Tao Lin - Richard Yates

Dakota Fanning held him and petted him and said “That is bad, don’t do that” while grinning.

“Now what,” said Haley Joel Osment a few days later on Gmail chat. “Come June 8,” said Dakota Fanning. It was May 31. Haley Joel Osment said June 8 was too far away. “I won’t last that long,” he said. Dakota Fanning said to come tonight on the 11:54 train. She said she would skip school tomorrow. “Come tonight or I’m killing myself,” she said.

“Come here,” said Haley Joel Osment.

“I can’t. I don’t have any money. And Pedro is gone I think. I don’t have anywhere to say I’m staying at. I don’t ever go to Kat’s,” said Dakota Fanning about her friend who lived about thirty minutes away.

“Now what,” said Haley Joel Osment.

“Please come,” said Dakota Fanning.

“I don’t want to see your friends. Your mom will come home.”

“You won’t. My mom doesn’t go in my room. We can leave and come back later.”

“We can leave,” said Haley Joel Osment. “Where.”

“Anywhere,” said Dakota Fanning. “Just walk.”

“You never want to. You say you’re tired.”

“I will,” said Dakota Fanning. “We walk. We walk all the time.”

“Walk with me to the ledge.”

“Okay,” said Dakota Fanning. “We will.”

“Ledge sex,” said Haley Joel Osment. “When.”

“At night. We can go tonight. When I come to pick you up.”

“Will we really go,” said Haley Joel Osment. “Wear a glow-in-the-dark dress.”

“I don’t have one. I’m wearing bright orange.”

Haley Joel Osment said “Okay” and that he was going to finish answering interview questions someone had emailed him. He finished and emailed the interview to Dakota Fanning who said the answers were good. He said he had to change computers and would be back in four minutes. He walked to a different computer and sat and listened to a song through earphones. He walked to the bathroom. He splashed water on his face. He dried his hands and face and walked to the computer and sat.

“You lied,” said Dakota Fanning. “That wasn’t 4 minutes.”

“Sorry. I’m fragile. Don’t say I lied too much.”

“Okay,” said Dakota Fanning. “I’m sorry.”

“Now what,” said Haley Joel Osment.

Dakota Fanning said “11:54.” She said tape man was calling her right now. Tape man was a person Dakota Fanning met on the internet when she ordered his chapbook. Tape man called every night and had plans to visit Dakota Fanning in the summer. Dakota Fanning didn’t like tape man anymore and was afraid of him visiting. Tape man had sent Dakota Fanning a tape recorder to record herself reading her poems for him to masturbate to while listening. Tape man was 21 and lived in Minnesota.

“He has renewed obsession with you,” said Haley Joel Osment.

“He is going to call back in like 5 minutes. I’m afraid. I picked up by accident yesterday. I said hello 3 times then hung up.”

“Am I coming?” said Haley Joel Osment. “Tomorrow is Thursday. I need to be back Friday 1:00 p.m. to have lunch with my publisher.”

“Okay. You are coming. You will be back before Friday.”

“Wear a slutty dress and sit on the ledge with me.”

“My dress is slutty,” said Dakota Fanning. “And bright orange.”

“Should I come,” said Haley Joel Osment. “What happened last time I came. Was it good. I forgot.”

“It was until my friends came. But it got better after they left. We watched the piano teacher stab herself and then you choked me a lot. You can take the 9:27 p.m. train back home Thursday. It’s hot here. I don’t have air conditioning. It’s terrible. You will be hot hiding under the white blanket.”

“I shouldn’t come then?” said Haley Joel Osment.

“No you should. You don’t want to come.”

“I do. Will I go to jail if your mom catches me.”

“I don’t know,” said Dakota Fanning. “I’ll just choke her.”

“Will I go to jail. Would she do that.”

Dakota Fanning said she didn’t think so. Haley Joel Osment asked what would happen. Dakota Fanning said she didn’t know. “Neither of us cares if we go to jail,” she said. “So why are we talking about it.” Haley Joel Osment said she was right. He said he was just curious. “Should I come,” he said.

“Yes,” said Dakota Fanning.

“You were late last time. I was sad. I thought ‘she is late.’ ”

“Your train was like 8 minutes early,” said Dakota Fanning.

“Oh,” said Haley Joel Osment.

“You called me and said it was here and I was like ‘oh, it’s early.’ Late at night I think it moves faster because less people get on and off. I will be on time.”

“Drink green tea so you won’t fall asleep,” said Haley Joel Osment.

“Okay,” said Dakota Fanning. “I sneezed and my friend made fun of me today in chemistry. He stared at me. And then pet my head.” Haley Joel Osment thought about Dakota Fanning’s friend. “Drink the entire green tea,” he said.

“I’ll drink like half,” said Dakota Fanning.

“I need to leave now if I want to make it.”

“Okay,” said Dakota Fanning. “Leave.”

“When am I getting there.”

“2:32,” said Dakota Fanning.

“My phone is broken. How will I know you’re there.”

“I will be there. Stop worrying. I’m going to shower.”

“I’m coming,” said Haley Joel Osment. “Ledge. Don’t be tired.”

“I won’t,” said Dakota Fanning. “I napped. I napped 4 hours.”

Haley Joel Osment went to his apartment and showered. On the train to New Jersey he drew animals and read an Ann Beattie short story that alluded to Ernest Hemingway. He lay on his back across two seats and listened to music. He stepped off the train and walked in different directions on the platform. He stopped walking. He looked at the timetables. He looked at other things. He stood without moving. He saw Dakota Fanning in the distance. She was smiling. “She is happy to see me or nervous she’s late or probably both,” thought Haley Joel Osment.

“Have you been waiting long?” she said.

“No,” said Haley Joel Osment.

They walked a few minutes holding hands without talking then stopped. Haley Joel Osment gave Dakota Fanning the things he drew on the train. “Thank you,” said Dakota Fanning and gave Haley Joel Osment a bookmark she made that had octopi and squid on it. They walked across the steel bridge. They stopped at an intersection. They stood apart looking at the ground. Haley Joel Osment kicked things on the ground. There were pebbles and pieces of concrete.

“Where should we go?” said Dakota Fanning.

Haley Joel Osment was quiet a few seconds.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I thought we were going to the ledge.”

“Mosquitoes will bite me,” said Dakota Fanning.

“Let’s go to the ledge. I’ll cover your arms and legs.”

“Mosquitoes will bite me,” said Dakota Fanning.

“Mosquitoes go where there’s light. It’s dark there.”

Dakota Fanning said she had been there at night and there were many mosquitoes. They walked toward Price Chopper holding hands. Large houses and tall trees were on either side of the road. It was around 3:00 a.m. Dakota Fanning pointed at a house and said it was where her brother went to do drugs. Haley Joel Osment made a small noise. He stared ahead and didn’t think about anything. After a few minutes he focused on his life and then asked if Dakota Fanning found him an apartment yet. She said she rode her bike yesterday and looked at newspapers and didn’t find anything but would keep looking and would probably find something soon.

“Keep looking,” said Haley Joel Osment in a monotone.