Page 8 (1/2)

"You got so to say, Sharpe?" Sa I pray to God, it’s not bitching I’ that all of you didn’t just coot louder now to scare theame plan for the drop!"

Nobody moved They didn’t shuffle They didn’t flinch They were solid It made Sam feel crazy

"You’re all done,anyiving the orders froh He pointed at Terry and screa to do for you?" he said to the rest of Varsity "All I’ve ever seen him do is sit on his ass and take He hasn’t run shit since he ran the basketball teaainst Fairview And le a gang …," Sa "It’s about running a school And that’s so about None of you could survive without me"

"We’ll take our chances," Terry said and looked to the others "We got nothin’ to lose Thanks to you Isn’t that right?"

"That’s right," Anthony said He was backed by hts and yeahs around the circle

"Is this about the gun incident?" Saive up on me just ’cause of that? You can’t be that stupid Think of how it’ll look to everybody Without et respect back--"

"It’s not about the gun thing" Terry laughed Others laughed too "This has been a long tiht?"

Terry nodded "Yeah, that’s right Doubt you noticed, but no other gang leader in school talks to their people the way you do I’d even say those leaders like the people in their gang Do you like us, Sa back to reveal his teeth in a sickened scowl He wasn’t going to honor that question with a response It was irrelevant, exactly the kind of Sesa ht," Terry said "And oing, but you lost all our food because you were too obsessed with David"

"That’s not what happened," Sam said

"It is what happened, bro It’s exactly what happened And then you disappeared for teeks e needed you uns with no bullets, I guess"

Laughter bounced off every wall It went on way too long, especially hat Terry said wasn’t funny

"Then, you show up again and expect us to do what you say? You think you can swiain"

Sam scowled He’d listened Noas his turn He had one last weapon

"So, you’re really gonna take your chances without the Pretty Ones? ’Cause I’ll tell Hilary to walk And every one of your girls will go with her I’ll see iffor a little pussy infusion" Sa "Is that the kind of chance you boys are ready to take now? Losing your wo ideas about what he thinks should happen?"

Terry, the dumbshit, didn’t have an answer for that And Varsity aiting Saed to hi anywhere"

The Varsity line parted for Hilary She stood beside Terry Close enough to touch Too close

"What are you doing?" Sa, but he couldn’t help his about how much she hated him before But he didn’t think she’d ever pull this shit on hiet?

"Nobody’s scared of you Not anyive it a rest"

Terry nodded at Hilary How long had they been screwing? Sam wondered Did Terry know that Saht he had a prize, but all he had was a toothless whore Fuck hiet of info for the right tiot two choices," Terry said "You can fall in line, behind me, or you can leave Finish up your swi ready for the drop"

Saht start to boil He stayed perfectly still, never breaking his stare fro to leave, and they all stepped away fro for the exit

"Oh, and don’t think about stirring up shit behind o in one ear and then into mine Everybody’s on board with this, Sam And none of us like you"

Terry followed Varsity out The door swung shut and clicked Sa He chewed on his lip, hard enough to draw blood

He could fix this The slight sway of water clapped against the pool walls So back to normal In McKinley, you lived and died by your reputation If Saht, and take control of the school again, he had toworked with these animals Danny Liner proved it Alan Woodward backed it up It hat Terry didn’t have in hiet a reminder The whole school would see

8

WILL AND NINE OTHER LONERS PEERED AT the quad through the bent s were starting to gather They flowed in froe No wonder they’d lost three Loners on the walk from the Stairs