think he did it.”
“Not me! It was Hayden’s idea!” Eddie’s voice piped up, and Cody turned to see that another uniformed policeman had Eddie’s shoulder in a firm grip.
Jake was stern. “Didn’t you realize that what you were doing was a criminal act?”
Hayden ducked his head. “I did. I knew my parents would be mad, but I never figured we’d get caught. They said it wasn’t a real bomb. It was just a smoke bomb. It was a tough-guy thing to do.” He looked up at Jake.
“Tell me exactly what happened,” Jake said.
“I thought the fuse sputtered out,” Hayden began, “so I crawled under the bleachers to get it lit again. Only the smoke bomb went off and shot out some of the hot stuff. I got out of there fast, but my shirt was on fire. Cody knocked me down and put out the flames.”
Two paramedics pushed through the crowd. “Anyone hurt?” one of them asked.
Hayden put a hand to his cheek and said, “My face stings.”
“How about this kid?” the other paramedic said. “Looks like a spot on his arm.”
Cody didn’t try to sort out everything that was going on. There was an emergency room and doctors and Aunt Rosalie, who stopped talking only when Uncle Austin began lecturing Hayden about juvenile court and the hopeful probability of probation, community service, and “deferred adjudication.” Cody was bandaged and cleaned up and finally ended up sitting quietly in his grandmother’s kitchen with Hayden while his mother, aunt, and uncle talked in low tones in the living room.
Hayden suddenly broke the silence. “They’re trying to decide how and what to tell Grandma.”
“I think
we
should tell her, not them,” Cody said.
Hayden’s mouth twisted in misery. “She’s going to get upset and be mad at me. And why would you be nice to me, anyway?”
“We’re cousins and we could be friends. If we tell her the right way it will be better,” Cody said.
“What’s the right way?”
“We’ve got to go in there acting like friends and just tell her the part about the smoke bomb and maybe how we got you out, if she’s got questions. We don’t need to tell her all the other stuff you and those guys did.”
Hayden thought a minute. “Okay. Like friends. But we’re really not friends.” Hayden looked miserable again. “I’m not going to have any friends after what happened.”
“Like I said, we could be friends,” Cody said. “Eddie and Brad aren’t real friends. Why’d you stay with them?”
“They made me feel more grown-up. We had this clubhouse but I don’t have a clubhouse anymore. Dad’s already given orders to tear it down.”
“That’s rough,” Cody said. “Well, how about it? Truce? For Grandma’s sake?”
“Truce.” The two cousins shook hands. “Thanks,” Hayden said.
“Then come on.”
Cody led the way to their grandmother’s open bedroom door. Just before stepping in, he put an arm around Hayden’s shoulders. After only a moment’s hesitation, Hayden did the same to him.
“Hi, Grandma,” they both said.
She was sitting up in her easy chair, propped on each side with pillows, and seemed to be feeling a lot better.“Hi,” she said. “What happened? I know there’s been a commotion.”
“Smoke bomb got smoky,” Cody said. “It went off too soon.”
Mrs. Norton looked concerned. “I know sometimes boys do dumb things,” she said, “but smoke bombs are dangerous. I hope I won’t hear about something like this again.”
“Don’t worry. You won’t,” Hayden said. “It was my dumb idea.”
“It’s nice to see you two together. How’d the
Hamlet
reports go?” she asked.
“I don’t know yet,” Hayden said. “The written reports haven’t been graded.”
Cody grinned. “A-plus. Mine was an oral report. I decided to run a trial like my dad would have done.”
“I’m proud of you, Cody,” Mrs. Norton said. She smiled.
Cody’s mother hurried into the room. “Boys!” she said. “What are you doing in
“Not me! It was Hayden’s idea!” Eddie’s voice piped up, and Cody turned to see that another uniformed policeman had Eddie’s shoulder in a firm grip.
Jake was stern. “Didn’t you realize that what you were doing was a criminal act?”
Hayden ducked his head. “I did. I knew my parents would be mad, but I never figured we’d get caught. They said it wasn’t a real bomb. It was just a smoke bomb. It was a tough-guy thing to do.” He looked up at Jake.
“Tell me exactly what happened,” Jake said.
“I thought the fuse sputtered out,” Hayden began, “so I crawled under the bleachers to get it lit again. Only the smoke bomb went off and shot out some of the hot stuff. I got out of there fast, but my shirt was on fire. Cody knocked me down and put out the flames.”
Two paramedics pushed through the crowd. “Anyone hurt?” one of them asked.
Hayden put a hand to his cheek and said, “My face stings.”
“How about this kid?” the other paramedic said. “Looks like a spot on his arm.”
Cody didn’t try to sort out everything that was going on. There was an emergency room and doctors and Aunt Rosalie, who stopped talking only when Uncle Austin began lecturing Hayden about juvenile court and the hopeful probability of probation, community service, and “deferred adjudication.” Cody was bandaged and cleaned up and finally ended up sitting quietly in his grandmother’s kitchen with Hayden while his mother, aunt, and uncle talked in low tones in the living room.
Hayden suddenly broke the silence. “They’re trying to decide how and what to tell Grandma.”
“I think
we
should tell her, not them,” Cody said.
Hayden’s mouth twisted in misery. “She’s going to get upset and be mad at me. And why would you be nice to me, anyway?”
“We’re cousins and we could be friends. If we tell her the right way it will be better,” Cody said.
“What’s the right way?”
“We’ve got to go in there acting like friends and just tell her the part about the smoke bomb and maybe how we got you out, if she’s got questions. We don’t need to tell her all the other stuff you and those guys did.”
Hayden thought a minute. “Okay. Like friends. But we’re really not friends.” Hayden looked miserable again. “I’m not going to have any friends after what happened.”
“Like I said, we could be friends,” Cody said. “Eddie and Brad aren’t real friends. Why’d you stay with them?”
“They made me feel more grown-up. We had this clubhouse but I don’t have a clubhouse anymore. Dad’s already given orders to tear it down.”
“That’s rough,” Cody said. “Well, how about it? Truce? For Grandma’s sake?”
“Truce.” The two cousins shook hands. “Thanks,” Hayden said.
“Then come on.”
Cody led the way to their grandmother’s open bedroom door. Just before stepping in, he put an arm around Hayden’s shoulders. After only a moment’s hesitation, Hayden did the same to him.
“Hi, Grandma,” they both said.
She was sitting up in her easy chair, propped on each side with pillows, and seemed to be feeling a lot better.“Hi,” she said. “What happened? I know there’s been a commotion.”
“Smoke bomb got smoky,” Cody said. “It went off too soon.”
Mrs. Norton looked concerned. “I know sometimes boys do dumb things,” she said, “but smoke bombs are dangerous. I hope I won’t hear about something like this again.”
“Don’t worry. You won’t,” Hayden said. “It was my dumb idea.”
“It’s nice to see you two together. How’d the
Hamlet
reports go?” she asked.
“I don’t know yet,” Hayden said. “The written reports haven’t been graded.”
Cody grinned. “A-plus. Mine was an oral report. I decided to run a trial like my dad would have done.”
“I’m proud of you, Cody,” Mrs. Norton said. She smiled.
Cody’s mother hurried into the room. “Boys!” she said. “What are you doing in
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