Dylan

10. Sinning

'Here's your ticket to the roller hockey game', Rod said. 'You can pay me back later.'

'The roller hockey game?' said Dylan, face sour and body immobile.

'Yeah, you remember, faculty against DJs. You're coming with me.'

'You didn't notice that something has mistakenly been left out of that statement? I mean, like the word "not"?'

'You're not tempted by the opportunity to see the grudge match return encounter between Ms LeBeau and Rock 'N' Roll Rosanna?' When Dylan just grimaced, Rod took another tack. 'Okay, there's something else. I need you as my partner in crime.' Rod looked around to be sure they couldn't be overheard. 'Let me tell you what I've got in mind …'

'Dylan? Dylan?'

Dylan cracked open his eyelids and peered at the clock by his bed. His mother was waking him up when he'd only just fallen asleep.

'Dylan? What's that noise outside?'

Dylan opened his eyes a little wider and raised his head from the pillow.

'Mom', he said, 'that's just Dad and Kris arguing. They must have run into each other at the front door, coming home at the same time. You know you said Dad was working late tonight. It's just a happy coincidence that Kris got caught and is going to get grounded for being out too late.'

'Are you sure that's all it is? You don't think anything's happened to them?' Without waiting for an answer, Dylan's mother left the room and a minute later he heard the sound of her opening a window and calling out of it.

'Hank? Kris? Is that you? Are you okay? Do I need to come down?'

'Please, Jacquie, I can handle this!'

Dylan lay down again and gratefully went back to ignoring his family.

'I thought you said your brother was grounded', said Rod.

'My parents expect that to make a difference to him', said Dylan, 'but I don't know why you do.'

'I guess he's too big a sports fan to miss the game, huh?'

'Roller hockey? Faculty against DJs? He's the kind of sports fan who won't take that seriously, especially with both sides fielding mixed teams. Take a look beside him on his right if you want to know his real motive.'

'Well, fair enough. That'll keep his attention occupied. Now, you take a seat well back where people won't be looking, and especially where you won't be in line of sight for Joey Lyndon and "Van" Vandyke. We don't want anybody to notice when you give me the signal, especially not them, and they're more observant than most around here.'

Dylan nodded. 'Don't worry, I think I know a thing or two about staying under the radar.'

'You're not getting away from me with that puck, hippie!' grunted Ms LeBeau.

'Never call a rocker a hippie!' Rock 'N' Roll Rosanna rasped back.

Their sticks clashed.

'Isn't it exciting!' Tammy squealed. She grabbed Kris's left hand with both of hers.

He had carefully arranged himself so that she'd have to lean across him to do that. Now he put his right arm around her shoulders, gathered her closer, and gave an exploratory squeeze.

'Oh! What's that?' she cried out, reacting to a loud clattering sound in the rafters, like something being tipped over.

Something red poured down from above and splattered over the roller hockey players, especially Mr Storch and Ms FitzPatrick. People screamed. Kris squeezed Tammy closer.

'No', Dylan said to Rod, 'don't tell me where you got all that pig's blood. If I get interrogated about this, I can't accidentally give away what I don't know myself.'

Rod shrugged. 'I can't see anybody getting anything out of you in an interrogation, but just the same I'm going to ask you whether you're ready to admit it was worth coming tonight.'

After a moment's hesitation, Dylan nodded.

'So, that wasn't too bad, was it? First time's the hardest, you'll get used to it gradually. I'll see you tomorrow.'

Rod walked up the path to his front door, and Dylan set out for his own home. He was halfway up his own front path when he heard the footsteps of Kris arriving home behind him.

'How long do you think your grounding will be extended when Dad finds out you snuck out?'

'He's working late, and Mom's got a job too.'

'And you're going to bribe me not to tell them?'

Kris shook his head. 'Why would I care, anyway? They can ground me for as long as they like. I know the schedule for the neighbourhood security patrol, I can climb that lattice in less than two minutes, and they don't come into my room when they can hear my workout music playing.'

'If they knew the lattice was your getaway route, they could block it off.'

'If they knew about somebody rigging a bucket of pig's blood to fall from the rafters, they might think that was more important than a little minor curfew-breaking.'

'Anybody could have done that. There's no evidence.'

Kris laughed. 'It was an obvious Rod Rhode prank. You think he's never pulled stunts like that before? The principal might not be able to prove anything, but everybody knows your friend's reputation. Do you want Mom and Dad to hear about it? They know he's your friend—you know how pleased they were that you had one.'

Dylan groaned. 'All right. You don't rat to them and I won't rat to them.'

'Deal.' Kris moved away to the lattice.

Dylan walked to the front door. Boy, he thought, it's almost like we're real brothers. He spat into the bushes.