man?"
Billy stood on the sidewalk, not knowing where to turn. Pedro had never come at him before. As a matter of fact, Pedro had never come at any black man before. It was not like him to pick a fight with a black.
"What's happenin', Pedro?" Billy yelled, hoping that maybe Pedro had mistaken him for someone else.
"You tell me, brother, 'cause I ain't got no more brothers, you dig? I mean, that nigger Dan made sure that Ruben got laid under, you dig?"
"Pedro, what are you talking about, man?"
"C'mon, man. Be cool. You know what the moth- erfuckin' truth is!!!"
Billy felt the adrenaline begin pouring through his system. He still couldn't see anyone. But the hysterical pitch of Pedro's voice told him that something was wrong. Something had happened, and he was getting blamed for it.
"You motherfuckin' nigger!!! You'll all pay with your cocksuckin' black hides!!!"
Billy knew that it was time to run. He spun around on his heels and started in the opposite direction of Pedro's voice. But the dark figure of Jay, a Mexican friend of Pedro's, stopped him.
Pedro ran out of his hiding place and came up behind Billy. In another moment, Carlos Montoya, the biggest dude in the Chicano section of Clovis, was there also. Billy stood in the middle of the three men with nowhere to turn.
"Okay, pequito bastard! You shall pay in hell for Ruben!!! You goddamn little nigger!!!" Pedro was hysterical, Billy could see that much. His eyes were filled with tears, and his fists trembled in a rage that would not be easy to control.
"Hey, man," Billy pleaded, "be cool. I been playin' ball all night. I don't know nothin' 'bout nothin'!"
Pedro Fernandez did not let Billy finish his defense. He threw a right into Billy's hard stomach. It was a strong enough hit to force Billy over. Pedro came down instantly across the back of Billy's neck, flattening him onto the sidewalk.
Billy lifted himself to his knees, then up onto his feet. He gasped for air, the breath had been knocked out of him. He tried to focus on the men standing around him, but his eyes were watering terribly from fear and pain.
"Carlos, show the motherfucker what it means!"
Carlos looked at Pedro, then at Jay. He grabbed Billy by the shoulders, bending him backwards, and then raised his knee to Billy's lower back.
Red exploded in Billy's brain. The air rushed out of him; his body seemed to melt in an explosion of pain. He felt himself slipping backwards onto the sidewalk and could only listen numbly as his head hit the pavement with a sickening crack.
Pedro stood above the helpless body. He placed the heel of his boot on Billy's groin and added pressure. Billy screamed but never even heard his own cry of pain and terror.
"The man's a chickenshit, Carlos. Look at him. He'll never play basketball again..., eh, amigos?"
Carlos and Jay laughed. Pedro continued to exert pressure on Billy's balls. Billy screamed out, and Carlos finally figured out how to stop the sounds. He stuffed an old oil rag into Billy's mouth.
"All right, the bastard will never do nothin'. Maybe the fuckers will learn a lesson!!!" Pedro was half in tears as the three men dragged Billy's tortured body back amongst some trash cans. They moved the cans in front of Billy so that no one would see him from the street.
"Maybe," Pedro began before they left the scene, "just maybe the nigger will come to work sweeping out my house, eh?"
The three laughed. As they started to walk away, Jay, the silent, stone-faced one of the group, stopped. He slowly pulled a .38 revolver from his coat and walked back toward the body.
Pedro and Carlos watched as Jay, without hesitation, fired a shot into Billy's back. The limp body on the ground twitched, then fell into silence. Jay placed the pistol back into his coat pocket, turned to Pedro, and said, "Like you said, man, he'll never play ball again."
The three men ran quickly back toward their homes.
Billy lay half paralyzed in the alley. He would spend the night there,
Billy stood on the sidewalk, not knowing where to turn. Pedro had never come at him before. As a matter of fact, Pedro had never come at any black man before. It was not like him to pick a fight with a black.
"What's happenin', Pedro?" Billy yelled, hoping that maybe Pedro had mistaken him for someone else.
"You tell me, brother, 'cause I ain't got no more brothers, you dig? I mean, that nigger Dan made sure that Ruben got laid under, you dig?"
"Pedro, what are you talking about, man?"
"C'mon, man. Be cool. You know what the moth- erfuckin' truth is!!!"
Billy felt the adrenaline begin pouring through his system. He still couldn't see anyone. But the hysterical pitch of Pedro's voice told him that something was wrong. Something had happened, and he was getting blamed for it.
"You motherfuckin' nigger!!! You'll all pay with your cocksuckin' black hides!!!"
Billy knew that it was time to run. He spun around on his heels and started in the opposite direction of Pedro's voice. But the dark figure of Jay, a Mexican friend of Pedro's, stopped him.
Pedro ran out of his hiding place and came up behind Billy. In another moment, Carlos Montoya, the biggest dude in the Chicano section of Clovis, was there also. Billy stood in the middle of the three men with nowhere to turn.
"Okay, pequito bastard! You shall pay in hell for Ruben!!! You goddamn little nigger!!!" Pedro was hysterical, Billy could see that much. His eyes were filled with tears, and his fists trembled in a rage that would not be easy to control.
"Hey, man," Billy pleaded, "be cool. I been playin' ball all night. I don't know nothin' 'bout nothin'!"
Pedro Fernandez did not let Billy finish his defense. He threw a right into Billy's hard stomach. It was a strong enough hit to force Billy over. Pedro came down instantly across the back of Billy's neck, flattening him onto the sidewalk.
Billy lifted himself to his knees, then up onto his feet. He gasped for air, the breath had been knocked out of him. He tried to focus on the men standing around him, but his eyes were watering terribly from fear and pain.
"Carlos, show the motherfucker what it means!"
Carlos looked at Pedro, then at Jay. He grabbed Billy by the shoulders, bending him backwards, and then raised his knee to Billy's lower back.
Red exploded in Billy's brain. The air rushed out of him; his body seemed to melt in an explosion of pain. He felt himself slipping backwards onto the sidewalk and could only listen numbly as his head hit the pavement with a sickening crack.
Pedro stood above the helpless body. He placed the heel of his boot on Billy's groin and added pressure. Billy screamed but never even heard his own cry of pain and terror.
"The man's a chickenshit, Carlos. Look at him. He'll never play basketball again..., eh, amigos?"
Carlos and Jay laughed. Pedro continued to exert pressure on Billy's balls. Billy screamed out, and Carlos finally figured out how to stop the sounds. He stuffed an old oil rag into Billy's mouth.
"All right, the bastard will never do nothin'. Maybe the fuckers will learn a lesson!!!" Pedro was half in tears as the three men dragged Billy's tortured body back amongst some trash cans. They moved the cans in front of Billy so that no one would see him from the street.
"Maybe," Pedro began before they left the scene, "just maybe the nigger will come to work sweeping out my house, eh?"
The three laughed. As they started to walk away, Jay, the silent, stone-faced one of the group, stopped. He slowly pulled a .38 revolver from his coat and walked back toward the body.
Pedro and Carlos watched as Jay, without hesitation, fired a shot into Billy's back. The limp body on the ground twitched, then fell into silence. Jay placed the pistol back into his coat pocket, turned to Pedro, and said, "Like you said, man, he'll never play ball again."
The three men ran quickly back toward their homes.
Billy lay half paralyzed in the alley. He would spend the night there,
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