down.
“Happy Halloween, Tweety Bird,” Vinnie says. He’s the oldest one. He jerks his chin up to get his stringy blond hair out of his eyes.
“How’s Dr. Dad, the headshrinker?” Donny asks. His face is all pimply, and he always looks mad, even when he’s pretending to be friendly. “Has he been shrinking your head lately?”
“I think I see something there on her neck.” Vinnie takes a step closer to me, stares hard. He smells like cigarette smoke. “Yeah, I definitely see a little round thing on her neck. Must be her head.”
He laughs. Donny laughs. Joey’s quiet, staring at the ground.
“Think fast, bro,” Vinnie says, and he tosses an egg, gently, to Joey. Joey catches it. “Maybe Chirpwould like to play ball, Joey. Why don’t you throw it to her?” He winks at his brother.
“Nah,” Joey says, and he tosses the egg back to Vinnie.
“Aw, that’s not very nice of you, leaving the girl out,” Donny says. He takes an egg from behind his back. “I bet the nice girl wants to play ball. Don’t you want to play ball, nice little Jewish girl?”
I shake my head. I start walking backward.
“I think she does,” Vinnie says.
“I’m sure she does,” Donny says.
“It’s the windup,” Vinnie says.
Donny winds up.
I don’t want to cry. I don’t want to pee. I don’t want to run back into the dark, away from home.
“It’s the—”
“Wait!” Joey says. “I thought we were on a mission. Leave her alone. Her mom’s really sick. I’ll catch up to you guys. Meet you in front of the you-know-what.”
“Hey,” Vinnie says, “it looks like Joey’s got a girlfriend.”
“Oh, Joey, you’re my hero,” Donny says in a squeaky high voice, but he lowers his pitching arm.
“Oh, Joey, you’re just the cutest little
freak
!” Vinnie says, cracking up.
They’re laughing their heads off. They walk away. I can’t help it. I’m crying. Joey’s looking at me. He’s shaking his head. He doesn’t say anything.
“Sorry,” I say. “Thanks for helping me.”
“
You’re
sorry? You didn’t do anything. Jerks.” He kicks the ground.
“It’s just that this has been the worst Halloween ever,” I say. I hand Joey a wing. I throw mine down in the sand by the side of the road and sit on it. Joey watches his brothers walking away. Then he gently puts his wing down. He looks at it and nudges it with his sneaker a few times, like he’s trying to get it lined up just right, but with what, I can’t tell. Then he sighs, dusts the wing off with his hand, wipes his hand on his pant leg, and sits down.
“What I wanted was to go trick-or-treating with Rachel, like I always do, and come home and share candy with my mom and dad, but she convinced me to go with her to this stupid party.” Words keep filling up my mouth and spilling out. I tell Joey about the cat woman and Nixon and the bacon roll-ups. I tell him about the grown-ups sitting around blowing smoke. I’m not even sure if he’s listening, because I’m not looking at his face, but I don’t care. I can’t stop talking. I’m about to tell Joey about my walk home when he interrupts me.
“Wait,” he says, “I have an idea. Give me a head start, and then come over to my house. Make it quick, ’cuz I’ve got to go meet my brothers,” and he tears off across the street.
I walk into our backyard and pee behind our rhododendron bush, because I’ll pee in my pants if I wait one second longer, and then I run back to Joey’shouse, since I don’t want him to be late for his brothers and have them punch his arm or throw an egg at him. I ring the doorbell. Joey opens the door. I stand there, waiting for him to tell me his idea. He looks at me. I look at him. I hear a TV upstairs. I hear his father yell, “It’s pretty damn late for the doorbell, Joseph!” Joey just stands there.
Finally he says, “C’mon, Chirp.”
“C’mon, what?”
“Well, what do you say?” Joey says, and lifts his eyebrows up.
Finally I get
“Happy Halloween, Tweety Bird,” Vinnie says. He’s the oldest one. He jerks his chin up to get his stringy blond hair out of his eyes.
“How’s Dr. Dad, the headshrinker?” Donny asks. His face is all pimply, and he always looks mad, even when he’s pretending to be friendly. “Has he been shrinking your head lately?”
“I think I see something there on her neck.” Vinnie takes a step closer to me, stares hard. He smells like cigarette smoke. “Yeah, I definitely see a little round thing on her neck. Must be her head.”
He laughs. Donny laughs. Joey’s quiet, staring at the ground.
“Think fast, bro,” Vinnie says, and he tosses an egg, gently, to Joey. Joey catches it. “Maybe Chirpwould like to play ball, Joey. Why don’t you throw it to her?” He winks at his brother.
“Nah,” Joey says, and he tosses the egg back to Vinnie.
“Aw, that’s not very nice of you, leaving the girl out,” Donny says. He takes an egg from behind his back. “I bet the nice girl wants to play ball. Don’t you want to play ball, nice little Jewish girl?”
I shake my head. I start walking backward.
“I think she does,” Vinnie says.
“I’m sure she does,” Donny says.
“It’s the windup,” Vinnie says.
Donny winds up.
I don’t want to cry. I don’t want to pee. I don’t want to run back into the dark, away from home.
“It’s the—”
“Wait!” Joey says. “I thought we were on a mission. Leave her alone. Her mom’s really sick. I’ll catch up to you guys. Meet you in front of the you-know-what.”
“Hey,” Vinnie says, “it looks like Joey’s got a girlfriend.”
“Oh, Joey, you’re my hero,” Donny says in a squeaky high voice, but he lowers his pitching arm.
“Oh, Joey, you’re just the cutest little
freak
!” Vinnie says, cracking up.
They’re laughing their heads off. They walk away. I can’t help it. I’m crying. Joey’s looking at me. He’s shaking his head. He doesn’t say anything.
“Sorry,” I say. “Thanks for helping me.”
“
You’re
sorry? You didn’t do anything. Jerks.” He kicks the ground.
“It’s just that this has been the worst Halloween ever,” I say. I hand Joey a wing. I throw mine down in the sand by the side of the road and sit on it. Joey watches his brothers walking away. Then he gently puts his wing down. He looks at it and nudges it with his sneaker a few times, like he’s trying to get it lined up just right, but with what, I can’t tell. Then he sighs, dusts the wing off with his hand, wipes his hand on his pant leg, and sits down.
“What I wanted was to go trick-or-treating with Rachel, like I always do, and come home and share candy with my mom and dad, but she convinced me to go with her to this stupid party.” Words keep filling up my mouth and spilling out. I tell Joey about the cat woman and Nixon and the bacon roll-ups. I tell him about the grown-ups sitting around blowing smoke. I’m not even sure if he’s listening, because I’m not looking at his face, but I don’t care. I can’t stop talking. I’m about to tell Joey about my walk home when he interrupts me.
“Wait,” he says, “I have an idea. Give me a head start, and then come over to my house. Make it quick, ’cuz I’ve got to go meet my brothers,” and he tears off across the street.
I walk into our backyard and pee behind our rhododendron bush, because I’ll pee in my pants if I wait one second longer, and then I run back to Joey’shouse, since I don’t want him to be late for his brothers and have them punch his arm or throw an egg at him. I ring the doorbell. Joey opens the door. I stand there, waiting for him to tell me his idea. He looks at me. I look at him. I hear a TV upstairs. I hear his father yell, “It’s pretty damn late for the doorbell, Joseph!” Joey just stands there.
Finally he says, “C’mon, Chirp.”
“C’mon, what?”
“Well, what do you say?” Joey says, and lifts his eyebrows up.
Finally I get
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