FREAK 020: THE ENDING

The coming-of-age story of a brilliant young man with Tourette’s Syndrome who searches for social acceptance at a New England prep school. An unexpected twist at the end. (c) Copyrighted Material: 2011

THE OTHER ENDING

And then there comes a bright, spring day, when all the parents, students, and faculty mill about campus, waiting for the final ceremony.

Banners hang from trees:

Congratulations! Best Wishes!

After everyone is seated, Dean Winterbourne stands at the podium.

“The Winterbourne Memorial Scholarship is one of the most prestigious awards Wakefield Academy has to bestow,” he begins. “Previous recipients include students who have achieved greatness in politics, literature, and film. And this year's recipient, I am sure, will distinguish himself in whatever field he chooses to pursue. He has displayed brilliance through adversity, and triumphed over obstacles that few of us can imagine.

“And so, without further ado, I give you this years winner of the Winterbourne Memorial Scholarship-George Gust.”

Applause.

Georgie hops, skips, and jumps up to the stage. He takes his award and mumbles something into Dean Winterbournes ear. The dean nods his assent, and Georgie takes his place at the podium.

“This has been a year unlike any other for me,” Georgie says nervously. “It's been a very good year. This year I learned as much from life as I did from class, and I'm proud to accept this scholarship. However, without the presence of Claudia Nesbitt in my life....”

He pauses as murmurs from the audience interrupt him.

“I don't think Id be standing up here today to accept this award if it wasn't for her. So I just want to say, Thank you, Claudia. Thank you for teaching me about life, about writing, and about myself.”

He holds the placard above his head.

“This is for you, Claudia.”

Then he grimaces intentionally.

“And, this, too.”

He wraps his arm over his head and pulls his ear. The audience responds with appreciative laughter.

“And this.”

He tics again. The audience claps.

“And this.”

Georgie hop, hop, hop, skip, skips across stage. The audience explodes in thunderous applause.

Later, outside, students, parents, and faculty members mill about, chatting, taking pictures, and sipping punch from paper cups. Georgie stands near the water fountain, apart from everyone, clutching his diploma.

Pops and Rose approach and wrap their arms around Georgie.

He hugs them.

“That was quite an acceptance speech,” Pops says.

“I was so proud,” Rose cried. She hesitates a moment. “We were so proud.”

Georgie's parents beam. They turn around to pour themselves a glass of punch, and pour one for Georgie, too.

Across the commons, Ozer looks on with a half-smile.

Georgie notices and lifts his hand in a half-wave.

Heidi approaches him slowly across the lawn.

“Georgie?”

He looks up.

“Congratulations,” she shakes his hand warmly.

Georgie smiles. “Thanks. What about you? Are you coming back next year?”

Heidi shakes her head. “No,” she says.

“They let you go?”

Heidi smiles.

“Lets call it a mutually agreed upon parting of ways.”

“They fired you?”

Heidi pats Georgie's arm.

“No, Georgie, they didn't fire me. Really, it was time for me to go.”

“That's so unfair,” Georgie scowls. “You're such a good teacher.” He pauses. “A wonderful teacher.”

Heidi squeezes his shoulder.

Pops and Rose offer Georgie his punch and put their arms around him again as Heidi smiles, her eyes glistening with tears.

Georgie hugs his parents, watching Heidi all the while.

Heidi smiles more brightly, and then cocks her head quizzically.

“Heidi, I'd like to introduce my mom and dad,” Georgie says politely.

THE END

-Jonathan Harnisch

FREAK 019: HOW THE SH*T HITS THE FAN

The coming-of-age story of a brilliant young man with Tourette’s Syndrome who searches for social acceptance at a New England prep school. An unexpected twist at the end. (c) Copyrighted Material: 2011

HOW THE SHIT HITS THE FAN

Paramedics, rescue personnel, Dean Winterbourne, and Heidi stand on the bluff with Georgie.

Heidi has her arm around Georgie. His face is white and his body shakes-regularly-with shock.

Together they watch the paramedics and rescue personnel remove Claudia's body from the tree.

Georgie buries his head in Heidi's armpit.

Dean Winterbourne sees. He shakes his head at Heidi, but she only pulls Georgie closer.

Later that night Georgie, agitated, sits in front of his computer. He writes furiously then deletes everything he's written.

He drums his fingers on the desktop, writes again in a flurry of fingers, and then leaps to his feet. In one fell swoop, he knocks the computer and monitor to the ground. Surprisingly, they land upright and intact.

Georgie throws himself on the bed. He balls his hands into fists and starts tugging at his hair.

“Fuck. Fuck you. Fuck me. Fuck Claudia. Fuck fuck fuck,” he grits through clenched teeth.

He gets to his feet, pulls on a sweatshirt and storms out of his room. He walks straight to The Pen, hands in his pockets and face in the shadows.

When he enters, Georgie stops first at the cigarette machine. He buys a pack and then sits down at the bar.

Ozer is already there, sitting in the back. He notices Georgie arrive; watches his every motion.

The bartender, a glass of bourbon in his hand, walks over to Georgie and sets the glass down in front of him.

“Good to see you, my man,” he says cheerfully.

Georgie nods, not making eye contact. The bartender wanders off as Georgie raises the glass to his lips.

A very drunk Ozer approaches, wraps his arm around Georgie's shoulder, and starts to cry.

“Shit, Twitch, I cant fuckin believe it,” he moans. “What a waste. What a fuckin goddamn waste.”

Georgie says nothing. The glass is poised at his lips; the unopened pack of cigarettes sits on the bar.

“I loved her...I fuckin loved that chick.”

“Her name was Claudia,” Georgie says evenly.

“I know, man. I loved her.”

Georgie puts his drink down.

“You didn't love her. I did. You didn't even like her,” Georgie accuses. “You cheated on her with Susan. I heard you, Ozer.... That day in the library, I heard you.”

Ozer mutters incoherently to himself. Georgie pushes his drink away, gets off the stool, and heads towards the door. Ozer's voice stops him.

“Georgie.”

Georgie turns.

“For what its worth, man, I'm sorry. For Claudia. For your journal, your room... For fuckin all of it.”

Georgie leaves.

When Georgie returns to his dorm room, Heidi is waiting for him in the hall. His door isn't completely closed.

Heidi smiles sadly at him.

Georgie walks past her without speaking and enters his room. Heidi follows.

Georgie looks around the room and then flops to his bed, pulling out the pack of cigarettes.

“Can I come in?” Heidi asks.

Georgie's face is stone. “You already are.”

She takes another step forward, and then stops.

“I came to see how you're doing.”

Georgie shrugs.

“But you weren't here, so I waited. How are you doing, Georgie?”

Georgie opens the pack of cigarettes, pulls one out.

“You want to talk about it?”

“I'm th-th-through t-talking.”

He pats his pockets and looks on the night table, searching for a match. He gets off the bed, pulls open his desk drawers, and starts to dump everything on the floor.

Heidi reaches into her own pocket and tosses him a lighter.

Georgie looks surprised.

“Will that make you feel better-undoing everything you've already done?”

Georgie lights the cigarette, but he doesn't inhale.

“I went to The Pen,” he says at last.

Heidi waits.

“But I didn't drink.”

He inhales and coughs slightly.

“So I'm not undoing everything.”

“Just some things?”

Georgie holds the lit cigarette still in his hand.

“How about the Winterbourne?” She indicates the computer and monitor on the floor. “Are you undoing that?”

Georgie shrugs. He says nothing.

“I wish there were something I could say, Georgie, that would make all of this somehow better. But there's nothing.... I can't even tell you that you'll get over it, because you wont.... I never got over my sisters death. But you go on, Georgie. That's the thing. You keep on living, and you can't afford to lose everything you've worked so hard for.”

“I don't want to go on.” Georgie's face scrunches up painfully, like a child's.

“I understand that.”

“I loved her,” he sobs.

“I know.”

Georgie cries unabashedly before his teacher.

“I really did. She was the first girl I ever knew who didn't fuckin judge me, who didn't keep looking at me like I was some sort of freak. She just let me be...be! You know?”

“I know.”

“And now she's just...she's gone.”

Georgie can't speak now for the sobs that have overtaken him. Heidi goes to him and wraps her arms around his shoulders. She takes the cigarette from his hand and puts it out on the desk.

When Georgie's tears finally still, he stands. Georgie picks up the computer and monitor and sets them on the desk.

“Every time I sit down to write, I freeze,” he explains. “I look at the screen, and all I can see is her. All I see is Claudia.... No matter what I do, I can't get her out of my head. It's so bad, I'm thinking of leaving.”

“Leaving Wakefield?”

Georgie nods.

“The reason I came here was so I could write and maybe win the Winterbourne and go to college. Now I don't even know if I want to go to college. I mean, a lot of writers don't even go to college.”

“True, but a lot of writers do go to college. You feel like it's your fault? That you should have somehow known?”

Georgie nods.

“Its not, and you couldn't have,” Heidi says.

Georgie smiles, but cautiously. He's not reassured.

“She wasn't well, Georgie.”

“But she trusted me. I should've seen it coming. I should've stopped her.”

“You couldn't have....” Heidi pauses. “Did you know she left you a letter?”

Georgie looks at her blankly.

Heidi rummages through her purse and brings out an envelope. “They found it on her body...I told her parents I knew you, that Id give it to you.”

She hands the envelope to Georgie, who opens it, pulls out a single piece of paper, and starts to read.

Georgie, if you're reading this, then I did it. I finally did it, finally found the courage....

Georgie looks at Heidi.

“The courage?”

Heidi nods.

…The courage to stop living the charade, stop pretending to be what I'm not. Happy.... Georgie, I've been trying to get myself out of here since I was 12. Ever my dad died. So be happy for me, okay? I'll see you. Later. On the Other Side. And remember, “Dying is an art...I do it exceptionally well.”

Georgie glances again at Heidi.

“She quoted Plath?”

Heidi nods.

“Why?”

“She wasn't well, Georgie.”

“But quoting Plath? Like she was writing a term paper or something?”

“You couldn't have done anything. She needed help, Georgie...more help than you could've given her.”

Georgie gets to his feet. He slides the paper back to Heidi.

“You don't want this?” Heidi asks.

“I can't remember her that way.”

Heidi nods, and then leaves.

Georgie turns back to his laptop. Soon, the shouts and laughter of students below his window drift up to his room. He doesn't notice. He types steadily, without deleting a thing. At 10 p.m. he goes to bed, sleeps for exactly eight hours, and then wakes up in the morning and immediately begins typing once more.

-Jonathan Harnisch

FREAK 018: A TWISTED TREE

The coming-of-age story of a brilliant young man with Tourette’s Syndrome who searches for social acceptance at a New England prep school. An unexpected twist at the end. (c) Copyrighted Material: 2011

A TWISTED TREE

The next morning, Georgie walks across campus to class. Students are gathered around the entrance to the academic building, talking excitedly.

Susan catches his eye and, for once, she actually looks happy to see him. She rushes up.

“Have you seen Claudia? She's gone,” Susan pleads.

“Gone?” Georgie echoes.

“Gone,” Susan repeats, irritated. “We can't find her.”

“Can't find her?”

“What are you, deaf? I said Claudia's gone. As in, nobody knows where she is. Have you seen her?”

Georgie feels a faint dawn of understanding. He shudders.

“Last night I did....”

“What time?” Susan presses.

“Eight? Nine? I don't remember.”

Susan rolls her eyes in frustration and walks on. “Shit, what kind of help is that?” she mutters.

Georgie thinks. Then he turns to Susan, who's hurrying away from him.

“Did anyone check the bluff?” he calls.

Susan keeps walking. She doesn't appear to hear him.

Georgie turns around and strides quickly to the woods. He hurries up the path, glancing all around for Claudia, desperately hoping to find her. When he reaches the bluff, its completely deserted.

“Claudia!” he yells. All he hears is his own echo.

He searches every inch of the bluff, calling. On the ground at his feet, he finds the freak coin and starts to get frantic.

“Claudia?” His voice squeaks. He looks to the edge of the bluff, sees the waves rolling out to sea.

Finally, he makes himself go to the edge of the bluff and forces himself to look down.

He sees....

...Nothing.

Georgie sinks to the ground, relieved, laughing at himself for worrying, sighing with relief.

He stretches out flat on his back and cradles his hands under his head, still laughing.

That's when he sees:

Claudia.

Her crooked, bent body hangs in the bough of the tree, caught in broken branches.

Georgie screams.

-Jonathan Harnisch

FREAK 017: PEACEMAKING

The coming-of-age story of a brilliant young man with Tourette’s Syndrome who searches for social acceptance at a New England prep school. An unexpected twist at the end. (c) Copyrighted Material: 2011

PEACEMAKING

That night, Georgie sits in his room, writing.

My parents did their best trying to raise a kid like me. I'm a weirdo. A freak. I'm a real challenge. So I cant blame them if they didn't always succeed. If things didn't always work out right....

There's a knock on the door. Georgie opens it.

Claudia stands in the hall.

He stares silently at her.

“Can I come in?” Claudia says, shifting uneasily. “Please.”

Georgie opens the door wider. She enters the room and notices he's been working at the computer.

“Oh, you're busy. I'm sorry,” she says. She turns to leave; Georgie tugs her back.

“No, it's fine. Come here.”

“You're writing?” She peers at the monitor. “What is it?”

“My memoirs, sort of,” Georgie shrugs. “Jibber-jabber. Trying to sort things out in writing.... For the Winterbourne.”

“That's great.”

“I'm tying it into what Heidi told us about bad faith. Remember?”

Claudia glances down at her shoes. “About lying to ourselves?” she asks quietly.

Georgie nods. “Yeah. Heidi thinks I could win.”

“That's great,” Claudia says sadly.

“It would pay for college, you know. All four years.”

“I know.”

He stares at her.

“Its my dream.”

“That and becoming a rich, famous writer,” Claudia teases. She stands on tiptoe, kisses him, and heads towards the door.

“Wait! What's up? What do you want?”

“Nothing important. It was my dads birthday today, I wanted to tell you.”

Georgie grins. “Halfway to Hell,” he says.

Claudia smiles back. “You remembered.”

Georgie nods.

“That was it, though. To tell you about my dad. To say Hello, good-bye. Nothing important.”

She blows him a kiss.

“Bye, Georgie.”

Claudia closes the door quietly behind her. Georgie turns to his writing, smiling slightly still.

Georgie continues to work at the computer late into the evening. At one point, he stops and looks around as if he hears something distant...water crashing against rocks...he frowns. Then he returns to writing.

-Jonathan Harnisch