Wrestling Against Myself (47 page)

Antonio rolled his eyes. “I don't want to see your butt.”

“Admit it Tiny, it's cute. Let me hear you say it,” the boy egged on. “All you have to say is 'John you have a cute butt.' You can do it, Tiny.”

“Would you quit?”

“Makes you want to curse, don't it? Come on Tiny; tell me to get my ass out of your face.” John swiveled his hips. “You know you want to.”

“It's too early for this John.”

“Yeah, your defenses are weaker in the morning, huh?”

“I'm still not cursing. What do you want? I know you didn't come to school early just so you can shake your booty at me.”

“Oh yeah,” John Sharp said as if suddenly remembering something. He turned around and the large smile he was wearing left his face. “I got something important to tell you. You're not going to like it any, but don't kill the messenger.”

“I promise I won't get mad at you for giving me a message.”

“You didn't hear it from me.”

“Get on with it before we're late.”

“Okay, here it is. Peter is going to start making life for your little friend a living hell again.”

“You're my little friend,” Tony said as he processed what John was saying.

“You know who I'm talking about. The he-she.”

“Her name is Courtney.”

“Peter is planning a new set of attacks. He said he wanted her to get comfortable before he did anything so she wouldn't be ready for it. He wants her to drop out of school. It's like he's on a mission.”

Tony shook his head in disgust. “What does he have planned?”

“He didn't tell me the details. He said that there was going to be a lot of fun at her expense. Actually, he said, 'this will teach the little queer.'”

“Is he going to do anything physical?”

“I doubt that. There's no sport in beating her up, she's smaller than I was last year.”

“You're still small.”

“Hey, I gained 10 pounds of solid muscle over the summer.” John Sharp flexed his bicep.

“I don't remember you lifting over the summer.”

“I gained it naturally.”

“You're the only person I know who can hit a growth spurt and still wrestle in the hundred and three pound weight class. You sure you don't know what Peter has planned?”

“Honest, Tiny. He knows I would wind up telling you anyway.”

“I'm surprised you didn't help him plan something.”

John Sharp frowned. “That hurts Tiny. You know I have my ethics. Courtney is a friend of yours, that makes her off limits. I don't mess with friend's friends.”

“But you mess with me all the time. Interesting.”

“I only play around with you, Tiny. You know that. Besides, you deserve it.”

Tony chuckled. “Because I'm so mean to you.”

“There are other reasons. Anyway, you know I always got your back. That's why I'm warning you about this. I know you have a thing for her.”

“The same thing I have for you. I don't like people being bullied, or did you forget how we met?”

“I could have taken them.”

“All four seniors, while you were dumped head first into a garbage can?”

“I was giving them a false sense of security. I would have whipped them good, Tiny. It was a good thing you came by and kept them from an ass whooping.”

“You're too much.”

“Anyway. Now you know. I don't know what they're going to do, but it's something. I don't think it's a beat down, but it isn't going to be nice. Peter's been planning this for a whole week.”

“Something worse than making people sing that stupid song?”

“That's what he says. He was mad the song didn't work. Thought it would drive her to tears. And when people didn't get a response, it got old fast. I heard most people were afraid to sing it because they thought you might be around somewhere.”

Tony nodded. “Thanks for telling me. I better see if she is at her locker.”

“Remember Tiny,” John Sharp called out. “You didn't hear it from me.”

“Not a word,” Antonio called over his shoulder.

The halls were beginning to fill with students as time drew closer for the morning bell. With all the people that walked by Antonio as he waited in front of his locker, Courtney was not one of them. He saw Peter's brother, Henry, and was tempted to grab the kid by the collar and demand to know what was planned. He wasn't about to become one type of bully to stop another kind of bully.

Tony also saw Andrew, the chubby kid that he helped out the first day of school, on his hands and knees, still struggling with a locker that he couldn't get organized. Figuring he would see Courtney if she ever showed up, he made his way over.

“Hey,” Tony said as he towered over the freshman. “How's life been treating you, Andrew?”

“Okay, I guess,” the boy said as he looked up. “I've been busy with J.V. Football and all the homework teachers hand out.”

Tony was disappointed that the boy didn't say something clever to his question. It was a softball set up for a funny punch line, but sometimes freshman couldn't figure out the obvious. “Football isn't that bad of a sport. What position are you playing?”

“Offensive guard,” Andrew replied as he stuffed some papers haphazardly into his locker.

“Must be nice having ten other people around you to have your back, and those pads keep you nice and safe. Not much of a challenge for a guy your size.”

“I do okay.”

“After J.V. football is over, you can do Wrestling. Next year you could be the varsity starter.”

“I don't know. I never wrestled before.”

“Have you ever played football before you joined the J.V. squad?”

“Yeah, I did Peewee football.”

“Oh,” Tony wasn't expecting that answer. “See, you had to start somewhere. You should at least give it a try; see if it's something that could challenge a guy like you.”

Andrew looked at the senior suspiciously.

“You probably don't know this yet, but girls dig wrestlers.”

“They do?”

“Of course they do. And those guys on TV make millions of years play-acting, most of them wrestled in high school too.”

“Cool.”

“I know. So you think you could give it a shot for a week. You're probably a natural.”

“I can try for a week.”

“Awesome. This school has a legacy of great heavy weights. I would hate for it to end with me.”

The first bell rang; the students had a few minutes to get to their classes. The hallway filled with the sound of lockers slamming and students clamoring to get where they needed to be. Tony joined the fray, upset that he didn't see Courtney to give her the heads up on what John told him.

The day was beginning to frustrate Tony and he was glad to be heading to lunch. He spotted Courtney in the hallways between each of the first four periods but was never able to make his way to her. It seemed as if life, or other students, was conspiring to keep them apart. Antonio thought a little paranoia was affecting his judgment. It wasn't as if the other kids from the school were creating a human wall to keep him at bay while something was happening to his friend. The way the flow of traffic went, it made it impossible to do anything but wave. From the looks of things, the girl was none the worse for wear.

Antonio sat down at his usual table. Since he no longer had to wait in line to get food, he was the first person to sit, even though he noticed Carl and Tracy beat him to the cafeteria. He pulled out a turkey sandwich and an apple from the brown paper bag and placed them in front of him. Even though his coach barred him from working out, he could continue to eat healthy.

“Hey, Tiny.” Carl sat down across from his friend with Tracy sitting right next to him.

“Hey, Carl, Tracy,” Antonio said after taking a big swig of Gatorade.

“Did you hear the announcement this morning?”

“Of course. All returning wrestlers are to meet after school on Thursday.”

“You know what that means,” Carl said with a grimace.

“We get our weight certified and I can work out again.”

“It means I have to cut weight before Thursday.”

“Better start running,” Tony said with a smile. “I would do it with you, but Coach would have a fit if he saw me out there. I gave him my word.”

“I liked you better when you were a fat heavyweight,” Carl said bitterly.

“You keep it up; you might be a fat heavyweight yourself.”
 

“Low blow Tiny, low blow.”

“Boys! Boys!” Tracy intervened. “None of that. We're
supposed to build each other up, not tear each other down.”

“Yes ma'am,” Tony said apologetically.

Carl nodded in Tony's direction as a way of saying, 'serves you right.'

After a few moments of silence, Courtney showed up with her tray, much to Tony's relief.

“How's your day so far?” Tony asked, ready to hear some horror stories.

“It's okay. I got a B on my math test.”

“A B is pretty good,” Carl said.

“Carl had to take freshman math over in summer school,” Tony whispered towards Courtney.

“Only because my parents didn't want a C on my transcripts when I applied for college,” Carl informed. “Don't go making like I failed.”

“Boys!” Tracy reprimanded once again.

“Sorry,” Tony said.

“My dad will say the same thing he always says,” Courtney lamented. “I'm proud of you, but I know you can do better if you put your mind to it.”

“Ouch!” Carl made a sour face.

“Ouch is right,” Courtney said as she picked at her food. “My dad was never good at math anyway.”

“I thought he was an accountant?”

“He is,” Courtney said with a laugh. “Don't tell his clients.”

Tony laughed along with her. “So outside of the B on the math test, nothing else happening.”

“No. Same old, same old. School is boring again.”

“Sometimes boring is a blessing.” Tony was surprised there wasn't an attempt to harass the girl. Perhaps John had his information wrong or was using a new ploy to shake things up. He had a habit of doing things like that, but he never came off as sincere as he did that morning.

“Amen to that,” Courtney said.

“Amen to what?” Dave asked as he saddled up to the table.

“They started prayer meeting early,” Ted guessed. “Told you we miss out on stuff when we come late.”

“We didn't start the prayer meeting early,” Carl said. “Tiny said boring is a blessing.”

“I told you they talk about us when we're not around,” Ted said sourly as he sat down.