and said, “Can I put my helmet on now?”
Zeke and the Ratner twins were walking straight at them.
When he was close enough to them, Zeke said, “You guys a little big for swings?”
Neither Billy nor Lenny said anything. Billy had a feeling ignoring Zeke wasn’t going to make him go away.
Unfortunately he was right.
“I’ve been forgetting to ask you something, Raynor,” Zeke the Geek said. “You had a chance to work on your tackling lately?”
“Yeah,” Bruce Ratner said.
“Yeah,” Hank Ratner said.
Billy still didn’t say anything. He’d been instructed by Mrs. Marion— ordered by her, was really more like it—to stay away from Zeke when they weren’t in class.
When she had told Billy that he had almost said, Yeah, Mrs. Marion, I have to be told to stay out of Zeke the Geek’s way.
Only now here Zeke was.
Billy couldn’t believe he was looking for more trouble in front of the whole school. But he was Zeke, and trouble was really the only thing he was good at, the way Lenny was good at sports or Ben was good at piano.
Maybe he wasn’t scared of Mrs. Marion any more than he was of the other kids in the school.
“Asked you a question, Raynor.”
Zeke was standing as close as he could be to the swing Billy was sitting on without actually touching it.
“I’ve got nothing to say to you, Zeke,” Billy said, looking up at him.
What happened next happened fast.
The Ratner twins moved in behind Zeke. Suddenly the rest of the playground couldn’t see Billy unless they looked through Bruce and Hank Ratner.
Before Billy could get a better grip on the rope handles attached to his swing, Zeke the Geek leaned down and jerked the seat up so that Billy went flying backward into the dirt.
“Hey,” Lenny said, hopping out of his own seat. “That’s just plain old wrong, dude.”
Zeke turned to him and said, “You want some of this, DiNerdo?”
“Yeah,” Lenny said, stepping toward Zeke, “unfortunately, I guess I do.”
“Lenny, no!” Billy said, getting to his feet, brushing the dirt off him. “You don’t want to get suspended over this loser, too.”
“Why not? It’ll be fun,” Zeke said. “Then we can be losers together.”
“Good point, Zeke, no kidding,” Billy said. “It’s amazing you don’t get better grades with a brain like yours.”
“You really think I’m gonna let you get away with sucker-punching me?” Zeke said.
“I try not to think of you at all, Zeke.”
Billy looked past Zeke. No teachers around, just like the last time.
The only person close to them, he saw, was his brother Ben.
Zeke didn’t know he was there yet, because Ben was behind him. There he was, anyway, wanting to see what was going on at the swings.
Billy put his eyes back on Zeke so that Zeke wouldn’t wonder what he was looking at behind him.
“Just so’s you know,” Zeke said. “This still isn’t over.”
“Boy, there’s pretty great news,” Lenny said.
“Shut up, DiNerdo.”
“Yeah,” the Ratner twins said, at the same time.
The twins turned to go. So did Zeke.
Who saw Ben now.
“Hey,” Zeke said, “it’s little Raynor.”
He walked right up to him, put out his hand, the way people did when they wanted you to shake it.
“How you doing, little Raynor?”
Don’t do it, Ben.
Don’t shake the guy’s hand.
Ben put his hand out.
Zeke took it.
Zeke didn’t have it long. Billy couldn’t hear what he was saying. And knew it didn’t matter. However hard he was squeezing Ben’s right hand, he didn’t let go until Ben yelled, the sound coming out of Billy’s brother and somehow just blending in with all the other yells from recess.
Monday night was now the official night of the week when they went out to dinner with their dad.
When their dad had first stopped living with them, their mom had assured them that they would work out some kind of schedule where all the kids would spend regular time with him on weekends. “Quality time,” she called it.
Zeke and the Ratner twins were walking straight at them.
When he was close enough to them, Zeke said, “You guys a little big for swings?”
Neither Billy nor Lenny said anything. Billy had a feeling ignoring Zeke wasn’t going to make him go away.
Unfortunately he was right.
“I’ve been forgetting to ask you something, Raynor,” Zeke the Geek said. “You had a chance to work on your tackling lately?”
“Yeah,” Bruce Ratner said.
“Yeah,” Hank Ratner said.
Billy still didn’t say anything. He’d been instructed by Mrs. Marion— ordered by her, was really more like it—to stay away from Zeke when they weren’t in class.
When she had told Billy that he had almost said, Yeah, Mrs. Marion, I have to be told to stay out of Zeke the Geek’s way.
Only now here Zeke was.
Billy couldn’t believe he was looking for more trouble in front of the whole school. But he was Zeke, and trouble was really the only thing he was good at, the way Lenny was good at sports or Ben was good at piano.
Maybe he wasn’t scared of Mrs. Marion any more than he was of the other kids in the school.
“Asked you a question, Raynor.”
Zeke was standing as close as he could be to the swing Billy was sitting on without actually touching it.
“I’ve got nothing to say to you, Zeke,” Billy said, looking up at him.
What happened next happened fast.
The Ratner twins moved in behind Zeke. Suddenly the rest of the playground couldn’t see Billy unless they looked through Bruce and Hank Ratner.
Before Billy could get a better grip on the rope handles attached to his swing, Zeke the Geek leaned down and jerked the seat up so that Billy went flying backward into the dirt.
“Hey,” Lenny said, hopping out of his own seat. “That’s just plain old wrong, dude.”
Zeke turned to him and said, “You want some of this, DiNerdo?”
“Yeah,” Lenny said, stepping toward Zeke, “unfortunately, I guess I do.”
“Lenny, no!” Billy said, getting to his feet, brushing the dirt off him. “You don’t want to get suspended over this loser, too.”
“Why not? It’ll be fun,” Zeke said. “Then we can be losers together.”
“Good point, Zeke, no kidding,” Billy said. “It’s amazing you don’t get better grades with a brain like yours.”
“You really think I’m gonna let you get away with sucker-punching me?” Zeke said.
“I try not to think of you at all, Zeke.”
Billy looked past Zeke. No teachers around, just like the last time.
The only person close to them, he saw, was his brother Ben.
Zeke didn’t know he was there yet, because Ben was behind him. There he was, anyway, wanting to see what was going on at the swings.
Billy put his eyes back on Zeke so that Zeke wouldn’t wonder what he was looking at behind him.
“Just so’s you know,” Zeke said. “This still isn’t over.”
“Boy, there’s pretty great news,” Lenny said.
“Shut up, DiNerdo.”
“Yeah,” the Ratner twins said, at the same time.
The twins turned to go. So did Zeke.
Who saw Ben now.
“Hey,” Zeke said, “it’s little Raynor.”
He walked right up to him, put out his hand, the way people did when they wanted you to shake it.
“How you doing, little Raynor?”
Don’t do it, Ben.
Don’t shake the guy’s hand.
Ben put his hand out.
Zeke took it.
Zeke didn’t have it long. Billy couldn’t hear what he was saying. And knew it didn’t matter. However hard he was squeezing Ben’s right hand, he didn’t let go until Ben yelled, the sound coming out of Billy’s brother and somehow just blending in with all the other yells from recess.
Monday night was now the official night of the week when they went out to dinner with their dad.
When their dad had first stopped living with them, their mom had assured them that they would work out some kind of schedule where all the kids would spend regular time with him on weekends. “Quality time,” she called it.
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