It's like this, cat

ot me a room in the Y on Twenty-third Street. Maybe I'll come say Hello some day. They're going t

getting arrested, but Nick always acted like he didn't really believe it. So when he sees the letter, he ha

w about, he downgrades. Also, I always have to go to his house. He never comes to mine, except once in a coon's

akes pizza or real good spaghetti, and she has homemade cookies and nut cake sitting around after school. She also talks and w

bike-riding on Twelfth Avenue, Mom doesn't even tell me what to do much. She's quiet, and pretty often she d

ke when a teacher blames you for something you didn't do. Some kids I know, they have to ph

time, the way Nick's mother does. So maybe Nick doesn't come to my house because we haven't got al

oney, he does come along with me. We pick up

he jumps down and rubs between my le

t then it's time to eat. That's wh

while Nick opens his coke. "You know those gi

ea

r, so Sunday when I was hacking aroun

? Wha

good while, and finally I asked her why didn't she come

king on my pear,

he can get her girl friend to come too, but she doesn't w

ch o

h one

girl

ith at the beach, the redhead. So I said, O.K., I'd see i

I don'

mean, you

o her. Anyway, it sounds like a date. I don't want a date.

l them it's O.K

mm

you learned

ay for the girl

st stand around saying 'Hmm,

your idea, and if it stinks

! Come on, let's play a

at math than I

ouse in a white shirt and slicked-down hair. Pop whis

go put a sweater over it and run a comb through my hair, bu

ie down at the Academ

there?"

w," says Nick. "A

I ask Nick, because I think I've s

t-I mean in a book once-but it's supposed to be g

ror shows anyway, whet

of the party with

r party."

could at

nth Street, where Nick said he'd meet them

over. A shaggy-haired, bearded character is making a speech all about "They," the ba

ut or something?

n here. Willie Sutton, the bank robber, used to sit down here

if I'd said something real funny. I catch Nick's eye a

o the speech turns and gla

ls go off in more hoots. Nick starts herding th

iately fade out to go read the posters and snicker together. I can se

pping their popcorn, so the matron spots us and motions. "Down here!" She flashes her light in our e

e things start getting scary, she tries to grab me, but I stick my hand

londe is already glued onto Nick. Redhead lets out a loud sigh, and I

matron keeps shining the light in your eyes so you can't see. She shines it on the blonde, who is pr

instead of walking beside me the redhead tries to catch hold of his other arm. This so

er his shoulder to me, "Come on,

begin getting really sore. Nick got me i

d I slap down thirty cents

s soon sock him right now, but I pick up my money and say, "O.K., wise guy, tr

gulps, and finally we can walk them to the subway. Nick is gabbing away about how he

cackling, down the steps. I start across Fourteenth Street as soon as the

as if everything is peachy fine dandy. "Th

keep

hing?" he asks, as

on wa

Then he breaks into a fal

idewalk, so I twist and bite his hand. We're gouging and scratching and biting and kicking, because we're both so mad we can hardly see, and anyway no one ever taught us those Queensberry rules. There's no point in going into al

and the guy holding me says, "You

to feel reckless. He throws a fake punch, but he's n

their heads at me. I walk in the door at home, expecting the wors

en quite a horror