Catboy Read Free

rubbed against it as it started to lick them. Then, out of nowhere, a piece of brick bounced in front of the cats and almost hit them before smashing against a car. The cats scattered, disappearing into the junk.

Two
    I jumped to my feet and spun around. There were three guys—older, high-school aged—standing there. Judging from their expressions, they were as surprised that we were there as we were by their sudden appearance.
    â€œWhat are you doing?” I demanded before I thought through what I was saying.
    There was a slight delay before the first one spoke. “What do you think we’re doing?” he snapped.
    â€œYou could have hit one of the cats!”
    â€œThat was the idea!” snarled the biggest of the three boys.
    The other two boys were holding rocks, but he wasn’t. That meant he was the one who had tossed the brick.
    â€œYou could have hurt them, or even killed one,” I said.
    â€œI didn’t, but maybe our next shot will be better,” he said.
    Suddenly one of the other boys pulled back his arm and threw a rock. I ducked, but it soared over our heads, narrowly missed a cat and hit the trunk of a car with a thud.
    â€œStop it!” I screamed. “You shouldn’t be throwing rocks at the cats!”
    â€œWho should we be throwing rocks at?” the big kid asked, but it wasn’t really a question. It was a threat.
    â€œLeave the cats alone,” I said, my voice cracking over the last word.
    The three of them laughed. Not the response I was hoping for.
    â€œMaybe we should be throwing the rocks at something that’s easier to hit,” the big guy said.
    I looked around for someone to help us, but we were alone.
    â€œCome on,” Simon hissed. “Let’s get out of here.”
    I ignored him. “Just leave the cats alone,” I said again. It was more a plea than an order.
    â€œWhat’s it to you?” the big guy asked. Obviously he was their leader and spokesperson.
    â€œThey didn’t do anything to you. They’re just cats,” I said.
    â€œShut up,” Simon said out of the side of his mouth.
    â€œAre you two going to stop us?” the big guy asked.
    â€œUs?” Simon asked, shuffling forward. “We’re just passing through. I don’t even like cats.”
    I stepped forward. “I do!” I exclaimed. “And you should just leave them alone.”
    They started laughing again. At least I was amusing them.
    â€œSo, Catboy, what are you going to do if we don’t leave them alone?” asked the big guy.
    â€œNothing,” Simon said. “We’re going to do nothing except leave.”
    â€œI wasn’t talking to you!” he snapped. “I was talking to Catboy.” He pointed at me.
    I felt my whole body flush. What was I going to do? We were outnumbered and outsized. It wasn’t as if anybody was here to take control. There were no teachers, parents, refs or adults of any kind. If they wanted to beat the heck out of us or hit us with rocks, there was nobody here to stop them.
    â€œWhat’s wrong, Catboy? Cat got your tongue?” the big guy asked, and they all burst out laughing.
    I had to admit, that was clever. Maybe if it wasn’t meant as an insult and I wasn’t so scared, I would have found it funny.
    Then they did something that wasn’t funny at all. Two of them reached down and picked up more rocks.
    â€œIt’s cruel to pick on helpless animals,” I said.
    â€œYou convinced us,” the big guy said.
    I was shocked. Were they going to stop?
    â€œWe won’t throw anything at the cats…just stupid kids,” said the big guy.
    I started to laugh, unexpectedly. Judging from their expressions and the look Simon gave me, everyone was confused by my laughter. I had to admit, I was confused as well. But now I was going to confuse them even more. I bent down and grabbed two rocks.
    â€œAre you crazy?” Simon