was still staring at me, still studying me, as if she expected to find something surprising hidden in my face.
I had this instinct to tell her to run away while there was still time—before the car reached us. But I didn’t. I should have.
The Camaro roared right toward us—so fast that I edged my bike out of the way to make sure I wouldn’t get flattened. But just before the car reached me, it stopped. The doors came open immediately. Jeff and Ed P. and Harry Mac got out and walked over to us.
Only then did Jennifer turn to look at them. It was as if she had just noticed they’d arrived. I heard her take a little frightened breath. I saw her eyes go wide. She was afraid. I didn’t blame her. So was I.
I tried to talk in a normal, relaxed tone of voice. “Hey, guys,” I said. “You heading up to the barn?” I guess I was hoping that if I pretended everything was all right, then somehow everything would be all right.
But Jeff didn’t even answer me. He didn’t even look at me. He walked up and stood in front of us with his friends flanking him, Ed P. behind his left shoulder, Harry Mac behind his right. He looked at Jennifer. He grinned his weaselly grin.
Jennifer quailed, afraid. She sort of pulled her arms close to herself as if she wanted to shrink away to nothing.
Jeff kept looking down at her, but he spoke to me. He said, “Hey, punk, who’s your friend?”
I had to lick my lips before I could answer. They were very dry. “You know Jennifer,” I said. “She’s Mark Sales’s sister.”
Jeff gave a harsh bark of a laugh, right into Jennifer’s frightened face. “Yeah, I know Mark Sales’s sister, all right,” he said in a sneering tone. Then he said to her, “You’re the bug-head, aren’t you? Huh? Your brother’s smart. He’s a little too smart, in fact. But you—there’s something wrong with you, isn’t there? You’re a little bit . . .” He turned his finger in a circular motion around his temple to indicate “crazy.” “You got bugs in the brain, haven’t you?”
I saw Jennifer’s eyes change. She might be weird, but she wasn’t stupid. She knew when she was being insulted. Her pale face went even paler, her expression blank with hurt and fear.
“Bugs can be in a computer. A brain’s like a computer,” Jennifer said.
Jeff laughed at that as if she had told a joke. And of course Ed P. and Harry Mac laughed along.
“Bugs in a computer . . . ,” Jeff said.
“Hey, look . . . ,” I started to say, hoping to distract him.
But Jeff just ignored me. He went on talking to Jennifer. “The stuff you say, bug-girl,” he said. “Where do you come up with that crazy stuff?”
“I buy it at the crazy store,” she answered him. Her tone was defiant, but her eyes were flicking around this way and that as if she was looking for a way to escape. Her lips were trembling in fear.
For a second I saw a flash of anger in Jeff’s eyes. He didn’t like her smart-aleck answer. But a second later he laughed again and his pals laughed. “The crazy store,” Jeff said. “I’ll bet. I’ll bet that’s exactly right.”
“Hey, Jennifer,” I said. Quickly I climbed off my bike and laid it down on the road. I stepped toward Jennifer, trying to maneuver myself between her and Jeff. “Maybe you ought to go home now,” I told her. “You know what I’m . . .”
Jeff put his hand on my shoulder and moved me aside—not hard or anything—just sort of gently pushing me out of his way. He stepped even closer to Jennifer. There was no way for me to get between them now.
“Oh, she doesn’t want to leave,” he said, not looking at me, only looking down at her. “The fun’s just getting started. Isn’t it, buggy?”
“Listen, Jeff,” I said desperately. “You know Mark doesn’t like it when anyone . . .”
He turned swiftly, like a snake turning. The words died in my throat. “You think I care what Mark doesn’t like?” he said.
“No, I . . .”
“You think I’m
I had this instinct to tell her to run away while there was still time—before the car reached us. But I didn’t. I should have.
The Camaro roared right toward us—so fast that I edged my bike out of the way to make sure I wouldn’t get flattened. But just before the car reached me, it stopped. The doors came open immediately. Jeff and Ed P. and Harry Mac got out and walked over to us.
Only then did Jennifer turn to look at them. It was as if she had just noticed they’d arrived. I heard her take a little frightened breath. I saw her eyes go wide. She was afraid. I didn’t blame her. So was I.
I tried to talk in a normal, relaxed tone of voice. “Hey, guys,” I said. “You heading up to the barn?” I guess I was hoping that if I pretended everything was all right, then somehow everything would be all right.
But Jeff didn’t even answer me. He didn’t even look at me. He walked up and stood in front of us with his friends flanking him, Ed P. behind his left shoulder, Harry Mac behind his right. He looked at Jennifer. He grinned his weaselly grin.
Jennifer quailed, afraid. She sort of pulled her arms close to herself as if she wanted to shrink away to nothing.
Jeff kept looking down at her, but he spoke to me. He said, “Hey, punk, who’s your friend?”
I had to lick my lips before I could answer. They were very dry. “You know Jennifer,” I said. “She’s Mark Sales’s sister.”
Jeff gave a harsh bark of a laugh, right into Jennifer’s frightened face. “Yeah, I know Mark Sales’s sister, all right,” he said in a sneering tone. Then he said to her, “You’re the bug-head, aren’t you? Huh? Your brother’s smart. He’s a little too smart, in fact. But you—there’s something wrong with you, isn’t there? You’re a little bit . . .” He turned his finger in a circular motion around his temple to indicate “crazy.” “You got bugs in the brain, haven’t you?”
I saw Jennifer’s eyes change. She might be weird, but she wasn’t stupid. She knew when she was being insulted. Her pale face went even paler, her expression blank with hurt and fear.
“Bugs can be in a computer. A brain’s like a computer,” Jennifer said.
Jeff laughed at that as if she had told a joke. And of course Ed P. and Harry Mac laughed along.
“Bugs in a computer . . . ,” Jeff said.
“Hey, look . . . ,” I started to say, hoping to distract him.
But Jeff just ignored me. He went on talking to Jennifer. “The stuff you say, bug-girl,” he said. “Where do you come up with that crazy stuff?”
“I buy it at the crazy store,” she answered him. Her tone was defiant, but her eyes were flicking around this way and that as if she was looking for a way to escape. Her lips were trembling in fear.
For a second I saw a flash of anger in Jeff’s eyes. He didn’t like her smart-aleck answer. But a second later he laughed again and his pals laughed. “The crazy store,” Jeff said. “I’ll bet. I’ll bet that’s exactly right.”
“Hey, Jennifer,” I said. Quickly I climbed off my bike and laid it down on the road. I stepped toward Jennifer, trying to maneuver myself between her and Jeff. “Maybe you ought to go home now,” I told her. “You know what I’m . . .”
Jeff put his hand on my shoulder and moved me aside—not hard or anything—just sort of gently pushing me out of his way. He stepped even closer to Jennifer. There was no way for me to get between them now.
“Oh, she doesn’t want to leave,” he said, not looking at me, only looking down at her. “The fun’s just getting started. Isn’t it, buggy?”
“Listen, Jeff,” I said desperately. “You know Mark doesn’t like it when anyone . . .”
He turned swiftly, like a snake turning. The words died in my throat. “You think I care what Mark doesn’t like?” he said.
“No, I . . .”
“You think I’m
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