Read Online Nothin But Net by Matt Christopher - Free Book Online
Authors: Matt Christopher
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true,” Billy replied, looking right through him.
“It isn’t.”
“Yes it is, or it wouldn’t have been in your mind like that,” Billy insisted.
“Billy —”
But Billy was gone, up the stairs and inside the building. Tim didn’t follow him in. He felt like finding a hole to crawl
into instead of his bed, which was probably short-sheeted and shaving-creamed anyway.
He’d hurt his best friend, who had only been trying to help him. What kind of kid was he, anyway?
A loser, that’s what kind. Billy wasn’t one, but he was. A kid who lets his whole camp down and then throws dirt in his best
friend’s face. Alone in the darkness, Tim lowered himself down onto the lowest frontstep and cried for a long time. Only when he heard the others coming back from supper did he run inside.
Billy was facedown on his bed in the darkness. Tim felt his own bed for damage, but it seemed to be okay. He lay down, still
dressed, and within moments fell into an exhausted sleep.
The following night was the second social of the summer. Tim had been in a bad mood all day, going through the motions in
softball, swimming, arts and crafts, and tennis on a rare day without basketball. If they’d had to play b-ball, he’d have
felt even worse — every moment reminding him of his dismal failure of the day before.
The kids were speaking to him again, as if nothing had happened, but there was a certain coldness in their tone now, even
the ones who had been fairly friendly to him before. Only Billy said not a word to him. Obviously waiting for an apology,
Tim thought. Well, he’d apologized to him as soon as he’d said those horrible things. What did Billy want from him? Blood?
Well, he wasn’t going to get it. Tim felt bad enough about things already.
He’d forgotten about the social till lunch, when thekids started talking about it in the mess hall. Then he thought about faking illness again, like he had at supper the night
before. It might work, especially if he went to the infirmary and saw the nurse. Maybe he could steal one of those hot packs
from her first-aid kit and fake having a fever. Anything not to have to deal with girls — not tonight. Not when he was feeling
this bad about himself.
But Tito and Jody weren’t taking no for an answer, and in the end, Tim went along, getting dressed up, moussing his hair,
even shaving, although he didn’t really need to yet. He walked to the gym at dusk like he was walking to a funeral. This,
he was sure, was going to be total torture.
Tonight, the gym was decked out in an outer-space theme, with silver foil planets and stars hanging from the ceiling, twisting
in the breeze from the fans, and shining colored lights reflected from disco balls rotating in various places around the hall.
The girls were all clumped around the food-and-drink table, just like last time. Some of the Condor boys were over there,
trying to catch the girls’ attention and impress them with how cool they were. Tim sat on one of the bleacher benches, trying
to look casual.
“Yo, Daniels,” Jody said, coming over and sitting down next to him. “Who do you like?”
“Me?”
“Is there another Daniels I don’t know about?”
“What do you mean, who do I like?”
“You know — the girls, man.
Las chicas
.”
“Oh … I don’t know … nobody special.”
“You like that Wanda, right?” Jody said with a knowing smile. “I saw you two dancing last week.”
“Yeah, Wanda’s pretty cool,” Tim said, just to get Jody off his back. Actually, he did kind of like Wanda, braces and all.
At least she seemed really interested in him — not like Stephanie Krause, who kept giggling about him to her girlfriends and
whispering about him to Mike Gruber.
He saw Stephanie now, her black hair gleaming red and blue in the soft lights of the gym. She was talking to not one, not
two, but three guys, and when a new song started, she began dancing with one of them. It was
“It isn’t.”
“Yes it is, or it wouldn’t have been in your mind like that,” Billy insisted.
“Billy —”
But Billy was gone, up the stairs and inside the building. Tim didn’t follow him in. He felt like finding a hole to crawl
into instead of his bed, which was probably short-sheeted and shaving-creamed anyway.
He’d hurt his best friend, who had only been trying to help him. What kind of kid was he, anyway?
A loser, that’s what kind. Billy wasn’t one, but he was. A kid who lets his whole camp down and then throws dirt in his best
friend’s face. Alone in the darkness, Tim lowered himself down onto the lowest frontstep and cried for a long time. Only when he heard the others coming back from supper did he run inside.
Billy was facedown on his bed in the darkness. Tim felt his own bed for damage, but it seemed to be okay. He lay down, still
dressed, and within moments fell into an exhausted sleep.
The following night was the second social of the summer. Tim had been in a bad mood all day, going through the motions in
softball, swimming, arts and crafts, and tennis on a rare day without basketball. If they’d had to play b-ball, he’d have
felt even worse — every moment reminding him of his dismal failure of the day before.
The kids were speaking to him again, as if nothing had happened, but there was a certain coldness in their tone now, even
the ones who had been fairly friendly to him before. Only Billy said not a word to him. Obviously waiting for an apology,
Tim thought. Well, he’d apologized to him as soon as he’d said those horrible things. What did Billy want from him? Blood?
Well, he wasn’t going to get it. Tim felt bad enough about things already.
He’d forgotten about the social till lunch, when thekids started talking about it in the mess hall. Then he thought about faking illness again, like he had at supper the night
before. It might work, especially if he went to the infirmary and saw the nurse. Maybe he could steal one of those hot packs
from her first-aid kit and fake having a fever. Anything not to have to deal with girls — not tonight. Not when he was feeling
this bad about himself.
But Tito and Jody weren’t taking no for an answer, and in the end, Tim went along, getting dressed up, moussing his hair,
even shaving, although he didn’t really need to yet. He walked to the gym at dusk like he was walking to a funeral. This,
he was sure, was going to be total torture.
Tonight, the gym was decked out in an outer-space theme, with silver foil planets and stars hanging from the ceiling, twisting
in the breeze from the fans, and shining colored lights reflected from disco balls rotating in various places around the hall.
The girls were all clumped around the food-and-drink table, just like last time. Some of the Condor boys were over there,
trying to catch the girls’ attention and impress them with how cool they were. Tim sat on one of the bleacher benches, trying
to look casual.
“Yo, Daniels,” Jody said, coming over and sitting down next to him. “Who do you like?”
“Me?”
“Is there another Daniels I don’t know about?”
“What do you mean, who do I like?”
“You know — the girls, man.
Las chicas
.”
“Oh … I don’t know … nobody special.”
“You like that Wanda, right?” Jody said with a knowing smile. “I saw you two dancing last week.”
“Yeah, Wanda’s pretty cool,” Tim said, just to get Jody off his back. Actually, he did kind of like Wanda, braces and all.
At least she seemed really interested in him — not like Stephanie Krause, who kept giggling about him to her girlfriends and
whispering about him to Mike Gruber.
He saw Stephanie now, her black hair gleaming red and blue in the soft lights of the gym. She was talking to not one, not
two, but three guys, and when a new song started, she began dancing with one of them. It was
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