Kyle and Alex
The story is set in Toronto, around 2007. These are the opening lines of A Dragon on the Wall.
The sun is shining in Kyle's eyes as he steps out the door. He has his history textbook and his highlighter and some paper and it makes him feel tired just to hold these objects. His destination is Alex's house, across the street, but kitty corner and identical to his own house, except there is a downstairs bathroom. All the houses around here are like that -- with only the size of the porch different or maybe the too-small kitchen renovated. He sometimes wonders why his parents ended up here, when his cousins in Unionville have a huge place with an eat-in kitchen and a TV room and a library. Just there is no TTC there, not even a local bus. He's supposed to study history with Alex and everything about that is messed -- school, Alex, everything -- it makes him tired to think about it.
His phone rings and it's Burton, who wants to hang out.
“I’m on my way to Alex’s,” Kyle says.
“That nerd. His running shoes are always clean,” says Burton.
“So…” Kyle begins, but Burton keeps going.
“And he thinks he’s such a ladies man. He talked to Allison, for Christ’s sake.”
Allison has the most beautiful breasts in the school, and it’s true that Alex slid up to her and said “Hey, Baby.” She’d barely looked at him, as if he didn’t register on her consciousness. Then he did the same thing with Marybeth with the long blonde hair, then Jessica, who should be off-limits as Kyle was the first to point out how cute she is. “Hey, yourself,” Jessica laughed, her eyes meeting Kyle’s where he stood across the hallway, embarrassed.
And now Alex is obsessed with Natalie, one of those goody goody girls with the neatly kept notebooks and her agenda up to date and her homework always done. She has a perky little ass, but she also has a prissy way of pressing her lips together when Adriano Santucci says something stupid in class to get a laugh out of everyone. Kyle thinks she’s probably no fun. Alex is welcome to her.
“We’re supposed to study,” Kyle says lamely.
“Sure, whatever,” says Burton. “Just swing by.”
Kyle wouldn't care what Burton thinks about Alex if things were different. If Kyle could be sure of Alex as a friend. If everything at school this year hadn't been total shit. And why is he even worried about history when he’d be as happy to be rid of Alex, that backstabber, who went through the black door again today while Kyle had to go the long way round.
