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Tuck In The Middle With You -*- Copyright 1998 by Ellen Hayes.

Any resemblance between the writings in this work, and any actual
persons or places, living or dead, are purely coincidental, except when
used for satirical purposes.

This work contains adult situations, adult language, adult concepts, and
possibly sex.  If you are legally not allowed to read materials
containing such things, then you will be breaking the law by reading
this.  I am not responsible.
Continuing to read this document, or storing it or reproducing it
in any format means that you explicitly affirm that you are legally
allowed to possess and read such materials in your city, county/parish,
state, and country.

All rights reserved.  See the bottom for distribution rights.


Tuck In The Middle With You


***
06:28 14 Apr

     It seemed so surreal to have the alarm going off, and me having to
get up and go to school and everything today, just like before.  It felt
like something else should have changed, something significant, but it
hadn't.  Nothing ever changed.

***
07:54 14 Apr

     "Hey, Tuck, you okay?"  I turned around, and it was Julia.
     I nodded.  "Debbie's been keeping pretty tight reins on me since...
last week."  She nodded.  "Sorry about-"
     "No."  She shook her head.  "I just hope you got your head back on
straight.  I'd miss you, you little weasel."  She ruffed my hair and
smiled to show me she didn't mean an insult.
     I glanced up just in time to see Debbie.  "Tuck?"  I waved her
over.  She glanced at Julia as she walked up.  "How are you?" she asked
me.
     "Better than I was last week," I told her truthfully, and gave her
a hug.  "I miss you," I said into her hair.  That made her squeeze me
really hard and hold on.  Julia waited for a bit, then waved at me and
walked off.

***
08:05 14 Apr

     "Mister Tucker?" Dobson said after the music had finished.
"Principal Nickerson would like to see you immediately."  He rolled his
eyes as I stood up.
     "Omerta," Mike mentioned as I got my pack and started out.  Dan and
George both slapped my hand as I left.

***
08:12 14 Apr

     "Hey!"  Mike ran up to me and got me by the shoulder.  Dan got the
other one a second later.  "What did he want?"
     I took a deep breath.  "I've got two weeks of detention, for
skipping-"
     "You're shitting me," Dan gasped.  Mike just stared.
     I shook my head.  "I wish I was.  That asshole."
     "Tuck," Mike had found his voice again, "we'll fix things.  Okay?
Don't worry about it."  He sounded like he was trying to convince me.
     I wanted to argue, but I just felt tired.

***
11:34 14 Apr

     "He WHAT?!" Kim shrieked.

***
11:38 14 Apr

     I glared at Debbie.  She just pointed at the phone, her jaw tight.
I sighed, and dialed Dad at work.
     "Hello?"
     "Dad?"
     "Eugene?  Are you alright?"
     I sighed.  "Yeah, but Debbie made me call..."  I gave her another
glare.  She didn't seem to notice.

***
11:39 14 Apr

     "He WHAT?!" Dad yelled into the phone.  I winced and yanked it away
from my ear.  I could still hear him gibbering.
     "Dad!" I yelled into it when it had slowed down a bit.  "Let me
give you some numbers, okay?  School board and things like that."

***
11:46 14 Apr

     Mike was chuckling and rubbing his hands when we got back to the
lunch group.  That usually meant he'd come up with something.  "What?" I
asked.
     He looked at me, and opened his mouth, and then closed it.  "Best
you don't know," he told me.  Which also told me that it was going to be
something evil directed at Nickerson.  The less I knew...

***
11:50 14 Apr

     "Yeah, I gotta go tomorrow after school anyway," I mentioned to
Debbie.  "Mom thinks maybe I should be on antidepressants or something,
so I get to go BACK to the doctor..."  Somehow, I was less than
enthusiastic about the idea.  The last few trips hadn't gone very well.
     I thought too hard about it, and plunged down the hole again.

***
11:56 14 Apr

     When I could look out at the world again, I pushed a little against
Debbie, and she slowly let me out of her arms.  At least I wasn't crying
this time.
     Mike was standing there, when I pulled out, and we linked hands.
That weird dream I'd had in the hotel room flashed through my head, but
I didn't say anything about it.

***
14:53 14 Apr

     I shrugged.  "I guess I'll go, at least until I can figure out what
else to do," I mentioned.  Debbie made a very sour face at that.

***
15:20 14 Apr

     Deeeeeeeetention.  Boooooooooooring.

***
16:21 14 Apr

     Debbie and I came in the front door, and Mom was standing there.
Uh oh, I thought.  "Eugene?" she said, and she didn't sound mad, so I
thought I might have a chance.

***
16:27 14 Apr

     "No, Mom, I mean, I appreciate you and Dad calling and everything,
I really do.  But it's not that big a deal.  I've had detention before,
it's okay."  I didn't much care.  Detention was pretty much the same as
everything else.
     Mom looked frustrated.  "But, sweetie, it's not fair that you
should be punished for this!" she mentioned.
     "Mom, since when was life fair?" I pointed out.  "Otherwise, you
would be as rich as you are beautiful."
     I made a mistake when I said that, because Mom and Debbie both
started to tear up, and then started to weep.

***
17:04 14 Apr

     "Debbie, listen!"  I shook her a little, which got her attention.
I was glad she didn't slap me for it.  "Listen, call Mike and talk to
him, okay?  He'll have- no, he already has something in mind.  GO talk
to him, help him out, and then that'll be better.  It'll make me feel
better.  Okay?"
     "But, but, but," she spluttered.
     "A very nice butt," I mentioned, and patted her shoulder.  "It's
okay, Deb.  He'll do more than Mom and Dad could do."  More than I could
do, either.

***
18:14 14 Apr

     "Stop being a jerk!" Brian complained as he grabbed for the last of
the mashed potatoes.  I thought about fighting him for it, but I just
didn't care enough.

***
20:02 14 Apr

     "I CALLED it, jerk," Brian snarled.  I just gave him the remote,
and went up to my room, ignoring my parents.
     I collapsed on my bed, wishing that I'd saved some of those
Valiums, so I could just drop out of existence for a while, when I heard
someone knocking on my door.  "Leave me alone," I mumbled, but of course
they didn't.  I heard Mom call through the door, "Eugene?  Open the
door, please?"
     I sighed, and pulled myself up and went to the door.  "What is it,
Mom?" I asked when I opened the door.
     "Eugene, please come back downstairs, we had a talk with Brian-"
     "Mom, I'm tired, I want to sleep, okay?"
     "Eugene, please-"
     "Mom, leave me alone!" I begged, trying to keep from crying in
front of her.  "Just leave me alone!"

***
08:09 15 Apr

     "Tuck, do you want to play today?" Mike asked as we left homeroom.
     I was still trying to figure out why Dobson had given me a weird
look, and so I was a little distracted.  "Huh?"
     "Do you want to play today?"
     "Oh, yeah, sure, " I said.  "Life without roleplaying games is
like, it's like-"
     "A fish without a bicycle?"  I nodded, and Mike nodded, and we both
laughed.  Old joke.

***
11:27 15 Apr

     I went by the office to drop off the note from my mom, about my
doctor's appointment that afternoon, and it took me quite a while,
relatively speaking, to notice that Nickerson's office had no door on
it.  I don't mean it was open; the whole thing was gone, frame and all.
     I had to bite my lip really hard to keep from pointing and
screaming.

***
11:34 15 Apr

     "You dog," I laughed when I saw Mike.  "You horribly sly dog!"
     "What?" Kim asked, a little wary.
     Mike told her, "Go look at Nickerson's office door when you get a
chance."
     She thought about it for a while, then looked at me, then looked at
Mike.  "I gotta go see," she said, and got up.  So did most of the Pack.
Jill just looked at me and grinned.

***
11:40 15 Apr

     Kim and the other girls came back laughing, and pointed at Mike,
but didn't say anything.  Mike just raised his hand, and after a few
seconds, Jill and Dan did too.

***
15:09 15 Apr

     I would have been in detention, but instead I was in Mom's car
again, going to the doctor again.  I think I would rather have been in
detention.  Not that anyone asked me what I thought.  Oh, no.  That
would have been too easy.

***
15:43 15 Apr

     Dr. Treble gave me the eye, so I gave it back to her, as Mom
finished explaining what had happened over the weekend.  Things like
this were why I had taken off in the first place.

***
15:46 15 Apr

     Dr. Treble said carefully, "Eugene, I think you need to see a
therapist, if it's upsetting you this much-"
     "I DON'T WANT to see a therapist," I emphasized.  "I don't have
enough time as it is, and I-"
     "Eugene," my mom warned, and I turned to face her.
     "Mom!  I don't want-"
     "You should have thought of that before you-"
     "Hold on you two," Dr. Treble rode over both of us.  "Eugene, it
would be the best for you to get a neutral party to talk with about
this.  Sarah, everyone has had a shock, but Eugene most of all.  I don't
think this is the best time to be going at each other.  You all need to
be supportive of each other right now."
     Pause.
     "Sorry, Mom-" "Eugene, I'm-"  Mom smiled at me.  I felt bad.  I
always felt bad lately.

***
16:08 15 Apr

     I stared at the prescription she'd written for me.  Zoloft.  Just
what I needed, another drug to worry about.  I thought I'd managed to
ditch taking drugs all the time when I got over my asthma, but I guess
it was stupid to think that.

***
18:35 15 Apr

     "Shut UP, dork!" Brian hissed.  "Nobody wanted you back anyway!"
     I looked at him, and I knew he was lying, and I just didn't care.
I couldn't figure out what was going on around me, and I didn't much
care about that either.
     I turned back to the dishes in the sink, and a paring knife caught
my eye.  Just one big slash, I thought, and then I remembered how long
it would take to bleed to death.  Mom would catch me before that long.
     The phone rang, and I ignored it.  Brian got it, and said, "It's
your girrrrrlfriend, Tuck."  I slogged over to the phone, and he dropped
it in my hand, but I missed the catch.  I bent down to pick it up, and
ignored his sneer.  "Hello?"
     "Tucker?"
     "Hi Deb, what's up?"
     "I, I just wanted to know if you were okay, you didn't answer your
phone-"
     "We just had supper, we were cleaning up."
     "How did the doctor visit go?"

***
06:46 16 Apr

     I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, and wondered if I should even
bother to get up.

***
07:54 16 Apr

     "Tuck?"  I turned around, and it was Mike.  "You okay?"  I shook my
head.  I was too tired to talk.  "Come on, man, say hi to Deb before we
go to homeroom."
     I looked up, and she was standing next to him, looking worried.  I
held out my hands, and they both took one.

***
11:31 16 Apr

     I was getting my books for the afternoon, when Rob Walsh caught me
at my locker.  "Hey, fucker," he started out.  This was usually a bad
sign.  What was worse, is that I didn't much care.
     "What?"
     "Tracy broke up with me, you little shit.  It's your fault."
     "How is it my fault, Rob?"  This I wanted to hear.
     "You had something to do with whoever fucked up my car, you little
geek, and she dumped me because she got scared-"
     "That's got nothing to do with me, Rob," I lied.  And shut my
locker and picked up my pack.  Then I dropped it.  I was so sick of this
shit, I could puke.  "So what?  She finally figured out what an asshole
you are, and dumped you, too bad-"
     "LOOK, you little fuckhead, I'll kill you-"
     I'd had it.  "So?  So kill me!"  That stopped him.  "Go on, if
you're so big and macho, go ahead, kill me."  I pushed him.  "Go on, do
it!  DO IT!" I yelled at him.  "Just get it the hell over with!"  I
pushed him again, and he pushed back this time.  I almost fell over.
     Mike grabbed my arm and pulled me back upright.  "Tuck," he said,
and let go.
     "You just watch it, freak boy," Rob told me, like he'd won or
something.
     "No, you watch it, shithead," Mike said back.  Rob flipped us the
finger, and walked off.  The little crowd that had collected started to
leave, too, since there wasn't going to be a fight.
     "Tuck, man, what's going on," Mike asked me quietly.
     "I am just sick of being pushed around," I snarled.

***
11:33 16 Apr

     "Tuck, don't do that any more," Mike asked.
     "I won't if he won't."
     "Tuck, it's the same thing if you off yourself, as if you get
someone else to do it.  Don't do it."  I looked at him, and he was
looking at me.  "I'm serious."
     "I just get tired of all this..." I sighed.
     "Don't we all.  But that's why we hang together, so they won't do
that.  Okay?"
     Eventually, I nodded.

***
11:36 16 Apr

     Somehow, I kept ending up joined to Debbie's hip, with Mike sitting
next to me on the other side.  I didn't know if I was reassuring them or
they were reassuring me.

***
12:05 16 Apr

     "Hey, Tuck, we need to do something about Nickerson," Mike
mentioned.  I just nodded.  "We need your help, man."
     "You seem like you got it under control," I mentioned.
     Debbie said, "Yeah, but pranks are one thing," Mike glared at her,
"but we need to get rid of him.  Permanently."
     Mike added, "So we need to find some dirt on him, if we can, and
get him either fired or so hot that he leaves."
     "Otherwise," Debbie mentioned, "we'll have to make it up, and
that's always harder."
     "So maybe you could run a detailed check on him, see if there's
anything in his background or whatever we could use against him."
     "At the least," Debbie grinned, "it'll give us some hints as to
what to make up."
     I sighed, and wondered if I could still do anything.
     Mike frowned.  "Come on, Tuck, we need you."
     Debbie said, "Your friends need you."
     "Your country needs you!" Mike imitated a recruiter.  "We're
looking for a few good geeks."
     "Be all you can be," Sabrina added, sort of a non sequitur.
     "There is no cannibalism in the British Navy," George quoted,
sticking his finger in the air, but I don't think anyone but me and Mike
got it.  That's probably why we were the ones that finished off the
skit.
     Debbie looked at me like I was a lunatic, but I felt better anyway.
And she didn't move away, either.

***
15:15 16 Apr

     Deeeeeeeetention.  Boooooooooooring.

***
16:44 16 Apr

     I was staring at some files on my computer when the phone flashed.
I switched it on.  "'Lo?"
     "Hey, Tuck, what's up?" Kim asked.
     "Nothing much."
     Pause.
     "How're you doing?"

***
19:17 16 Apr

     "Eugene?"  I looked up, and Mom and Dad were both looking at me,
and Brian was nowhere to be seen.  This was a bad sign.

***
19:19 16 Apr

     "But I don't WANT to go to a therapist!"
     "Eugene," Dad said in that tone that said I might as well stop
arguing.  "You need to go to one, after what- after last week."
     "Dad, please," I begged, "don't make me do this."

***
19:36 16 Apr

     It was so unfair.  I mean, I left because I knew I couldn't think
straight with them around me, and then I get punished with having to go
to a therapist for it.
     I wrapped myself around a pillow, and tried to ease the agony I
felt in my throat and my stomach.  There wasn't anything I could do to
stop crying.

***
01:39 17 Apr

     I looked up at the clock, and blinked a couple of times.  "Oh," I
said to myself, "that must be while I feel like shit."  I'd said
something wrong, but I was too tired to worry about it.  Good hacking
does that to you; sucks you in so deep you lose yourself.

***
07:52 17 Apr

     "How'd it go last night?" Mike asked.
     "Dunno yet, still working on it.  All my passwords expired, of
course.  I'm seeing what I can do... there's a lot of stuff."  I was
being deliberately vague.
     "Yeah, but what are you worried about?" Mike asked.
     "Me?  Do I look worried?"  He just nodded.

***
07:54 18 Apr

     "I mean, I mean, why me?"
     "I dunno, Tuck," Mike replied.  "I guess they think a therapist-"
     "Shhh!"  I didn't want this getting around school.  Mike rolled his
eyes at me.  "Mike, how many guys do you know that go to therapists?" I
asked quietly.
     He thought about it.  "Two."
     "Who?"
     "None of your business!  Unless you want me to tell everyone that
you're going to one too," he made a face when he said that, I guess at
me being paranoid.  "So when are you going?"
     I sagged against the lockers.  "They already made an appointment
for me this Saturday."
     I wondered why I had bothered to come back.

***
08:00 17 Apr

     "Tuck?"  I looked at George.  "You look like shit again, are you
okay?"
     I forced a smile and a nod.  "Yeah, been doing some computer work."
The speakers blared with "More Than a Feelin'."  Nickerson was going
nuts trying to figure the speaker thing out.  "Stayed up too late," I
added.
     "Whatcha doin' tonight?" he asked.
     "More computer work," I said.  Probably more crying, too.  I'd been
doing that a lot lately.

***
08:11 17 Apr

     I was, I decided, a wimp at heart.  I wanted to get this work done,
but George had talked me into coming over to his house and hanging out
for a while.

***
11:34 17 Apr

     I said to Debbie, "George wants me to come do something after
school, okay?  So tell everyone not to freak if I don't answer the
phone, okay?"  This was getting a little irritating-
     Ding! went the play bell.  "Okay, everyone ready?" Mike asked.

***
15:22 17 Apr

     Deeeeeeeetention.  Boooooooooooring.

***
16:28 17 Apr

     "So what did you have in mind?" I asked George as he unlocked the
door to his house.
     "Just hanging out," he claimed.  Sure.

***
16:44 17 Apr

     I wasn't that interested in getting my ass kicked in Mortal Kombat,
so I let Mike and George go at it, while I worked on my homework.  They
kept looking at me between matches, like they were afraid I was going to
disappear again or something.
     It was tempting.

***
17:03 17 Apr

     "Hey, Tuck!"  I looked up.  "Don't you want to play anything?"
     I thought about it for a minute, then shook my head.  "No, my
reflexes are way down today," I said, which was true.  I was also tired
as hell, and all I wanted to do was go home and sleep.

***
20:18 17 Apr

     The phone flashed, and I sighed, then reached up to the pickle and
answered it.  "Hello?"
     "Hey, Tuck, it's Jill."
     "Jill, hey, whatsup?"  I don't think she'd ever called me before.
It was nice having the girls call me up a lot, sort of.  And it was sort
of a pain in the ass, too.
     "Um.  I was looking around, me and Kim, for something, like a
support group or something?  For you?  Anyway, we think we found one,
and it's meeting next Friday night.  Do you think you could go if we
went with you?"
     "What?"

***
11:42 18 Apr

     "I go to mine every week or two, and it's saved my life a couple of
times," Pam said.  "It's not that bad, Tuck.  It's pretty much just
talking to someone else about your problems, except you don't have to
worry about someone blabbing.  Or getting worried."
     "But, but..."

***
11:52 18 Apr

     Ellen shrugged.  "It's hard, sometimes, talking to her, but I think
it helps some.  There's a lot of shit to think about, and sometimes you
get lost in your own head if all you do is run around thinking about it.
Sometimes it helps to get it out, with someone who doesn't freak
immediately if you say something like 'I wish I could die and not have
to worry about this any more.'"
     I could kind of see what she meant, because when she said that, I
pulsed into overdrive for a second.
     Ellen shrugged again.  "At least she's willing to talk about it,
instead of everyone just assuming that I'm crazy and I shouldn't."
     I thought about it for a while, then I apologized.  "Sorry."
     She nodded slowly.  "S'okay."

***
12:09 18 Apr

     Jill shrugged, but it was Kim who said, "Come on, Tuck, it'll be
okay.  We'll be with you."
     "We asked," Jill mentioned, "and you don't even have to say
anything if you don't want to."
     "We just think it'd be a good idea for you to go to something like
that," Pam stuck in.  "It helped me out a lot.  Still does sometimes,"
she smiled sadly at me.  "It's different than therapy," which mention
still bugged the hell out of me, "sort of like talking to people who've
been through it.  You know."  She stuck her hair in her mouth.
     "Do _I_ get a choice in this?" I asked, a little irritated.  Well,
a lot.
     Everyone chimed in to the effect that yes, of course I did, but
they just thought it might help to talk to other people who were having
problems like I was.  Except Debbie; she just held my hand.  When I
looked at her, though, she looked sort of desperate.
     I sighed.  "You think I should go?"  She nodded, and squeezed my
hand tighter.  "Okay, I guess...  Who's coming with me?"
     Debbie spoke, "Lisa needs me for a catering job that night."  She
must have felt guilty, because she hugged me really hard.  Jill and Kim
raised their hands like they were volunteering.

***
15:02 18 Apr

     "Hey, Tuck?"  Mike waved to me, so I went over to see what he
wanted.  "You be careful this weekend, okay?"  I was starting to steam,
but he let it go, and just stood there, waiting.  I deflated pretty
quickly when I realized he wasn't going to say anything else and make
my life harder than it already was.
     "Yeah, I will, okay?"  I sighed, deeply.  "Thanks, man."
     He slapped my shoulder.  "Anytime."

***
15:08 18 Apr

     Deeeeeeeetention.  Boooooooooooring.

***
16:35 18 Apr

     Someone flashed the doorbell on my room, so I got up to see who it
was.  It was Mom.  "Eugene?" she started.  "Your dad was thinking about
taking us all to a baseball game tomorrow.  Would you like to come?"
     I thought about it for a long time, it seemed like.  Finally, I
realized that I hadn't been to a baseball game since last year.
     Something else hit me, too.  Mom and Dad were trying.  I mean, they
had no idea of what I was going through, or what it meant to me, but
they were trying in their own blundering way to help.
     And maybe if I went along with this, they wouldn't think up
something even dumber.  Like another therapist.  Or one of those
"treatment centers."
     "Yeah, that'd be cool," I finally said.  Mom hugged me, and started
talking about how fun it would be, et cetera.  I was right.

***
19:22 18 Apr

     "I wish I had someone to go with, but it seems like Mom's always
too tired."  Debbie sounded kind of sad at the thought.
     "It's just some kind of thing, they want me to get back into the
family thing," I explained, feeling guilty for some reason.
     "Yeah, I guess."  She didn't sound convinced.

***
19:24 18 Apr

     Finally someone picked up the phone.  "Hello?"
     "Dad?"
     "What's up, son?"  I tried not to sigh.
     "Um, well, did you buy tickets yet?  For tomorrow?"
     "No, not yet, why?"
     "Um, Debbie was saying her mom's always too busy to take her to
stuff like baseball games, so I was wondering if we could take her with
us when we went.  I'll pay for her ticket..."  I crossed my fingers.
     He thought for a moment, then said, "Sure, I don't see why not."

***
19:27 18 Apr

     When Debbie came out of the bathroom, she gave me a funny look when
she saw me smiling.  "What?" she asked suspiciously.
     "Well, you said you don't have any consults tomorrow afternoon,
right?"  She nodded.  "Wanna go to a ball game?" I grinned.
     Instead of smiling back, or even answering, she just looked at me
for a while.  I was about to say something when I saw the first tear
track down her nose.

***
19:32 18 Apr

     She'd got me doing it, too.  And we were gonna miss the movie.  But
I guess what we were doing together was more important.

***
19:48 18 Apr

     "I dunno, Deb."  I stared up at the streetlights.  "Just... I
dunno.  I wanted to, sort of, but....  Things get in the way, you know?"
     "I just don't know why you didn't talk to me about it," she
mentioned as she fiddled with her hair.  I wasn't fooled.  She was
upset.
     "I, I mean, I didn't know.  I mean...  I was scared to."
     "Why?"  She sounded like I'd said something impossible.
     "I, I," I took a deep breath.  "Deb, I don't think real well when
you're around.  And if you said for me to do something, I'd probably do
it, even if I wouldn't want to when you weren't there.  So if I talked
to you about it, then you'd say well, just go on, even though I might
not want to."
     "What do you mean, not go on?"
     "Deb, please..."  This was hard, harder than eating glass.  And it
hurt more.

***
20:29 18 Apr

     God, this was quite possibly the most painful date I'd ever been
on.  Without exception.  I still cared for Debbie, which is why I hadn't
told her off and left, but right now, I would be quite happy not to see
her until Monday-  I stifled a groan as I remembered that I'd invited
her to the game tomorrow.

***
22:05 18 Apr

     Did serious relationships always hurt this bad?

***
08:20 19 Apr

     I staggered out of bed, towards the bathroom.  Brian was in it, the
jerk.  I hated getting up late.
     He'd locked the door, too.  And he'd scream bloody murder if I
popped the lock.  Oh well; I'd had to wait for Susan sometimes in the
morning, this shouldn't be THAT bad.

***
08:39 19 Apr

     I almost ran over Brian when he finally opened the door.

***
09:12 19 Apr

     Someone tapped on my door.  It had to be Mom.  Dad would have rung
the doorbell, and Brian would have pounded, and anyone else would have
called first.
     "Eugene?"  It was Mom.  What a surprise.
     "I'm getting dressed!" I yelled through the door.
     "I just wanted to check," she said as an excuse.
     I just wanted to take off again.  I hated this.

***
10:16 19 Apr

     After explaining their version of events to my new therapist, a
woman with a bunch of letters after her name, my parents went out to the
waiting room.
     We looked at each other for a long time after the door closed.
     Finally, she asked, "What would you like to talk about?"
     "I don't want to be here, I don't want to talk."  That was putting
it mildly.  Real mildly.
     She looked a little hurt, and I felt sort of bad.  On the other
hand, I wasn't here because I wanted to be, either.
     "Well, it would help ME if we could talk a little, about
something," she said, which made me feel worse.

***
10:52 19 Apr

     "See you next week, then?" she asked me.  I turned to my parents in
rage.

***
11:21 19 Apr

     The ride home was not fun.  I might have said some things I
shouldn't have, but they shouldn't have threatened to ground me.  The
urge to just run off was almost overpowering.  I had to keep fighting it
every time we stopped.

***
11:44 19 Apr

     "Did you have fun getting your fat head shrunk?" Brian asked as I
started to open the door to my room.
     I turned around, and he must've seen what I was going to do to him,
because he immediately turned and ran down the stairs screaming.
Opening the front door slowed him down, but I almost lost it taking the
last turn around the stairs a few steps behind him.  I almost caught him
a couple of blocks later, but he must've caught his second wind.  Or
maybe it was fear of dying.  He should have been afraid; I was
originally going to throw him down the stairs.  Head first.

***
11:56 19 Apr

     I heard Brian scream, "But I just said ONE THING!  You can't-"
     Dad barked something which I didn't think Brian was going to like.
He didn't; you could hear him screeching incoherently downstairs.
     Debbie just sat on my bed, holding me.  I was shaking from the
aftershocks.  I guess it was lucky she showed up when she did; I was
getting ready to grab my stuff and take off again.  Or set up a
deathtrap in Brian's room, I wasn't sure which.

***
12:06 19 Apr

     Brian was standing behind my parents, looking sullen.  "Eugene,"
Dad asked, "do you still want to go to the game today?  It's up to you."
     I thought about it for a long time.  Then, for reasons I could
never explain, I nodded.  "Yeah."  Debbie squeezed my hand.

***
12:18 19 Apr

     I was getting really tired of these unhappy car trips.  Mom and Dad
talked in the front seats, but Brian was staring out the window and
radiating dislike, or worse.  Debbie had stuck herself between us, I
guess to prevent us trying to kill each other in the car.  Or maybe she
was holding a knife to his ribs, I dunno.

***
12:32 19 Apr

     We all stood in line to buy tickets.  Brian was on the other side
of Mom and Dad from me and Debbie, which suited me just fine.  Debbie
and I held hands, though I was kind of scared to talk to her, after last
night.

***
12:42 19 Apr

     "Well, here's our seats," Dad said.  "Does anyone have to go before
the game starts?"

***
12:50 19 Apr

     I was glad it didn't start until one, I really was.  I was
wondering if Debbie would ever make it out of the women's "room."
     Anyway, I was minding my own business, sort of, waiting for her to
come out, when someone grabbed me on the shoulder.
     I spun around, and it was Rob Walsh.  "You little shit," he
started, and pushed me backwards into the wall.
     "Fuck you Rob!" I started, and he took a swing at me.  I ducked and
was thinking about what the hell to do next - fight or flight - when
Brian, of all people, punched Rob in the side.  Rob turned sideways,
raising his fists, and Brian raised his.
     The idea of letting Brian get the shit beat out of him didn't even
enter my mind.  I snap-kicked the back of Rob's knee, and he went down,
almost falling on top of Brian.  "Beat feet!" I yelled at Brian, and
then I saw Debbie, looking confused, which was rapidly changing to
angry.  I grabbed her hand and yanked her along, running towards Brian,
who finally got the hint.  All three of us dodged through the crowd and
were out of sight before Rob could get up or security could bust us all.

***
12:54 19 Apr

     "Who was that asshole?" Brian asked.
     "Some guy from school, thinks I made his girlfriend break up with
him," I told him.  "He's paranoid and hates me.  I didn't think he'd be
here."  I kept scanning, looking for him, as we skidded down the stadium
steps back to our seats.
     "Maybe you shouldn't date so many girls," Brian commented.
     "She wasn't one of the ones I hang out with," I told him.  "He's
just pissed."
     "He said some really nasty hurtful things to one of my friends,"
Debbie added.  "He's just an asshole."
     Brian nodded in agreement.  "Jerk like that," he started, but then
we were at our seats, and it wouldn't be real clever to talk about that
sort of stuff around Mom and Dad.

***
14:02 19 Apr

     I looked over at Debbie.  "Having fun?" I asked her.  I still
wasn't sure if this was a good idea or not.
     When she smiled at me, and squeezed my hand, I guessed it was a
good idea.  Though it made me hurt to look at her.

***
17:37 19 Apr

     We were all chowing down on burgers and suchlike, and I was
actually enjoying myself for a change.  It helped that Debbie was
carrying almost half the conversation by herself.  I dunno what my folks
thought, but she was brilliant today, acting just like the girl any
parent would want his son to date.  Brian kept making faces at her, and
she kept ignoring them.  When he interrupted, though, she even talked to
him.  I wanted to warn her that encouraging him was the wrong thing to
do, but it seemed impolitic.

***
18:01 19 Apr

     As we all walked back to the car, Debbie reached out and grabbed my
hand.  It almost made walking through the drizzle nice.

***


"Bueller?"


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"Tallyho!"      \   /     @>--,--'--  ehayes@nym.alias.net  + vicki .sig
Ellen Hayes --=(*)=(*)=-- Renaissance Woman    ==[--------  + virus 9.1a
            http://www.geocities.com/WestHollywood/Heights/5734/



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