"Throw it to Hutch." The red dodgeball soared across the tarmac during recess and I snatched it from the air. I wasn't brave enough to deliver a clever rebuke but I was angry enough to chuck the ball into the woods. A teacher reprimanded me for the act but he didn't know what was really going on.
The game was called 'Kill the kid with the ball.' Whoever caught the ball would have to run for his life as everyone else chased him down. It was organized by the newly self-proclaimed Brotherhood of Chaos, the first gang at our middle school. These brothers weren't related, they just lived in the same apartment building together and liked to cause mayhem whenever they could. So far they were responsible for shooting a BB rifle at a classroom window during midday studies, climbing on the school roof and they were the back-up squad who encouraged my ex-best friend Dale to beat me up at the high school field.
One of their goons retrieved the ball and found an easier target.
"Jason caught it." We had a new kid in class. He had a short, blonde mohawk and a general lack of fear. Jason knew the rules but still he caught the ball and ran. He twisted past the jungle gym and jumped the see saw before someone finally threw him to the grass. They tried to hold him down for the intended beating but he scrambled to his feet and fought his way out. Surprised by his tenacity, the brothers backed off.
"Blondie thinks he's a tough guy." They deliberated out loud so other students could hear.
"He should prove it." One of them decided.
They invited him into their confidence, "Listen dude, you've got spirit. We think you could be a brother of chaos."
Jason might have been fearless but he wasn't stupid. It was a new school and he wanted to fit in, or at least not make enemies on his first day, "What do I have to do?"
"See that kid over there." They pointed at me. "Kick his ass and you'll be one of us."
The incongruity between my bold self-image and my actual abilities made it impossible for me to back down. Jason wasn't bigger than me. He didn't appear to have any special skills or strengths. His lack of fear might mean that he would underestimate me. It was a risk worth taking.
We stared each other down for what felt like forever but was probably no more than ten seconds. The brothers egged us on and then it happened. Instead of freezing in place like I did against Dale, I attacked. The two of us became a blur of grabbing faces and throwing punches. We almost immediately landed on the grass in an awkward wrestling match that was quickly broken up by the teachers.
"You two knock it off!" We were separated and sent in different directions. "Jason, try to stay out of trouble." Then he turned to me, "Alex, you can head back to your homeroom and wait for class to resume."
I welcomed the escape from recess. Crossing the basketball court I re-entered the rear door of the sixth grade wing and returned to my room. Before reaching my desk I decided to test a theory. Mrs. Steed, my homeroom teacher, usually kept her top desk drawer locked but maybe, just maybe she forgot.
I snuck around the desk, listened for movement in the hallway and then gently tugged on the drawer. It opened easily. Moving aside her copy of the school poetry book I saw my prize. I slowly gripped and lifted the snub nosed revolver. It was heavy and shiny. I felt a jolt of excitement shudder through my veins. The Brotherhood of Chaos was in for a big surprise. Now I had a way to even the score with so many people.
My heart was racing, my nerves were on edge as I stroked this new found power. When the bell rang to signal the end of recess I was so surprised by the sudden loud noise that my hand flinched causing me to accidentally pull the trigger.
