Boy Window Chapter 11: The Big Non-Reveal

Last time in Boy Window...The whole school finds out that Liam has a girlfriend and decides to bet on who he would have sex with next. Liam then takes Amber home to his parents to so they could “meet” each other.

Chapter 11

You know, I realize now that I was whining and moaning about not having a conflict and now we have a conflict. The bet is stupid but it is a conflict. I will take what I can get.

Meanwhile...

“'Hi, Amber. Long time no see,' Rick greeted immediately leaning in and planting a kiss on my cheek. I smiled, trying not to show my unease that he was so close to me.”

So...I guess the parents still don't know why their son at the age of 15 beat the shit out of Amber's dad and forced him out her life.

Negligence aside, they are the perfect “Leave it to Beaver” parents, right down to the cookie baking. After a half a page of comic misunderstanding everyone is shitting rainbows they are so happy Liam and Amber are together.

Fast forward past diner, Amber is talking with Liam's mom (Pat). She says that Liam has been in love with her for years. Amber is confused for some reason, saying he said he liked her. Pat says of course he loves her, he calls her Angel.

“I looked at her, confused. 'What does that have to do with anything?' I asked, frowning. I loved Pat dearly, but sometimes she could be a little crazy.”

How smart is Amber supposed to be again? Did she seriously think that he called her “Angel” for no reason?

“'...as soon as you walked through the door, Liam just stared at you. He literally couldn't take his eyes off you...'”

Considering this was at Liam's 6^th birthday party, Amber must have been one hot 4 year old.

“'...he turned to me, and do you know what he said to me?' [..] 'He said in a deadly serious tone, 'Momma, am I dead?' And I said 'no honey, you're not dead', and he shook his head, looking all confused about something. Then he pointed to you dancing and said 'if I'm not dead, then why is there an angel in our house?'”

Aw, how very trite. I mean, cute. Yes, cute.

“I gasped. Holy crap! That's why he calls me Angel?”

No, he calls you “Angel” cause he thinks your the spawn of Satan. Geb's rolling dunes, why did you think he called you “Angel”. No, you know what. Here is my head canon. He saw her and thought she was an angel from Neon Genesis Evangelion.

 Yep, I totally see the similarities.

Pat confirms that Jake has kept them apart. Her and Amber have the “Let's tell Jake” conversation and it is just so fresh to hear another character's input – nah, I'm shitting you. It's the same thing for the fourth time. What did you expect?

Liam comes in and smooches Amber

“...he kissed me, nibbling my lip, asking for entrance. I whimpered and shook my head, pulling away. Jeez, has he forgotten that his mom is sitting there watching us?”

At first I was with Amber in the “bro, your mom is right there. Have some decorum.” but then I got distracted by the use of “whimpered”. That implies a certain level of terror, which does not fit the tone Moseley is going for. Is Amber having an episode or is she just uncomfortable? Cause it sounds like the former.

“He groaned, pouting at me like a child. 'Angel, I haven't seen you all day,' he whined. The word Angel had me giggling nervously. Was Pat telling the truth? Did Liam really call me that because he thought I was an Angel when he was six years old?”

Why would his mother lie to you? It's not like she is trying to help him get laid. Why does Amber question the dumbest things but ignores legitimate concerns?

“We both looked over at Pat, who was staring with a huge grin on her face, like she was watching the cutest thing in the world.”

Why do so many people like watching Liam and Amber make out? Is every in this mysterious town a sex offender and a voyeur?

Liam takes Amber to his room to “listen to music”

“I hadn't been in his bedroom for years. The last time I was in here was probably about two years ago, when I came in to change my clothes after we'd had an epic water fight and Jake and I had gotten locked out.”

1. Until they got together, Amber made it pretty clear she did not care much for Liam. Her reasoning didn't make sense but that was her assertion. If that was the case, why would she have a water fight with him? That's a pretty friendly-thing to do.
2. Why was it necessary for her to hate Liam in the first place? She could have just never thought of him that way because he was her brother's best friend and she was afraid to lose her snuggle buddy if a romantic relationship went south. It would make sense for her to not like him if she was not close to him at all, but because they had a pre-existing relationship her hostility (for the reasons she has given) makes no sense.
3. Liam has proven himself skilled at breaking and entering, he has done this for eight years. So, why didn't he help this time? He didn't have to say how he acquired this skill, I've locked myself out of my house a couple of times and had to do the same. Was he just being a dick?
4. It just occurred to me, they have a fence. I had to go back to chapter 1 and check but they do. It just occurred to me that in order for little Liam to see Amber crying when she was 8, there couldn't be a fence higher than 3 feet tall. At the time, she explained that he was able to get through the fence due to a hole in the structure, but he probably doesn't fit anymore. How has a late night driver never seen Liam cross into Amber's yard by going over the fence? Or back into his own in the wee hours of the morning?

Anyway...

Amber looks at some pictures Liam has up. She finds one of a recent dance competition.

“I hadn't even seen him there, so I hadn't known he'd come to support me.”

So he stalked her? Let's not sugar coat this. He found out were she would be, went there without telling her, watched her without her knowing it, and photographed her. That sounds an awful lot like stalking to me.

Apparently, stalking gets her hot and bothered because in the next paragraph she is straddling him on his bed. And, of course, this means makes out happen.

“He was running his hands slowly down my body from the top of my head down to my waist and back u again, looking at me adoringly.”

Amber is weirded out, not by Liam petting her like a cat, but because he is staring at her adoringly.

“'I want to know why you call me Angel.'”

Are we seriously wasting time on this?

“He gasped...”

More with the gasping, should I call a doctor?

“'No way. I'm not answering that,' he whined”

And instead of respecting his choice to not share what he feels to be uncomfortable, Amber sexual coerces him into it. Cause that's and okay thing to do.

He tells her more or less what his mom had said.

“So what Pat said was true.”

Again, why would she lie?

“'The first time I saw you, I thought you were an Angel straight from heaven. You were so beautiful that you took my breath away'”

I'm sure 4 year old Amber was super foxy.

Okay, maybe not that foxy.

More make outs happen to the surprise of no one. Liam says “I love you” and Amber doesn't know what to do. Liam tells her it's okay to not say anything back

“'...you've only just stopped looking at me like your brother's asshole best friend.'”

Maybe that's the end game for this. The bet adds conflict and forces her to realize her true feelings and we end on a confession of love. That wouldn't totally suck.

Amber studies his face to see if he means it when he says she doesn't have to say anything back

“...in actual fact, I did need to.”

As in, you need to say something back because you feel it back? Or because you think that he wants to hear it. If you want to say it, then just say it. What is the hold up? If you don't want to say it but feel you have to, then what is the point of saying “His tone of voice and the smile on his face seemed genuine though”?

Whatever, the chapter ends without fanfare. Actually, that is pretty much the chapter as a whole.