Chasing the Bear

Chapter 39

I was leaning against the brick wall on the sunny side of the school, talking to Jeannie and Aurelio at recess. Carl and Turk came over to us along with an older guy I didn't know. All three of them looked hard at Aurelio. But nobody spoke to him. I could feel Aurelio trying to shrink into the brick wall.

"How ya doin', Spenser?" Carl said.

"Good," I said.

"Hey, babe," Turk said.

Jeannie ignored him.

"This here is Leo Roemer," Carl said.

"Leo," I said.

He nodded. He looked at Jeannie.

"Who's this?" he said.

"I'm Jeannie," she said.

Leo nodded.

"Not bad," he said.

"Gee, thanks," Jeannie said. "You're pretty cute yourself."

"Maybe someday I'll show you how cute I am," Leo said.

"Maybe," Jeannie said. "Maybe not."

"You go to school here?" I said.

"I don't go to school nowhere," Leo said. "I dumped it after the eighth grade."

"Lucky you," I said.

"It's all crap anyway," he said.

I nodded.

"Leo's gonna help us with the spicks," Carl said.

I nodded.

"And we gotta know where you stand," Carl said.

"Stand about what?" I said.

"You with us against the spicks or you with them?" Turk said.

"I'm just looking out for Aurelio," I said.

"They beat up Sal Dusack," Turk said.

"Probably getting even," I said.

"Hey," Leo said. "You with us or not?"

"Whaddya do, Leo?" I said. "Now that you're not in school."

"I work with my old man," he said.

"What did you say your last name was?"

"Roemer," he said. "What do you care?"

"Roemer Construction?"

"Yeah, whaddya know about it?"

"My father is Sam Spenser," I said. "He and my uncles do a lot of work with your father."

"Yeah? Well, I don't care," Leo said. "I want to know where you stand."

"You know any of them?" I said.

"I don't work with the subcontractors," Leo said. "You with us or against us?"

"How about neither?" I said.

"We don't like ‘neither,' " Leo said.

He looked around at Carl and Turk.

"Do we?" he said.

"No," Carl said.

"Come on, Spenser," Turk said. "You known us all your life."

"How can you side with them?" Carl said.

"I'm not siding with them," I said. "And I'm not siding with you."

"You're American," Turk said. "Like us."

"I might not be exactly like you," I said.

"Aw, screw him," Leo said to Carl and Turk. "He's yellow. He won't even fight for his own kind."

My father always said there was no point in arguing about crap; when you got all through, the argument was still gonna be crap.

I made no comment.

The three of them turned away.

"Better watch yourself, Spenser," Leo said.

Turk looked back at me and shook his head. I shrugged at him. And they walked off.