Chasing the Bear

Chapter 41

A kid named Petey Hernandez stopped me in the corridor when school was letting out. He was fifteen and already had a scar on his left forearm where someone had cut him with a knife.

"Got a minute?" he said.

I said I did.

"We know how you been looking out for Aurelio Lopez," he said.

I nodded.

"Aurelio ain't much," Petey said. "But he's Mexican, and I figure we owe you for it."

"You don't owe me anything," I said.

Petey shrugged.

"Anyway," he said, "Aurelio ain't the only Mexican they been beatin' on."

"Who's ‘they'?" I said.

"Roemer and his pack," Petey said.

I nodded. Croy went by us without making eye contact.

"How 'bout Croy?" I said. "He in the pack?"

"Yeah," Petey said. "Wouldn't you figure?"

"Seems the type," I said.

Petey nodded.

"Gonna be a rumble," he said.

"Yeah?"

"Down back of the Y," Petey said. "Roemer and his buddies like to hang out there. We gonna go down there and settle things."

"When?" I said.

Petey shook his head.

"You don't need to know," he said.

"Why you telling me at all?" I said.

"So you'll stay away from those guys," he said. "Don't want to see you get hurt."

I nodded.

"I don't hang with them," I said.

"Good idea," Petey said. "You gonna tell anyone about this?"

"Nobody you'd care about," I said.

"Nobody at all," Petey said.

"Might talk about it with my father and my uncles. They won't say anything if I ask them not to."

"You can trust them?"

"Certain sure," I said.

"You gimme your word?" he said.

"It ain't about me," I said.

"Your word?" he said. "Nobody tells Roemer?"

I nodded.

"My word."

"I think your word's good," Petey said. "It ain't, you'll hear from us."

"It ain't my fight," I said. "I got nothing to say about it."

"Make sure," Petey said.

"I'll do what I can," I said.

Petey nodded and turned and walked away. I watched him go.

Tough kid, I thought. Lot tougher than Leo Roemer.