Dakota Fanning.
“Where are you from?”
“Pittsburgh,” said Dakota Fanning.
“No, I mean, what nationality are you?”
“American,” said Dakota Fanning.
“You look and sound German.”
“I thought they were going to ‘jump’ us,” said Haley Joel Osment about a minute later near the steel bridge. “I felt afraid.”
“Why did you think that?” said Dakota Fanning.
“I don’t know,” said Haley Joel Osment and hit Dakota Fanning’s cheek with a rolled-up sheet of toasted nori. She made a sad facial expression. She laughed. Haley Joel Osment photographed her with his cell phone.
mhp-yates-01.indd 86
mhp-yates-01.indd 86
7/9/10 7:48:42 AM
7/9/10 7:48:42 AM
87 • Richard Yates
In Dakota Fanning’s room the windows were up and it was sunny. They lay holding each other naked under a thin sheet. After a few minutes they were asleep. The wind moved the curtains above their heads. Dakota Fanning’s cell phone rang. It was Pedro. “Oh, why,” said Dakota Fanning.
“Oh, shit. Whose pool was he in? That is very terrible. I’m with Haley. Okay. Bye.” She said her friend Travis was epileptic and had a seizure while swimming and drowned.
She whispered “What a terrible way to die” in Haley Joel Osment’s ear.
Haley Joel Osment asked how well she knew Travis
and she said not that well and they walked to a café near the train platform. Haley Joel Osment bought iced coffee.
Dakota Fanning bought sweet chai tea. They sat in a two-seat sofa facing the rest of the café. A man sat at a table and began reading a newspaper. Haley Joel Osment took Dakota Fanning’s hand and put it in his mouth. “I felt like I had to impress that guy,” he said. Dakota Fanning laughed and hugged Haley Joel Osment. “What if your mom comes in?” said Haley Joel Osment. “She won’t,” said Dakota Fanning and called her mother saying she was walking by the river because her friend died and she was sad. After about twenty minutes she and Haley Joel Osment walked across the street to Ming Moon.
Haley Joel Osment ordered food to eat on the train.
“Andrew seemed happy today,” he said on the train
platform.
“He upped his dosage,” said Dakota Fanning grinning.
Dakota Fanning’s mother called saying Kailey was at their house.
“Does she want to see you because of Travis?” said Haley Joel Osment.
mhp-yates-01.indd 87
mhp-yates-01.indd 87
7/9/10 7:48:42 AM
7/9/10 7:48:42 AM
Tao Lin • 88
“Yes, probably,” said Dakota Fanning. “I should go.”
Haley Joel Osment sat on a concrete bench and looked at trees and a fence in the distance. The air was warm and he felt cool from the iced coffee. He was holding a novel he didn’t like that much. It was getting dark. He text-messaged Dakota Fanning “I had a good day today, was happy, it is gone forever also.” Dakota Fanning text-messaged “Sad, today was so good, Nicholas Sparks mom, want to hold you.”
A few days later on Gmail chat Haley Joel Osment said he stole DVDs of American Psycho and Husbands and Wives from Virgin Megastore. “You’re good,” said Dakota Fanning. “I’ve been planning something. I’m going to steal the raft from Price Chopper. If I go at night I could steal it. I found a section with no cameras that has big displays to hide behind.”
They made a plan for Haley Joel Osment to visit the next day.
“Once I start working for the wedding photographers I will be rich,” said Dakota Fanning. “My cat just made a scary noise. I didn’t know she was sleeping on the chair next to me. She made a cow noise. A very small cow moo.”
Haley Joel Osment said he wished he were there. He went to his apartment.
The next afternoon Dakota Fanning met him on the train platform and they walked to her house and lay holding each other on the sofa in the living room. The phone rang in the kitchen. Dakota Fanning went in the kitchen. “My neighbor saw you come in the house and called my mom,” she said in the living room.
“Where are you from?”
“Pittsburgh,” said Dakota Fanning.
“No, I mean, what nationality are you?”
“American,” said Dakota Fanning.
“You look and sound German.”
“I thought they were going to ‘jump’ us,” said Haley Joel Osment about a minute later near the steel bridge. “I felt afraid.”
“Why did you think that?” said Dakota Fanning.
“I don’t know,” said Haley Joel Osment and hit Dakota Fanning’s cheek with a rolled-up sheet of toasted nori. She made a sad facial expression. She laughed. Haley Joel Osment photographed her with his cell phone.
mhp-yates-01.indd 86
mhp-yates-01.indd 86
7/9/10 7:48:42 AM
7/9/10 7:48:42 AM
87 • Richard Yates
In Dakota Fanning’s room the windows were up and it was sunny. They lay holding each other naked under a thin sheet. After a few minutes they were asleep. The wind moved the curtains above their heads. Dakota Fanning’s cell phone rang. It was Pedro. “Oh, why,” said Dakota Fanning.
“Oh, shit. Whose pool was he in? That is very terrible. I’m with Haley. Okay. Bye.” She said her friend Travis was epileptic and had a seizure while swimming and drowned.
She whispered “What a terrible way to die” in Haley Joel Osment’s ear.
Haley Joel Osment asked how well she knew Travis
and she said not that well and they walked to a café near the train platform. Haley Joel Osment bought iced coffee.
Dakota Fanning bought sweet chai tea. They sat in a two-seat sofa facing the rest of the café. A man sat at a table and began reading a newspaper. Haley Joel Osment took Dakota Fanning’s hand and put it in his mouth. “I felt like I had to impress that guy,” he said. Dakota Fanning laughed and hugged Haley Joel Osment. “What if your mom comes in?” said Haley Joel Osment. “She won’t,” said Dakota Fanning and called her mother saying she was walking by the river because her friend died and she was sad. After about twenty minutes she and Haley Joel Osment walked across the street to Ming Moon.
Haley Joel Osment ordered food to eat on the train.
“Andrew seemed happy today,” he said on the train
platform.
“He upped his dosage,” said Dakota Fanning grinning.
Dakota Fanning’s mother called saying Kailey was at their house.
“Does she want to see you because of Travis?” said Haley Joel Osment.
mhp-yates-01.indd 87
mhp-yates-01.indd 87
7/9/10 7:48:42 AM
7/9/10 7:48:42 AM
Tao Lin • 88
“Yes, probably,” said Dakota Fanning. “I should go.”
Haley Joel Osment sat on a concrete bench and looked at trees and a fence in the distance. The air was warm and he felt cool from the iced coffee. He was holding a novel he didn’t like that much. It was getting dark. He text-messaged Dakota Fanning “I had a good day today, was happy, it is gone forever also.” Dakota Fanning text-messaged “Sad, today was so good, Nicholas Sparks mom, want to hold you.”
A few days later on Gmail chat Haley Joel Osment said he stole DVDs of American Psycho and Husbands and Wives from Virgin Megastore. “You’re good,” said Dakota Fanning. “I’ve been planning something. I’m going to steal the raft from Price Chopper. If I go at night I could steal it. I found a section with no cameras that has big displays to hide behind.”
They made a plan for Haley Joel Osment to visit the next day.
“Once I start working for the wedding photographers I will be rich,” said Dakota Fanning. “My cat just made a scary noise. I didn’t know she was sleeping on the chair next to me. She made a cow noise. A very small cow moo.”
Haley Joel Osment said he wished he were there. He went to his apartment.
The next afternoon Dakota Fanning met him on the train platform and they walked to her house and lay holding each other on the sofa in the living room. The phone rang in the kitchen. Dakota Fanning went in the kitchen. “My neighbor saw you come in the house and called my mom,” she said in the living room.
Similar Books
