apart,” Niko said calmly.
Jake threw up his hands and took an unsteady step back as Brayden pushed forward.
“Screw you, Niko!” Brayden said. “We don’t want be told what to do by some freakish outcast!”
Brayden pushed Niko and Niko stepped back.
“I don’t want to fight,” Niko said.
“No, you just want us to take your orders. Like you even know what you’re doing!”
Brayden pushed Niko again. Now Niko was backed against the counter. Niko tried to step away but slipped on a paper plate someone left on the ground and fell.
Niko scrambled to his feet but Brayden pushed him down again.
“Stop it!” Alex shouted.
The kids started to totally lose it, screaming and screeching in alarm, like a pack of monkeys.
“Cut it out, Brayden,” Jake said.
Brayden was standing over Niko.
“What? You don’t fight? You too ‘Zen master’? You too ‘Brave Hunter Man’? What is it with you?”
“I just want to be prepared,” Niko said. “So that—”
“Oh my God!” Brayden yelled. “Oh my G-A-double dog-D, I just got it.” He looked triumphant. Menacing and victorious. “You’re a Boy Scout! A Boy Scout! Aren’t you?”
Niko shrugged. Brushed his hair out of his eyes.
“Yes. I am a Boy Scout,” Niko said.
Brayden doubled over in violent laughter.
Jake chuckled, too, and the little kids started laughing, mostly, I think, to relieve the tension that was building.
“‘Be prepared,’ that’s your motto. A friggin’ Boy Scout. He wants us to take direction from a friggin’ Boy Scout.”
“I don’t know what’s so funny about it,” Niko said.
The little kids were laughing on, oblivious, as Niko went red around the ears.
“I’m glad Niko has Scout training,” I said loudly. “If he didn’t, I’d have died on the bus. He pulled me out of there. I’m glad he’s a Scout.”
“No one cares what you think, Geraldine,” Brayden snarled.
“I’m glad Niko is a Scout, too,” Alex offered. “He knows how to get stuff done.”
“Okay, you guys, shut up,” Brayden spat at me and Alex.
“Brayden, settle down,” Jake said.
“Unless maybe … Oh, I see. I get it.” He motioned at me and Alex. “You and your brother want in on Niko’s little gay Scout thing. You guys wish you could be up in the woods, huffing on each other’s campfires…”
Brayden started making a humping motion.
He was facing me so he didn’t see Niko launch at him. Niko drove his head into Brayden’s side.
Jake was on them in an instant, trying to separate them, but Niko reared back, slamming Jake’s head into the metal cabinet, by accident I’m sure, but it sent Jake over the edge.
Jake started whaling on Niko. Punching.
Brayden already whaling on him, too.
The kids went totally berserk. Batiste ran off. Max was screeching. The twins, wailing and clutching at each other. Chloe, screaming and clawing at her head. It was insanity.
Niko was doing his best to fight back, but he was outmanned and overpowered. I stupidly scrambled over and tried to pull Jake and Brayden off Niko.
Brayden turned and smiled, like he was happy to see me, then he punched me in the side of my head.
I meant to just try to pull him off Niko but instead I started punching him. He had my head in a one-armed grip but that didn’t stop me from landing punches to his side and then—
BWRAAAAAAAAAAAAAM !
An air horn.
So loud.
BWRAAAAAAAAAAAAAM !
Everyone stopped fighting.
We looked up.
Josie had the air horn held high. She was standing on the counter.
She was in her grimy, stained clothes. Blood still crusted behind her ears, where Mrs. Wooly had missed. The cruddy gauze bandage stuck to her forehead by gore alone.
She looked like she had risen from the dead.
And she was totally in command.
“This fight is over,” Josie said.
Her voice was quiet, but you could have heard it a mile away.
“Tomorrow we are going to have a ceremony to honor the dead.”
We took that in.
“And then we’ll have an election
Jake threw up his hands and took an unsteady step back as Brayden pushed forward.
“Screw you, Niko!” Brayden said. “We don’t want be told what to do by some freakish outcast!”
Brayden pushed Niko and Niko stepped back.
“I don’t want to fight,” Niko said.
“No, you just want us to take your orders. Like you even know what you’re doing!”
Brayden pushed Niko again. Now Niko was backed against the counter. Niko tried to step away but slipped on a paper plate someone left on the ground and fell.
Niko scrambled to his feet but Brayden pushed him down again.
“Stop it!” Alex shouted.
The kids started to totally lose it, screaming and screeching in alarm, like a pack of monkeys.
“Cut it out, Brayden,” Jake said.
Brayden was standing over Niko.
“What? You don’t fight? You too ‘Zen master’? You too ‘Brave Hunter Man’? What is it with you?”
“I just want to be prepared,” Niko said. “So that—”
“Oh my God!” Brayden yelled. “Oh my G-A-double dog-D, I just got it.” He looked triumphant. Menacing and victorious. “You’re a Boy Scout! A Boy Scout! Aren’t you?”
Niko shrugged. Brushed his hair out of his eyes.
“Yes. I am a Boy Scout,” Niko said.
Brayden doubled over in violent laughter.
Jake chuckled, too, and the little kids started laughing, mostly, I think, to relieve the tension that was building.
“‘Be prepared,’ that’s your motto. A friggin’ Boy Scout. He wants us to take direction from a friggin’ Boy Scout.”
“I don’t know what’s so funny about it,” Niko said.
The little kids were laughing on, oblivious, as Niko went red around the ears.
“I’m glad Niko has Scout training,” I said loudly. “If he didn’t, I’d have died on the bus. He pulled me out of there. I’m glad he’s a Scout.”
“No one cares what you think, Geraldine,” Brayden snarled.
“I’m glad Niko is a Scout, too,” Alex offered. “He knows how to get stuff done.”
“Okay, you guys, shut up,” Brayden spat at me and Alex.
“Brayden, settle down,” Jake said.
“Unless maybe … Oh, I see. I get it.” He motioned at me and Alex. “You and your brother want in on Niko’s little gay Scout thing. You guys wish you could be up in the woods, huffing on each other’s campfires…”
Brayden started making a humping motion.
He was facing me so he didn’t see Niko launch at him. Niko drove his head into Brayden’s side.
Jake was on them in an instant, trying to separate them, but Niko reared back, slamming Jake’s head into the metal cabinet, by accident I’m sure, but it sent Jake over the edge.
Jake started whaling on Niko. Punching.
Brayden already whaling on him, too.
The kids went totally berserk. Batiste ran off. Max was screeching. The twins, wailing and clutching at each other. Chloe, screaming and clawing at her head. It was insanity.
Niko was doing his best to fight back, but he was outmanned and overpowered. I stupidly scrambled over and tried to pull Jake and Brayden off Niko.
Brayden turned and smiled, like he was happy to see me, then he punched me in the side of my head.
I meant to just try to pull him off Niko but instead I started punching him. He had my head in a one-armed grip but that didn’t stop me from landing punches to his side and then—
BWRAAAAAAAAAAAAAM !
An air horn.
So loud.
BWRAAAAAAAAAAAAAM !
Everyone stopped fighting.
We looked up.
Josie had the air horn held high. She was standing on the counter.
She was in her grimy, stained clothes. Blood still crusted behind her ears, where Mrs. Wooly had missed. The cruddy gauze bandage stuck to her forehead by gore alone.
She looked like she had risen from the dead.
And she was totally in command.
“This fight is over,” Josie said.
Her voice was quiet, but you could have heard it a mile away.
“Tomorrow we are going to have a ceremony to honor the dead.”
We took that in.
“And then we’ll have an election
Similar Books
