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Everybody has a story.

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

People seriously suck.

People don't always forgive.

Suicide is never the answer.

A new day is a new opportunity.

What comes around goes around.

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Suicide/Depression - Almost every character in the book has been depressed, drinking, suicidal, or hurt.

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Revenge - Francis wanted revenge so bad, he wanted to kill Larry for what he did to his girlfriend.

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Ambition - Francis shows ambition throughout the story, trying to find Larry, and trying to find Nicole.

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" I think of my old platoon. Sonny Orlandi, Spooks Reilly and Blinky Chambers. Eddie Richards and his diarrhea. Erwin Eisenberg. Henry Johnson, hit by shrapnel. And those who died, Jack Smith and Billy O'Brien, and all the others. I think of Enrico minus his legs and his arm. I think of Arthur Rivier, drunk and mournful that night in the alley. We were only there. Scared kids, not born to fight and kill. Who were not only there but who stayed, did not run away, fought the good war. And never talked about it. And didn't receive a Silver Star. But heroes, anyway. The real heroes."

He continues

"Maybe I'm going to write as Nicole hopes I will, I should write about them."
" Maybe I should buy a typewriter...maybe I should try to find Dr. Abrams' telephone number in Kansas City...maybe I should track down Enrico, check out those hospitals he told me about. I should do all those things."

" I think of Nicole...I think of the gun inside the duffel bag at my feet. I pick up the duffel bag and sling it over my shoulder. The weight is nice and comfortable on my shoulder as I cross the lobby, heading for the exit and the next train to leave the station."

THE END

Plot - Resolution

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Francis goes to Nicole's school and they talk. Nicole is still "adjusting" from what happened to her that night. Nicole calls him  " My silver Star Hero".
Francis says " I don't know what a hero is anymore, Nicole."

Nicole still believes in his writing career, and she wants to see a picture of him when his face is healed, he can not keep that promise.
Nicole said " Have a good life, Francis. Be whatever makes you happy."
He asked is he could come again some time and all she said was, "Oh Francis".
The bell calls her to class, and again she is gone before he can open his eyes.
Plot - Falling Action

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Francis visits his old nun teacher. He does this to get info on where Nicole is now. He learns her address and that her family moved back to Albany.

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Francis goes to the house, and sees Larry. Larry is without his legs. Francis tells him why he joined the army and why he is there today. Larry says " Does that one sin of mine wipe away all the good things?"
They keep talking  Larry says " You see Francis I have my own gun. I take it out and look at it all the time. I place it against my temple once in a while. I wonder how it would feel to pull the trigger and have everything come to an end."
He says " You would have fallen on that grenade anyway. All your instincts would have made you sacrifice yourself for your comrades."
#present #wow #hashtag

Francis leaves, "Downstairs at last after what seems like a long, long time,....The sound of a pistol shot cracks the air...The sound from this distance is almost like that of a Ping-Pong ball striking the table.
RR : Uhm.... definetly unexpected,however, I'm glad he is dead.
Plot - Climax

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One day Francis overhears  a conversation that Mrs. Belander is having with another old lady. They bring up Larry LaSalle and Mrs. Agneaux says that he has returned to Frenchtown. " He is living on the 2nd floor tenement of a 3-decker ...on the corner of 9th and Spruce." "The green house, cheap paint, bought discount, fading already..."
RR : This story is getting juicy with all the gossip!
#present

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4 days later Francis finally sees Nicole again. They talk. Why didn't you do something?" ... Francis (with so much sorrow he can't find words) says "Are you all right?" Nicole says " No I am not all right. I hurt. I hurt all over."
Francis asked what could he do, Nicole replied " Just go away."
Francis climbed the tallest steeple at St. Jude's church, he wonders how long it will take for him to plunge into the cement.
He realizes he can't die this way. The next day he boarded the bus to Fort Delta with an altered birth certificate.

#flashback

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Francis didn't leave. He watched them dance through the outside. The lights turned off and the record "Dancing In the Dark" stopped playing. The sound of clothes ruffling and whimpers filled  Francis's ears. Nicole's face shone in the moonlight and  their eyes met, Francis looked away and his betrayal burned into her eyes. Larry LaSalle raped Nicole.
#flashback

Plot - Rising Action

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#flashback
Larry comes home. He opens up the wreck center for the night.
Him and Francis play table tennis all day.
Nicole dances and changes the music with the other girls.
Towards the end of the night everybody drifts off except Nicole and Francis.
Larry asks Francis to go home so him and Nicole can have their last dance. Nicole wanted Francis to stay and watch. As he was leaving she touched his shoulder and said "Don't go", but the kids always did what Larry said to.

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"The smell of ashed fill the air, a damp incense burning for Larry LaSalle's home coming. His second homecoming."
"Closing my eyes, I think of Nicole and how his first homecoming during the war changed our lives forever.
#present

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Enrico also gave him a book of all the places where he would be until he found "the proper method of disposal". ( proper way of killing himself) ----present time----- Francis burns the book and the contact info of his own doctor. Francis  - "I knew what he meant by disposal because I had already planned my own method after my mission was completed."
#present

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One day Enrico gave Francis  a scarf he had won in a poker game. Francis used this to cover up his face. Enrico also gave him a book of all the places where he would be until he found "the proper method of disposal". ( proper way of killing himself) ----present time----- Francis burns the book and the contact info of his own doctor. Francis  - "I knew what he meant by disposal because I had already planned my own method after my mission was completed."
#present

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One day Nicole comes running into the store saying that Larry saved an entire platoon. "Captured an enemy gun nest". The radio announced "A New England Marine is one of the greatest heroes of Pacific action, receiving the Silver Star..."
RR : This dude is just good at everything, isn't he?! I can't wait to find out what he did wrong!

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#flashbacks
The party comes up into conversation one day while the 2 of them were out. It was a sad party, it was the day that the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.

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#flashbacks
Mr. Laurier hired Francis to work at the shop. People needed to replace jobs as others were enlisting to the war. Larry was the first to sign up in Frenchtown. The wreck center is closed for now.  Nicole Renard often stopped in to buy candy. One day they start talking as Francis is on the clock, they go on a date. Now they go to the movies weekly. (they are dating!!!!!!!!!!) At the movies they held hands and kissed!
RR: O M G  finally!

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One night Francis went out walking at night, he found Arthur drunk on the street and went over to ask if he was ok. Arthur said "...nobody ever wants to talk about the war", he wants to. He was scared, he said he wasn't a hero.
RR : This dude was feeling so sad, and all he wants to do is talk about his trauma. Poor Arthur!
#present

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Francis won his huge match, Nicole handing him his trophy. Afterwards,  the crowd wanted him to play Larry for the 'true" championship. Francis won! (Larry kinda let him win)
#past

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Nicole would often go to Francis's matches and him to her performances.  The day of a big match they actually speak briefly and Nicole invites Francis to a party on Sunday (the next day)
RR : Spicy feelings soup is going on in here!

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Francis wasn't really good at dance, but Larry found that his reflexes were good. As a result Larry taught him how to play table tennis and he becomes a champion. Nicole Renard is Larry's best dancer. The 2 of them were Larry's favorites.

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One night in the bar, with Arthur, Francis finally asks the guys when Larry LaSalle will come back.  They pull out a book full of all the veterans that earned a silver star, Larry being one of them. Arthur recognizes his voice and identifies Francis. Arthur swears to keep his identity a secret even though he wants Francis to be recognized.
"They all come back to Frenchtown sooner or later."

Plot - Conflict

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He was Francis's friend who went to the wreck center with him. He always said that there was doom hanging over the place. *Joey was right after all *

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He was born in Frenchtown, moved to New York, became a famous dancer and returned to Frenchtown. There are rumors he "got in trouble".   Francis took calisthenics, Larry taught a class @ the wreck center.
RR : This dude sounds super sketchy.
*6 years ago*

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One day Francis decided to go to the old wreck center. Larry LaSalle owns the new wreck center (#flashback), he is an athlete, a dancer, and a teacher. *Francis went there all the time in 7th grade*

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This dude finds Francis walking on the street one day, stops him, asks him how he got hurt, and took him to the bar to go get a drink. At the bar Francis recognizes multiple men from the war.
RR : I think it is really cool that Arthur did that for Francis.

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Francis always has trouble sleeping, he does not want to remember the acts that occurred in the war and the people he killed. That night in the dream he killed 2 young boys his age. The next day his face is blown away by the grenade. (in dream #flashbacks)

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Mrs. Belander finally asks Francis what his name was. Since he wants to remain anonymous he used his dead brother's name, Raymond and his also dead mother's maiden name Beaumont.

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He is a friend that drank with Francis while they were still in the war. They went to the same school growing up.

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Enrico is one of Francis's friends. He lost both his legs in the war. Enrico is always talking, trying to mask his own pain. Enrico is always giving advice too. He once said to Francis  "...You get out of the army and get yourself to a home for the blind. There must be a good-looking blind girl somewhere just waiting for a nice guy like you."
RR : I'm glad that Enrico is able to stay positive.

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Mrs. Belander owns the 3-decker on 4th street. This is where Francis will be staying. He lived there once before when he was growing up, before his parents died.

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Francis has eyes, eardrums, 2 caves for a nose, no teeth, and no eyebrows.  He lost a lot of skin on his face as well.  Nobody can recognize him anymore since he covers his face, and his larynx has been damaged and makes his voice a lot deeper.

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Francis fell in love with a girl in the 7th grade. Her name is Nicole Renard. She never really noticed him but still to this day he is in love with her.
RR : That is super cute!

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Francis Joseph Cassavant is 18 years old and has just returned to his hometown called Frenchtown from WW2. His face has been blown off when he "fell" on a grenade. He now has a different mission, to kill his childhood hero, Larry LaSalle.
RR : I feel super bad for this dude!

Plot - Exposition