Double-Dare O’Toole by Constance C. Greene Read Free Book Online Page B

Sooner or later he’d break it.
    His father got very angry with him. He lectured Fex a long time about growing up, taking responsibility (that word again) for his own actions. When the police had brought Fex home after the bike riding incident on the parkway, his father had been home, raking leaves. The policeman explained what had happened. His father was very polite, said thank you to the policeman. “Come inside,” he’d said then to Fex, his face tight, grim. “I want to talk to you.”
    He’d paced back and forth in the living room. “You know you might have been killed, don’t you?” he’d said. His voice rose, gained strength and ferocity. “It was another of those dares, wasn’t it, that made you do that damn fool thing?” Fex had never seen him so angry. He’d nodded, too scared to speak.
    His father lectured him for what seemed like hours. His mother cried a lot. But when her tears dried, she was just as angry as his father. Later she calmed down. “You promised me you wouldn’t do those things any more,” she’d said.
    â€œI never promised, Mom,” he’d said. “I don’t know what makes me do those crazy dumb things. I try not to. But every time I do.” Then she kissed him, and he felt her cheek wet against his. He felt terrible, but that night he’d had a vivid dream. All his dreams were vivid, but this one took the cake. He was swinging on a trapeze without a net because someone had double-dared him. He looked down and heard the roar of the crowd, saw their faces turned up to watch him. When he started a spectacular triple somersault, they rose to their feet and screamed with excitement. He looked down and saw there was no net. Then he woke up. He never found out if he made it, but boy, it had been exciting!
    The next morning his father had said, “I will say only one more thing on the subject and then we’ll let it rest.” Fex hoped that this was so but knew it wasn’t. Through tight lips, his father said, “Only fools accept dares to do things that might result in injury or death. Remember that the next time someone double-dares you, Fex. Remember that.”
    And he’d tried. He really had tried.

11
    Saturday opened like a huge sunflower, all yellow and green. It was a day to spend carefully, like hard-earned money. Which was what none of them had.
    Audrey and Fex were cold stone broke. They stood on the corner, discussing plans.
    Then, in her cool way, Audrey said, “Let’s go see Angie.”
    Angie was there, as usual. Behind the cash register, guarding the money, keeping a wary eye out for shoplifters.
    â€œHow’s it going?” Fex said to her. “How ya doing?”
    She considered this. “You know what the definition of a bore is, right? It’s somebody who, when you ask ’em how they’re doing, they tell you. So I’m gonna tell you. My feet hurt, the mortgage is due, my mother-in-law is coming to live with us, and the cat just had kittens. Outside of that, everything’s hunky-dory.” She threw back her head and laughed. Her glasses flew off. “Uh-oh,” she said, bending down to pick them up. Miraculously, they hadn’t broken.
    â€œWhat’re you gonna do?” Angie said. She dusted off her glasses and put them back on.
    Once, long ago, Angie had left Fex in charge of the store while she ran across the street to the bakery. She liked the doughnuts they made there better than the ones she sold, she said. Fex had crossed his arms on his chest and stood his vigil, ready to fight anyone who tried to rob the joint. No one had, no one had even come in to buy anything, but how did he know that? He’d felt like the Incredible Hulk standing there, muscles bulging, prepared for the worst.
    In payment Angie had given him a free Coke and a bag of Fritos. Nothing he’d eaten before or since had ever tasted