Caleb cringed. “That has nothing to do with us being friends, Zach. I swear.”
Instead of answering, Zach started to walk faster. Caleb quickly caught up. “Does this have something to do with what happened at the mall?”
“You’ve never wanted to be seen with me outside of school,” Zach said. “You’ve never once invited me to your house. Or to do anything with you and your other friends.”
So there’s the answer, Caleb thought. It wasn’t just that he hadn’t invited Zach to hang out with him and his cousins at the mall. It wasn’t just that Zach had overheard what Ms. B had said to him in her room after the malware attack. It was those two incidents plus what Zach had just said about Caleb never wanting to be seen with him. Caleb could have told Zach that he never asked friends over to his house because he wanted to spare them the scrutiny of his overbearing parents. But he suspected that Zach’s mind was made up.
“I still don’t get how you could go over to Gavin’s squad,” Caleb said.
“Simple,” said Zach. “He asked me to. Maybe you don’t really know Gavin. Maybe you assume that because he’s big and a football player he has to be dumb. You think he’d have to be a jerk to want to be friends with someone like Crosby. But what if I told you that Gavin was the one who told Ms. B about Crosby’s plan to cheat on that geometry test?”
Caleb stopped short. Gavin? For a moment it sounded absurd. But then slowly it began to make sense. Gavin was the only other person who knew about the scheme. But why would Gavin do that?
* * *
Crosby followed for several blocks while the men with the clubs and shields marched. Up ahead, the column was turning a corner. Walking behind them, Crosby couldn’t see what was around the corner. But the men began to chant loudly: “You will not replace us!” and “White lives matter!”
Getting closer, Crosby heard angry shouting in response to the chants. Again, he hesitated and thought about turning back to the bus station. But it was just shouting, and he wanted to see what it was about. He reached the corner. The chanting and shouting were louder and fiercer now. It sounded like a confrontation, but from his spot at the back of the marchers, Crosby still couldn’t see. Suddenly a soda can plummeted out of the sky and clunked heavily against the asphalt near him. Crosby bent to pick it up. It weighed far more than a soda can should have, and he quickly discovered why. It was filled with cement.
The shouting continued. At the back of the crowd, Crosby jumped up and down, trying to see what was happening. He caught glimpses of a different crowd facing the marchers. It was made up of men and women carrying signs that said “Black Lives Matter,” “Love All,” and “Against Hate.”
As the groups hurled angry insults at each other, Crosby felt the air quiver with rage and tension. Another soda can sailed out of the sky and thudded against the street. A man wearing a black bicycle helmet and carrying a Confederate flag picked it up and hurled it back. Now both crowds were throwing cans at each other. The ruckus grew louder, and from the front came the grunting and scraping of physical confrontations. Crosby jumped up, again trying to see. It looked like the two crowds were clashing, swinging fists and clubs.
Fear overtook him. Never in Crosby’s life had he been this close to such mayhem and violence. Everyone was bigger than him. Everything seemed out of control. Two men staggered toward him, helping a third whose head and white shirt were red with blood. It was like war; real war. Crosby had seen enough. He turned to leave, but the street behind him was suddenly filled with commandos dressed in black, and carrying shields and wielding long black rods. Like an invading army in a video game, their faces were hidden behind dark visors. Then Crosby saw the large white patches on their chests that said police.
He was trapped. Behind him was the wall of approaching police commandos. Ahead, the mob of clashing marchers was slowly backing toward him. People were still shouting, screaming, swinging clubs at each other. Cans and bottles were flying and crashing to the ground. Some hit people near him. Others thudded against shields. Crosby swiveled his head this way and that, desperately searching for an escape route. Suddenly someone backed into him, knocking him to the ground. A man with a beard tripped over him, and Crosby was slammed to the asphalt. His heart beating wildly, terrified of being trampled, Crosby started to push himself to his feet.
But now his eyes and lungs began to burn. He couldn’t breathe. It felt as if the air was filled with invisible, noxious fumes. His eyes were tearing so badly that he could barely see. From all around him came the sounds of brawling. Crosby panicked. Gasping for air, blinded, and terrified, he held his hands out, staggering toward what he desperately hoped was safety.
* * *
Emma was in the hall when she saw Gavin and Tyler at Tyler’s locker. There had been a time not too long ago when the last thing she would have done was confront them. But that was then.
Nearing them, Emma heard Gavin say something about Franklin and seeing Robbie again. But when he saw Emma, he stopped talking. The old nervousness welled up inside her, but she kept going. She could feel her pulse racing as she stopped in front of Gavin. “Have you tried that new FIFA game?” she asked.
The slightest tic fired under Gavin’s left eye. An amused smile formed on his lips. “You want to change games now that Zach’s on our side? We didn’t ask to change games when you were wrecking us.”
“It’s not about winning or losing,” Emma said. “It’s about finding a game that doesn’t cause so many problems.”
“You’re just freaked because you got hacked last week,” Tyler taunted.
“It’s not that,” Emma said.
“Then what is it, Emma?” Gavin asked. “We’re not wearing the shirts or medals anymore.”
Tyler clicked his heels and extended his right arm into the air with a straightened hand. “Jawohl, Herr Kapitan! But vee vill still fight on like good Germans!”
Emma was stunned. After everything that had happened, Tyler was still joking around? The sight of him doing the Nazi salute in the school hallway completely threw her. She looked around to see if anyone else had noticed, but if anyone had, they weren’t reacting the way she was. “Do you have any idea what you just did?” she asked.
“Yeah, the German army salute,” Tyler said.
“The Nazi salute,” Emma stressed.
Tyler shrugged. “Same difference.” The bell rang. He slammed his locker door shut. “See you at the match, Emma. If your squad doesn’t chicken out.”
He strode off. Emma was still in shock. Tyler had just done the Nazi salute in the middle of the hallway as if it didn’t mean anything. As if it weren’t a reminder of the millions of people who’d been slaughtered in World War II. As if it didn’t symbolize hate and racism.
“Idiot,” Gavin muttered under his breath.
Emma looked at him, astonished. “Sorry?”
“You heard me,” Gavin said. “I swear, Emma, I can’t wait to get out of here and never see any of these jerks again.”
Emma was baffled. “I…I thought they were your friends.”
Gavin snorted. “Not in a million years. Just a bunch of leeches. But as of Saturday, they’re history.”
“Why?”
Gavin’s forehead bunched. “Your parents didn’t tell you? We’re moving so my dad will be closer to physical therapy. And I’ll get to play on the Franklin team with Robbie.”
Emma must have still looked shocked because Gavin scowled and said, “What?”
“I…I’m just surprised,” Emma said. “I thought you liked your squad.”
Gavin slowly shook his head. “After Robbie moved I probably should have made more of an effort to make new friends. But I knew we were trying to move, too, so I figured why bother? That’s when the leeches started to latch on.”
It had been a long time since Emma and Gavin had said more than a handful of words to ea
ch other. She’d assumed he liked being with people like Tyler and Crosby.
“Can I ask you something, Emma?” Gavin said. “How come you’ve been so unfriendly to me?”
* * *
School was over, and it was time for the eSports club. Last week’s match had been interrupted by the malware attack, so the semester score was still the Allies: 4 and the Axis: 3. The computer tech had run a deep scan and removed the malware so the Providias were ready to be used again. Nathan found a kid who played a lot of TGW and would fill in for Zach, but as Caleb trudged down the hall to the computer lab, he didn’t feel much like playing.
The fact that the Allies wouldn’t have Zach on their side was the least of it, although Caleb doubted they’d have much of a chance against the Axis without him. Caleb tried to remind himself that it was just a game, but it really hurt that Zach had deserted their squad because of him.
As he passed the boys’ room, Caleb saw something odd. The door was wide open, and Principal Summers was standing inside with a crestfallen expression on her face. It looked like she was close to tears. A custodian was using dark green paint to cover something reddish-orange on the wall. Whatever it was looked like it had been spray-painted, but most of it was now hidden under the new coat of green. Caleb couldn’t be sure what had been there, but he was certain that he’d seen that yam-colored shade of spray paint before.
When Principal Summers saw him looking in from the hall, her face revealed what Caleb thought was great sadness and frustration. He was surprised. In his experience, the only two emotions she displayed were sternness and pleasure. But now she looked truly shaken. Whatever had been drawn on that wall must have really rattled her.
Caleb continued down the hall. When he turned the corner, he saw Emma and Zach outside the computer lab, looking at a handwritten sign taped to the door: ESPORTS CLUB CANCELED.
“What’s going on?” Caleb asked.
Emma made a nervous fluttering gesture with her hands. “Uh, I don’t know.”
Zach looked away and didn’t say anything.
“Well, I just saw something really weird,” Caleb said, and began to tell them about the boys’ room. Before he could finish, Ms. B came down the hall, looking grim. “In case you’re wondering, someone drew a hate symbol on the boys’ room wall,” she said, sounding angry and disheartened. “Don’t ask what it was. But Principal Summers and I have decided to cancel the eSports club today.”
Hate symbol? Caleb was astonished. He had to force himself not to stare at Emma. Instead, he asked Ms. B, “What makes you think the two things are related?”
“If you’d seen what was drawn, you wouldn’t need to ask,” Ms. B said.
It’s that bad, Caleb thought, again resisting the urge to look at Emma. But it makes no sense. “Where’s the Axis team?” he asked.
“I told them to go home,” Ms. B said. She gazed in at the computer lab and sadly shook her head. “I never imagined it would come to this.”
Caleb wished he could figure out what was going on. “So…what about next week?” he asked.
“I’m not sure,” Ms. B said. “Why don’t we wait a few days and then talk about it.” She checked her watch. “I need to report this to the police. You might as well go home.”
Ms. B left, but Emma, Caleb, and Zach dawdled. They’d missed the regular buses, and it was way too early for the late bus. They drew a hate symbol in the boys’ room just before the eSports match, Caleb thought. He didn’t know why, but he knew who did. Only, he would have to wait until the time was right to ask.
Zach cleared his throat and made some snorting sounds. Caleb wondered why he was still hanging around. Was he waiting for Caleb to say something? Was it a sign that deep down he still wanted to be friends?
“I think I better go,” Emma said. Caleb suspected that she sensed that he and Zach needed to talk. Or was there another reason why she was eager to leave? She headed around a corner. In the empty corridor, Zach glanced briefly at Caleb and then stared again at the floor.
Caleb thought back to the times he and Zach had spent together over the past couple of months. The skateboarding, the pretend game casting, the funny private moments they’d shared when Caleb felt he could be as free as he wanted. It was something he hadn’t experienced much. Not when he was always so busy with school and activities. Always challenging himself. Always needing to be the best. Always—to be honest—looking for ways to get extra credit. Maybe there was nothing wrong with that, as long as you took time to have fun, too.
Zach cleared his throat again and chewed on a fingernail. Caleb thought he understood why he’d switched to the Axis side that morning. He couldn’t really blame the kid. Given the way Zach had been treated all these years, who could fault him for being mistrustful?
Caleb made a decision and reached toward Zach, who flinched and took a step back, as if he was afraid Caleb wanted to hurt him. But Caleb gently placed his hand on Zach’s shoulder. “Hey, want to come over to my house?” he asked.
* * *
When Crosby felt arms go around his waist and lift him off his feet, he couldn’t see who was carrying him. His eyes were still burning and blurred with tears. His ears were filled with the shouts and screams of people engaged in battle, but now there was also the quick heavy breaths of whoever was carrying him. Crosby had no idea who it was, or where they were going, but he didn’t resist. With each thudding footfall, the person carrying him was taking him away from the violence. And Crosby was finally able to gasp air that didn’t cause his lungs to burn.
To Crosby that meant that wherever they were going had to be better than where he’d just been. Because where he’d just been was a place he never wanted to go again. Nothing he’d ever experienced came close to that much violence. That much hatred. That much terror. He would have been happy if whoever was carrying him continued all the way back to Ironville.
But the person stopped. Crosby heard a car door open. Through his tearing eyes, he saw black lettering on a white background. The next thing he knew, he was in the backseat. The door slammed. The world became a little quieter, although he could still hear snatches of the mayhem outside. New smells entered his nose. The scent of vinyl car seats and stale coffee. Crosby blinked hard and tried to peer ahead. He saw a black metal grate between the back and front seats. A thought shook him. He quickly reached for the door handle.
But there was no door handle. He was locked in.
* * *
Emma headed toward her locker. She’d left Caleb and Zach because she had a feeling they needed to talk in private. And because there’d been something about the way Caleb looked at her that made her uncomfortable. She also needed to think about the conversation she’d had with Gavin. She’d always thought of herself as an open-minded person. But she realized now that he was right. She’d been biased and judgmental. After being childhood playmates, she’d pulled away and shunned him because he was big and rough. Because he was a football player. Because he wasn’t in a lot of smart-kid classes like she was. And because she’d assumed that someone like him would want nothing to do with her. So it came as a shock today when he told her how hurt he’d felt when he realized that she didn’t want to be his friend anymore.
Emma turned a corner. The long hallway was almost empty except for one person: Mackenzie. Something felt strange, and Emma stepped back around the corner and then peeked. Down the hall, Mackenzie looked around. Then she tried a locker and then another and another. Finally, she found one that opened. She looked around again and then reached in. A moment later she quietly closed the locker and started over, trying one locker after another until she found the next one that had been left open.
So that’s how she could afford those clothes and jewelry, Emma thought as she took out her phone. And I bet she’s the one who paid for those custom tees and gray shirts as well.
A moment later, Emma had what sh
e needed, and headed up the hall. Mackenzie must have heard her footsteps because she instantly looked in her direction and then walked toward Emma. As the two girls approached each other, Emma felt the old familiar nervousness. Could she really do what she imagined doing? She knew how simple it would be to turn around. How easy it would be to pretend she hadn’t just seen what Mackenzie was up to. After all, why should Emma care? She always locked her locker.
They came closer. Mackenzie glared at Emma, as if daring her to say something. Emma felt her heart thrum and her stomach knot. She hated confrontations, and Mackenzie could be so intimidating. There was still time for Emma to turn around.
But she kept going. When she was a dozen feet from Mackenzie, she stopped. With her hands on her hips, Mackenzie snapped, “What?”
The words Emma wanted to say were in her throat, but she wasn’t sure she could get them out. Mackenzie kept glaring.
“I know what you were doing,” Emma said.
“What are you talking about?” Mackenzie asked in her most disdainful voice. “I wasn’t doing anything.”
Despite feeling like her body was being racked by tremors of fear, Emma forced herself to speak firmly. “You were going through the lockers, looking for money.”
“You’re crazy,” Mackenzie practically spit.
“I saw you,” Emma said.
“Liar.”
With a trembling hand, Emma held up her phone and played the video she’d just taken. The color left Mackenzie’s face. Her eyes darted like a trapped animal desperate to escape. But finally realizing that there was no way out, she hung her head. Emma studied this girl, who had treated her so meanly and tormented her for so long. It would be so easy to show the video to a teacher or to Principal Summers. Even better, to post it online for the whole world to see, and then show it to Principal Summers.
The Good War Page 13