Free Wrestling Against Myself by Katie Leone Page B

left their classrooms and made their way up to the administration building or the teacher's lounge.
     
    Antonio walked to the north end of the building, opened the door and peeked out. A few students lingered, but not many. He walked back down the corridor and out the south door, and had the funny feeling he was waiting for nothing.
     
    “Oh well,” Tony said as he walked through the open air passageways towards his car.
     
    As Antonio walked through the parking lot towards his car, he noticed a group of kids hanging around Peter's green Ford F150 pickup truck. Several were in the bed; he could make out Roger, Jason, and the freshman he dealt with earlier, Henry, sitting on the side wall. The deep rumble from the engine, caught Tony's attention.
     
    “They're up to no good,” Antonio said as he walked to the driver's side of the green pickup.
     
    The group in the bed stared at Tony as he made his way. Their faces were taut and red with rage.
     
    “Hey Peter,” Tony said as he leaned against the side of the truck.
     
    “Yo, Tiny,” Peter replied as he kept his eye trained on the school. “Sorry about mouthing off earlier and the stupid smoking comment.”
     
    Antonio gave a thin smile. “Nah, I didn't take no mind. What are you guys up to?”
     
    “Waiting on somebody.”
     
    “Me?”
     
    “Heck no,” Peter said. “I only got three other people with me, you got us outnumbered.”
     
    Tony laughed. “Interesting comment. You waiting for someone to pound?”
     
    Peter leaned over and kept his voice low. “Tiny, listen, you're a good guy and though people can find that annoying, no one holds it against you. But, sometimes, extreme circumstances require extreme action.”
     
    “Like beating someone up? Four against one?”
     
    “Oh, we aren’t going to beat them, just scare them.”
     
    “Somehow I think we're talking about someone we already had a conversation about.”
     
    “Perhaps,” Peter replied cryptically. “Maybe not.”
     
    “Why are you picking on a girl? That's not your style.”
     
    “I ain't picking nothing.”
     
    “What did she do?”
     
    Roger stood up in the bed of the truck and pounded on the roof. “There it is, one o'clock, coming down from the gym.”
     
    Peter grimaced. “Got to go.” He floored the accelerator, spun his tires in a cloud of white smoke as Tony jumped back, and peeled away.
     
    Tony looked in the direction Roger pointed out and took off to intervene. Sure enough, Courtney had been walking down the ramp that led to the parking lot. She must have heard the tires squeal, because by the time Tony spotted her she was in a full sprint. Tony knew he could out run the girl, but there was no way he was going to out run the pickup. There were several things the girl could do to buy them both some time.
     
    By the time the truck was close to her, she already made her way past the first fence that led down a small stairway that brought everyone to the weight room and kept her stride.
     
    The guys in the bed of the truck were making a commotion. Smokers normally weren't in the best of condition and the girl had a big enough lead on them that it would be impossible for them to catch her on foot. Instead, Peter swung the truck around and gunned it towards the exit.
     
    Tony had a moment of confusion as to what to do next. Should he continue after the girl, or jump in his car and take off after the pickup. He slammed his foot into the pavement, pivoted, and made his way to his Firebird.
     
    Courtney was freaked out.  Peter accomplished his objective if his goal was only to scare her. Somehow, Tony doubted that. It would do him no good to take after her, if she thought the school was out to get her, that would include him and he would only add to her terror.
     
    Tony made his way to his car, jumped in, and fired it up. He looked through the window. Courtney made it to the far fence and was about to leave school grounds. He turned his head; Peter parked