wasn’t about Carter now. It was about him and Gordon. They circled each other. Gordon seemed a little stiff in his movements, Terry thought. Maybe he’s a little scared too. Gordon lunged at him. Terry put a left jab onto his nose. It stopped Gordon. Terry followed with a straight right, again on the nose, torquing his forearm, turning his hip in, keeping his feet under him, breathing out hard when he threw the punch. Gordon yelped. The blood spurted from Gordon’s nose. Gordon put his hands to his nose, and Terry landed a heavy left hook on his cheekbone and Gordon fell down.
“My nose,” Gordon said. “He broke my damn nose.”
Abby took a packet of Kleenex from her bag, and jumped down from the wall, and gave the Kleenex to Gordon.
Terry turned, still in his stance, toward Carter. Tank slid off the wall and stood beside Terry. Then Otis jumped down and stood with Tank. Carter looked at them and didn’t say anything. Gordon took some of the Kleenex in a wad and held it against his nose.
“I think it’s broke,” he mumbled.
“Why don’t you get Gordon into your stupid car,” Abby said to Carter, “and take him to the doctor?”
Carter nodded.
“Get him in the backseat,” Carter said to Mikey.
Mikey helped Gordon up and they got in the car.
“Careful with the blood,” Carter said.
He looked silently at Terry for a moment.
“Don’t change nothing,” he said. “What I told you in the weight room.”
Terry kept his stance.
“And keep in mind... I ain’t Gordon,” Carter said, and turned and walked around and got in the driver’s seat and drove his silver BMW away.
Terry let his arms drop. The fight had lasted about ten seconds, but he was breathing heavily. His hands hurt where he had punched Gordon. No gloves. No tape. Lucky he didn’t break something. He felt his hands. They seemed intact.
“Man, that was fast,” Otis said.
“You okay?” Abby said.
“Yeah, sure. He didn’t even hit me.”
“I think you did break his nose,” Tank said.
Terry nodded. He was exhausted. How do you get exhausted in a ten-second fight?
“This will be all over school tomorrow,” Suzi said.
Abby was looking at Terry. He looked back at her.
“I’ll bet they won’t bother Terry anymore,” Otis said.
Terry shrugged. He felt a little shaky. He’d have to talk with George about this. He hadn’t thought about how he’d feel after a fight.
“Terry,” Abby said. “Can we take a walk? Just you and me?”
“Sure,” he said.
His left hand was beginning to throb a little where his left hook had landed on Gordon’s cheekbone. When he got home, he’d put ice on it.
As they walked away, Abby took his hand.
First time!
Behind him he heard Otis say, “I’m serious, maybe I should learn to box.”
“I don’t know, Otis,” Suzi said. “Maybe you’re better to out-think them.”
“How do you feel?” Abby said.
“I’m fine,” he said.
“No,” Abby said. “You’re not.”
“How do you know?”
“I can tell,” Abby said. “I know you.”
He liked it that she cared how he was. He liked it that she knew him well enough to tell when he wasn’t all right.
“I’m a little shaky,” he said.
“A fight like that must give awfully intense feelings,” Abby said.
“I guess,” Terry said.
“Feelings like that take a lot out of you.”
“Sometimes,” he said.
“And sometimes not?” she said.
He looked at her without speaking for a while.
“And sometimes not,” he said.
It was Abby’s turn to be silent for a time.
Finally she said, “Are we still talking about the fight?”
“I don’t think so,” Terry said.
CHAPTER 19
The problem with following Bullard,” Abby said while she waited for her coffee to cool, ”is even worse than Kip Carter All-American. Bullard drives everywhere.”
“I thought of that,” Terry said. “I say we need a spotter network.”
His left hand was swollen and sore.
“A what?”
“We know kids who live all over town.
“My nose,” Gordon said. “He broke my damn nose.”
Abby took a packet of Kleenex from her bag, and jumped down from the wall, and gave the Kleenex to Gordon.
Terry turned, still in his stance, toward Carter. Tank slid off the wall and stood beside Terry. Then Otis jumped down and stood with Tank. Carter looked at them and didn’t say anything. Gordon took some of the Kleenex in a wad and held it against his nose.
“I think it’s broke,” he mumbled.
“Why don’t you get Gordon into your stupid car,” Abby said to Carter, “and take him to the doctor?”
Carter nodded.
“Get him in the backseat,” Carter said to Mikey.
Mikey helped Gordon up and they got in the car.
“Careful with the blood,” Carter said.
He looked silently at Terry for a moment.
“Don’t change nothing,” he said. “What I told you in the weight room.”
Terry kept his stance.
“And keep in mind... I ain’t Gordon,” Carter said, and turned and walked around and got in the driver’s seat and drove his silver BMW away.
Terry let his arms drop. The fight had lasted about ten seconds, but he was breathing heavily. His hands hurt where he had punched Gordon. No gloves. No tape. Lucky he didn’t break something. He felt his hands. They seemed intact.
“Man, that was fast,” Otis said.
“You okay?” Abby said.
“Yeah, sure. He didn’t even hit me.”
“I think you did break his nose,” Tank said.
Terry nodded. He was exhausted. How do you get exhausted in a ten-second fight?
“This will be all over school tomorrow,” Suzi said.
Abby was looking at Terry. He looked back at her.
“I’ll bet they won’t bother Terry anymore,” Otis said.
Terry shrugged. He felt a little shaky. He’d have to talk with George about this. He hadn’t thought about how he’d feel after a fight.
“Terry,” Abby said. “Can we take a walk? Just you and me?”
“Sure,” he said.
His left hand was beginning to throb a little where his left hook had landed on Gordon’s cheekbone. When he got home, he’d put ice on it.
As they walked away, Abby took his hand.
First time!
Behind him he heard Otis say, “I’m serious, maybe I should learn to box.”
“I don’t know, Otis,” Suzi said. “Maybe you’re better to out-think them.”
“How do you feel?” Abby said.
“I’m fine,” he said.
“No,” Abby said. “You’re not.”
“How do you know?”
“I can tell,” Abby said. “I know you.”
He liked it that she cared how he was. He liked it that she knew him well enough to tell when he wasn’t all right.
“I’m a little shaky,” he said.
“A fight like that must give awfully intense feelings,” Abby said.
“I guess,” Terry said.
“Feelings like that take a lot out of you.”
“Sometimes,” he said.
“And sometimes not?” she said.
He looked at her without speaking for a while.
“And sometimes not,” he said.
It was Abby’s turn to be silent for a time.
Finally she said, “Are we still talking about the fight?”
“I don’t think so,” Terry said.
CHAPTER 19
The problem with following Bullard,” Abby said while she waited for her coffee to cool, ”is even worse than Kip Carter All-American. Bullard drives everywhere.”
“I thought of that,” Terry said. “I say we need a spotter network.”
His left hand was swollen and sore.
“A what?”
“We know kids who live all over town.
Similar Books
