PICTURES | j.p. mangan

ten

Marie told her father that she was going to Simone's aunts house to help catch Simone up on what school she had missed when she was off that day, and he allowed her to be out until 10:30. Which, for Marie-Madeleine, on a school night was a great curfew that made her excited for how long she would get to spend with Jean-Pierre.

As Marie brushed her hair and repositioned her headband, she heard her personal phone ring and quickly answered it on the first ring.

"Hello."

"I'm at the pay phone at the end of your street." The voice of Jean-Pierre blessed Marie's ears, causing her to smile and poke fun.

"I'm sorry, who is this?"

"I'm freezing, Marie. Please, come and put me out my misery." He begged.

"Now, sir, what did you say your name was again?" Marie giggle at her own joke.

"It's me, Herman, I've brought my frog with me."

"Ew, Jean-Pierre!" He laughed at Marie's reaction.

"Now, hurry before I freeze to death."

Marie quickly grabbed her purse and ran down the stairs, grabbing a coat and yelling a quick goodbye as she went out the door. She scarcely heard her father yell '10:30' back to her, but paid no mind as she practically ran down the street and flung her arms around Jean-Pierre's neck, a cigarette hanging loosely from his lip.

She took the cigarette in her gloved hand and threw it on the ground, silencing his protest with a chaste kiss to his lips.

"Hi." She smiled.

"Hi." He returned, as the pair separated and began to walk towards town. "Come back, you're nice and warm!" He laughed as she playfully pulled away from his grasp, but ultimately she ended up huddled under his arm and practically inside his coat, holding the hand that hung from her shoulder as well as having an arm wrapped around him.

"How was school?" She asked him.

"Okay. My Latin teacher wants me to do a competition."

"Yeah?"

"Yes." Jean-Pierre nodded and dipped his head to press a quick kiss to Marie's forehead.

"Will you?"

"Maybe, my parents think I should and I feel that I owe it to him," Jean-Pierre sensed Marie's confusion and continued. "He was the deciding vote on whether or not I stayed at Volitaire, so I feel I should show him he made the right decision by doing it."

"But?" Marie sensed there was more that Jean-Pierre was feeling about it.

"But, it will take a lot of time out of school and out of my studies to prepare and compete. And the competition is so close to my exam that I would rather focus on that."

"You're good at everything." Marie told him, as the pair began to start seeing street lights, hinting that they were nearing the main part of town.

"How so?"

"You are a good brother, a good son, a good student, I mean have you ever failed a test?" Marie asked, blowing on Jean-Pierre's hand that rested in hers on her shoulder as it went red for how long he had been out in the freezing cold.

"No. And I think you forgot great kisser." He smirked.

"Great?" Marie teased. "I would say average, nothing to phone home about but," before she could even finish her sentence, she was spun around to face Jean-Pierre and their lips met.

"Nothing special, hmm?"

"Uh-huh." Marie ignored his tease and leaned back in, her eyes still closed.

"No, I want to hear you say that I am the best kisser ever." Jean-Pierre teased up and down her face, rubbing his nose with her small, now red, one.

"Yes, best kisser ever."

"Okay, I accept." He kissed her fleetingly and then resumed their old position, walking towards to movie theatre once more.

"What are we going to see?"

"The Music Man, it's the only thing that plays on a Tuesday. Have you seen it?"

"No, but back at St. Mary Magdalen's we used to do a movie night every Thursday, and we had had our own projector screen and a big old film tape and we had to bring in the groundskeeper to do the change over because he was the only one that could manage." Jean-Pierre listened contently to Marie's rant about how much she enjoyed seeing the movies and how it would always be the highlight of her week. "You see, one day I'm going to be the one on all the posters and in the movies." Marie-Madeleine admitted her wildest dream to the boy next to her, as they approached to cinema.

"Is that so?" Jean-Pierre smiled at the dreaming girl that he held in his arms.

"Well, no. But a girl can dream." Marie smiled up at him. "How do you know we won't see anyone from school?"

"They are all at the social club or at home studying, they have some comedian preforming tonight and everyone who would go to the movies have opted out to see something new instead." Jean-Pierre led the girl away from the main entrance and towards to back of the building.

"What are we doing?"

"It doesn't count as going to the pictures unless you sneak in." Jean-Pierre kissed her quickly and then ran off ahead, dragging her along behind him, connected at their hands.