surprised about?
âEl Capitán had a work thing, so itâs bro time, little buddy!â
I turn away and stare out the window. Who the heck is El Capitán?
Gunner gives me a weird look. âYou feeling okay, buddy?â
I nod and quietly pray he canât tell that Iâm on the verge of tears.
But it doesnât work.
âCâmon, man, quit being so soft!â he tells me. âPlease tell me you arenât crying like a little girl.â
Thatâs exactly what Iâm doing , I think. I keep myself turned away, looking out the window.
âTake your skirt off, ya big beauty!â
Huh?
âDude, relax. You stood up for yourself, right?â
I keep quiet.
âDid you win or did you lose?â
I shrug. I have no idea what to say.
He repeats the question. âDid you win or did you lose?â
âWin, I guess.â I finally manage an answer.
Gunnerâs entire face lights up. âNails, Jacko!â he says, reaching over and squeezing my shoulder.
Nails?
âYou took care of your business, little man. Just, you know, there will be some hell to pay. Letâs not tell The Captain just yet, okay?â
âThe Captain?â I ask.
Apparently Iâve said something funny. Gunner laughs and looks at me. âYouâre sounding a little off, bro. Did you get your bell rung or what?â
I shrug again.
Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Gunner check himself out in the rearview mirror. âLost about five pounds in sweat today. Good skate this morning with the boys. Grind now, shine later, right?â
He turns the music up. âNothing better than cruisinâ with all windows down, big dog! I can sing as loud and bad as I want.â He pauses and grins right at me. âGonna stop and get my flow chopped. You in?â
âUhhh, I guess?â I say. I have no idea what heâs talking about.
Gunner looks surprised. âSeriously?â
âSure.â I shrug. Whatever I said I would do makes Gunner very happy.
His eyes light up and he reaches over again, grabbing my knee this time and squeezing it hard. âPumped! Proud of you, man. Holdinâ it down. What did the girls think of your eye?â
âHuh?â
âItâs a good look, Jacko. Beast mode!â
Boys are so weird!
Jackâs brother is kind of funny. He smiles a lot. âBro,â he says. âPain is nothing compared to what it feels like to quit, right? What did the other dude look like?â
âWhat other dude?â I say.
Gunner laughs. âThe donkey you dusted.â
âUm, oh, not too good, I guess.â Yes, Iâm just making stuff up at this point.
âDid you destroy him?â
âI guess?â
âThat-a-boy, little man. Flat-out brawl. Showinâ a little grit!â He stretches his arm out toward me and ruffles myâJackâsâthick, messy hair. âShowed some jam, bro!â
I work up the nerve to look over at him again. Heâs probably sixteen or seventeen, I guess. And he has the same blue eyes as Jack and the same wild dark hair. Gunner catches me looking. Itâs awkward. âYou sure youâre okay, little man?â
âYeah,â I manage. âIâm good,â I say with a nervous laugh.
Iâm not exactly good! Iâm riding in a truck with a kid I just met, and Iâm in Jack Malloyâs body.
UNCORRECTED E-PROOFâNOT FOR SALE
HarperCollins Publishers
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AS SOON AS I BUST out the back gym door, I kind of freeze in my tracks. Small problem, right? I forgot to ask Ellie what kind of car Iâm supposed to look for.
I stand there and stare out into the bumper-to-bumper line of parents waiting to pick up their kids and just keep thinking, This has to be a dream . . . tell me this isnât really happening . But Iâm pretty sure it is happening. No, scratch that,
Learning to Kill: Stories