Yeah, okay, it bothered me. Spinner and Manny? What was that? First of all he was still dating Paige. Yeah, I know. I burned my bridges with Manny. Fine. But it still bugged me that Spinner was flirting with her.
But I was going to let it go. It wasn't any of my business. We did that gig at the car wash and he was all over her, laughing and squirting her with hoses and the sponges and all of that. I did snap a picture. Hey, my old talent could come in handy. Just a little evidence.
Spinner was on my last nerve. Flirting with Manny right in my face. Telling me that she wasn't mine this year, or however he put it. She wasn't my concern this year. Yeah, he was right. She wasn't. So why was it bothering me?
He had this smug attitude about things that bothered me. Like the way he'd smile like that despite the fact that you're upset and he knows it. He doesn't care. So I told myself that I wouldn't let him get to me. If he wants to hang all over Manny then fine, go ahead. Have a blast. Whatever floats your boat. I'd just ignore it.
To show just how big about the whole thing I was being I agreed to go to the movies when Marco called.
"Hey, Craig, what's up?" he said, "wanna come to the movies tonight?"
"Yeah, sure. Who's going? Spinner?" I said. Marco cleared his throat.
"Uh, yeah. Spinner. And Jimmy. And me and you,"
A little dead beat of silence on the phone. Marco knew I wasn't thrilled with Spinner lately.
"Craig, c'mon. Spinner's just being Spinner, an idiot. Do you think Manny's really going to go for him?"
"I don't care," I said, and Marco laughed.
"Just come to the movies. Forget about Spinner and Manny," he said, and I agreed.
So Paige is working at the movie theater and Spinner is being brutal to her, just brutal. Making her get him a million versions of one tub of popcorn, laughing at her, belittling her. I narrowed my eyes at him. Spinner was being a real jerk this year, and I didn't just mean because he was all over Manny like flies on shit. He was being a jerk to Paige and he was being a jerk to Rick. Not that Rick was some great guy or anything but it was bordering on abuse. You could only push people so far. I knew this. Spinner didn't.
I wouldn't say anything. Maybe I was just overreacting to his behavior because I was irritated with him. Yeah, maybe. So we went and saw the movie and it was okay but afterwards, well, things just boiled over. We go out by the snack counter where Paige works and he starts in on me, making cracks like I'm all jealous about him and Manny, and then he gives Paige more shit.
"Yeah, Spin, there's so much to be jealous about. Your charm, your way with women," I say. I've had it with him. Then he comes over and slaps me on both cheeks. It was insulting. And it infuriated me, which was probably his intention. The thing about Spinner was he wasn't such a dimwit like he came across as being. He had dumb animal cunning.
He's walking away, that smug look probably still on his face. I walk up to him and shove him, hard. He turns around and that's it, we're grabbing each other, hitting, punching, falling to the floor. I avoid most of his blows and I get him on the floor, get up just enough to have leverage and start pounding away on him. It feels so good.
Paige comes over and yells at us and then her boss comes over, pulls us apart, threatens us with security.
"I already called them. Do you want to still be here when they show up?" she says, so I'm thinking it's a bluff. She didn't call anyone. She just wants us gone. So fine. We scramble to our feet and take off and I'm thinking, this is my first fight with someone my own age.