different kind of show going on inside it every hundred yards.
Including this one. Just the two of them.
Zach hadn’t dropped his backpack on the ground yet. He knew and Spence knew that once he did, it was officially on between them, no turning back.
“Is this about me hitting you with the ball?” Spence said. “Get over it. You sucked up the joint today and you know it.”
“Actually it’s about everything, Spence,” Zach said. “Mostly it’s about you being you, the way you are with me. That ends today.”
“Does it?”
“Yeah,” Zach said. “It does.”
Spence grinned, almost like he was enjoying this now. Of course he was. No way he wanted to change the way things were between them. He enjoyed torturing Zach way too much for that.
“Who’s gonna make it end?”
“I am,” Zach said.
Zach shrugged off his backpack, let it drop to the ground. As he did, almost in the same motion, he turned and started to throw the first punch he had ever thrown at another person in his life.
He threw it like this one punch could take out all the Bads at once because, let’s face it, if he was looking to put a face on them, Spence’s would sure do.
He hit nothing but air.
And then the air was coming out of him.
It turned out Spence wasn’t looking to have a fistfight with him or fight by Zach’s rules, that he hadn’t even needed to throw a punch. No, Spence the football player had dropped his shoulder and drove it into him, making Zach feel as if his insides were exploding.
As soon as he’d opened up to throw his punch, he was as defenseless as a quarterback was in football right after he released the ball. And Spence was the same star linebacker he was for the Parker School, driving Zach back and taking him down, nothing to break Zach’s fall as he went down hard into the grass and dirt, his head hitting first.
Spence had been right about one thing.
The basketball hitting him did feel like a love tap now.
There was no chance for Zach to fight back because he couldn’t even breathe. Spence was on top of him, his knee planted firmly into his stomach.
“You wanted to have a fight?” Spence said. He was breathing heavily, his face red, eyes big. “Well, now we’re having a fight.”
He grabbed the front of Zach’s hoodie, then slammed him back into the ground.
“How do you think the judges are scoring it so far?” Spence said.
Spence pulled back his fist now, ready to end this with one punch of his own.
That’s when his cell went off.
The ring tone was a rap song, one Zach didn’t recognize. But it stopped Spence, made him look at his clenched fist, frozen there in midair.
Slowly he pulled his hand down and reached for his phone. Looked to see who was calling. Answered it. Nodded as he heard the voice at the other end of the call.
“Mom,” he said. “I’m practically just crossing the street.”
Even a bully like Spence was somebody’s kid.
He didn’t punch Zach when he snapped the phone shut, just picked him up again, dropping him this time the way you would dirty clothes.
Got up and stood over him.
“Gotta ask you something, Harriman,” he said. “You sure he was your dad?”
Saving the hardest hit for last.
11
HIS dad had always told him that fighting only proved who was the better fighter, and usually you knew that before you started.
Maybe that was another reason why it was over before it started. Or maybe Spence had proved that he was better at Ultimate Fighting, putting a shoulder into Zach and putting him on his back before he knew what was happening.
Zach’s pride had been hurt, that was for sure. And the back of his head hurt a lot, from when it had hit the ground. The good news? There wasn’t a mark on him, at least on the outside.
Inside was another matter.
Inside hurt as much as the comment about his dad had. Because when Spence took him down as easily as knocking over a toy soldier, it was as if he’d knocked Zach all the way back to the kid he used
Including this one. Just the two of them.
Zach hadn’t dropped his backpack on the ground yet. He knew and Spence knew that once he did, it was officially on between them, no turning back.
“Is this about me hitting you with the ball?” Spence said. “Get over it. You sucked up the joint today and you know it.”
“Actually it’s about everything, Spence,” Zach said. “Mostly it’s about you being you, the way you are with me. That ends today.”
“Does it?”
“Yeah,” Zach said. “It does.”
Spence grinned, almost like he was enjoying this now. Of course he was. No way he wanted to change the way things were between them. He enjoyed torturing Zach way too much for that.
“Who’s gonna make it end?”
“I am,” Zach said.
Zach shrugged off his backpack, let it drop to the ground. As he did, almost in the same motion, he turned and started to throw the first punch he had ever thrown at another person in his life.
He threw it like this one punch could take out all the Bads at once because, let’s face it, if he was looking to put a face on them, Spence’s would sure do.
He hit nothing but air.
And then the air was coming out of him.
It turned out Spence wasn’t looking to have a fistfight with him or fight by Zach’s rules, that he hadn’t even needed to throw a punch. No, Spence the football player had dropped his shoulder and drove it into him, making Zach feel as if his insides were exploding.
As soon as he’d opened up to throw his punch, he was as defenseless as a quarterback was in football right after he released the ball. And Spence was the same star linebacker he was for the Parker School, driving Zach back and taking him down, nothing to break Zach’s fall as he went down hard into the grass and dirt, his head hitting first.
Spence had been right about one thing.
The basketball hitting him did feel like a love tap now.
There was no chance for Zach to fight back because he couldn’t even breathe. Spence was on top of him, his knee planted firmly into his stomach.
“You wanted to have a fight?” Spence said. He was breathing heavily, his face red, eyes big. “Well, now we’re having a fight.”
He grabbed the front of Zach’s hoodie, then slammed him back into the ground.
“How do you think the judges are scoring it so far?” Spence said.
Spence pulled back his fist now, ready to end this with one punch of his own.
That’s when his cell went off.
The ring tone was a rap song, one Zach didn’t recognize. But it stopped Spence, made him look at his clenched fist, frozen there in midair.
Slowly he pulled his hand down and reached for his phone. Looked to see who was calling. Answered it. Nodded as he heard the voice at the other end of the call.
“Mom,” he said. “I’m practically just crossing the street.”
Even a bully like Spence was somebody’s kid.
He didn’t punch Zach when he snapped the phone shut, just picked him up again, dropping him this time the way you would dirty clothes.
Got up and stood over him.
“Gotta ask you something, Harriman,” he said. “You sure he was your dad?”
Saving the hardest hit for last.
11
HIS dad had always told him that fighting only proved who was the better fighter, and usually you knew that before you started.
Maybe that was another reason why it was over before it started. Or maybe Spence had proved that he was better at Ultimate Fighting, putting a shoulder into Zach and putting him on his back before he knew what was happening.
Zach’s pride had been hurt, that was for sure. And the back of his head hurt a lot, from when it had hit the ground. The good news? There wasn’t a mark on him, at least on the outside.
Inside was another matter.
Inside hurt as much as the comment about his dad had. Because when Spence took him down as easily as knocking over a toy soldier, it was as if he’d knocked Zach all the way back to the kid he used
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