Free The Big Splash by Jack D. Ferraiolo Page B

do it!”
    â€œDidn’t do what?”
    â€œJoey didn’t take Nikki out!”
    â€œOh, he took her out, all right. Joey’s always had a thing for Nikki. Talked about her all the time. He thought he was fast enough to take her, and you know what? He was right. He was fast enough. He just wasn’t prepared for the consequences.”
    â€œNo, Kev, you got the wrong story. Joey was set up!”
    â€œForget it, Matt. I talked to five different kids. They all heard the same thing: Joey whispering ‘That got her,’ then that freaky giggle of his.”
    â€œYeah, I heard the same story.”
    â€œGreat. So we agree.”
    â€œNo, we agree on what those kids heard, not who said
    it.”
    â€œListen, Matt, I know you like to make things difficult, just so you can feel needed, but this is open-and-shut. Just admit it … you’re upset because I solved your case.”
    â€œNo, idiot. You didn’t solve a damn thing! Now call them off!”
    â€œLittle too late for that.” Kevin said. I looked over his shoulder and saw the end of Joey “the Hyena” Renoni.
    The expression on his face was of pure horror, not that anyone was looking at his face. All he was wearing was a pair of white socks and an oversized diaper, the back stained a hideous brown. Instantly, the kids in the playground formed a tight circle around him, laughing and pointing, their once-heated kickball game now forgotten.
    â€œCrappy Pants! Crappy Pants! CRAPPY PANTS! CRAPPY PANTS!”
    Joey tried a few times to flee the scene, but a couple of big kids kept him where he was. Kevin wanted his money’s worth.
    â€œCRAPPY PANTS! CRAPPY PANTS! CRAPPY PANTS! CRAPPY PANTS!”
    â€œStop!” Joey screamed. As a response, someone hithim in the face with the kickball … hard. Joey started crying. Someone pegged him with the kickball again, this time on the back of his head. He hit the ground on all fours, his brown, stained butt sticking up in the air. This made the crowd laugh louder, and Joey cry harder. “Please,” he pleaded. The ball struck him in the face again. His head snapped back, then hung down, tears dripping off it onto the ground. He was sobbing now, but the crowd wasn’t about to show him any mercy. Instead, someone found another kickball. Now they were pelting him two at a time. Joey curled up, sobbing and whimpering, the hollow sound of the rubber balls echoing through the playground as they ricocheted off his bare back, his sides, the back of his head.
    Five minutes doesn’t seem like a long time, unless you’re on the playground getting hammered with kickballs, wearing only socks and a stained diaper. Then five minutes is an eternity. That’s how long it took for a teacher to finally break things up and get Joey inside. Five minutes to destroy a kid’s life. Even the teacher who saved Joey had a look of disgust on her face.
    I turned back to Kevin. He looked completely amused, as if he had just seen a comedy act instead of the complete obliteration of a kid’s life. “You were saying?” he asked.
    â€œYou know, Kev, I used to think there was hope for you, that one day you’d wake up and realize that being Vinny’s chump isn’t worth it. But I was wrong. You actually like it. You’re as big a jackass as he is.”
    â€œWhatever you say, champ. In the spirit of our past friendship, I’m going to let your little speech slide. The next time you talk to me like that, you’ll get to see the Outs from the inside.”
    â€œOh yeah? Well, in the spirit of our past friendship, here …” I put up my middle finger.
    He laughed. “See you around, Matt,” he said and sauntered off.
    I stood there, frozen with anger. Kids walked past me, still laughing about Joey. He had been a rat, and a jerk, and he had put a bunch of kids in the Outs, but I still felt horrible for him. Nobody deserved what he