signs of the fear he displayed in the face of Greg Crewes were gone.
“Well,” the girl said, “somebody had to rescue the three of you.”
Embarrassed, I looked at my feet, digging the toe of my shoe into the dirt.
“Charlie, Alex...” Marty waved toward the red-headed girl. “. I want you to meet Lisa Summers. Lisa, these are my cousins from out of town. They’re staying with my family for a few weeks.”
“Nice to meet you,” she said, and I shook her hand.
“I’m glad you came along when you did,” I said, still feeling like a loser for almost getting beat-up. “Thanks for the help,”
“Think nothing of it,” Lisa said. “Greg’s always looking for trouble. He deserves worse than a broken mirror and windshield.”
“Who was that guy?” Alex asked.
“That,” said Marty, “was one-half of the dreaded Crewes brothers. Greg and Hatch Crewes are the worst bullies in the county. They used to go to school with us, until they both got expelled for beating up one of the teachers. They’re meaner than copperhead snakes in a frying pan.”
“Good thing they weren’t together,” Lisa said, “or this would have turned out differently. We might be able to get the better of one of them, but not both.”
“Still, that was pretty smart thinking,” Marty said, tapping his forehead, “shooting at the car. No way was he going to let you shoot out all the windows of his car. That car is their most prized possession.”
“If you say so.” Lisa brushed past me—she smelled like peppermints—and started searching the road. “But he’ll come looking for us one of these days, and there will be blood in his eyes.”
“You know,” I said, “you broke a mirror. Seven years bad luck.”
“Not for me.” She didn’t look up but continued searching the gravel. “I’m not superstitious.”
What is she looking for? I wondered.
“Hey, Lisa,” Marty said. “I was just taking my cousins down to the creek. You want to come with us?”
“Sure,” she said. “You’ll need someone to look out for you. Just give me a second, okay?”
She paced back and forth, looking down like she was counting rocks.
“There it is!” Lisa said, plucking a single rock from the ground. It was one of the stones she’d beaned Greg with.
“There are rocks all over the place,” I said. “What’s so special about that one?”
Lisa tossed it straight up, then snatched it out of the air again. “This is my lucky rock.”
“I thought you weren’t superstitious,” I said.
She smiled. “When it comes to this rock, it’s not superstition—it’s fact!”
She grabbed a small leather pouch that hung from her belt. As she undid the drawstring, the contents rattled. The bag was full of stones, and she dropped the lucky rock in with the others.
I let the matter drop. After all, the rock had certainly been lucky for me. Without it, I would have been nothing more than a smudge in the dirt.
After walking forever, we passed a familiar-looking path. The Widows mailbox stood by the side of the road. If Marty wanted to take us to the creek, it would have been much quicker to follow the road rather than trek through the woods. He must have wanted to show us the Bleeding Rock. Fine by me, but I wondered why he didn’t just say so in the first place. He hadn’t thought I’d be scared, had he?
Lisa unbuttoned her shirt pocket, reached inside, and withdrew a handful of striped peppermints wrapped in plastic. She unwrapped one and popped it in her mouth.
“Want one?” she asked, mumbling with her mouth full. She held out her hand, offering the candy to the three of us. Alex and Marty each took a piece, but I shook my head.
“Don’t like peppermints?” she asked.
“Not really.”
“Lisa likes peppermints better than anyone I know,” Marty interrupted. “Eats them all day long. They keep her hair red.”
“Very funny.” Lisa made a face at him.
Rounding a curve, I saw the concrete bridge we’d crossed
“Well,” the girl said, “somebody had to rescue the three of you.”
Embarrassed, I looked at my feet, digging the toe of my shoe into the dirt.
“Charlie, Alex...” Marty waved toward the red-headed girl. “. I want you to meet Lisa Summers. Lisa, these are my cousins from out of town. They’re staying with my family for a few weeks.”
“Nice to meet you,” she said, and I shook her hand.
“I’m glad you came along when you did,” I said, still feeling like a loser for almost getting beat-up. “Thanks for the help,”
“Think nothing of it,” Lisa said. “Greg’s always looking for trouble. He deserves worse than a broken mirror and windshield.”
“Who was that guy?” Alex asked.
“That,” said Marty, “was one-half of the dreaded Crewes brothers. Greg and Hatch Crewes are the worst bullies in the county. They used to go to school with us, until they both got expelled for beating up one of the teachers. They’re meaner than copperhead snakes in a frying pan.”
“Good thing they weren’t together,” Lisa said, “or this would have turned out differently. We might be able to get the better of one of them, but not both.”
“Still, that was pretty smart thinking,” Marty said, tapping his forehead, “shooting at the car. No way was he going to let you shoot out all the windows of his car. That car is their most prized possession.”
“If you say so.” Lisa brushed past me—she smelled like peppermints—and started searching the road. “But he’ll come looking for us one of these days, and there will be blood in his eyes.”
“You know,” I said, “you broke a mirror. Seven years bad luck.”
“Not for me.” She didn’t look up but continued searching the gravel. “I’m not superstitious.”
What is she looking for? I wondered.
“Hey, Lisa,” Marty said. “I was just taking my cousins down to the creek. You want to come with us?”
“Sure,” she said. “You’ll need someone to look out for you. Just give me a second, okay?”
She paced back and forth, looking down like she was counting rocks.
“There it is!” Lisa said, plucking a single rock from the ground. It was one of the stones she’d beaned Greg with.
“There are rocks all over the place,” I said. “What’s so special about that one?”
Lisa tossed it straight up, then snatched it out of the air again. “This is my lucky rock.”
“I thought you weren’t superstitious,” I said.
She smiled. “When it comes to this rock, it’s not superstition—it’s fact!”
She grabbed a small leather pouch that hung from her belt. As she undid the drawstring, the contents rattled. The bag was full of stones, and she dropped the lucky rock in with the others.
I let the matter drop. After all, the rock had certainly been lucky for me. Without it, I would have been nothing more than a smudge in the dirt.
After walking forever, we passed a familiar-looking path. The Widows mailbox stood by the side of the road. If Marty wanted to take us to the creek, it would have been much quicker to follow the road rather than trek through the woods. He must have wanted to show us the Bleeding Rock. Fine by me, but I wondered why he didn’t just say so in the first place. He hadn’t thought I’d be scared, had he?
Lisa unbuttoned her shirt pocket, reached inside, and withdrew a handful of striped peppermints wrapped in plastic. She unwrapped one and popped it in her mouth.
“Want one?” she asked, mumbling with her mouth full. She held out her hand, offering the candy to the three of us. Alex and Marty each took a piece, but I shook my head.
“Don’t like peppermints?” she asked.
“Not really.”
“Lisa likes peppermints better than anyone I know,” Marty interrupted. “Eats them all day long. They keep her hair red.”
“Very funny.” Lisa made a face at him.
Rounding a curve, I saw the concrete bridge we’d crossed
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