If you want something, you have the right to take it.
Rip is Clay’s dealer, who likes wearing “expensive” clothes and behaving as if nothing in the world matters, nothing but cocaine and his pleasure. Clay spots “a very young guy” coming from Rip’s bathroom and “zipping up his jeans”, but prefers not to say anything. He drives his “new Mercedes” and constantly looks for new entertainment. When he brings a 12 year-old, so that he and his friends could rape her, Clay is really terrified. When Clay asks him why he does it, Rip seems to be really “confused”. He says, “If you want something, you have the right to take it”. This is not only Rip’s motto, this is the way of thinking of the contemporary youth, who “don’t have anything to lose”.
Wonder, if he is for sale.
The elder of two Clay’s sisters is just 15 years old. In spite of being so young, she is not naïve at all. Maybe because of their parents’ separation or maybe because she is able to get “own cocaine”, but Clay’s sister is rather cynical. The girls are constantly being sarcastic. Both of them wonder if an attractive boy they discuss “is for sale” and find it amusing that so many of their friends are anorexic. This is a rather bizarre combination of childish carelessness and adult cynicism.
You are a beautiful boy and that’s all that matters.
Finn is a pimp, and it is unwise to expect a pimp to be kind, supportive, and understanding. This “tall, blond, unremarkable looking man” calls Julian “my best boy” and “Julie”, but his cruelty is of a special kind. He knows how valuable beauty is and how to sell “beautiful boys”, he earns money by ruining other people’s lives. Finn reassures his boys that “it’s okay”, that they are beautiful boys and “that’s all that matters”. But Finn proves that beauty is not the main thing, money is only one thing that really matters to him.
Who cares?
They say that a friend in need is a friend indeed, but life proves to be more difficult. Clay and Julian have been friends from the first grade and Clay still “remembers his number”, but they are certainly not as close as they used to be. When Clay finds out that Julian is a prostitute with enormous debts and drug problems, he understands that he doesn’t really care and he suddenly feels “foolish, stupid”. He is surprised to find out that he is actually willing to go with Julian to his client and wants to see “if things like this can actually happen”. The most accurate answer to Julian’s question is no one, because no one really cares.
