When we re-entered the trailer park after our encounter with the Guardian, we saw Jeremy Fisher standing in the park. He waved at us. We decided that a chat with Jeremy would be a good way to take our minds off of the strange events that had unfolded in C’wak. We’d only just started to talk with him when we saw another kid walking toward us. It was Jeremy’s older cousin, Dougie.
Dougie Irons was a bad apple. He was 16, and was an untamed rebel. He had a loud Harley Davidson, that his rich daddy had given him for his birthday, and he sure liked to show it off. Jeremy was one of our idols, a cool kid, but Dougie was just trouble. He treated Jeremy like crap, always teasing his younger cousin and giving him noogies. Dougie was a star athlete at his school, and liked to brag about his physical prowess. For someone who kept in fairly good shape, it was perhaps strange that he was a smoker. He’d been smoking even before he’d turned 16 (when you could legally buy cigarettes back then) and liked to stand around in a leather or jean jacket, usually with no shirt on underneath, while puffing away at one of his cancer sticks.
On this day, he was wearing a jean jacket, and was strutting across the side road, with a half-burnt cigarette dangling from his mouth. “Hey there fairies and fags, seen any magic toadstools lately?” Dougie Irons was in a class of his own, 100% certified asshole. “Woah, baby! Who’s da hottie? Yo, Jer’my, is this the lil thing that’s got your dick in a twist lately?” Jeremy turned a bright shade of crimson, then looked down at the ground before replying, “Why don’t you leave the kids alone Dougie? Go pick on someone your own size.”
Dougie just laughed, strode up to his cousin, grabbed his head, and ground his fist into Jeremy’s hair. “Now is that any way to talk to your big cous’? Cummon now, I was just asking who the sweet tart is. The other two fags I know just fine, the same fairies you’ve been butt-fucking since you moved to this shithole.” Jeremy remained silent. “If this is the lass that’s been turning yer crank lately, I must say Jer, you’re tastes have gotten better. I like me a fine young tom boy on occasion. Hey missy why don’t you come with me over to Jeremy’s place, and I’ll teach you how grown-ups have fun?”
Jeremy was still stuck in the head-lock, now refusing to say anything, and Billy and I, while offended, were too scared of Dougie to reply. Sam on the other hand, had no such issues. “And why, in the name God, would I want to let you anywhere close to me? I should be asking why a high school student is interesting in doing groan-up things with a fifth-grader?” Dougie just laughed, “Oh, come now sweet thing, you look like you got some East-Indian blood in ya, I always wanted to find out if ya got dots anywhere other than your foreheads.”
This time Sam didn’t reply, she just walked right over the Dougie Irons, and kicked him straight in the balls. Dougie let go of Jeremy and dropped to his knees, a shocked expression on his face. Sam reached over as if she was going to kiss him, brought her lips within a breaths-width of his, then backed up again, spitting into his face. “You want some sweets? Suck that up, asshole.” Sam gave Dougie the finger, before turning away from his, “Let’s go.” She said to us, holding out a hand to Jeremy.
“Oh, you don’t walk away from me like that bitch!” Screamed Dougie. Sam stopped in her tracks, turned around, walked back up to Dougie, and punched him square in the face, making his nose bleed. “You wanted fresh blood? Well, you got it. Come near me again, and I’ll just have to tell some of those groan-ups you want to be so much like, all about your invitation.” That seemed to work, more than the physical violence, Sam’s threat to tell on him made Dougie Irons turn as pale as a ghost. He offered no further harassment, that day, or for a few weeks after.
When we had left the park, and seen that Dougie had sulked off elsewhere, Jeremy piped up, “That was totally awesome Sam! Nobody has ever treated him like that before! A taste of his own medicine, oh, he’s going to hurt me for it later, but I’m going to bask in it for now.” Jeremy leaned down, as though to kiss Sam, then turned red again before saying, “I gotta go, see you guys later.” Sam just smiled. We continued our walk together, the three of us, laughing and full of light. That day I’ll never forget. It was one of the best days, yet hinted at some of the darkness, yet to come.