Vanished in the Night by Eileen Carr Page B

classrooms opening on to the outdoors. He didn’t like closed-in places. Cedric scuttled along next to him along the wall as they walked toward the Dumpsters.
    “Can you open the gate for me?” Gary asked when they got there.
    Cedric nodded and stood on his tiptoes to reach his skinny little arm over the top of the gate and unlatch it. It would take nothing to twist that arm up behind his back, shove him into the garbage enclosure, and do anything he wanted. No one would be there to stop him. The kid would probably be too scared to even cry, and certainly too scared and too ashamed to tell anyone. It could go on for a year or two, and no one would ever be the wiser. Gary’s breath started to come a little faster just thinking about it.
    Despite the bullying he had already received, the kid was way too trusting.
    Gary knew all about that, too. He knew how getting pushed around could make you look for someone bigger and stronger than your enemies to protect you. He knew how that could turn on a guy, too.
    People who were bigger and stronger than yourenemies were bigger and stronger than you, too. Strength and size didn’t guarantee benevolence. People who were bigger than you just had an easier time pushing you around.
    Cedric turned and smiled at him, and Gary pushed the trash bin on through. He dumped the garbage in the Dumpster and said, “Let’s go see if your mom is here.”
    A gray Toyota Celica with a dent in the rear-passenger side pulled to the curb as Gary and Cedric came around the corner of the school. Cedric cried out “Mom!” and sprinted toward the car.
    Before Cedric could get to the car, two older boys, jeans drooping halfway down their asses, dirty flannel shirts over T-shirts, came out from behind a tree. The smaller of the two bumped Cedric as he ran past, sending him flying.
    Gary was moving away from the building in a split second. The first boy had turned to snicker with the larger boy, trying to impress him by picking on someone smaller than he was. Gary knew this dynamic all too well. And he was bigger than all of them. “Hey!” he yelled. “What do you think you’re doing?”
    It was very satisfying to see the boy jump. “I . . . I . . . nothing. It was an accident.” He started to back away.
    Gary took a few more steps toward him. “Then help him up.”
    The boy froze. “What?”
    “I said help him up. Now.”
    “Okay, okay. Don’t have a coronary.” The boy walked over to where Cedric lay sprawled on the sidewalk and held out his hand.
    Cedric glanced over at Gary, confused.
    “Let him help you up, Cedric.”
    Cedric swallowed hard, but took the kid’s hand. The kid hauled him to his feet.
    Cedric’s mother got out of her car. “Hey, everything okay over there?”
    “Just fine,” Gary called back to her in a friendly tone. “Cedric will be there in just a second.” He turned back to the bully. “Now tell him that you’re sorry,” he growled.
    The kid shot him a defiant look.
    “Now.” Gary crossed his arms over his chest.
    The kid took a step back and turned to Cedric. “Sorry.”
    “Now tell him it won’t happen again.”
    The kid cast a disparaging look at Gary but said, “It won’t happen again.”
    “Now get off the grade school property,” Gary said. “Is there something wrong with you that you’re hanging out with little kids? Can’t you make any friends your own age?” he taunted.
    The kid picked up his backpack, and he and his friend slouched away.
    Cedric had already run over to his mother’s car. Gary followed.
    “I hung out with Mr. O. and then Gary walked me over here,” Cedric told his mother.
    Cedric’s mother looked up at Gary, her brow creased. “We don’t mean to be a bother.”
    Gary waved her concerns away. “I needed help getting the Dumpster gate open. It’s hard to do when you’re wheeling the bin at the same time. Cedric was a big help.”
    She shot him a look of gratitude. “Thank you so much.”
    “No problem.” Gary