brother,â I said. We walked for a minute or two, then I said, âDo you think Iâm really like Dad?â
âI do,â Tovi said. âTotally.â
âWhy? How exactly?â I asked. I knew I looked like him and we were good at sports and crap. But Jerri had told me that we werenât alike otherwise.
âYou have a killer instinct,â Tovi said.
âAll great competitors have a killer instinct,â I said.
âI meanâ¦I meanâ¦â Tovi paused.
Andrew stopped walking. He grabbed her wrist. âWhat?â he asked.
Tovi spoke to Andrew, which I guess was easier than speaking to me. âFelton just has this vibe. Itâs like this coiled thing. Itâs like if the wind blows the wrong way, he might destroy somebodyâs face.â
âOh,â Andrew said, nodding. He looked up at me. âRemember when you kicked the doorframe by the bathroom and the lights went out and that picture of me, you, and Jerri fell off the wall upstairs?â Andrew asked.
I sort of heard him, but I wasnât thinking about my door kick. I was thinking how fast I pinned Nolan Sauterâs neck to a locker and how good that felt. I was thinking about how close I was to killing Karpinski because he got away with bullying little schmucks, which sucks, which made me want to destroy (and if I was going to protect dipshits, wasnât that a good thing?).
âThatâs life. Thatâs who I am,â I said.
âThatâs exactly who your dad was too. Wound tight, man.â
âAre you scared of me?â I asked Tovi.
âMe? Hell no. Youâre not going to mess me up. I actually feel awesome when weâre together because I know you could kill just about everybody.â
Andrew nodded thoughtfully. âThatâs why Tommy Bode likes you so much. Heâs your Pig Boy.â
I shook my head. âWhat? How do you know about that?â I asked.
âIâm not dead,â Andrew said. âIâm in Florida, but I have a cell phone and email and friends. Bony Emily tells me everything.â
âOkay,â I said. âWell, Iâm proud of protecting the little people.â
âYouâre protecting a pig boy? Do people want to make him into bacon?â Tovi asked.
âNo. Theyâre just mean to him.â
âYouâre nice, man,â Tovi said.
âAre you going to hurt others to protect him?â Andrew asked.
âI donât know. I donât think I have to really. Nobody messes with me, Andrew.â
âButâ¦butâ¦butâ¦â Andrew stuttered.
âWhat, man? Get it out,â Tovi said.
âArenât you just pouring more mean into the world?â Andrew asked.
âNo,â I said. âNo. Iâm not doing anything. Just keeping Tommy Bode from getting his ass kicked all the time.â
âSeriously. That sounds awesome,â Tovi said.
âYeah. I suppose,â Andrew said.
***
New Yearâs Eve, Toviâs mom, Evith, came down from Atlanta and we all went out to a giant buffet at the club in Grandpa Stanâs golf community. This was something I was looking forward to. Growing up with hippie Jerri, I didnât have the opportunity to attend many buffets.
Last fall, I went to an âall you can eatâ buffet with Cody Frederick and his dad and it was maybe the best day Iâve ever had in my entire life. I probably ate ten pounds.
During the New Yearâs Eve dinner, I became vaguely aware that Evith and Grandpa were staring at me. I had ham in my mouth and I was cutting a piece of prime rib and my plate (third plate) had maybe three pounds of mashed potatoes piled on it. I looked up (felt the stares). Evith and Grandpa stared back.
âWhuh?â I said, mouth full of ham.
Evith shook her head. âLike seeing a ghost,â she said.
âThis is what Iâm saying,â Grandpa said to her.
âFelton is sitting at the