"When I was four," "I cried because my teacher called me a bad boy." "My parents comforted me." "They told me things aren't always clear-cut in life." "They aren't black or white." "And people aren't good or evil." "People change, that's all." "I cried even more." "The idea of changing terrified me." ""Big black beast Take me with you"" ""I'm not jerking"" ""I won't hide"" ""Yeah, I'm ready Meet ze monsta tonight"" ""Big black beast Take me with you"" ""What a monster What a night"" ""What a lover What a fight"" "Three months ago, I felt younger." "I found life easier and enjoyed doing loads of things." "At school, I studied French novelists," "English poets, mathematical formulae, physics and irregular verbs." "Changing subjects hourly didn't bother me." "I didn't even realize they were subjects." "What has changed?" "How have I changed?" "I've become stupid and selfish." "And less self-confident too." "COLD SHOWERS" "Here..." "Mom!" "Stop shouting." "You'll wake your father." " The water-heater's off." " I know." "I turned it off." "To save money." "Look..." "Our standing account is for a yearly consumption of 6,000 kilowatt-hours." " Know how much we use?" " Mom..." "I can't take a cold shower." "Let's leave the lights off instead." "What's that?" "Cold chocolate." "I'm not drinking it cold!" "You loved it cold as a boy." "You get crazy sometimes..." "I bet Dad won't agree." "He can keep quiet, seeing how late he came in." "But the fridge will defrost." "I forgot about that!" "Three pizzas left..." "All right, "big" is... as big as her love for him or his love for her." "Black is..." "It's the lovers' dark night, say." "The night is black." "Beast refers to his way of making love." "And we have a parallel between "bestial and "monster"." "Then we have "what a fight"." "This poem views love as a fight." "A boxing bout or a judo match..." "It's coming."" "That's good too because..." ""Yes, it's coming"." "He or she is coming." "The beast or the climax..." "It's coming."" "We can analyze the poem from a sexual angle each time," ""to come" meaning "to climax"." "Vanessa..." "I'm not opposed to a carnal analysis of the poem." "Just don't take it too far, okay?" "Okay." "We'll stop there." "All right, fine." " Thank you." " You're welcome." "You can put this poem on your exam list." "Can you pass this to Vanessa?" "Don't turn round." "Grip, take two steps back, pull, throw, next..." "Go on, grip, step back, throw, next!" "Come on, throw!" "It's getting tougher, only natural." "That's good." "Go and get them." "Wipe the floor with them!" "I did yoko tomoe twice on Tranh." "Once!" "The thigh doesn't count." "What's yoko tomoe?" "You know that throw?" "Mickael!" " Can you come here?" " Go on, I've got it." "Louis Steiner is here." "Heard of him?" " Not at all." " Steiner Transport." "The blue trucks." "Okay, I see." "Mr. Steiner..." "Mickael, the team captain." "Not very hefty for a captain." "Don't go by appearances." "He has great technique." "He's fast." "Just kidding." "I've seen you fight before." "Are you interested in judo?" "I'm a businessman so popular sports interest me." "And judo's the only popular one here." "He knows judo well." "His son's a black belt." "He's in the same category as you." "He's joined the club." "He's not bad." "I want him to second you." "It'll be good for you." "A new partner and a good change." "Can you run with him Saturday?" "Sure, if you want." "You don't have to become bosom buddies..." "No, I don't mind." "Mr. Steiner has moved to Blue Valley." "You can run around the lake there." "When do you run?" "Around 10." "Here..." "Thank you." "Know where it is?" "It's simple..." "There's a roundabout at the entrance to Blue Valley." "As for the house, it has a marquee over the door." "What's a marquee?" "It's like a small glass canopy." "You'll see, my son's not as good as you but he can progress." "Guillaume, my cousin..." "You know he does karate?" "No." "He says karatekas are tougher than judokas." "Bullshit." "Judo and karate are different." "But if a judoka fights a karateka, who wins?" "If a footballer plays a basketball player, who wins?" "But what if they fight on the street?" "It won't happen." "Judokas and karatekas don't fight on the street." "Well, my cousin fights everybody." " Maybe he's a jerk." "Which cousin?" " Guillaume." "The skinny blond guy who danced like this?" "That guy can't beat a judoka." " Hi, how's it going?" " Good, and you?" "So that's the marquee?" " Come in." " With my bike?" "No, leave it, it's safe here." " Give me that!" " You're in shape..." "Clement, ask Mrs. Farinha to tidy up, please." "We just moved in, it's a mess." "Plus he keeps fucking about." "It's okay..." "Want a drink?" "A bite to eat?" "Not before a run." "You know, we ought to get going." "It starts getting hot around 11." "You plan to run for long?" "An hour or so." "I'll just get my running shoes." "Clement, I don't believe it..." "I'll see to it later." "Look after Theo instead." "When do you finish?" "At 11." "You'll get exploited here." "Watch her, she's a cow." "Mrs. Farinha is going on strike." " She wants overtime pay." " Sure." "Hello." "Running in those?" "Keep a pair for running or you'll wreck your back." "They're too tight." "When you run, your feet start swelling after 10 minutes." "They need to be loose." "Let me." "Remove the foil around the neck." "If you just cut the foil, when you pour, the wine can get spoiled." "You've learned a lot here." "I hope we aren't too "preachy"." "No, not at all." " We've fought four times?" " Yes." "You're my arch-rival." "Oh, right..." "I didn't know." "It doesn't count in the juniors." "Do you have an arch-rival?" "I can't say I don't have one." "That'd be too big-headed." "I guess..." "You know Beltrani?" "Yeah, an Italian." "Yeah, that's him." "That guy..." "He has this left guard..." "You're there..." "You can't grab his sleeve." "Stop it, miss, please!" "Cut it out, guys!" "Passports, please." "Under 66 kilos." "N Goc Tranh." "You don't pronounce the N"." "It's not 66 kilos, Mr. Gnoc, it's less than 66 kilos." "Strip." "I like that!" "Calm down, lads." "Under 73:" "Percepied, Mickael." "All right." "Under 81:" "Colignon, Xavier." "All right." "Under 90:" "Hermann, Arnaud." " It's Heymann." " Heymann." "Sorry." "Hey, man!" "All right." "Over 90:" "Kheroubi, Bruno." "That's right." "Normally, you should..." "It's okay." "I have a bit of leeway." "All right." "The substitutes..." "Sanchez, Jeff." "He's here." "Under 73 kilos:" "Clement Steiner." " Coach, can I have one, please?" " Calm down." "First heat against Poitiers." "Get into it right away." "They're at home, strong all-rounders." "Mickael, you're against Beltrani." "Make it a tie." "Warm up with your substitute." "Clement, make him work on the left." "Let's go!" "Tackle me on my left." "Dodge, grip and strike home." "Block the shoulder, okay." "That way works too." "See?" "You get the upper hand." "Okay?" "Then what?" "You're useless tactically." "Again." "What did you say?" "Come on, attack me." "Like that." "Grab, approach, block and throw yourself into it." "That's sumi geishi!" " Sumi geishi?" " Yeah." "Stingy bastard!" "Next bout:" "Percepied" " Beltrani." "Percepied, white belt." "Go, Mickael!" "Okay, get into it." "Don't waste time." "Get into position first!" "Break his grip!" "Watch your legs!" "Ko uchil That's looking good!" "Carry on!" "His left, Mickael." "Watch his left!" "What the hell..." "Shido for that!" "Don't lose the sleeve!" "It's Steiner." "Hello, Mr. Steiner." "Mickael?" "Bravo." "Tell the team I'm proud of you." "And proud to sponsor you for the European Cup." " It suits me, believe me." " Us too." "Is the water hot?" "You'll get new tracksuits Tuesday or Wednesday." " You'll all need to check the sizes." " Okay." "New tracksuits Tuesday, lads!" "I hear you wasted Beltrani today." " Carry on like that." " Thank you." "Goodbye." "Tranh, my boy." "Finished washing?" "Wicked..." "Who did this?" " It wasn't me!" " Outta the way." "Screw you!" "My soap's red." "Look..." "Your towel's all blue." "Your soap's blue." "So?" "It's not mine." "I borrowed Xavier's." "I forgot mine." "Mickael, move." "What?" "You're a dead man." "Gimme your shower, bastard." "C'mon, show him, Mickael!" "Clothes, lads!" " Help yourselves!" " Cut it out!" "Okay, Tranh?" "Fuckwit, you could've hurt me." " We won." " Brilliant." " We're up for the European Cup." " Yeah, brilliant." "How did you find me?" "I know the neighborhood." "A pal lives nearby." "Put your cup down." "No one'll steal it." "What do the parents do?" "I don't know." "Doctors or lawyers, some shit like that." "You know what?" "How can you wipe their kids' asses?" "There's no shame in it." "Someone wiped your bottom too." " Yeah..." " Yeah!" "But it wasn't a babysitter." "It was my mom, after work." "Maybe you'd have preferred a babysitter..." "Maybe I would have." "You'd rather I work at McDonald's?" "You'd look cute." "I don't want to." "I'd rather look after rich people's kids, watch DVDs and eat Haagen-Dazs." " Shit, Haagen-Dazs..." " Yeah..." "Give me some, please." "Who's the pal who lives nearby?" "A guy who just joined the club." "A rich kid, you mean." "That's enough." " I'll be going." " No!" "How'll you get back tonight?" "The father drives me home, here." "He doesn't chat you up, I hope." "No, it's okay..." "A little but it's okay." "Does he put his hand on your thigh in his big car?" "Are you crazy?" "You're going too slow." "That's why you stall." "I'll do like you said." "Okay..." "Neutral..." "Then..." "First gear..." "I start it first, right?" "Since when?" "I honestly don't know." "Your first bender..." "Before I did my national service." "So you were already drinking a lot at my age?" "Why are you asking?" "Don't you and your judo pals drink?" "Yes, we do." "But not too much." "We can't, see." "We don't drink every day." "Drinking every day's what bothers you?" "Is it different?" "It's not that." "I booze, that's true." "Maybe you had an unhappy childhood." " You lacked something?" " No." "Your sister and you ate your fill." "You always had a little holiday..." "Yes, I know." " You had a present at Christmas." " Yeah..." "Not a scooter or a computer but you had something." "I know but that's not what I mean, Dad." "What then?" "I don't know." "Aren't you worried Mom might leave?" "That she'll get sick of it?" "Lads, they're here!" "What color's this?" "Grey is deadly!" "X S, that's for Tranh." "Tranh will be off for two months." "You're his substitute." "There's a rule, so we stick by it." "We're up against Russia, Italy and Slovenia!" "I can step in if you want." "That's not possible." "In under 66?" "How heavy are you?" "I don't know." "I've put a bit on." "73, 74 maybe." "Not a good idea." "What?" "All judokas lose weight." "Not 8 kilos in 6 weeks!" "The advantage is no one knows me in that category." "I'll be physically tougher than the others." "Not if you lose 8 kilos." "You'll lose your fast edge." "We don't have much choice." "If you fight in 66, who'll fight in 73?" "It'll do." " You look pretty." " Thanks." " The bell doesn't work." " I know." "It's okay, Mom!" "Why's her head in the oven?" "Don't worry." "I'll explain." "Can you straighten this for me?" "Can I recharge my mobile somewhere?" "Stop staring at me." "You freak me out, you look like vampires." "Good evening." "This is my mother." "Mickael's mother." "And his girlfriend, I presume." "Of course." "Vanessa..." "Clement and his mum." "Shall I take that?" "Sorry, I must seem ridiculous." "Not at all, it's kind of you." "That won't work for the Cup." "Have you seen his left guard?" "Gently..." "Tranh, stop spitting on me." "One of those Slovenes is mean." " Okay?" " Fine." "And you?" "I'm great." "Fancy a swim?" " No, thanks." " It's great." " Look." " Stop it!" "Mickael's parents." "Isabelle, my wife." "Did you make the olive cake?" "It's delicious, not over-cooked..." "Watch your son, he shouldn't get too close to the buffet." "He's a big boy now." "Is it that bad?" "He has a lot to lose." "A lot of weight to lose." "I don't see why he needs to lose so much weight." "We need a good man in that category." "You don't know Gerard." "Come on, say, Hello, Gerard,."" "He's my new friend." "He's going to play too." "Cut it out, lads, that's not right." "Mickael, it's tragic." "Some taboule, sweetheart?" "As crispy as my mom's." "Come on, let him play!" "Mickael, can you come upstairs?" "Mickael!" "Come here..." "You're Mickael Percepied?" "I'm Dr. Imbert." " Want a drink, Philippe?" " Sure." "Drink from my glass." "Careful, it's cold, it might hurt your teeth." "Can I give him some?" "No." "What are you at?" "I don't know. 72, I think." " You're being careful?" " You bet." "Okay." "Undress, and let's weigh you." "Here?" "Give me that, I'll hold it." "I couldn't resist." "Your girl likes judo?" "She couldn't care less." "It bores her shitless." "When I watch, I never know who's winning." "How heavy is he?" "72. 8." "Still some way to go!" "How will you manage it?" "I'd like to get down to 69 by watching what I eat and leave three kilos for the last week." "Dr. Imbert can give you pills..." "No, it's okay..." "For now, anyhow." "There's that dropper thing." "Whatever it's called..." "A cream." "You put it up your rectum." "Sorry..." "And then you run for the crapper." "He's all right." "Don't panic, he's okay!" "Up you come!" "Don't spoil your evening." "I've put up with this crap for 20 years." "Everything's fine." "Come on." "You're plastered." "Drunk." "Plastered like a new wall." "You get it?" "You're going to sleep but take this first." "A miracle remedy." "Go on, bite into it." "No, drinking will make it worse." "It's a pepper." "Wait 30 seconds and it'll pass." "You'll see." "Fuck, you scared me!" "Know how to use a camera?" "Can you keep a lookout?" " No, outside." " I want to stay." "Are you kidding?" "I want to see." " Low angle." " Why?" " Look..." " Go on!" "Let me take one of you two now." "Lift your shirt up." "Your turn." "Take me with him." "What if you blew me?" "What if you blew your pal?" "Go on, get over there with her." "Wrong way round." "Cut it out!" "Are you crazy?" "You're nuts!" "Press against her." "Stop it!" "You're sick!" "You're crazy!" "Let's do one together." "All three of us." "Is it my fault you were way over the limit?" "Not "way over"." "You piss me off." "If I'm just over, It's "way over with you!" "6 months become a year, 10 kilometres become 20..." "Well, for you, 15 beers turn into 3." "You're fucked now!" " Shithead!" " Cut it out!" "I don't believe it!" "Cut it out, Mom." "What's going on?" "What are you doing?" "Go for your run!" "What?" "I don't know if you realize but with all the non-fat yogurts you gobbled up for 3 euros at midday, you've put on 300 grams!" "Where the fuck is he?" "Asshole!" "That was the TV remote!" " Moron!" " Stop it!" "Unemployed slob!" "I'm out of work, okay." "One of 3 million in France." "It's a bummer but no reason to jump out of the window." "Your mother acts like it's a disaster, the end of the world..." "You never worry about anything, as usual." "Here..." "These are the bills." "Let's see you get out of that." "Give us a laugh!" "You know your son goes to university next year?" "You think that's free?" "We've got grants." "They won't cut his grant 'cause I was over the limit." "You've been predicting disaster for years." "You keep pissing us all off, warning us about what'll happen." "But this is fucking great!" "You should be happy now your disaster's happened at last!" "Take deep breaths..." "Isn't he drinking?" "Yes..." "He'll have a drop later." "You know his dad's been fired from his job?" "No." "Why?" "He's lost his license and his boss won't have him back." "Well, he was a taxi-driver..." "He's been doing it for 15 years now." "Fired after 15 years, you think that's normal?" "Maybe it's not normal but I'm not surprised." "He shouldn't give in." "He can get a provisional license." "Or he can sue them." "Come on, don't sleep." "You have to fight it." "Go on, I'll take over." "I'll take over." "Lower your legs." "Turn a bit like this." "There, like that." "Hold on, I'll help!" "I'm sweltering." "Help me." "My hair!" "Can you help me, please?" "It's your mother." "Hi, Mickael." "Hi, Ibrahim." "Ibrahim!" "Go on ahead, I'll catch up." " Where the hell were you?" " It took longer than planned." "We could have found you in there." "Your colleagues wouldn't tell, they're okay." "Sure, they're okay." "You just don't realize, do you?" "If they talk, I'll be on welfare too." " Just what we need!" " Don't exaggerate." "You know what?" "We're going to forget this key business for a while." " It's too risky." " It's not risky!" "It is." "I won't lose my job so you can lose weight." "Just look at you!" "Get lost now." "How many times did you have sex?" "What exactly do you mean by that?" "The number of times the boy ejaculated?" "Well..." "Four." "Four or five." "Maybe six, I'm not sure." "The exact figure doesn't matter." "When was the last time?" "It all happened yesterday afternoon." "Not with one boy though." "There were two." "It's quite rare to find a boy who can have sex four or five or "maybe six times in a row." "But..." "How long between each time?" "Actually, it was with both boys at once." "Right..." "You'll take a pill right now in my office." "Okay." "And I'll give you another to take tomorrow morning." "Okay." " Is that all?" " That's all." " Okay?" " Yeah." " Did it go okay with the nurse?" " Great." "She's nice." "Do you know her?" "No." "I'm aching all over." "It's crazy." "It goes from here to here." "That's only natural..." "What do you mean?" "I'm used to it, you know." "You weren't necessarily using the same muscles." " Oh yeah?" " Yeah." "Not fries again!" "Aren't there any vegetables?" "We've got peas." "Peas aren't vegetables, they're starch." "Starch or starch today." "Great!" "I'd like some, please." "Can I have more?" "Push against his foot." "It's just a cramp." "Good morning." "Come in." "It's right here." "How much?" "5, 999." " Will you see him out?" " Of course." "Goodbye." "Okay!" "Thirsty?" "I can't sleep because I'm starving and look what's on TV." "The Chinese are good at cooking." "And at judo." "Wrong, Dad, the Japanese do judo." "I hate seeing you like this." "Only three more weeks." "I was wondering..." "D'you need your bicycle next week?" "I'm sitting my exams next week." "Shit..." "Why?" "You need to move about a lot?" "Hold on..." "The welfare office, social security, the job center... and the temp agency." "I was always told to lean into a curve." "You lean into a curve." "It crushes my balls a bit." " Okay, Dad?" " You can't do that!" "Oh, shit!" "This thing's crap." "Yeah, it's a piece of shit." "You need to learn to fall." "One of the things you learn is how to fall, see?" "Yeah, I know that." " You took your time." " Those fucking Chinese names..." "What Chinese names?" "How did you write Guangzhou?" ""G U or "G HU"?" "What do you mean?" "You didn't do China?" "It wasn't China, it was the USA." " Shit..." " What?" " Oh, shit!" " What?" "I mixed them up." "I mixed China up with the USA." "You put Chinese cities on a map of the USA?" "Fuck, I knew everything..." "Hold on, maybe it's not that bad." "They might not give you zero." "If I get zero, it's sick." "I knew all about China." "Agriculture, industry, soy, cotton, rice, fucking paper..." "I even added a comment on Tibet!" "You're too much!" "Shit!" "Did you manage it?" "Piece of cake." "You're useless at geography!" "I put Chicago, not Shanghai!" "I was only there for six months." "It counts, you were a mechanic there." "We'll put it at the end." "We'll draw up a list... of all your skills... and put that you know all about mechanics." "Yeah." "I know all about geography too." "I don't mix China and the USA up." "Stop it." "Go ahead, take the piss." "It doesn't matter." "If you fail, you can work for your uncle." "Sure, and freeze my ass off on work sites!" "No way!" " When do we eat?" " In two minutes." "We won't have finished, Mom." "Still on yogurt and grapefruit?" "Okay, Dad, what year was it?" "What are you down to?" " 69." " That's not possible, Dad." "You were 12!" " No, Leclin was in..." " How many did you say?" "'73!" "What?" "Seven more kilos to lose?" "No, who said that?" "Dad." "He said you were at 73." "73?" "73 what?" "1973!" "You said 1969!" "Mom asked me what you were at!" "You want to lose another seven kilos?" "No way!" "Hold on, Leclin, in 1973, that was for me." "Are you taking the piss again?" "Mom!" "We're out of toothpaste!" "Are you going out tonight?" "Yeah." "Here..." "Celebrating the end of exams?" "Who with?" "Everybody." "The whole class, like." "Dry yourself, you're wet." "Here it goes!" "Fuck!" "I almost died!" "Give me the knife." "How much can you put in?" "How about you?" "40 euros." "On your own?" "I don't know." "I can afford... 15 euros." "It doesn't matter." "No, forget it, it's better." "Who cares?" "I'll pay for the room." "It doesn't matter, okay." "I'll give you my card." "No, it's okay, forget it." "You two go, it's better." "It's okay." "My P I N number is 4337." "Forget it." "If I get it wrong, the guy'll want my ID..." " Rubbish!" "Here." " No, go on." "We'll go in together, never mind." "Join us in ten minutes, okay." "See you." "Good evening." "Two people just checked in..." "Young people..." "They're friends of mine." "Shall I call them for you?" "There's no reply." "There isn't?" "Vanessa, it's me." "I don't know where you are." "Fuck..." "The soap's really tiny in this hotel." "Let me see." "It'll do." "It's enough to share." "You don't need much!" "You're here to wash?" "You've got something in your hair." "It smells good though." "Let me see." " What are you doing?" " I'm calling him." "Yeah?" "I split." "What?" "I can't hear you, Vanessa." "No, I split." "So what?" "I'm not interested." "I said I'm not interested." "No, I haven't gone home." "Forget it." "Just get off my back, okay?" "You don't need me." "I said get off my back." "Don't call me, okay?" "I'm sick of this, okay?" "Why is she calling at home?" " Have you fallen out?" " Sure..." "Go on, call her." "Give it a rest!" "I'm fighting tomorrow." "You understand that?" "I'm fighting tomorrow." "I have 800 grams to lose." "Where are they coming from?" "Try getting a bone removed." " Can you give me the sauna keys?" " What?" " The sauna keys, please." " I said no." "Come on, I don't have a gram of fat left." "All I can lose now is water." "By the way, your dad and I will celebrate our anniversary on July 7." "Okay, fine." "You know I can't." "I'm away on a course." "You'll always find an excuse anyway!" "Can I have the keys, please?" "Maybe we can work it out..." "That course of yours, say you'll arrive on the Monday." "That's what I want." "I can't!" "Do it on the weekend of July 14." "Sure, July 14!" "Everyone will be away." "Great date for a party!" "So do it on the 7th!" "I don't give a shit about your anniversary." "Fuck..." "Where do you think you are?" "Why are you fucking me about?" "It's hard keeping up with you." "Before, you wanted to leave Dad and kill yourself, now you want to have a party?" "Good evening." "They've sent some photos of the party." "Look." "They're odd." "They're divided into four." "Can you turn it off?" "There's an envelope for you, Mickael." "N ice one with Vanessa." "Are you crazy?" "And a fine." "He's in his room." "It's Vanessa." "Won't you talk to her?" "He won't talk." "What's happened between you?" "Stay out of it!" "Can it work out?" " You've got the wrong idea." " Mom, this is sick!" "Are you playing the go-between?" "You won't get anywhere tonight." "Coming to the dojo tomorrow?" "She never comes, she doesn't want to!" "She couldn't care less." "Cut it out!" "Did you hear that?" "Actually, she says she can." "You won't have to talk to her..." "Fucking nightmare!" "Percepied, Mickael: under 66." "You're 400 grams over." "Is the scale right?" " Hurry, weigh-in ends in 10 minutes." " Wait..." "Still 350 grams over." "Check!" "I'm sure I'm okay." "Steiner, Clement: under 73." " What were you at yesterday?" " I was fine then." "What were you at exactly?" "66!" "Bang on!" " You ate this morning?" " Are you crazy?" "No food for 48 hours, no liquids since yesterday." "Run!" "Run all you can!" "Give him your tracksuits, lads!" "It's no use, there's no time." "D'you need a piss?" "Piss what?" "I have nothing to piss!" "Just a second..." "I swear I haven't eaten a thing." "I was okay yesterday." "Come on." "Trust me." "Calm down." "Open your mouth." " What?" " Open your mouth." "Calm down." "Have a puke." "Go on." "Relax." "Let it all out..." "Under 66:" "Percepied..." "You're still too heavy." "Empty out your lungs." "Okay." " Hello, Mr. Steiner." " Okay, lads?" " Do good today." " No problem." "Okay?" " Everyone's the right weight?" " Everyone." "Hi, son." "You can't stay here, Vanessa." "The lads will need the showers." "Not just before fighting." "You're eating again?" "That's cool." "I fight in 15 minutes." "Why are you here pissing me off?" "Any normal chick would be sitting on the stands." "You know, even if you lose out there, it doesn't matter." "I'll still love you and it won't change things." "Fuck, you shouldn't say that." "That's fucking useless." "You're a useless coach!" "How do I rate as a girlfriend?" "As a girlfriend?" "You're a slut." "You prefer virgins?" "I got it all wrong, then." "I'll never forgive you for what you did at the hotel." "What "I" did?" "But I did it with you." "And you were beautiful." "Why did you leave me there?" " Because it was horrible." " What was?" "All of it." "From the beginning." "The hotel was weird but the rest was good." "Did you like it?" "Tell me the truth." "Didn't you like it just a bit?" " What if I did?" " Well, I liked it too." "Was it better than with me?" "It was very good with the two of you." "It was better than anything." "It was a thousand times better." "I know you felt that too." "I don't understand why you won't admit it." "You prefer it when it's not so good?" "You don't like it when it's better?" "Get your guard up!" "Go!" "Watch the edges." " I know." " You're in the lead." "It's good, you'll get him." "Go!" "Excuse me..." "Watch his right!" "Go, Mickael!" "The left!" "You're crazy!" "What happened?" "Let me finish my story." "Your holiday interests me too." "The other day, just before leaving, I needed money." "I went down to the cash point." "The post office was closed so I used the one outside." "I don't know what happened but it was giving only 20-euro notes." "To start with..." "Anyhow, I counted them over and over but there was a note missing, I know there was." "This is it." " Not bad, huh?" " It looks great." "A bus meets you at the airport to take you to the hotel." "Is it a campsite?" "No, they're hotel rooms." "You'll be bored shitless, after camping for so long." "It'll be brilliant!" "They make your bed, bring you your meals..." "Maybe, but you pay for it." "Not that much, actually." "It's two weeks for the price of one." "Plus another 15% off in September." "That's worth it!" "Maybe, but personally," "I like to make my own bed." "But why?" "I don't know." "It would seem odd." "I'd feel embarrassed." " You made other people's beds!" " Exactly." "Too bad the weather won't be good then." "It's always good there." "In any case, with Gerard's welfare money and the rise in family allowance, we're better off than before." "Here's to welfare!" "It's a pity in a way..." "Maybe, but still..." "You killjoy!" "You're not pleased they're happy?" "It's obvious they're happy." "To be honest, they disgust me." "You're crazy." "Has Mom told you about when they first moved here?" "Well, Gran applied for low-rent housing, see." "It was accepted and they moved here." "They were packing to move and, the day before, Gran and Grandad brought the kids to see the new flat, as a treat." "They got here and couldn't believe their eyes." "Everything was new." "The walls were white, there were radiators in every room and hot water in the taps." "Mom was over the moon." "She'd be able to wash in hot water for the first time!" "She and the other kids were so excited, they pestered Gran and Grandad to stay in the new flat rather than go back to the old slum." "Did Gran and Grandad agree?" "Yeah." "I guess they were happy too." "They were in a good mood so they agreed." "And so... they all stayed and slept on the floor in a totally empty flat." "That's crazy." "No one ever told me about that." "When I was little and we were living here," "I always got Mom to tell me that story." "As a bedtime story..." "I don't know why." "It's a crazy thing because..." "I think it's hard realizing your parents were kids." "That brought it home to me." "It made me cry and it made me mad too." "I thought it was brilliant to have hot water everywhere..." "What does it mean?" "Is it a real monster?" "A real monster?" "Have you ever seen monsters?" "Frankenstein?" "The Hulk, maybe?" "In real life?" "No, of course not." "So what is this monster?" "In French..." "It can be just about anything." "Her fears, her anxieties..." "It's sexual too." "She has discovered sex." " How many points behind are you?" " 35." "That's a lot." "If I'm generous and give you 15... where does that get you?" "Three eights, 24." "That's the best I can do." "You did well in class all year though." " Have you had problems?" " No." " Want one?" " No, thanks." "You'll get your kimono back out." "Yeah..." "Maybe." "But, you know," "I'm not sure I really like judo." "It's okay, it's on me." " You don't want anything?" " No, thanks." "Is that you?" "I like the hair." "Your first girlfriend?" "What's her name?" "Is that Vanessa?" "How old were you then?" "I don't know." "Seven or so." "Seriously?" "Still seeing her?" "Am I still seeing her?" "No." "But you've seen her again?" "Not really, no." "Have you got her address?" "We've got an evaluation session." " Are your parents well?" " They're okay." "They're buying a van." "To travel more." " Don't laugh at me." " Why would I?" "Come on, let's move." "Anything you want to do?" "No, whatever you want." "There's an aquarium down by the harbor." "It's not bad." "Want to do that?" "No, not really." "We could see a film, then." "Is there one you want to see?" "Maybe, what's showing?" "I don't know." "I have to call in at a shop." "I need a top for a thing that's on tonight." " What's on tonight?" " A thing." "You can come with me..." "To pick the top, I mean." " Here, I've found one." " Cool." "I picked out some others to try." "Not this one." "This one's too transparent." "Too Lolita..." "I'm glad autumn is here and that the days are free of the stress of exams and matches." "I haven't changed much physically." "I've just put on a few kilos." "By day, I often feel weird." "But I can sense a kind of peace too." "I guess I'm like everybody else." "People aren't good or evil." "People change, that's all." "Or rather, change into something else." "What matters is seeing and understanding what they change into." "They're like little devils." "Overnight, they become heavier, lighter, darker, slower, tenser, sweeter, harder or more human."