The Blue Girl Read Free Page B

from the wall, but he stepped in close, totally invading my personal space. I knew I had to talk my way out of this, but I’ve never been able to stop from being a smart aleck.
    “Gee, I’m sorry to hear that, Ken,” I told him.
    “The name’s Brent.”
    “Whatever you say.”
    Sarcasm obviously went right over his head. Smart, just like his girlfriend.
    “You got it,” he said. “That’s the way it works around here—just whatever I say. And what I’m saying right now is, keep out of Valerie’s way.”
    “Or?”
    “What do you mean ‘or’?”
    “Well, what are you going to do if I don’t? Are you going to beat me up? That’ll look really good, won’t it? Smacking around a little thing like me, half your size and a girl in the bargain. That’s going to impress just about everybody with what a big, tough guy you are.”
    I was talking way braver than I felt, but talking was all I had. His face went dark, and for a moment I thought he was going to hit me. I knew a couple of tricks for taking down a guy his size—I had to, hanging around with the crowd I had back in Tyson—but none of them were foolproof, and standing on the stairs like we were wasn’t exactly the best place to implement any of them.
    “Anyway, I’m trying to stay out of your girlfriend’s way,” I went on. “But for some reason, every time I turn around, there she is.”
    “You’ve got a smart mouth, Yuck.”
    “I know. And the rest of me’s not so dumb either.”
    He grabbed my arm and squeezed hard enough to bruise. I didn’t pretend it didn’t hurt, but I wasn’t going to let it cow me either.
    “That bruise’ll make an interesting photograph,” I told him.
    “What’s that supposed to mean?”
    “As evidence.”
    He laughed, but he let me go.
    “You’re a real piece of work, aren’t you?” he said. “You actually think the principal would take the word of some loser reject like you over that of his star quarterback?”
    “I have no idea,” I told him. “I’m thinking more judge, lawyers, civil lawsuit, that kind of thing.”
    “Like that would ever happen. Just stay off my radar, Yuck. You don’t want to get on my bad side.”
    “Or you’ll ...?”
    “Or I’ll squash you like the weird little bug that you are.”
    Then he laughed and gave me another shove, banging me back up against the wall once more. Turning away, he went on up the stairs with his friend Jerry. Throughout our little encounter, no one else ever stopped or looked once in our direction. They continued to just go by as I leaned against the wall, but I knew they’d taken it all in. Knew they were all as scared of him as I was supposed to be.
    I rubbed my arm where he’d bruised it. All kinds of little revenge scenarios played through my head Road Runner cartoon style, except Brent and Valerie took turns being the coyote, and they didn’t bounce back the way Wile E. did.
    It was dumb, but they were comforting to consider as I continued on down the stairs, still rubbing my upper arm, and I knew I wouldn’t put even one of them into practice. I wouldn’t say boo to either of them.
    Unless they got on my case again.
    Then maybe I wouldn’t be able to stop myself, and the next time, I’d probably get beat up for real, instead of just pushed around the way I’d been today.

 
     

    I know exactly the moment that I fell in love with Imogene Yeck. It was that Friday afternoon on the stairwell—the first time she ran into Brent Calder. Standing up to him didn’t help her any more than it had ever helped me with Woody and Trevor and Mac and all those guys who were always on my case. Brent still pushed her around. He was still in control. But she wasn’t intimidated. She looked him right in the eye, even when he was hurting her.
    I knew I could never be that brave. It was like she was daring him to do his worst, but whatever that was, it wouldn’t make her cry.
    I wanted to go up to her once Brent and Jerry finally walked away, but