good to see you again! How long you been back? You have? That’s super. Me? Sure I’m ok; don’t I look ok? Well, I am. Sure I’ll play ball; I will if I’m good enough....” It was great to have Meyer in school. Ronald had seen so much of him in a bedroom with that leather neckguard that he hardly looked natural without it.
Then from a distance he saw a familiar freckled face topped by a bristle of straight red hair approaching. Some of the crowd standing around saw him coming also and moved aside as he drew near.
“Hey! Hey there, Ronny!” He waved.
“Hullo, Jim.” Then he felt himself grabbed by the arm.
“Here we are, all three of us together.” Now he had Meyer by one arm, too.
“That’s right, Ronny...”
“Yessir, that’s right. Here we are, all three of us together.” Arm in arm, that was the way they moved down the corridor. Stacey in the middle, Ronald on one side, and Goldman on the other.
“There’s a musical assembly in the auditorium. The band’ll play and the Glee Club’ll sing. It’s for the Scholarship Fund. You got ten cents, you guys? C’mon.” They were moving toward the crowd at the door, a crowd that had for some time been pushing in.
“C’mon.” He grabbed their arms again and together the three went down the aisle.
Someone called to Ronald. He heard his name, his first name. “Hey, Ronny, hey there, Ronny...” He felt Stacey’s arm, tight in his own. It made him warm and comfortable inside, it almost gave him a kind of glow. At last he was one of them, he was a part of the school, he was a stranger no more. They moved into their seats, Stacey in the middle, Ronald on one side and Goldman on the other. That was the way they sat all the rest of their time at Abraham Lincoln High.
In between classes later on it was the same thing. Boys he hardly knew, girls he had hardly seen, came up to welcome him back, to say they were glad he was well and with them again. They greeted him on the narrow stairs, in the long corridors, in the library, in the cafeteria. At lunch Jim slouched over with his tray and sat down next to Ronny.
“Now look here, Ronald, what are we going to do about this-here kid, Brewster?”
“I know. I was thinking about that. I’ve been thinking about him a whole lot. He sticks closer than a Scotch uncle; in fact he got so on my nerves last month...”
“Same here. After you... after, I mean while you were in the hospital he changed over to me, and I had him all day—morning, noon, and night.”
“You telling me! Well, I have an idea, or sort of an idea, about that kid. What do you say to this, Jim? It would take up some time and do him lots of good, too, if, now, we went to work and made him...”
“Hullo, Ronny. Hullo, Jim. Mind if I sit opposite you guys?”
“Why, hullo, Gordon. No, of course not. Sit down.”
“Sure, sure, sit right down, Gordon. About that thing, Jim, I’ll talk to you and tell you my ideas after the next period.”
When school was over, Ronald walked upstairs to his locker. This time Gordon was not waiting; on the contrary, he had to go to Gordon’s locker down the hall to find him. As usual that energetic student was piling up a Mount Everest of books to carry home.
“Hi there, Ronny! You don’t have to wait. I don’t need to ride home with you anymore; me and Jim are friends now.”
“I know all that; but justa same, Gordon...”
“Jim’s swell to me now; we get on all right. You don’t need to wait, Ronny, honest you don’t.”
“Yes, I know that, Gordon. But Jim and I want to ride a ways home with you. If you don’t mind, that is, Gordon.”
“No. Of course not.” At the bottom of the stairs Jim was waiting. They left the building, got their bikes, and started down Harrison. Into West Avenue. They were nearing Gordon’s usual turn.
“Well, s’long, you fellas. I’ll see you tomorrow.
“Hold on, wait a minute, Gordon; we’d like you to come along with us a piece.”
“Where? Which
Then from a distance he saw a familiar freckled face topped by a bristle of straight red hair approaching. Some of the crowd standing around saw him coming also and moved aside as he drew near.
“Hey! Hey there, Ronny!” He waved.
“Hullo, Jim.” Then he felt himself grabbed by the arm.
“Here we are, all three of us together.” Now he had Meyer by one arm, too.
“That’s right, Ronny...”
“Yessir, that’s right. Here we are, all three of us together.” Arm in arm, that was the way they moved down the corridor. Stacey in the middle, Ronald on one side, and Goldman on the other.
“There’s a musical assembly in the auditorium. The band’ll play and the Glee Club’ll sing. It’s for the Scholarship Fund. You got ten cents, you guys? C’mon.” They were moving toward the crowd at the door, a crowd that had for some time been pushing in.
“C’mon.” He grabbed their arms again and together the three went down the aisle.
Someone called to Ronald. He heard his name, his first name. “Hey, Ronny, hey there, Ronny...” He felt Stacey’s arm, tight in his own. It made him warm and comfortable inside, it almost gave him a kind of glow. At last he was one of them, he was a part of the school, he was a stranger no more. They moved into their seats, Stacey in the middle, Ronald on one side and Goldman on the other. That was the way they sat all the rest of their time at Abraham Lincoln High.
In between classes later on it was the same thing. Boys he hardly knew, girls he had hardly seen, came up to welcome him back, to say they were glad he was well and with them again. They greeted him on the narrow stairs, in the long corridors, in the library, in the cafeteria. At lunch Jim slouched over with his tray and sat down next to Ronny.
“Now look here, Ronald, what are we going to do about this-here kid, Brewster?”
“I know. I was thinking about that. I’ve been thinking about him a whole lot. He sticks closer than a Scotch uncle; in fact he got so on my nerves last month...”
“Same here. After you... after, I mean while you were in the hospital he changed over to me, and I had him all day—morning, noon, and night.”
“You telling me! Well, I have an idea, or sort of an idea, about that kid. What do you say to this, Jim? It would take up some time and do him lots of good, too, if, now, we went to work and made him...”
“Hullo, Ronny. Hullo, Jim. Mind if I sit opposite you guys?”
“Why, hullo, Gordon. No, of course not. Sit down.”
“Sure, sure, sit right down, Gordon. About that thing, Jim, I’ll talk to you and tell you my ideas after the next period.”
When school was over, Ronald walked upstairs to his locker. This time Gordon was not waiting; on the contrary, he had to go to Gordon’s locker down the hall to find him. As usual that energetic student was piling up a Mount Everest of books to carry home.
“Hi there, Ronny! You don’t have to wait. I don’t need to ride home with you anymore; me and Jim are friends now.”
“I know all that; but justa same, Gordon...”
“Jim’s swell to me now; we get on all right. You don’t need to wait, Ronny, honest you don’t.”
“Yes, I know that, Gordon. But Jim and I want to ride a ways home with you. If you don’t mind, that is, Gordon.”
“No. Of course not.” At the bottom of the stairs Jim was waiting. They left the building, got their bikes, and started down Harrison. Into West Avenue. They were nearing Gordon’s usual turn.
“Well, s’long, you fellas. I’ll see you tomorrow.
“Hold on, wait a minute, Gordon; we’d like you to come along with us a piece.”
“Where? Which
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