Disclaimers: see chapter 1
II. The game
(Spin:) Mom and Dad didn't tell me, but I overheard enough to know Joey was coming home today. So I hid just around the street corner to make them think I was out of the way, and ran home when they were coming back. I hope my welcome made up for their coldness - whatever they do, I want him to stay. So we can finally set some things right in this house.
He keeps holding me while I regain my breath. "Hi sister", he slowly replied, "one could almost think you haven't seen me for three years." Silly Joey. He puts me back on the ground. "Dad says you're now playing a lot of kickball with your friends. I bet you're the star of the team."
"I'm number two. Vince is the best. Nobody can beat him in anything."
"And T.J.'s still around, too?"
"Yeah, him and Vince and Gretchen and Mikey... my old kindergarten gang, you know."
Joey falls silent as Mom puts her hand on my shoulder. "Pookie, your big brother is barely home. Why don't you look for some photos of your friends while he's moving in?"
"Okay Mom. See ya, Joey" Photos. If Mom knew what I know she wouldn't ask me that.
Back in my room I grab my private photo album and look for the best pictures. Then again, all of them are new to him, and we've grown quite a bit while he was gone. None of the photos was actually made by Mom and Dad - if T.J. and the guys ever met them my reputation would be ruined forever.
As Joey got all his stuff stowed away I pull him outside to the Detweilers' house. "You've got to meet T.J. He's playing the best pranks on Miss Finster."
"She's still around? Still in charge of recess?"
"Yeah."
"She's got some stamina; I thought it drove her mad long ago." He pauses. "Maybe it's better if I don't meet T.J."
Does he think my friends won't accept him? They're not like Mom and Dad. Especially T.J. Thank God, he's already waiting. "Hi Teej, look who's here."
"Hi Spin, and hi Joey, welcome back among the living."
"Hi T.J." Joey seems to study him. Of course - the last time they met we were kindergartners. "Sister's been telling me you're in my old position of master prankster now. I hope you're more careful than I was back then, or you'd get in trouble with more than just Miss Finster."
"Things are going fine, thanks - and Gretchen's checking my plans. She can outsmart teachers." T.J. looks Joey straight in the eye, "you're back in High School now?"
"No, I've got training as an auto mechanic. They say I'm good, so I'll look for a job now. Maybe I'll go to night school when I've got time left. How are you doing in school?"
Wait. Are they fighting? But they don't seem to be angry.
"Umm... I have to be... creative at times. But I'm good in that." T.J. pauses. "When you were master prankster of Third Street School, what was it like?"
"In the beginning it was fun. But late in fifth grade we tried to do better than King Dude, and failed miserably. When the whole grade was punished for our pranks, they turned from us. And we started picking on other kids. In sixth grade it got so bad King Max III came up with a plan to split our group. Three of us seven left, I stayed." Joey snarls. "Your turn: what happens, or would happen if you picked on other kids?"
"We don't pick on other kids, except Randall, and he's Miss Finster's snitch. And maybe the Ashleys, when they behave as if they owned the playground just because they're rich."
"So you, T.J., do pick on little girls?"
I push them apart. "Stop it, you two. I really thought you could talk like civilized people." God, I sound like Mikey now.
T.J. flashes a smile at me, as if everything was under control. "We're just talking."
I turn to Joey: "They aren't little girls, they're a gang of snobs bothering everyone."
"It's OK. I just want to know from your friend what would happen if he picked on other kids."
T.J. ponders. "They'd try to talk me out of it. If that didn't work, Mikey would lament my lost sense of justice, Gretchen would present me a list of bad consequences, Vince would consult the king... and your sister would probably beat me up."
Joey clenches his fists. "Watch your tongue, you little..."
I step between them again. "I would, if I had to... but I don't." Joey slowly relaxes again.
T.J. still hasn't enough. "How do you react to the rumours?"
"What do they say?"
"That you almos... ungh"
I hit him in the stomach. That he had the nerve to suggest anything like that. "How dare you? I told you it was an accident!"
"It's not that easy," Joey said calmly. I just stare as he tells us more: "I was breaking up that car - I thought it was easy, I'd just get in, drive around a little, then leave it in a side street before the cops start looking for it. Then the owner came back, a college professor of literature or so. Today I think he wanted to talk me out of it instead of calling the cops, since I was only fourteen back then. But I thought he tried to stop me from getting away, so I grabbed him and pushed him into some trash bins. As he fell, his head crashed into the wall. It almost broke his skull. And it was all my fault."
I feel like I'm frozen in place. T.J. gulps. Then I try: "But... you didn't want to do that."
"Of course not. But I did it. Fortunately he survived and recovered completely. I probably wouldn't be here now if he didn't want to give me a second chance. Well... he's alive and well, I'm free again, happy ending... You two wanted to play kickball before I came. I think I want to be alone for a while." He turns and walks back to our house. I just stare after him.
"I don't know if I could live with that", T.J. spoke up.
"Yeah. But you shouldn't have challenged him like that. I really thought you wanted to get yourself beaten up."
"No, he planned that all along. His story in exchange for mine. He only got angry when I told him you'd beat me."
"Oh... sorry about that. I thought you'd look down on him, just like Mom and Dad."
"Tender, Spin, you were just worried... just like he was worried if you were in the right hands."
I'm what? Dangit, was my head leaning on his shoulder the whole time? "Oh!" Next thing he starts treating me like a girl. I break free. "I see. Now let's go get Vince." As we're on our way, I realize I've got one more question. "T.J.? How did you know that he planned it?"
"It's how he asked me. It was like a teenager game, Truth or Dare. I saw Becky play it with her friends, and they're quite open when they play."
"So this was truth... What do they dare?"
"I don't know - by then she had locked me into my closet."
Imagining T.J. sneaking up on Becky's teenie games cheers me up a bit. Good old T.J., he always seems to know how to do that.
II. The game
(Spin:) Mom and Dad didn't tell me, but I overheard enough to know Joey was coming home today. So I hid just around the street corner to make them think I was out of the way, and ran home when they were coming back. I hope my welcome made up for their coldness - whatever they do, I want him to stay. So we can finally set some things right in this house.
He keeps holding me while I regain my breath. "Hi sister", he slowly replied, "one could almost think you haven't seen me for three years." Silly Joey. He puts me back on the ground. "Dad says you're now playing a lot of kickball with your friends. I bet you're the star of the team."
"I'm number two. Vince is the best. Nobody can beat him in anything."
"And T.J.'s still around, too?"
"Yeah, him and Vince and Gretchen and Mikey... my old kindergarten gang, you know."
Joey falls silent as Mom puts her hand on my shoulder. "Pookie, your big brother is barely home. Why don't you look for some photos of your friends while he's moving in?"
"Okay Mom. See ya, Joey" Photos. If Mom knew what I know she wouldn't ask me that.
Back in my room I grab my private photo album and look for the best pictures. Then again, all of them are new to him, and we've grown quite a bit while he was gone. None of the photos was actually made by Mom and Dad - if T.J. and the guys ever met them my reputation would be ruined forever.
As Joey got all his stuff stowed away I pull him outside to the Detweilers' house. "You've got to meet T.J. He's playing the best pranks on Miss Finster."
"She's still around? Still in charge of recess?"
"Yeah."
"She's got some stamina; I thought it drove her mad long ago." He pauses. "Maybe it's better if I don't meet T.J."
Does he think my friends won't accept him? They're not like Mom and Dad. Especially T.J. Thank God, he's already waiting. "Hi Teej, look who's here."
"Hi Spin, and hi Joey, welcome back among the living."
"Hi T.J." Joey seems to study him. Of course - the last time they met we were kindergartners. "Sister's been telling me you're in my old position of master prankster now. I hope you're more careful than I was back then, or you'd get in trouble with more than just Miss Finster."
"Things are going fine, thanks - and Gretchen's checking my plans. She can outsmart teachers." T.J. looks Joey straight in the eye, "you're back in High School now?"
"No, I've got training as an auto mechanic. They say I'm good, so I'll look for a job now. Maybe I'll go to night school when I've got time left. How are you doing in school?"
Wait. Are they fighting? But they don't seem to be angry.
"Umm... I have to be... creative at times. But I'm good in that." T.J. pauses. "When you were master prankster of Third Street School, what was it like?"
"In the beginning it was fun. But late in fifth grade we tried to do better than King Dude, and failed miserably. When the whole grade was punished for our pranks, they turned from us. And we started picking on other kids. In sixth grade it got so bad King Max III came up with a plan to split our group. Three of us seven left, I stayed." Joey snarls. "Your turn: what happens, or would happen if you picked on other kids?"
"We don't pick on other kids, except Randall, and he's Miss Finster's snitch. And maybe the Ashleys, when they behave as if they owned the playground just because they're rich."
"So you, T.J., do pick on little girls?"
I push them apart. "Stop it, you two. I really thought you could talk like civilized people." God, I sound like Mikey now.
T.J. flashes a smile at me, as if everything was under control. "We're just talking."
I turn to Joey: "They aren't little girls, they're a gang of snobs bothering everyone."
"It's OK. I just want to know from your friend what would happen if he picked on other kids."
T.J. ponders. "They'd try to talk me out of it. If that didn't work, Mikey would lament my lost sense of justice, Gretchen would present me a list of bad consequences, Vince would consult the king... and your sister would probably beat me up."
Joey clenches his fists. "Watch your tongue, you little..."
I step between them again. "I would, if I had to... but I don't." Joey slowly relaxes again.
T.J. still hasn't enough. "How do you react to the rumours?"
"What do they say?"
"That you almos... ungh"
I hit him in the stomach. That he had the nerve to suggest anything like that. "How dare you? I told you it was an accident!"
"It's not that easy," Joey said calmly. I just stare as he tells us more: "I was breaking up that car - I thought it was easy, I'd just get in, drive around a little, then leave it in a side street before the cops start looking for it. Then the owner came back, a college professor of literature or so. Today I think he wanted to talk me out of it instead of calling the cops, since I was only fourteen back then. But I thought he tried to stop me from getting away, so I grabbed him and pushed him into some trash bins. As he fell, his head crashed into the wall. It almost broke his skull. And it was all my fault."
I feel like I'm frozen in place. T.J. gulps. Then I try: "But... you didn't want to do that."
"Of course not. But I did it. Fortunately he survived and recovered completely. I probably wouldn't be here now if he didn't want to give me a second chance. Well... he's alive and well, I'm free again, happy ending... You two wanted to play kickball before I came. I think I want to be alone for a while." He turns and walks back to our house. I just stare after him.
"I don't know if I could live with that", T.J. spoke up.
"Yeah. But you shouldn't have challenged him like that. I really thought you wanted to get yourself beaten up."
"No, he planned that all along. His story in exchange for mine. He only got angry when I told him you'd beat me."
"Oh... sorry about that. I thought you'd look down on him, just like Mom and Dad."
"Tender, Spin, you were just worried... just like he was worried if you were in the right hands."
I'm what? Dangit, was my head leaning on his shoulder the whole time? "Oh!" Next thing he starts treating me like a girl. I break free. "I see. Now let's go get Vince." As we're on our way, I realize I've got one more question. "T.J.? How did you know that he planned it?"
"It's how he asked me. It was like a teenager game, Truth or Dare. I saw Becky play it with her friends, and they're quite open when they play."
"So this was truth... What do they dare?"
"I don't know - by then she had locked me into my closet."
Imagining T.J. sneaking up on Becky's teenie games cheers me up a bit. Good old T.J., he always seems to know how to do that.
