The Gathering by William X. Kienzle

Redeemer would somehow survive without them.

     
    Henry and Lucy Smith had exploded on learning of the planned integration of Redeemer’s schools.
    There were vague threats to remove their children from that school. Cooler heads prevailed, though there was precious little time.
    The first decision was to leave Michael in Redeemer’s eighth grade. He would have girls his own age as classmates, but only for one year. If he couldn’t withstand temptation for one scholastic year, he didn’t deserve to be a priest.
    Besides, in his buddy, Manny Tocco, he would have a strong personality to steady him.
    Until now, Mr. and Mrs. Smith had not been all that happy over the boys’ friendship. Manny could be too rough on occasion. There was that famous—or infamous—fight that everyone seemed to be talking about. Both Manny and Michael had learned valuable if unexpected lessons from the singular episode.
    Ordinarily, honest-to-God upperclassmen, particularly those who had just entered high school, would lord it over eighth graders, who seemed neither fish nor fowl.
    Not that many schools housed all the full twelve grades. In the schools that comprised the primary grades, the eighth graders became king of the castle. But they would be at the bottom of the heap when they moved into the ninth, the first year of high school.
    However, at schools such as Redeemer, eighth graders would, in effect, go nowhere when they eventually passed into high school.
    There was something decidedly out of the ordinary in the way in which upperclassmen—high schoolers—treated Manny and Michael.
    It seems that Switch and Blade were familiar to many Redeemerites. The duo’s MO was identical in repeated forays, especially in the parking lots of the church and school. Switch would play provocateur; Blade would take the lead. They would never attack more than two at a time. And that only if the prey were small and not likely to put up much of a fight.
    That’s what made their encounter with Manny and Mike so pivotal.
    Undoubtedly the villains had reconnoitered Mike and Manny as the boys played their innocent game of catch. Since neither of the boys was particularly large; they appeared to be easy pickings.
    The tale of how Manny took Blade was repeated and embellished as school got under way. Everyone seemed to defer to Manny and, by extension, Michael.
    To top off the straight story, neither Switch nor Blade had been seen anywhere in the vicinity of that celebrated parking lot since.
    Manny did not anticipate further fights. For one thing, Mrs. Tocco would not overlook another torn and bloody outfit. For another, Manny had fought that day only in self-defense. That would be the only reason he might fight again. And with his reputation as it was, that seemed a remote possibility.
    Though he had played a minor, almost negligible role, Michael had indeed been part of that war of liberation. Besides, he was Manny’s sidekick and, as such, shared in the respect newly accorded his friend.
    All the while, Mike was learning that it definitely paid to be aggressive on occasion. If one never asserted oneself, one stood a good chance of being bullied. Later, much later, this principle would play a defining part in Mike’s life. For now, Manny’s reputation protected both him and Mike.
    This benefit was not a one-way street. Mike tutored Manny, who did well in his studies. But he could have done better.
    Both boys took to heart Bob Koesler’s warning that the seminary was serious about study and accomplishment. At his suggestion, they concentrated on their English studies and even anticipated the beginning of a long career in Latin. After all, they
were
members of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church. And one day, please God, they would conduct almost all the Liturgy in that ancient language.
    It was, however, not all study and no play. Manny and Michael made Redeemer’s eighth grade intermural football and basketball teams. Together they starred in an