by Charles Day
Lou eyed the eight-foot-tall cement wall that surrounded the tower, which only had one steel door for access. However, hiding on the other side of the tower's wall kept the little school kids, and anyone else, from climbing the tower. It also kept Lou and his boys well hidden from the teachers, who couldn’t see anything from the school’s windows. However, every now and then, a surprise visit from one of them would send the unhappy lawbreakers to detention. As he followed the outside perimeter of the wall to the other side, he startled his friends.
“Thought I was Principal Lynch ready to bust you all for smoking, huh?” Lou laughed and grabbed the pack of smokes out of Norm’s hand without asking. He lit one and placed the pack in his pocket before throwing his school bag to the ground.
“So, what’s up with everyone?” Lou asked.
“Not much.” Ralph spoke first. “Except that I’m probably getting detention today because Mr. Morgan refused to let me into his class. And I haven’t stopped in Lynch’s office to talk with his cute secretary. Other than that, everything’s looking peachy.”
Trevor came out from behind Norm’s pudgy body, then looked up at his brother. “Lou, you hear what happened to Nicky, you hear what happened?”
Lou looked at his little brother, wondering why he wasn’t in class. He didn’t like the little guy following in his footsteps. Made him feel bad. “What are you doing here, Trev? You’re supposed to be in class. How’d you get past the hall monitors?”
Trevor continued without answering Lou’s questions, and that annoyed Lou. “Let Ralph t-tell you what-what Nick did, Lou. He got yelled at by Morgan, and he almost peed, got wet all over his pants, Lou.”
Lou watched as his younger brother’s lips kept moving. The words had already finished, the sounds of syllables and pulsating throat muscles subsided, but his lips continued to slap each other like a sock puppet. Lou knew Trevor was a bit strange, had seen it on many occasions—Trevor babbling on as if he were talking to someone in his head—yet it didn’t seem to faze his little brother.
“Well, well, little Nicky boy unable to handle Sarge. Isn’t that a hoot? Reminds me, since we’re on the subject of the little turd. I’m guessing we have everything set up for tonight, am I correct?” Lou looked worried and when he looked worried, his anger soon took the front seat. No one wanted to be in the passenger seat when that happened.
“Yep, all set up like you wanted it, Lou. Nicky’s in for a big surprise,” Ralph said, clapping his hands. He smiled at Lou, and Lou smiled back with an even bigger grin.
“Great, I can’t wait to see the look on the punk’s face when he gets it tonight. This Halloween, Nick is gonna be scared out of his Batman boxers, and then, when he’s weeping like a little baby, I’ll finish it off with a bang.”
Lou rubbed his hands together, as if he were washing them under hot water, soaping them up and rinsing them off. Faster and more intense, one hand rubbing the bruised knuckles of the other. And then he made a fist and slammed it into his open hand. “Tonight, that little punk is all mine.”
Nick kept looking up at the clock. He wanted to see the long, black hand join the smaller black hand at the number twelve. Lunchtime at noon. Five more minutes to go and I’ll be free to eat. And, hopefully, I’ll meet up with Lou, give him some excuse as to why I can’t make it tonight and get that problem off my shoulder so I can concentrate on better, more important detective work. I also need to find out about this Jeffery Beamer guy.
The noon bell finally sounded. Nick grabbed his backpack, then followed the other students out of the classroom and into the hallway. The hall filled up fast—short kids, tall kids, boys, girls, teachers, janitors, sophomores, juniors, and seniors, all scattering about like busy bees caught indoors.
The next hour would be all about lunch and recreation. To Nick, it was a time for mingling with some of the female students. He already had his eye on Jenny, the hot babe he’d sat next to on the bus this morning. Although she may not have noticed him, not even a simple glance his way, he’d certainly done his part. And right about now, he was calculating how he’d be able to spark a conversation with her.
Nick stood in the lunch line. He had one eye on the meatballs in the stainless steel pan and his other eye glued to where Jenny sat. He watched her bite into her meatball hero. The sauce ran down her lip and chin, making him smile. He felt the urge to run over to her and wipe off that red sauce. There you go, Jenny. Didn’t want that sauce dripping down and messing up your shirt. After that, he’d give her a soft kiss, just for good measure. She wouldn’t hesitate to kiss him right back, a sign of appreciation for saving her from embarrassment. He could see it as he daydreamed, Jenny leaning forward to give him a—
“You mind, Nick? You’re holding up the line,” the rubber-gloved cafeteria aide said. She banged the shiny steel ladle on his tray. “You want your meatballs or what?” she asked in a snotty tone, ready to unload the small balls of beef on his sliced, open hero.
“Yeah … sure. Okay, thanks,” Nick said with a smile. After she dumped the meatballs and sauce mostly on the bread, he moved down the line. He reached into the depths of his jeans pocket and grabbed a crumbled five-dollar bill that Mom had given him before he left to catch the bus that morning. He paid for his lunch at the register, then decided that if there was any time to make his move, it was lunchtime.
Jenny still wore that wonderful cheerleader costume. She looked really good in it. Nick figured he’d act as if there were no other seats available. He steadied his meal tray, carefully maneuvering through dozens of round tables that each held six or more students. While going through what felt like a maze and trying to find the easiest route to Jenny, Nick heard kids screaming and witnessed a few throwing their food at each other. A few students he passed played with their portable gaming systems or texted on their cells.
Nick knew he had to be really careful not to bang into anyone, for fear of having his meatball hero fall on some unsuspecting kid’s head. As he approached the farthest table, by the doors where Jenny sat, he saw Lou, his pals, and his younger brother hanging around just outside the large, glass, lunchroom windows. He looked at Jenny’s table, trying his best to ignore Lou, who laughed and waved his arms.
When Nick finally arrived at the table, he asked, “Hey, girls, mind if I grab a spot here with you? No other seats around. And I’m not about to sit with the nerds over there.”
Nick felt good about what he said, because Jenny looked up and smiled, which he knew was a signal confirming it was okay to sit by her side. “Do I know you?” Jenny asked, watching Nick pull out the chair.
Nick felt his face get hot, but did his best to keep his composure by quickly sitting up properly. “We met on the bus.”
“I don’t recall meeting you … Wait. Yeah, I remember, you’re the boy who sat next to me, the boy who was invited to the Halloween party.” She giggled, and looked over at her friend, who giggled, too.
Nick thought the laughter might be contagious, and soon he’d be giggling, but instead, he smiled back and sighed in relief that he’d broken the ice, landed in the safe zone, gotten permission to graze in Jenny’s pasture. He felt okay, accepted, as he settled into his seat. He was still too nervous to start munching on his meatball hero, so he enjoyed her smile, which told him that she liked him.
“You’re going to Lou’s Halloween party tonight, right?” asked Jenny. “I heard it’s going to be a fright fest. Ghouls, demons, and vampires.” She giggled again. Her friend also giggled, as if they had perfect synchronism.
This is not good.
Nick wished Jenny hadn’t asked that question. How would he answer? He couldn’t say no—or why. I don’t want Lou to play a trick on me, Jenny, or beat me up. Instead, I must save my block and other streets, and maybe the whole town, from the pumpkin thief. Perhaps the culprits who took all the pumpkins off the neighbors’ porches are an old lady and her dog. Yes, snatched up by the evil Mrs. Needlewhitter and her devil hound, Baxt
er. Unfortunately, he didn’t have much time to think, and while gritting his teeth and hearing them grind, he said, “Yep, looking forward to it.”
Jenny smiled more brightly and looked into his eyes. “Great. Can we go with ya?”
Nick had another real problem, as if the first question was not enough of a concern. He felt queasy; bile churned and prepared to race up his throat. He’d thought he could get away with saying yes and still be able come up with an excuse not to go. But now, if Jenny wanted to tag along with him, well, that changed everything.
He felt his heart flutter. No way am I turning this offer down, although now I have no choice but to go. I need to do this.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Nick nodded. He would have Jenny and her friend come with him tonight as his guests. “Sure, Jenny, I’ll be looking forward to that. And your friend’s name is?”
“Oh, yeah, sorry.” Jenny smiled, placing an arm around her friend, squeezing her close. “This is Maria.”
“Hi, Maria.” Nick smiled.
She greeted him with a grimace.
Nick reached for his meatball sandwich while the girls conversed about that night’s party.
Nick was now concerned about two very big things. First, he needed to prepare for the worst with Lou; and second, another serious issue—the pumpkin thief was still loose on his street. She needed to be brought to justice before he attended any Halloween bash.
Samantha reached for her dessert, a warm piece of apple pie on her lunch tray. She grinned with satisfaction as she scooped up some of the gooey apple chunks that had fallen onto her plate. Across from her sat a few of her friends: Darla, Mika, and Britney. They all finished their lunch and started on their desserts, as well, although they each had something different to munch on.
Samantha stared at her friends. She could tell Mika had enjoyed her fudge brownie by the way she sucked the sticky fudge left on her fingertips. Darla, the health-conscious one in the group, preferred to snack on an orange, peeling off the tough skin with her long, painted fingernails. And then there was Britney, the complete opposite of the skinny, blond, pop music diva. She was a heavyset girl who needed to shed a few pounds, according to Samantha, anyway.
All were enjoying each other’s company, chatting about boys and other mutual interests.
“Hey, Samantha, is that your brother over there with two girls?” Mika pointed. “It is Nick. I’m right.”
Samantha turned and looked. “Yeah. So what? He probably had to pay them to sit at their table.” She laughed and shook her head, making her pigtails bounce back and forth. “You know what? I bet he told them about last night, when he played like he was a big, bad detective. You know he almost got me bit by a dog?”
“Really?” Britney said, wiping melted chocolate from her mouth. “What happened?”
“Seriously!” Samantha told her friends the whole story. She also explained how her brother always acted like he was some famous detective, out to find the next clue. She made her brother out to be a real nerd. “You know, if it wasn’t for me going out with him on his runs, he’d be in a lot of trouble right now. Lucky for him, I know what real detective work is all about,” she finished. Mika, Britney, and Darla were amused that Samantha’s older brother was playing detective. She could tell by their smiles.
Samantha continued to gossip with her friends, but then the subject of their favorite teen band took over. She was so engaged in the conversation she never saw what came next. Without any warning, all four girls jumped out of their seats when a tray smacked down on their table, splashing ice cream and milk all over their clothes.
“Well, well, look here. Seems to me we have a little girlie party going on.” Lou snickered and stared at the girls.
Samantha saw this and stared back into Lou’s eyes, not blinking. She also noticed Norm, Byron, and Ralph were by the bully’s side when he let go of his tray in midair and watched it slam down on their table. The girls moved away from their seats, wiping off their clothes with napkins.
Lou spoke directly to Samantha. “Sorry, girls, I just wanted to get Samantha’s attention is all.”
Samantha gave him a look like she was ready for a smackdown. “Well, you have it. Now what, jerkwad? And make it quick, ‘cause I’m still deciding if I should throw this tray in your face or have you reported to Principal Lynch.”
“Just try it, girlie, and you’ll be crying home to Mommy with milk all over your head and your pigtails all twisted in a knot.”
“You know what, Lou? You and me, we’re so done with this conversation. Now beat it, idiot.” Samantha shoved the palm of her hand toward his face, and then she turned to her friends, motioning for them to walk away. Her three friends followed her as Lou continued to talk.
“Hey!” the bully yelled. “You’re all welcome to my party, and remind your brother! He said he’s coming.” Samantha and her friends continued walking, not looking back as they quickly approached the doors that led outside to the schoolyard.
Samantha heard Lou make one last attempt. “You can bring all your friends with ya. Okay?”
She turned to see him wipe his filthy hands on his jeans, as he walked in the opposite direction. She also witnessed a few of the younger students look over at the bully as he walked by, his fists clenched, chest bulging out of his tight black shirt, but they quickly took their eyes off him and pretended to be finishing up the food on their meal trays. Samantha wondered what she had just done. He frightened most kids. Was she in trouble?
Nick stood up as he witnessed the tail end of Lou’s antics with Samantha and her friends. He watched as the bully continued walking, chest still out and muscles flexed, pushing his way past the tables, coming closer. He looked like he wanted to go for it, fists and all.
Nick wondered what was about to go down. He also noticed Trevor following behind, laughing and reminding kids as he passed their tables that there was a Halloween party tonight at Lou’s, everyone invited. Only a few of the students turned their heads to hear what Trevor had to say, careful not to make eye contact with Lou.
Nick saw him get closer, pushing tables and chairs out of his direct path, and knew he needed to show his new friends, Jenny and Maria, that he could stand up to a bully. That wouldn’t be easy. Lou was taller, bigger, stronger, and built like a comic book villain. Nick wished he had the super powers to go with the crumpled Spiderman mask in his school bag. He would start spinning webs of all sorts at his archenemy.
Reality set in, though, as Lou approached. It was time for Nick to face his fears, face Lou one on one … again. Ever since his first encounter with the bully, when they were younger, Lou had been after him. That memorable time flashed before his eyes and Nick felt like he was there again.
A short time after Nick’s parents bought their house, Lou’s parents moved to Chesterville and settled in, two houses down the block. After about a month, Lou showed his true colors. One day, when Nick was only seven, Lou came out of nowhere and kicked dirt in Nick’s face while he was playing with his Hot Wheels collection.
“Hey, who said you could play over here in my section of the woods?” Lou kicked some more dirt at Nick, who just sat there, wiping grit out of his eyes.
“What is wrong with you?” Nick yelled back as he stood up to confront the bully.
“I moved into town a month ago and claimed this spot in the woods as mine. You got a problem with that?”
Nick did have a problem with that.
The woods, which stretched the length of several houses, certainly had enough room for a multitude of kids to play. And besides, Lou’s parents didn’t own it, and their kid didn’t own it, so that meant only one thing.
Open territory, free for all.
“You’re such an idiot. This is not your property. It belongs to all of us, so back off.” Nick felt good telling him off as he wiped the last of the dirt from his hair.
Lou, however, didn’t seem to like Nick’s choice of words, or his attit
ude, for that matter. He swung a fist at Nick’s face. Nick ducked just in time, then slammed his fist so hard into Lou’s stomach that Lou bent over, gasping for air, almost turning blue.
Nick sprinted toward home.
When Lou finally caught his breath, Nick heard the bully cursing and screaming up to the blue cloudless sky as he promised, swore to the heavens in all his rage, that he would get Nick back one day.
In the past five years, Nick had encountered his share of close calls with the bully, but Lou never actually took another swing at him. Sure, Lou cursed him and threatened him a few times, but then, for some unknown reason, Lou let it go. He stopped pestering Nick, and instead, started to buddy up to him over time. Nick had been glad, especially since he’d noticed that Lou started lifting weights about the same time, showing some obvious results with ripples of muscle that seemed to grow larger every week, as if he had an air pump attached to his body and his little brother kept filling him up.
But as this past summer had rolled into autumn, Lou’s attitude changed again. In September, Lou met up with Nick at a local gathering where the two of them had an exchange of words and, for the first time since that day in the woods, they swung at each other. Lou had just clenched his fist, prepared to throw a punch, but the police showed up, lights flashing red and blue. Someone must have called 9-1-1 because Lou and his buddies were getting loud. The blaring radio may have gone too far, but the cops saved another confrontation from getting physical.
Nonetheless, Nick knew it was only a matter of time before Lou would try again. If Nick ever leaked the information that Lou had gone down from a blow to the stomach from a wimpy kid, Lou’s reputation would be trashed. The memories all flashed through his mind as he did his best to mentally prepare for what was about to go down in front of so many of his classmates, including Jenny.