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He nodded solemnly "I know Not too many decent people left in the real world either"

"Apparently, you and I are an iteossip"

"I heard," I said "Will the dumbassery never end?"

She pursed her lips "Oh well Sticks and stones e plopped down atop her mashed potatoes and splattered her lacy chocolate-brown dress with the nuclear-flavored gravy only school cafeteria workers kno to e out of the brown lare toward the only place it could have co linebackers sat at their usual table with several cheerleaders I stood up

"No!" Crye said

Nyte and Ash both grabbed ht back"

I forced back e and calmly strolled to Nathan’s table Despite the confidence in et into a full-out battle royale I could be suspended or even booted out of school Knowing how the principal and upper brass felt about the football players, they wouldn’t hesitate to protect their interests

Nathan had his back to me while the other players and cheerleaders watchedNathan about et up when I reached them I put my hand on his shoulder and pressed hiroaned

"Oh, don’t get up on account of e in ht back the desire to crush it in his face Instead, I squished it into his e was a pulpy le to stand I kept him doith very little effort

One of the linebackers stood up I couldn’t remember his name or his real position on the football team, so I called pretty much all of the ones I didn’t know linebackers It s easy on me

"Who the hell do you think you are?" he said He walked around the table

I sh it probably lookedto have to work on practicingat me I jumped back and watched his slow-motion fist smack into Nathan’s ear Nathan yelped like a puppy I turned and walked back to the table while Nathan and his pal yelled at each other I took a seat and cale bits and er that the lunchrooether from dead alley cats

Crye shook her head "That was about the stupidest thing I have ever seen Are you looking to get yourself killed?"

"I thought it was pretty cool," Ash said with a huge grin

"I don’t condone physical violence," Nyte said "Although you forced them to perpetrate it on each other, in which case I whole-heartedly approve"

A sry reserve "Okay, so it was kind of artful But still so stupid that I want to srinned "You want to kiss me? In front of everyone?"

"I’ain I’irl I can take all the idiocy these ed "Fine I won’t weararmor to school anyripped my shoulder

"Come with me, boy," said Mr Barnes

Every instinct told h the cafeteriaand make my escape My next instinct was to break Mr Barnes’ hand and throw hih the cafeteriaConorance So I stood and folloithout a single word We went into thefrown I was sure she’d practiced it a million times in the mirror so students would know just how badly they were about to get it

I returned a vacant toothy sive to the townsfolk as he’s being led to the gallows I sawbehind her desk and realized even this attempt looked freakish and crazy I really needed to practiceclasses This was just sad As an aside, I was glad to see I still had a reflection Whatever horrific but undeniably cool STD I’d been given by Stacey had not--yet--turned ht If that had happened, then I’d probably go pants-on-head crazy on Mr Barnes and to hell with the consequences

I had never been to the principal’s office Mr Barnes directed me to a seat in front of a scarred and ooden desk that had probably been bought second hand, then closed the door and left et the principal Lee Perkins, the principal, was every bit the football stooge Ted Barnes was They were both grand poobahs of the Quarterback Club and the things I’d heard about the club’s underhanded activities els

Mr Perkins stepped solemnly into the office He looked a lot like Colonel Sanders after eating a few tubs too many of fried chicken Mr Barnes followed close in his considerable wake I gave them my best innocent look

"I hear you’ve been up to all sorts of no good," Mr Perkins said in his old-school and soot half the school de your head on a silver platter, boy"

"Why, whatever for, sir?"

Mr Barnes slapped his hand on my armrest "You don’t take that tone with us, boy" His redneck twang made him sound a touch inbred

"No," said Mr Perkins "I’ Mr Case how to act before his superiors" He winked at me "Do we?"

I decided to play it safe and shook ot several eyewitness accounts that you assaulted Nathan Spelman in the lunchrooot soood old boys could educate you on the forle" style="display:block" data-ad-client="ca-pub-7451196230453695" data-ad-slot="9930101810" data-ad-format="auto" data-full-width-responsive="true"></ins>