Lester Burnham, American Beauty

[seeing_roses]

You'll never be properly prepared to take a bullet, but Lester Burnham was especially surprised. It came at the right moment, however. Lester lay in the kitchen, the blood flowing from his head like a cracked vat of water, spilling onto the tiles. But he was happy. He was smiling and he was happy

Comments

[totallyluminous]

'And how'd your family feel about you exchanging the car?' the angel asks lightly, shaking back her black hair. 'I mean, my stepdad wanted a flash car so badly, but 'cause of me and Jade, he wasn't able to.'

Also, you know...the price.

[seeing_roses]

Lester looked at the girl and debated being honest with her. Seeing her eyes, he went for it.

"Yes, well when you live the sort of life I do my dear, very little can stop you." He paused and smiled. "That includes things like thinking about the consequences of trading in the family car of putting them into debt."

[totallyluminous]

Ick. 'My dear', why is that always the first warning sign of psycho in the vicinity? Her eyes flash.

'What sort of life's that?' Her voice is very non-judgemental, very neutral...and careful. Very careful.

[seeing_roses]

Laughing in disbelief, Lester's arms appeared out on his sides.

"What do you mean?" He laughed again. "It's an awesome life. But go ahead, judge. You're young. You still have optimism." Lester rolled his eyes and gave a thumbs down.

[vislor_turlough]

Turlough wouldn't be entirely opposed to the pot.

"Why trade the car?"

[seeing_roses]

"To decrease the price. The guy I was buying the Bird from had a young kid, just started driving so I traded in the Camry." Lester smiled at the fact that he had a young kid at home who could have used the car. He brushed it off, knowing that he had the car he had wanted his entire life.

[vislor_turlough]

"Hm. Well. Some of that pot sounds good."

[seeing_roses]

"Yeah?" Lester adjusted his seat and pulled out a small plastic bag full of aromatic green leaves. Like a high school boy, he brought the bag to his nose and inhaled expressively.

"Now this is good pot." He paused before handing it over. "What do you got for me?" Lester raised his eyebrows in hope for something equally as cool as some potent marijuana.

[wh0_kill3d_m3]

"What if the blonde at the bar's not interested?" Laura asked. "Or what if you can't afford her, having blown it all on the boss car? Blondes tend to be high-maintenance animals, y'know."

[seeing_roses]

Lester eyed the woman and sat back in his chair with a smile on his face. Since his encounter with Angela, the end all-be all of unrequited desire, Lester had a new sense of confidence about him. Maybe that's what happened when you died.

"I can cater to high-maintenance animals. I've done it before. I know how to get what I want." Lester winked.

[wh0_kill3d_m3]

"Well, aren't you the cocky one," she chided. "And just what is it you think you want from this hypothetical blonde at the bar, pray tell?"

((Oddly, no e-mail reply notice from LJ for your post. If that's a pattern today, bear with me!))

[seeing_roses]

((Me either- we're even :D ))

"No, no no. Not cocky. Just confident." Lester raised an eyebrow to accompany his smug smile. He was enjoying this new found game; he was never this outgoing before. "I hope you don't think that you're the blonde to which I'm referring." Just to add some spice, Lester held up his left hand. "I'm a married man." Lester laughed inside. He couldn't remember the last time he used his marriage in a positive way.

[gamerspy]

"I'll take the pot, if it's still available. What were you doing before you got here?"

He's getting curious. Even if this guy does seem a little sex-obsessed.

[seeing_roses]

"Here it is." Lester slid it over to the kid with a smile. "You have anything for me?" It was good pot. It was really good pot and Lester hated the thought of just sharing it with a stranger without getting anything in return. Besides, the questionnaire in front of him said something about a bribe, so maybe this is the new way of doing things.

[gamerspy]

"Afraid not. I can vote you someplace, though."

[seeing_roses]

Lester hiked up his eyebrow in confusion.

"What? Vote me where?"

[mid_west_egg]

The application made one thing abundantly clear to Nick.

Somewhere along the line, this man had become a cynic. Nick had considered himself to have become cynical after the long strange summer in West Egg that culminated in Gatsby's death. He realized he couldn't put a patch on this man for cynicism.

More, this man seemed to have decided it was all right to say whatever he thought. It wasn't an indulgence conducive to civilized conversation. That was all right. Nick had gotten a little weary of the whitewashed varnished front that most people put up for public show.

What he said, though, wasn't completely correct. It couldn't be, surely.

"I'm going to have to object," he said, seriously, "to your assertion about sexual harassment. I think there are men in the world who wouldn't harass a woman no matter if he could get away with it scot-free. I think there's still such a thing as a gentleman in this world."

[seeing_roses]

Turning to greet the educated voice behind him, Lester smirked at the man's arugment.

"Sit down my friend, this will be an interesting conversation." Lester patted the chair next to him. "You see, this all depends on what constitutes 'harassment'. So, tell me. What does constitute harassment?"

[mid_west_egg]

Nick faced the man's smirk with absolute solemnity. "I'll stand, thanks, if it's all the same. Harassment as I understand it would entail a form of unwanted attention to a woman." A turn of phrase occurred to him that made the corner of his mouth twitch a little: "As a friend of mine might say, that wouldn't be sporting."

[seeing_roses]

Lester scowled and shook his head in disagreement. He would have regardless of what the man had to say because he wanted to oppose him. Lester could tell from the man's refusal to sit and the way he carried himself that it would be a good time to give this man a bad one.

"So, by your standards then are you harassing me?" Lester raised his eyebrows quizzically. "I'm just asking."