' he whispered and hugged his son. 'We couldn't ask for a better son'
'Oh, come on, dad, you're embarassing me' Harp tried to calm all of them down, although he couldn't help but feel proud about himself. In several months it was more than likely that he'll be able to pick from the best universities to enroll in.
'Besides, I'm glad that you're happy, but there are still a lot of exams in my way. Just... don't put all of your hopes in me, or else I'm going to turn totally crazy. Just... please?'
'Okay, okay, we get it' his mom replied. 'It's just that... being our only son, we want what's best for you.'
'We know how hard life can be' his father agreed. 'It wasn't easy for us. We don't want the same thing to happen to you. We gave you everything we could... and it makes us really proud that our efforts didn't go to waste.'
'Look at you' his mother joined in. 'We sent you to a high school in New York. You were there by yourself and yet you managed to make it'
Harp smiled a little. 'I had friends who helped me'
'See?' his father asked. 'You were always able to find your way. We don't have any doubt you'll achieve great things in life.'
Harp was moved. 'Thank you. For everything.'
He picked up his bag.
'This weekend felt incredibly short...' he began. 'But when I'll return here the next time, I'll be the graduate you want me to be.'
STATEN ISLAND, NEW YORK
'NC?' wondered Rock. 'Your initials?' He pointed at Sos's T-shirt.
'Nu-huh' laughed Sos. Without breaking his run, he turned to the left to make Rock see his back. The other side of the shirt read 'NO COMMITMENT'. The three guys started laughing.
'So how was it? Your parents kept asking you to be the good boy as usual?' asked Rock.
'Can't blame them, they want me to take the chance they were never offered' replied Harp.
'Damn, I wish my parents were like that' offered Sos.
All three were running around the stadium. It was very late in the evening.
'Feeling nervous, guys?' Harp asked them.
'About what?' Rock gave him a questioning look.
'Oh, come on. You know what I'm talking about'
As if on cue, Sos put his earphones on and played some music. 'I'm out of this, ignore me for the rest of the way'
Harp shook his head and turned to Rock. He was still waiting for response.
'Alright, you won' Rock sighed, resigned. 'I am nervous as hell. The match is a week away. And now with someone coming from Columbia University to watch the game... there's a big chance that one of us will be offered a place there. Just imagine...' Rock's voice became dreamy. '...playing for Columbia Lions? This is the chance most of us will never get ever again.'
'It's not all about the money, not all about the fame...' Sos silently sang to himself.
'I can see that.' Harp nodded. 'I saw that the entire team was training a lot harder than usual'
'It's a lot more than that' Rock laughed a little. 'You're not on the team. You're the intelligent one, right?'
'Stop that' Harp protested, even though he was smiling. 'To each his own, I guess. We're better at different things'
Laughing and joking the rest of the way, their banter was interrupted when they noticed someone approaching them from afar. It was dark, so they couldn't make out who it was. After a moment, the figure came into light from one of the lanterns and they noticed that it was a girl.
'Who's that?' asked Harp.
'No idea' replied Rock.
'Sos!' they heard the girl yelling.
'Oh, that explains it' muttered Harp.
Sos took off his earphones.
'Oh, hey!' he greeted the girl. She wasn't pleased, though, and smacked him across the face.
'Why am I not surprised' whispered Rock. Both he and Harp took a few steps back. Sos massaged his cheek.
'What was that for?' he asked, annoyed.
The girl was furious. 'I was at the dorm and saw the message on the mirror! //Hey love, we should do that again. Lindsay//. What the fuck?!'
Sos rolled his eyes. 'Oh, that... Come on, Alice, I can explain--'
'Alice?!' The girl repeated, getting a lot more angry. 'I'm Olivia, you son of a bitch!'
Sos's eyes went wide. He scratched his head. 'Shit' he whispered.
The girl hit him again, this time with her fist. Sos stumbled back and the girl ran away.
Rock and Harp observed the scene, amused.
'Hey, buddy. Everything okay?' asked Harp, folding his arms.
'Never better' replied Sos, slightly confused. 'But don't worry. She'll be back. They always come back'
'If you say so' grinned Rock. He looked at his watch.
'Well, if think it's high time we went back to the dorm. It's getting late.'
Laughing along the way, they managed to get back in no time. Making it to the top floor, they said their goodbyes to Sos and went to their room.
'Got the keys?' asked Rock.
'Sure, I have them somewhere--' Harp began, but Rock suddenly pushed the door. They were open.
The guy slowly walked inside to find...
'Harp!'
'Lucy!' Harp went on to hug her. 'You scared us, you know?'
'Scare you?' she asked, incredulous. 'You scared me! You were supposed to call me after you come back from Jersey'
Harp felt slightly ashamed. 'Sorry' he murmured. 'A lot of things happened, I... forgot'
Lucy turned to Rock. 'Hi there!'
'Well, hi' Rock replied. 'We forgot that you have the keys'
Lucy nodded slowly and went back to Harp. She caressed his cheek. 'Everything's fine. And don't worry, your apology accepted'
Harp exhaled theathrically, which earned him a light hit to the arm.
'Ow, that really hurt' he pouted, faking his pain.
'Yeah, right. My little genius is hurt!' she mocked him playfully.
'Little?' Harp raised his eyebrows.
Before she could respond, Rock interrupted their conversation. 'You know what? Maybe I'll just leave the room to you two lovebirds?'
In typical Harp's manner, his cheeks became red. Lucy, on the other hand, had a devious smile on her face.
'Maybe you should. Much appreciated'
Rock grinned at them. 'Have fun!' And with that, he left the apartment, locking the door on his way out.
He went down the hall and wondered whether he should go fetch Sos and go out for some drinking, but decided against the idea; the basketball match was getting nearer and he alcohol was the last thing he needed. He had enough exercises today and decided that maybe he could visit Olivia and comfort her over the Sos situation. After all, physical activity is a physical activity...
His thoughts were interrupted by his ringing phone. He looked at the screen and froze. They were calling him past 11 p.m.?
He picked up the call with shaking hands.
"Hello?"
******
Holding hands, Harp and Lucy made their way to the classroom.
'Maybe I should stop calling you altogether' he said.
'Don't ever think about it' she replied with a laugh. 'I'm the one who made you come out of your shell of shyness. I'm not letting you get back into it.'
They walked inside and sat at their desks. Harp noticed, however, that Rock's desk was empty.
Mr Deadwaste walked inside. 'Good morning everyone!' he said in a happy tone. 'Starting today, we'll be making revisions for the final exam in two weeks, on Thursay...'
Harp looked at Lucy and shook his arms. 'He's probably hungover after some party yesterday.'
But when Rock didn't appear at the next two classes, Harp was getting worried. During the break, he picked up his phone and tried calling him - to no avail. He then proceeded to call someone else.
'Sos!' Harp said. 'What the hell's taking you so long?'
'I'm training right now. You know, for the match?' responded Sos matter-of-factly.
Suddenly, Harp heard someone else on the line. 'Who are you talking to? Come back here!' It was a girl's voice.
'Training?' questioned Harp, raising his eyebrows.
'You have to do what you have to do' laughed Sos, ignoring girl's question. 'So what is it?'
'Have you seen Rock? He didn't show up at the classes--'
'Yeah, yeah' Sos interrupted him. 'I was out shopping for breakfast and met him on my way to the shop, by Faber Park. Before you ask - I have no idea why he went there. Didn't really have a chance to talk to him'
Harp sighed. 'Okay, thanks'
******
The sun hid behind clouds and the day turned bleak. The wind was getting stronger, but it didn't really cause anyone to hide inside their houses. Some of them still enjoyed their little strolls.
Harp made his way to the Faber Park. Young and old people alike were walking by the riverside or sitting on the benches. Harp immediately spotted the guy he was looking for. Making his way towards a lonely figure sitting on the bench just by the West Reach river, Rock was staring at it, with an absentminded look on his face.
Harp sat on the bench. Rock looked at him for a moment, but then turned to face the river again.
'Hi' he said quietly. Harp nodded.
'You gave me a little scare, you know that?'
Rock sighed. 'Sorry. Should've called'
Several minutes have passed without any of them saying anything. The silence was interrupted only by the waves of the river and laughter of people passing by them.
'It's my dad' said Rock slowly after a while.
Harp didn't say anything to that, at least not initially.
'They called you from hospital?'
Rock nodded. 'Yeah. But...' he trailed off. It seemed like he wanted to say something, but decided against it. He didn't really feel like it, to tell the truth.
But no words were needed. Harp was fully aware of the situation.
'How do you feel?' he asked and immediately regretted that question. It was stupid.
But Rock answered him. 'For the first time in my life... I feel like I'm truly alone.'
These words cause Harp to react. 'Don't ever say that, you hear me? Hey, look at me, okay?'
Rock did as Harp said.
'We're here for you, okay? If there's anything--'
'That's really cheesy' replied Rock, chuckling slightly. 'But thanks, mate'
Both of them smiled and turned to observe the river, sitting in comfortable silence. God knows how long they were there, but, in the end, the sun reappeared from behind the clouds, making the day a little lighter.
'Everything's going to be fine' offered Harp. He rose his hand. 'High five'
Rock laughed, this time for real, without any hint of sadness. He also rose his hand to touch Harp's palm...
ONE WEEK LATER
...and then he tapped the ball, throwing it against the floor, dribbling past the other players.
71 to 70.
Fourth quarter.
The team's losing ground.
00:05...
'Although my parents think it'll be a formality, I don't want to jinx it and still try to prepare as best as I can' said Harp. The people were leaving the classroom.
'They do count on you. You're their only son after all' Rock pointed out.
'Damn, you too?' Harp rolled his eyes. 'I'm under so much pressure I almost feel as if I'm being squeezed to death'
'I'm just kidding, you'll make it' laughed Rock. 'You're a genius compared to me. I barely made it past every semester. Basketball's the only ace up my sleeve--'
'Mr Rock!' Mr Deadwaste called after him. 'May I have a word with you?'
Rock sighed. 'Eh, let's see what he wants and get out of here, okay?'
Someone from the opposite team tried to take the ball over, but Rock managed to dodge him.
00:04...
'What do you mean, I won't get a pass?' Rock exclaimed.
'I'm sorry' began Mr Deadwaste 'But your marks are not sufficient enough to award you a passing grade. I'm sorry'
'You can't do that! Please!' begged Rock. 'If I won't get a pass, the match result won't mean a thing!'
'Once again, I apologize' said Mr Deadwaste sadly. 'There's nothing I can do. But, to tell the truth, if only you put a little more effort to learning earlier--'
'Can you at least let him attend the final exam?' Harp interrupted him. Both Deadwaste and Rock turned to him. Rock seemed taken aback while Deadwaste seemed curious.
'Let the final exam determine whether Rock will pass or not. Just give him a chance. He's been through a lot, and this can't be the obstacle on his way. Please' Harp tried everything in his might to convince Deadwaste.
After a long pause, the teached exhaled deeply and slowly nodded. 'Alright. But this is the last chance'
00:03...
The audience stood up and the hall was quiet like never before. Rock made it past the half line of the basketball court and the opposite team players.
00:02...
'This isn't worth shit' said Rock, annoyed.
'He gave you a chance!' countered Harp.
'What's it worth when I won't be able to pass the test?! I have to train!' shouted Rock, angry. 'I don't have the time to learn the stuff from all three years from the scratch! How am I supposed to pass the fucking exam?!'
Harp scratched his head. 'We'll think of something. We can look at the past tests, maybe he'll reuse some of the past questions'
The two of them were walking alone through the main hall. When they walked outside, Rock's head shot up.
'Questions' he said. 'Harp... this is it'
Harp looked at him. 'What is?'
Rock stopped him. 'The questions! Don't you get it?' he started to explain. 'Deadwaste always prepares the tests a day earlier. He needs to make copies and shit. We could...' he hesitated for a moment. '...sneak out of our dorm and--'
'Are you out of your mind?!' Harp was shocked. 'You want to steal the questions?!'
'What else can I do?' countered Rock. 'And it's not if he'll notice anything, it'll be just one copy. He'll probably think that he miscalculated--'
'Tell me you're joking'
'I'm not! My future is hanging in the balance!'
'And so is mine!' Harp shot back, infuriated. 'Do you even realize what you're asking me to do? I--'
'No one will find out!' Rock assured him.
'I can't allow any misstep right now! Do you have any idea how risky this is? I have to pass the exam too, but I won't go for it'
Rock felt betrayed. 'Easy for you to say. You don't even have to revise at all, you'll pass without a problem. I'll be the only one screwed over'
Harp shook his head. 'You're unbelievable!'
With that, he walked away from Rock.
'I can't do this by myself!' Rock shouted after him, but Harp didn't reply.
Rock jumped forward and threw the ball, desperately hoping it'll meet its target before the time runs out...
00:01...
...when the ball went through the basket, with the referee raising both of his hands, showing three fingers with each of them.
00:00.
End of fourth quarter.
71 to 73.
People on the street thought for a moment that some sort of explosion must have rocked the Port Richmond High School - the cheers were that loud.
The team players made it to the Rock and everyone went on to hug and brofist him.
'We made it!' Sos screamed. 'We fucking made it!'
He and the other team members grabbed Rock and started throwing him up, cheering his name. The audience rose from their seats and flooded the court, joining the celebration.
When Rock was finally on the ground, he sensed that someone patted him on the back. He turned around and noticed that it was Harp.
'Congratulations!' he said. 'You deserved this'
Before Rock could say anything, Harp pulled him closer.
'And don't worry. I'll help you'
Rock couldn't utter a word. 'I... thank you. I really do. Thanks, man'
Harp nodded and then motioned with his hand towards someone behind Rock. He turned around and saw headmaster Admin approaching him. He was with a man both Rock and Harp didn't know.
'Congratulations, Mr Rock, that was a fantastic match!'
'Thanks, sir' replied Rock, slightly embarassed.
'And what a fantastic display of skill! That final shot... I must admit, that was something.'
'He's always like that. I saw him training' grinned Harp.
'Really? Well, that makes the matters easier' replied Admin. Harp and Rock exchanged looks.
'Easier?'
'Yes' Admin continued. 'See, Mr Rock, this man here' he turned to the stranger next to him. 'is Mr Robinson from Columbia University. I think he might want to have a word with you.'
******
WEDNESDAY
THE NIGHT BEFORE THE EXAM
Both Rock and Harp walked out of their room and locked the door.
'Did you leave the window open in the bathroom?'
'Yeah, just like we planned.'
They made their way towards the school building and walked around it.
'What did they tell you?' asked Harp.
'That both me and Sos will receive a place at Columbia. The only requirement is graduating.' Rock said, observing their surroundings.
'So' exhaled Harp. 'There's no way out of this. You must pass the test.'
The night was quite dark. Seeing no one around, Rock climbed through the window first and then helped Harp.
'Alright, we're in.' Rock whispered. 'Remember what we're going to do?'
'Yup' Harp nodded. 'I'll go and fetch a copy of the test. You'll be on a lookout, in case a security officer comes around here.'
'Alright, that's it' Rock confirmed. 'Let's get this over with'
Half-crawling, they walked out of the bathroom. Sneaking through the hallways of their own high school seemed quite bizzare to both of them. Harp couldn't help but worry. They were breaking the law. This was way worse than anything he could imagine. Worse than risking all these years of academic achievements...
But he was doing that for a friend. He had to remember that.
They made it to the second floor without bumping anyone from security.
'So far so good' sighed Rock. 'Okay, his office is at the end of the hallway. I'll keep looking around. Go, quick!'
Harp sneaked his way towards the door. He had a lockpick with him, but when he pushed the doorknob, he realized the door was open.
'They're open!' he hissed.
Rock looked at him, alarmed. 'What?'
'They're open! They should've been closed!'
Rock didn't know what to do, but Harp peaked inside.
'It's dark, no one's inside!'
Sweat appeared on his face. Rock was getting nervous too. 'Then get the test and let's go!'
Harp inhaled deeply and walked inside. The office was indeed empty. He started looking around, but couldn't spot anything out of place. The tests were nowhere in sight.
'I don't like this...' he whispered to himself.
He walked to the desk and opened the first drawer. Inside was a piece of paper with questions... inscribed on them. Some of them were scratched out, some were unfinished. Harp quickly realized what was happening.
It was the first draft of the exam. Nothing was ready yet. Which means that Deadwaste was still working on it--
The noise outside alarmed him. Harp closed the drawer. He noticed that someone turned on the light outside the office. He heard footsteps. They were getting closer...
'...inside school, at nighttime!' he heard Deadwaste's voice. Harp panicked, but there was no place to hide.
The door opened and both Deadwaste and Rock walked inside. Deadwaste stopped, dead in his tracks, shocked to see Harp there.
'Mr Harp?' he said, not hiding his surprise. 'What are you doing here?!'
But before Harp had a chance to answer, Deadwaste noticed that the drawer was not completely closed.
'The exam...' he whispered and looked both at Harp and Rock. 'Oh, I see now...'
'Mr Deadwaste, please--!' Harp tried to say something, but he knew it was a lost game.
'Silence!' Deadwaste interrupted him rather harshly. 'You'll stand before the headmaster. He'll decide what to do with you.'
******
'Two students...' began Admin, hardly believing what he was talking about. '...breaking inside the school... to steal the copy of an exam... this is... this--"
He breathed heavily. Both Harp and Rock were standing in front of him, heads down.
'No student has ever disgraced himself or this school!' he snapped. 'And for a student who was one of the best at school... this is beyond anything I could ever imagine!'
Admin finally stood up from his armchair. He walked around his desk and stood before Harp and Rock.
'This is the only reason I won't call this in. Do you even realize you could be charged for this?!'
'Sorry, sir' was everything they could say.
'No' Admin shook his head. 'It doesn't work that way. The consequence to your actions will be severe. This can't go unpunished.'
Both of them were waiting what Admin would say. And what he said surprised them.
'Harp!' he ordered.
Harp rose his head. 'Sir?'
'Tell me the truth' Admin seemed to be cool, but the anger was noticeable. 'Whose... idea... was this?'
'I don't unders--'
'Then try to!' Admin replied harshly. 'Whose idea was this?!'
Harp turned to look at Rock. His eyes were empty. Harp realized that this was the million dollar question, but he didn't know which answer was the right - if there even was one.
Admin urged him to say something. 'Well?'
The pause felt like an eternity. Harp exhaled deeply.
'It was...'
-> ME <-
-> ROCK <-
-> [DON'T SAY ANYTHING] <-
******
END OF PART ONE
-> ROCK <-
-> [DON'T SAY ANYTHING] <-
******
END OF PART ONE