All the Other Days. Jack Hartley

that and get some lunch after?’

      ‘What if we get caught?’

      ‘We won’t! We’ll pretend to be each other’s parents and call in sick. Come on, Romeo’

      ‘This sounds like a bad idea. What movie is it?’ I don’t know why I’m so scared to bunk. She clearly wants me to go with her.

      ‘The Wild One! It’s my favourite,’ she says.

      ‘You like Brando?’

      ‘Enough with the questions,’ she snaps. ‘Are you coming?’

      ‘Yeah, I guess so.’

      ‘Give me your phone and I’ll call in now for you.’ She reaches out for my phone so I hand it to her. She dials the school’s number into the keypad.

      ‘What’s your surname?’ she asks.

      ‘Berkeley.’

      She clears her throat and lowers her voice. It doesn’t sound a thing like my Mom’s voice, but she definitely sounds older.

      ‘Hello, this is Mrs Berkeley. I’m just calling in to let you know that Judd isn’t feeing very well today and won’t be coming in. Thank you.’ And then she hangs up the phone.

      ‘Do you think they bought it?’ I ask, slightly worried.

      ‘Yeah! I’ve done drama all high school. Your turn,’ she says.

      ‘Alright, pass me your phone.’

      ‘Yes, hi ahh, this is Mr …’ I move the phone away from my mouth and whisper, ‘what’s your surname?’

      ‘Woods,’ she whispers back.

      I try and deepen my voice. ‘Yes, this is Mr Woods. I’m just calling in because my daughter, Kate, will not be attending school today as she is very sick. Thank you.’ I hang up the phone. I know I’m going to get into so much trouble when Mom finds out. I’ve never done this before.

      ‘Did she buy it?’ Kate asks.

      ‘I feel like almost definitely not. We should probably get out of here now!’

      We both run off to the bus stop up the road. I can see the bus in the distance pulling onto the street so we run faster and get onto the bus to pay the fare.

      At the cinema, we get our tickets and popcorn and start walking to theatre six. I still feel bad for skipping class, but then I look at her, and there’s nowhere else I’d rather be right now.

      ‘I love old films. This is definitely my favourite though,’ Kate says.

      ‘You know this is mine too? Why do you like them so much? I’ve just never met anyone who actually still watches them.’

      ‘I guess it’s just the love stories in them, the way the guys look at the girls. You just don’t get that in films now. I mean, this stuff is quite lovey dovey, but at least it seems like they really do love them, ya know?’

      ‘I couldn’t agree more.’

      ‘Really? What else do you like then?’ she asks.

      ‘Anything with Brando, Dean, Hepburn, Monroe or Kelly. I just love the look of the films then. Everything seems so perfect.’

      ‘I’m impressed mister. Where are we sitting?’ Kate asks.

      I look at the tickets as we walk through the door: row J - seats 13 and 14.

      ‘Looks like we’ve got the whole place to ourselves,’ I say.

      ‘I’ve always wanted the whole movie theatre to myself! I wish I was an actor on that screen,’ she says, staring at the blank white screen.

      ‘What kind of movies would you be in then?’

      ‘Something old-looking. I’d be a femme fatale in a film noir.’

      ‘Film noir?’

      ‘It’s these films from the 40s and 50s where the woman is the bad guy and does what she wants! Shhh, it’s about to start,’ she says.

      Marlon Brando’s voice takes over the screen as the intro monologue plays, and then the motorbikes roar along the freeway. Kate looks straight ahead at the screen, and I can’t help but move my eyes to her seat next to me and look at her. I start smiling, and then out of the corner of her eye she sees me and smiles back with her cheeky grin. I look straight back at the screen, embarrassed. I’ve watched this film a thousand times over, and every time I’m fully focused on it. Apart from today. I sit there watching, wishing I was Johnny Stabler and Kate was Kathie Bleeker. I’d do what Brando does best and charm her to like me. I sit through the film fantasising about the idea and about Kate. I look at her hands sitting on the arm rest, and I want to put mine between hers and lock my fingertips in those gaps. Together, they would fit so perfectly. But I don’t. I don’t want to ruin this right now, and I don’t know if she just wants to be friends with me ’cause she’s just moved here or if she actually does like me and that’s why we’ve run from school together today.

      The final scene of the film comes, and I wish it was being played in slow-motion so this moment wouldn’t end, but the lights come back on in the theatre, and we head out and walk out onto the street.

      ‘You hungry?’ she asks.

      ‘Starving! What do you wanna get?’

      ‘My uncle owns a pizza place around here if you wanna go and try that?’ she asks.

      ‘He owns one? That sounds perfect to me!’ We walk down the street, and Kate runs ahead and stops in front of me as she sees a second-hand store. I walk up to her, stop and look at a mannequin inside the front window wearing a tilted hat just like Johnny Strablers’ in The Wild One.

      ‘Judd, are you seeing what I’m seeing?’

      ‘Yeah, I sure am.’

      ‘You have to get it.’ she says, trying to convince me.

      ‘Really? I won’t suit it.’

      ‘Yes, you will! I think you’ll look very handsome in that hat actually.’ She looks at me with big puppy dog eyes, and then I feel her pushing me in the store to try it on.

      ‘Fine I’ll get it.’

      I can’t say no to this girl. It’s like she has a hook on me already. I grab the hat off the mannequin and try it on in front of the mirror.

      ‘See! I told you you’d look handsome in it. What do you think?’ she asks.

      ‘I think I look like a bit of a dork in it.’ I laugh.

      ‘Don’t be silly. I like it on you.’

      I see her smiling at me in the reflection of the mirror and I don’t want that smile to ever go away. Personally, I don’t think I look anything like Brando with it on, but if she likes it, then I like it. I should be looking at the hat, but really, I’m just looking at her face in the mirror and studying it as much as I can. I know it pretty well now and can’t wait to get home to draw it. The way her lips curl up in the corners just as she starts smiling, this light coloured part of her lip just above the soft pinkness is raised where lipstick should go is just stunning and then her perfect teeth show as her lips drop down. I could stare at her for hours, and I’d still want to keep looking at her. I read somewhere that our brain gets rewarded when we look at attractive things, and I guess that’s why my eyes struggle to leave this sight.

      I get home in the evening as Mom’s cooking dinner, and I’m waiting to get hounded for skipping school. I know how much trouble I’ll be in if she has found out, and I know Dad is absolutely going to flip at me if he does too.

      ‘Hey sweetie. Where have you been? Was school alright?’ she asks.

      ‘Hey Mom. Yeah, school was good. I’ve just been out with a friend all afternoon,’ I say, trying to convince her I was actually