When I didnât, he said heâd make my decision easy. Next thing I know, Iâm in my locker.â
He adjusts his glasses. âLook, I need to go to the office, Charlie.â He starts to push past me, but I grab his arm.
âWhat are you thinking, Grant?â He must be living on the same planet as my sister. âAre you nuts? Telling on Boomer is like a suicide mission. You really want to be on that maniacâs radar?â
âShut up, Burger,â he hisses. âYou have no idea what youâre talking about.â
âListen.â I put my arm around his shoulder. âWeâre measly sixth graders. Our job is to lie low and not call attention to ourselves this year.â
He pulls away from me and lifts the bottom of his shirt. A dark stain is spreading across the front of his khakis. âIâll tell you what I know, Burger. I know that if I donât call my mom and ask her to bring me some new pants, every single person at this crummy school is going to know I just got the pee scared right out of me. Think thatâs going to help me not call attention to myself?â
He shoves past me, and this time I let him go.
I drop my head in my hands. Boomer Bodbreath is one dangerous human being.
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CHAPTER
8
I decide to tell Franki about Grantâs run-in with Boomer, but I leave out the pants-wetting part. Some stuff is just too personal to tell a girl, even if she is your best friend.
I shouldâve known the whole thing would make her flaming mad.
âI told you, Chuck,â she mumbles through a mouthful of veggie burger. Frankiâs on the free lunch plan at school, but sheâd rather eat one of my dadâs burgers any day. He always puts an extra one in my lunch box, just for her.
âTold me what?â I smash my milk container flat. Iâm not in the mood for one of Frankiâs lectures today.
âThat things would get worse,â she says, waving her burger in front of my face. âTake my stepfather, for instance. That man is a bona fide, card-carrying bully, and heâll keep doing what he wants until somebody stops him.â She stabs at a soggy green bean with her fork but just moves it around on her tray. âLast night? He came home with four of his buddies and told Rose to clear the table so they could play a round of Texas Holdâem. When I reminded him that it was a school night, you know what he did?â She doesnât wait for my answer. âHe told me to make myself useful and go round up some beers.â
I take a small bite of my own burger, but I canât seem to swallow it. I wonder how Dude would handle a guy like Carl.
âAnd you know what Lila did?â I shake my head, but I can already guess the answer. Lila is Frankiâs mom and is pretty wimpy when it comes to Carl.
âShe hustled me into the kitchen and begged me to be nice for once, saying it would make everyoneâs life much easier.â Her eyes blaze. âHa! That manâs life couldnât get any easier if someone walked in and handed him a million bucks.â
She stuffs the last of the burger into her mouth and chews with such force, Iâm afraid sheâs going to break a tooth. Watching her, I think about the time my dad said that someday Franki is going to be quite the looker.
âStop looking at me like that.â
âLike what?â I say too quickly.
âI donât know, all ⦠moony faced,â she says, rolling her eyes at me. âAll Iâm saying, Chuck, is that kids like Boomer grow up to be guys like Carl.â She picks up her tray. âAnd someone has to have the power to stop them.â
And then sheâs gone and I canât stop wondering: When did Franki Saylor turn into such a girl?
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CHAPTER
9
That afternoon, I rush home from soccer practice, knowing Pickles is already there. When I get to our driveway, I see the beat-up yellow Volkswagen bug parked