him," Flip goes on, like Fam never interrupted.
"He's
smart,"
Fam insists.
"Yeah, I, uh, I had social studies with him last year," says Tit. "He's no dummy."
Flip waves them off like they're bad smells. "I don't care how smart and popular he is. John Riordon never had an original thought in his life. You'll be erudite and inflammatory, while he'll be as predictable as ... as..."
"Morning wood," Speedo chimes in.
"Good one!
Vvvvvvvhhhnn."
"I don't think anyone cares who has the most interesting comments. They just want another excuse to hate me."
"This is true," Flip agrees.
Of course, I can't tell them what's
really
bothering me about Riordon, which is that he's always nosing around Leah and her friends and they're always letting him nose around them and giggling and everything, even Leah, which, yeah, is the part that really bugs me, OK?
But Tit probably gets it. He raises his eyebrows at me. God, why did I tell him? Why couldn't I just keep it a secret tucked away with all of my other secrets?
"The difference between the two of you," Flip says, "is that John Riordon only has room for football and his own repressed homosexuality in his head. You have room for big thoughts. You can't wuss out."
"Yeah, man, don't wuss out," Jedi says, and then
vvvvvvvh-hhnn
s a little bit.
"Yeah, well, I don't like being ambushed."
Flip laughs and slaps my back. "Way of the world, Fool Kross. Get used to it."
"You guys all think I should do it?"
Enthusiastic nods from everyone except Fam. It's not that she's
not
nodding. It's just that she's not doing it enthusiastically.
OK, this is marginally cooler than I'd thought before. I've got my friends convinced, at least.
"That means a lot to me, guys. That you believe in me. That you understand what I'm trying to say."
Tit's the first one to look away. Speedo raises an eyebrow like he's confused, and Jedi just hums away under his breath.
The whole room's gone completely silent. Except for Jedi, of course.
"Um, Kross..." Tit says.
"Oh, come on! Not you guys, too!"
"Hey, look, I'm not gonna speak for anyone else," Flip says, "but I don't really care what your point is. I'm not interested in the cause, man. I'm just here for the fight."
Tit shrugs. "Yeah. Me, too."
No way. "Speedo? Jedi? What about you guys?"
"We're buds, Kross," says Speedo. "If you want to do this, that's cool. I'll stand by you because you've always stood by me. But yeah—I don't get it. Not really."
"Who cares about ribbons and pledges and all that crap anyway?
Vvvvvvvvhhhnn.
It's like the news and stuff. Boring." His eyes light up. "But messing with people over it? Yeah, that's cool."
Fam looks like she wants to say something, but Flip jumps up from the desk and slaps his hands together. "The Council has spoken! We support Fool Kross on his quest. You make up your mind, Kross. We'll be there for you."
Which is great, I guess. But, tell the truth, I'd rather have people supporting me who believe in what I'm doing.
For the rest of the day, though, I can't help thinking about it. I think of the look on Leah's face when she told me she admired me. It makes me dizzy. I think of Dr. Goethe calling me a "role model."
Is that what I am? What I was? What I could be?
Is it possible that I
could
be a role model, just a different kind than Dr. Goethe thought? A role model for
my
way of thinking?
Or maybe just get a chance to rub John Riordon's face in the dirt while Leah watches.
On my way to the parking lot at the end of the day, I reach into my pocket for my car keys. Much to my surprise, I find the key to Brookdale there, too. I forgot—I attached it to my key chain.
I stop dead, looking at it.
And then I go straight to the principal's office.
"OK," I tell the Doc. "I'll do it."
That afternoon, the cops come to the apartment. They're wondering about the Ribboning of the Bridge and they read the paper, too, so they figure I'm the obvious suspect.
Dad doesn't like having cops on his turf. He's
"He's
smart,"
Fam insists.
"Yeah, I, uh, I had social studies with him last year," says Tit. "He's no dummy."
Flip waves them off like they're bad smells. "I don't care how smart and popular he is. John Riordon never had an original thought in his life. You'll be erudite and inflammatory, while he'll be as predictable as ... as..."
"Morning wood," Speedo chimes in.
"Good one!
Vvvvvvvhhhnn."
"I don't think anyone cares who has the most interesting comments. They just want another excuse to hate me."
"This is true," Flip agrees.
Of course, I can't tell them what's
really
bothering me about Riordon, which is that he's always nosing around Leah and her friends and they're always letting him nose around them and giggling and everything, even Leah, which, yeah, is the part that really bugs me, OK?
But Tit probably gets it. He raises his eyebrows at me. God, why did I tell him? Why couldn't I just keep it a secret tucked away with all of my other secrets?
"The difference between the two of you," Flip says, "is that John Riordon only has room for football and his own repressed homosexuality in his head. You have room for big thoughts. You can't wuss out."
"Yeah, man, don't wuss out," Jedi says, and then
vvvvvvvh-hhnn
s a little bit.
"Yeah, well, I don't like being ambushed."
Flip laughs and slaps my back. "Way of the world, Fool Kross. Get used to it."
"You guys all think I should do it?"
Enthusiastic nods from everyone except Fam. It's not that she's
not
nodding. It's just that she's not doing it enthusiastically.
OK, this is marginally cooler than I'd thought before. I've got my friends convinced, at least.
"That means a lot to me, guys. That you believe in me. That you understand what I'm trying to say."
Tit's the first one to look away. Speedo raises an eyebrow like he's confused, and Jedi just hums away under his breath.
The whole room's gone completely silent. Except for Jedi, of course.
"Um, Kross..." Tit says.
"Oh, come on! Not you guys, too!"
"Hey, look, I'm not gonna speak for anyone else," Flip says, "but I don't really care what your point is. I'm not interested in the cause, man. I'm just here for the fight."
Tit shrugs. "Yeah. Me, too."
No way. "Speedo? Jedi? What about you guys?"
"We're buds, Kross," says Speedo. "If you want to do this, that's cool. I'll stand by you because you've always stood by me. But yeah—I don't get it. Not really."
"Who cares about ribbons and pledges and all that crap anyway?
Vvvvvvvvhhhnn.
It's like the news and stuff. Boring." His eyes light up. "But messing with people over it? Yeah, that's cool."
Fam looks like she wants to say something, but Flip jumps up from the desk and slaps his hands together. "The Council has spoken! We support Fool Kross on his quest. You make up your mind, Kross. We'll be there for you."
Which is great, I guess. But, tell the truth, I'd rather have people supporting me who believe in what I'm doing.
For the rest of the day, though, I can't help thinking about it. I think of the look on Leah's face when she told me she admired me. It makes me dizzy. I think of Dr. Goethe calling me a "role model."
Is that what I am? What I was? What I could be?
Is it possible that I
could
be a role model, just a different kind than Dr. Goethe thought? A role model for
my
way of thinking?
Or maybe just get a chance to rub John Riordon's face in the dirt while Leah watches.
On my way to the parking lot at the end of the day, I reach into my pocket for my car keys. Much to my surprise, I find the key to Brookdale there, too. I forgot—I attached it to my key chain.
I stop dead, looking at it.
And then I go straight to the principal's office.
"OK," I tell the Doc. "I'll do it."
That afternoon, the cops come to the apartment. They're wondering about the Ribboning of the Bridge and they read the paper, too, so they figure I'm the obvious suspect.
Dad doesn't like having cops on his turf. He's
Similar Books
