Infinite Testament by Greg Ness

the cafeteria. The
goal: defeat him in pool. The game cost $10 to play and any student who
pulled off the feat would win a $100 gift certificate. A few students
here and there had come relatively close. But close for Stephen
meant the opponent knocked in more than three of their balls. So, not so
close.
    Stephen finished off another opponent. “Nice try.
Thanks for playing,” he said as he shook his opponent’s hand. The next
challenger walked forward. He was a thick-boned male, with muscles
popping out of his cut-off T-shirt. Steroids? Maybe. He was
huge. He was around the same age as Stephen, but it was strange: Stephen
didn’t know who he was. Stephen knew everybody at school.
But he didn’t know this guy. Somehow, oddly, he looked familiar. He
had seen him somewhere before, but he couldn’t place it. Nonetheless, he
approached him warmly.
    “How’s it going? It’s ten dollars to play.” Stephen
said as he handed him a pool stick.
    He grabbed it. “I don’t want to play,” he said
without emotion.
    Stephen’s eyebrows furrowed as he tried to figure out who
he was.
    The mystery guy’s hands firmly wrapped around the
stick. He seemed somewhat nervous. “I’m looking for Bruce. Do
you know where I can find him?”
    Stephen’s warm approach started to dim away.
Something was wrong. “Why?”
    “I have something I need to talk to him about,” the mystery
guy said.
    Stephen stared at him. This guy didn’t belong
here. This was a students-only event. The principal, Mr. Lewerk,
must have not been paying attention and this fellow sneaked in. Either
way, Stephen didn’t feel comfortable around him and he needed to leave.
    “Can I see your Student I.D.?”
    The mystery guy walked away, pool stick in hand.
    “Hey!” Stephen tossed his pool stick on the table and
hurried after him.
    The music pulsated, energizing everyone in the gym.
It was dark, with the exception of colored spotlights bouncing around the
walls. Bruce danced with a girl in his class, Anna. There was a
giant circle of spectators around the two. He spun her around and her
dress lifted, much to the delight of the male crowd. Bruce grabbed Anna’s
hands and promptly swung her beneath his legs and pulled her back up.
Their dance moves were fluid and perfectly in sync to the music. It was
like the two were on moving on clouds.
    Suddenly, there was an intruder in their circle. And
he had a pool stick. Bruce stepped away from Anna and addressed the
intruder, yelling, “Stephen’s pool game is in the cafeteria!” Unless, of
course, the guy wanted to dance with the pool stick. That would be pretty
cool, he guessed.
    Bruce grabbed Anna and led her to the outside of the circle,
leaving the pool-stick man alone in the middle. He wanted to see what
this goofy-looking muscular guy was going to do. Bruce clapped to the
beat, encouraging others to do the same. The guy stood in the circle and
stared at Bruce. He didn’t even move. Wow, he wasn’t a very good
dancer. Maybe he needed help.
    Bruce approached him and bounced around and danced.
Uninterested, the mystery guy swung the pool stick at him. Bruce, being
the star athlete he is, ducked under the swing. It was an instant, instinctual
reaction. Bruce didn’t even know what happened as a pool stick whooshed
above his head. The wind from the stick chopping though the air rushed at
his hair. The crowd grew loud, worried for his safety. But no one
was willing to come to his aid. Not against a giant. Bruce popped
up, took a few steps back, and looked at him again. Then he realized who
it was. It was Ronnie, the third-grader he beat up back in first grade.
    The music died down as the party dissipated. “I
haven’t seen you since sixth grade,” Bruce quipped, “How you doin?”
    Stephen pushed his way to the front lines of the
circle. He looked on, worried. There was nothing he could do to
help.
    Ronnie spoke. “You made a big mistake.”
    Bruce laughed. “You’ll have to be more specific