Wednesday night. My brother drives past and beeps the horn, but no way is he going to stop. He’s got a carload of his wrestling buddies and they’re headed for Weston. As if there’s anything to do over there, either.
The count is up to forty-one. Herbie insisted on including two of the guys in my brother’s car. I agreed, even though Tony Terranova isn’t such a bad kid. He just locked Herbie in a gym locker once when we were freshmen, so Herbie’s got an understandable grudge.
Joey hasn’t shown up yet, but Herbie’s been here since after practice. I don’t know if he ever goes home. He’s been a fixture on this bench since last summer.
I’ve got a can of Coke and a package of little chocolate doughnuts from Turkey Hill, but Herbie doesn’t want any. Joey might be with Shannon, but I doubt it. I asked him if he was still seeing her. He said I guess so. I never see them together. I see her looking at him.
“Coach reamed me out again after practice,” Herbie says.
“How come?”
“He says he heard I was smoking in the bathroom. Would I do that?”
“Never,” I say.
“He said he’d kick me off the team if he catches me.”
“So don’t get caught.”
“I don’t plan to.”
“The team?”
“Smoking.”
He just shrugs and smiles with half his mouth. “I might,” he says. “But it will be my idea when I do.”
This end of Main is where anything that might happen would happen. Freshmen congregate down near the diner, and junior high school kids are all the way down near Rite Aid. I’m just getting used to hanging out up here, in front of the boarded-up movie theater.
I’m not sure when the last time something happened was. I’m not sure anything ever happened here. But we’ll be ready if it does.
Herbie yells “Footstepper!” as the guy walks by on the other side of Main. Footstepper gives a sheepish grin and a sort of wave—spreading out the fingers of his left hand. But he doesn’t slow down.
One time in school I ran into Footstepper in the bathroom. He came out of a stall while I was combing my hair at the sink. I moved aside and he washed his hands, then he took a paper towel and dried them. He was a lot taller than me and had wispy sideburns. Then he left.
We play East Pocono tomorrow, over there. Here comes Joey. Alone. What’s the deal with him? He needs to move in or move out. I want her more than he does.