Rhino sat up and stared at me from across the fire. “It’s crazy, you know. I mean, Landry's a total jerk and he has been since the very beginning. And I mean, I just never would have thought we could have something exactly in common. There it is, we’re really different, but we both lost our parents.”
“And you both punch really hard.”
He laughed and threw his head back. “Yeah, there’s that, too.”
I stared across the firelight and watched it flicker in his eyes. Then he lay down, and for a couple minutes he was quiet. I thought maybe he had drifted off to sleep. But then he propped himself up on one elbow and said, “Sprout?”
“Yeah?”
“Am I ever a jerk like that?”
“Well, you did break my nose and put me out for rest of the season.”
He sat up and crossed his legs. “Oh, come on! And you can thank me for that later, too. You all dressed up in that tie, holding that clipboard—man, you know you like that spiff. And you saw the way Emma Jean was looking at you last night.”
“Oh, shut up.”
“You dog! Look at you. You are totally lying, man. If you didn’t see that, you are blind. She wasn’t even watching the game!”
“How do you know? Were you watching her the whole game!”
“Heck, yeah! When I wasn’t watching some lineman’s fat face. She’s the prettiest girl in the whole school, and she don’t even try. And any time she comes near you, she’s a total hummingbird.”
“Shut up, Rhino!”
“What? You know it’s true. That’s the problem with you short guys, you’re always flying under the radar. No pun intended, of course. She is so after you.”
I wanted to believe him, but I knew if she really was, she wouldn’t’ have gone out with Gil.
“And don’t be worrying about Gil, if that’s what you’re thinking. He might be a good quarterback but he doesn’t know how to treat girls. She is totally pissed at him.”
“What makes you think that?”
“’Cause she told me. He tried to feel her off at the movies!”
“So you’re talking to her?”
He stopped poking at the fire and looked at me. “Not for me, dude. She was asking about you.”
“Me?”
“Yeah, she wanted to know why you’re ignoring her.”
“I’m not ignoring her.”
“She said ever since the committee broke up you haven’t spoken to her.”
“Well, not on purpose!”
He poked at the fire with the stick and then said, “You should ask her to the dance.”
“What?”
“Ask her to the Halloween Dance.”
“No way.”
“Why not?” He spread out his hands.
“Because.”
“Because why?”
“I don’t know.”
“No way man. I am not letting you get off that easy. If you’re not going to ask the prettiest girl in school out, when I have already established that she likes you, then you have to give a reason.”
“Because she’s tall and I’m short, what do you think!”
“No way. You are not pulling that little short guy crap with me, pal. I mean, look at you, you punched me right in the nose. I mean, I’m practically twice your size, and you took me on. And now we’re practically best friends.”
“Yeah? So?”
“All I’m saying is, think about it. Girls are all about that whole character crap. And if you don’t ask her…”
“Yeah?”
“Well then I’m going to tell her that you want to ask her.”
“No you’re not.”
“Actually, yes I am—who’s that?”
We saw lights from the other side of the house swing around and hit the woods behind us.
Sure enough, within minutes mom was out to see what we were up to.
“Hey, guys. Is that you, Andy?”
“Yeah?”
She stepped down onto the patio and came over.
“Don’t you think it’s time to come in soon?”
“Actually, we’re going to sleep out here tonight.”
“So…” she began. “You talked this over with Dad?”
“No, it was sort of a last minute thing.”
Rhino sat up. “We’re going to work on our football project tomorrow.”
“I see. Um, Andrew, can I see you inside a minute?” She pointed back to the house.
“Sure,” I said. I stood up and followed her in until the door to the kitchen shut behind us.
“Okay, Andrew. I need to know that you’re not losing your memory. When is your birthday?”
“Two months from now, in December.”
“And how long ago was it that school started?”
“I don’t know, month and a half?”
“So then it’s reasonable to assume that you remember what your father and I said about not having any more boys over here when they’re not supervised?”
“But mom, you have to understand.”
“No, I don’t. That’s the problem here.” She wagged her finger. I hate the finger wag. “I don’t have to understand. I’m the parent in this equation. I make the rules. Your dad and I do, together. And you follow them.”
“But there has to be room for exceptions.”
“There is. But you have used up all that room.”
“But don’t you see, we’re waiting for the new kid at school, the homeless kid.”
“The homeless kid? There are not any homeless kids in Beaver Springs. Believe me, I would know.”
“But he is. He stays with his uncle and they live in a pickup truck and pull a trailer and they’re parked in those woods on the other side of the old town park. And tonight he had a fight with his uncle and he took off running. I thought, if we’re outside, maybe he’ll come by here looking for a safe place.”
“So did his uncle threaten him?”
“We don’t know. But he jumped out of the car to run away from him.”
“Did his uncle follow him?”
“No, he probably couldn’t. He has an artificial leg.”
“How do you know that?”
“We saw it at the...picnic grounds. He was showing it to us. He got it shot off in Afghanistan.”
“Afghanistan? What did he look like?” Uh, oh, she put her hair behind her ear.
“Not as tall as dad, black hair, a long ponytail.”
“Oh, my god.” She grabbed me by the shoulders. “Andrew, I want you to think now. Did he have a tattoo of an eagle on his left shoulder?”
I could hardly think. First, the look on mom’s face told me if he did it was not going to be good news, second, every time I tried to remember what he was wearing all I saw was that blue flannel shirt.
“I never saw his arm.”
“Which leg was shot off?”
“His left.”
“You get out there and keep that fire bright all night. And as soon as that boy shows up, you come tell me, you understand?”
“Yeah, sure,” I said. But with that worry carved all over her face, I knew right then, there was no way I was going to tell her.
“And you both punch really hard.”
He laughed and threw his head back. “Yeah, there’s that, too.”
I stared across the firelight and watched it flicker in his eyes. Then he lay down, and for a couple minutes he was quiet. I thought maybe he had drifted off to sleep. But then he propped himself up on one elbow and said, “Sprout?”
“Yeah?”
“Am I ever a jerk like that?”
“Well, you did break my nose and put me out for rest of the season.”
He sat up and crossed his legs. “Oh, come on! And you can thank me for that later, too. You all dressed up in that tie, holding that clipboard—man, you know you like that spiff. And you saw the way Emma Jean was looking at you last night.”
“Oh, shut up.”
“You dog! Look at you. You are totally lying, man. If you didn’t see that, you are blind. She wasn’t even watching the game!”
“How do you know? Were you watching her the whole game!”
“Heck, yeah! When I wasn’t watching some lineman’s fat face. She’s the prettiest girl in the whole school, and she don’t even try. And any time she comes near you, she’s a total hummingbird.”
“Shut up, Rhino!”
“What? You know it’s true. That’s the problem with you short guys, you’re always flying under the radar. No pun intended, of course. She is so after you.”
I wanted to believe him, but I knew if she really was, she wouldn’t’ have gone out with Gil.
“And don’t be worrying about Gil, if that’s what you’re thinking. He might be a good quarterback but he doesn’t know how to treat girls. She is totally pissed at him.”
“What makes you think that?”
“’Cause she told me. He tried to feel her off at the movies!”
“So you’re talking to her?”
He stopped poking at the fire and looked at me. “Not for me, dude. She was asking about you.”
“Me?”
“Yeah, she wanted to know why you’re ignoring her.”
“I’m not ignoring her.”
“She said ever since the committee broke up you haven’t spoken to her.”
“Well, not on purpose!”
He poked at the fire with the stick and then said, “You should ask her to the dance.”
“What?”
“Ask her to the Halloween Dance.”
“No way.”
“Why not?” He spread out his hands.
“Because.”
“Because why?”
“I don’t know.”
“No way man. I am not letting you get off that easy. If you’re not going to ask the prettiest girl in school out, when I have already established that she likes you, then you have to give a reason.”
“Because she’s tall and I’m short, what do you think!”
“No way. You are not pulling that little short guy crap with me, pal. I mean, look at you, you punched me right in the nose. I mean, I’m practically twice your size, and you took me on. And now we’re practically best friends.”
“Yeah? So?”
“All I’m saying is, think about it. Girls are all about that whole character crap. And if you don’t ask her…”
“Yeah?”
“Well then I’m going to tell her that you want to ask her.”
“No you’re not.”
“Actually, yes I am—who’s that?”
We saw lights from the other side of the house swing around and hit the woods behind us.
Sure enough, within minutes mom was out to see what we were up to.
“Hey, guys. Is that you, Andy?”
“Yeah?”
She stepped down onto the patio and came over.
“Don’t you think it’s time to come in soon?”
“Actually, we’re going to sleep out here tonight.”
“So…” she began. “You talked this over with Dad?”
“No, it was sort of a last minute thing.”
Rhino sat up. “We’re going to work on our football project tomorrow.”
“I see. Um, Andrew, can I see you inside a minute?” She pointed back to the house.
“Sure,” I said. I stood up and followed her in until the door to the kitchen shut behind us.
“Okay, Andrew. I need to know that you’re not losing your memory. When is your birthday?”
“Two months from now, in December.”
“And how long ago was it that school started?”
“I don’t know, month and a half?”
“So then it’s reasonable to assume that you remember what your father and I said about not having any more boys over here when they’re not supervised?”
“But mom, you have to understand.”
“No, I don’t. That’s the problem here.” She wagged her finger. I hate the finger wag. “I don’t have to understand. I’m the parent in this equation. I make the rules. Your dad and I do, together. And you follow them.”
“But there has to be room for exceptions.”
“There is. But you have used up all that room.”
“But don’t you see, we’re waiting for the new kid at school, the homeless kid.”
“The homeless kid? There are not any homeless kids in Beaver Springs. Believe me, I would know.”
“But he is. He stays with his uncle and they live in a pickup truck and pull a trailer and they’re parked in those woods on the other side of the old town park. And tonight he had a fight with his uncle and he took off running. I thought, if we’re outside, maybe he’ll come by here looking for a safe place.”
“So did his uncle threaten him?”
“We don’t know. But he jumped out of the car to run away from him.”
“Did his uncle follow him?”
“No, he probably couldn’t. He has an artificial leg.”
“How do you know that?”
“We saw it at the...picnic grounds. He was showing it to us. He got it shot off in Afghanistan.”
“Afghanistan? What did he look like?” Uh, oh, she put her hair behind her ear.
“Not as tall as dad, black hair, a long ponytail.”
“Oh, my god.” She grabbed me by the shoulders. “Andrew, I want you to think now. Did he have a tattoo of an eagle on his left shoulder?”
I could hardly think. First, the look on mom’s face told me if he did it was not going to be good news, second, every time I tried to remember what he was wearing all I saw was that blue flannel shirt.
“I never saw his arm.”
“Which leg was shot off?”
“His left.”
“You get out there and keep that fire bright all night. And as soon as that boy shows up, you come tell me, you understand?”
“Yeah, sure,” I said. But with that worry carved all over her face, I knew right then, there was no way I was going to tell her.
