fever.
Before Nick could answer him, Mrs. Pinet had come back out. We all stiffened at the sight of her smile. “Okay, boys. Mr. Lund is on his way.” She folded her arms around herself. “And you, Nicolas, well, you’re just lucky my husband isn’t home.” She turned to David. “Get all this cleaned up and go to bed. Your father will deal with you when he comes back from his business trip.”
Sebastian whined, “But, Mom, I didn’t do anything—”
“Shut up, you little shit.” David yanked Sebastian off the curb. “You heard Mom, get some trash bags from the shed.”
Sebastian kicked a rock into the street and looked over at Nick. “This all Boone’s fault, you know. He started all of this.”
David slapped his brother’s shoulder. “Shut up! You don’t know when to shut up, do you? It’s over.” Then David stared into Nick’s face. “Right, Nicolai?”
Nick held David’s hot stare. “Right,” he said quietly. “We’re even.”
I never noticed, but David is almost as tall as Nick, and he’s got the same kind of eyes, except his are almost black and his hair is dark and curly.
“I’m sorry about what my brother said about you.” David’s voice is different when he speaks to Nick. It sounds like he’s in a lot of pain. “You’re not… you know .”
“Retarded?” Nick whispered with a half smile.
David’s breath seemed to get caught in his throat. “That’s right you big retard.”
When Nick laughed, it resonated through the street. He laughs like the Green Giant. At the sound of it, everyone seemed to let out some of the extra air in their lungs.
I kind of felt like one of them for a minute.
Nick looked over at me, like he had forgotten I was even there, and frowned. “You all right? How’s your face?”
I nodded.
“You shouldn’t have come. I’m gonna be in deep shit ’cause of it.”
I had never thought of that. Of how bad it would look to Johan. I hadn’t planned on getting Nick in trouble, I just wanted to see what he was going to do with the toilet paper. “I ca-ca-came by myself. You-you didn’t ask me to—”
“Yeah, well, you try tellin’ my dad that.”
I bit down on my lip. That nice feeling was gone. I only felt like crying.
“Okay.” Nick stretched his arms out and took a deep breath. “I hear the van. You guys don’t say a thing. Not a fucking thing. Got it, Terry? You lemme do all the talking.”
When Johan pulled up, all my courage leaked out of me. I had never seen his face like that. It hung down and all his features seem to meet in the middle. Johan climbed out. He didn’t even look at any of us. He walked slowly to the front door and knocked.
Mrs. Pinet’s face appeared in the wedge. “John,” she called him.
Johan means John. I didn’t know that. That’s Dad’s name.
“I want you to know that I don’t plan on reporting this to the police.” she said. “I know you and Helga are good folk and you can handle this matter privately.” She lowered her voice, but we could still hear her. “I know he’s been givin’ you some problems. I heard about what they found in his locker.”
What was she talking about?
Johan said something, but we couldn’t make out his words. Mrs. Pinet nodded and then called to her sons, “Come on, boys, you’ll finish this in the morning. It’s late, there’s school tomorrow. Get inside.”
Sebastian immediately dropped the bag and skipped up the stairs into the house.
David hesitated, but Nick tossed his chin up and whispered, “Better do what she says.”
David’s body seemed to harden, and his mouth looked hungry for something. “Nick, oh Nick.”
Nick tensed. “Go.”
David’s lips formed a strange smile, and he disappeared into the house.
The front porch light went off.
“Get in the truck.” Johan had opened the passenger door for Nick. “Derek, Terry, get in the back.”
We all obeyed.
Johan drove Terry home. On the way there, none of us said a word. I could hear
Before Nick could answer him, Mrs. Pinet had come back out. We all stiffened at the sight of her smile. “Okay, boys. Mr. Lund is on his way.” She folded her arms around herself. “And you, Nicolas, well, you’re just lucky my husband isn’t home.” She turned to David. “Get all this cleaned up and go to bed. Your father will deal with you when he comes back from his business trip.”
Sebastian whined, “But, Mom, I didn’t do anything—”
“Shut up, you little shit.” David yanked Sebastian off the curb. “You heard Mom, get some trash bags from the shed.”
Sebastian kicked a rock into the street and looked over at Nick. “This all Boone’s fault, you know. He started all of this.”
David slapped his brother’s shoulder. “Shut up! You don’t know when to shut up, do you? It’s over.” Then David stared into Nick’s face. “Right, Nicolai?”
Nick held David’s hot stare. “Right,” he said quietly. “We’re even.”
I never noticed, but David is almost as tall as Nick, and he’s got the same kind of eyes, except his are almost black and his hair is dark and curly.
“I’m sorry about what my brother said about you.” David’s voice is different when he speaks to Nick. It sounds like he’s in a lot of pain. “You’re not… you know .”
“Retarded?” Nick whispered with a half smile.
David’s breath seemed to get caught in his throat. “That’s right you big retard.”
When Nick laughed, it resonated through the street. He laughs like the Green Giant. At the sound of it, everyone seemed to let out some of the extra air in their lungs.
I kind of felt like one of them for a minute.
Nick looked over at me, like he had forgotten I was even there, and frowned. “You all right? How’s your face?”
I nodded.
“You shouldn’t have come. I’m gonna be in deep shit ’cause of it.”
I had never thought of that. Of how bad it would look to Johan. I hadn’t planned on getting Nick in trouble, I just wanted to see what he was going to do with the toilet paper. “I ca-ca-came by myself. You-you didn’t ask me to—”
“Yeah, well, you try tellin’ my dad that.”
I bit down on my lip. That nice feeling was gone. I only felt like crying.
“Okay.” Nick stretched his arms out and took a deep breath. “I hear the van. You guys don’t say a thing. Not a fucking thing. Got it, Terry? You lemme do all the talking.”
When Johan pulled up, all my courage leaked out of me. I had never seen his face like that. It hung down and all his features seem to meet in the middle. Johan climbed out. He didn’t even look at any of us. He walked slowly to the front door and knocked.
Mrs. Pinet’s face appeared in the wedge. “John,” she called him.
Johan means John. I didn’t know that. That’s Dad’s name.
“I want you to know that I don’t plan on reporting this to the police.” she said. “I know you and Helga are good folk and you can handle this matter privately.” She lowered her voice, but we could still hear her. “I know he’s been givin’ you some problems. I heard about what they found in his locker.”
What was she talking about?
Johan said something, but we couldn’t make out his words. Mrs. Pinet nodded and then called to her sons, “Come on, boys, you’ll finish this in the morning. It’s late, there’s school tomorrow. Get inside.”
Sebastian immediately dropped the bag and skipped up the stairs into the house.
David hesitated, but Nick tossed his chin up and whispered, “Better do what she says.”
David’s body seemed to harden, and his mouth looked hungry for something. “Nick, oh Nick.”
Nick tensed. “Go.”
David’s lips formed a strange smile, and he disappeared into the house.
The front porch light went off.
“Get in the truck.” Johan had opened the passenger door for Nick. “Derek, Terry, get in the back.”
We all obeyed.
Johan drove Terry home. On the way there, none of us said a word. I could hear
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