Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 ï>¿The Trailer Park: The Fifth Year: Part 1: Words And Music A Story in the
Wynter/Trailer Park Universe by Wizard CopyrightÂ(C) 2007 by Wizard

   Chapter 11

   I pulled into the lot, parked, and killed the engine.  It felt good to
be back.  I climbed out and grabbed my backpack from behind the seat. 
'This ought to surprise Robbie and Tami, ' I thought, grinning to myself.
Surprising Monster Girl was never easy and almost worth a week of
suspension if I could.

   I walked in the front door and stopped in the main hallway.  I was kinda
surprised that it didn't feel different.  The hall was mostly deserted.  I
glanced at my watch.  Second period had started six minutes ago.  I wished
the hall had been deserted, cause the only people I saw were Mr.  Parker
talking to Frank, one of the janitors.

   Parker saw me, and the look on his face wasn't what I would call
friendly.  He took a couple steps toward me, then turned and walked quickly
the other way.  I decided this wasn't a good time to question luck and
walked to the office.

   "Good morning, ladies," I said, tossing my backpack at the foot of the
counter.

   "You're back!" Stephy Ward yelled, rushing around and hugging me. 
Cassie Saunders and Miranda Watkins, the other two office aides, just
smiled, but Stephy had been one of my gymnasts last year.

   "I need a tardy slip," I told Miranda, with Stephy still hugging my
side. "I'm not sure if it's going to be excused or un-excused since I
hadn't known I had school today."

   "I already have it here," Mrs.  Hatcher said, from her desk.  I came
around, disentangled Stephy, and took the slip.  "Mr.  Reed would like to
see you," she added.

   I nodded.  "Ladies," I said, tipping an imaginary hat and walked back to
the principal's office.  Then I hesitated.  "Is he in here?"

   "The other one," Mrs.  Hatcher said without turning around.  Parker had
moved into Mrs.  Jeffries office as soon as he became acting principal and
apparently hadn't moved out yet.  I moved to the other door and knocked.

   "Come in."

   I nodded to the girls again, opened the door and walked in.

   The room was mostly bare.  Mr.  Reed had a picture frame on his desk,
and that was the only decoration.  Without seeing the front I knew it was
his family.  He had a wife, a boy here in the high school, and two girls in
the middle school, one sixth and one eighth.

   "I like what you've done with the place."

   The look he gave me wasn't the friendly greeting I'd expected.

   He looked back down at the file he'd been reading.  There was a chair in
front of his desk.  I sat down.

   Maybe Tami's telepathy thing is contagious, cause I suddenly KNEW the
file he was reading was mine.

   After a couple of minutes he looked up and smiled.  "Tony, glad to have
you back."

   I returned the smile.  "Glad to be back."

   "This," he tapped the folder, "makes interesting reading."

   "I'll bet it does."

   He picked up a paper.  "Recommendation for suspension in the seventh
grade for fighting." He set that one down and picked up another. 
"Suspended in the eighth grade for disrespect to the vice principal." He
exchanged that paper for the next one in the stack.  "Suspended as a
freshman for unauthorized publication."

   I was beginning to wonder if I should have stayed in bed.

   He picked up three more papers.  "Then last year, recommendation for
suspension for refusing to take a test." He shuffled the first paper behind
the others.  "Recommendation for suspension for disrespect to a teacher."
He shuffled the papers again.  "And recommendation for suspension for
leaving school without permission."

   He set all the papers down and looked at me.  "Then you started this
year off with a suspension the very first day for disrespect to the
principal."

   I wondered if his reading material had just lost me a friend.  Actually,
when you put it that way, I wondered if I shouldn't just slit my throat and
get it over with.  It didn't sound like the kind of record that Stanford or
Harvard would jump at.

   "Tony, are we going to have a problem?"

   "I hope not," I said after a long pause.

   "But you're not making any promises?"

   "No, sir."

   "At least you're honest," he said, leaning back in his chair with a
half-smile.  "And I know there's more to the stories than is here.  Most of
them I know.  What concerns me the most is this year.  To be honest, I
think the board may have made a mistake changing your sentence to timed
served."

   That surprised me.

   "The things you said to Mr.  Parker surprise me.  It doesn't sound like
you.  Did you say them?"

   I hesitated.  "I've never denied it."

   Mr.  Reed smiled.  "Tony, I know how smart you are.  And I've seen you
play word games.  That wasn't what I asked.  "I asked if you said those
things to Mr.  Parker.  I believe he had a witness..." He looked down at
his papers.  "Luke Hastings."

   Damn!  I wondered if Mom was giving lessons in asking questions without
wiggle room.

   "Well, I won't call Luke a liar." I wondered if Robbie's lesson on
consequences took.

   "Again, that's not what I asked.  I understand he had a very tough game
Friday."

   I nodded.

   "Somehow, I don't think Miss Tate would have made it so tough on someone
who only told the truth, no matter what the truth was, but I'll take that
as your answer for now."

   "Thank you," I said, meaning it.

   "There is something that I think you and I need to get clear right now.
As long as I am principal of this school YOU will treat EVERY employee of
the school with respect, despite what you may think of them personally. 
And that goes especially for Charley Parker."

   "I'm surprised he's still an employee," I said, then regretted it.

   Reed arched an eyebrow.  "Charley's employment status is between him and
the board.  Yes, I know all about the letter you gave them.  But it is no
longer any of your business.  Am I clear?"

   I considered arguing.  After all, I was still part of the dispute.  But
I saw Mr.  Reed's point.  I nodded.

   He smiled again.  "Tony I like you.  And I remember what you did for
Peter Temple last year.  But you are NOT going to run my school, and you're
not going to run roughshod over my vice principal.

   "I didn't want this job," he continued, leaning back again.  "I liked
the middle school and didn't even apply for this job.  But Jason Whitting
called me last night and practically begged me to take it."

   I nodded.  Mr.  Reed was a good guy, I didn't want to cause him
headaches.  "Who's going to take the middle school?"

   "We haven't had a vice principal since Charley moved over here.  Mr. 
Mulino decided we didn't need one.  But now Mr.  Hallowell will be vice and
acting principal, and I'll help him out as much as possible."

   "Good choice."

   Mr.  Reed smiled again.  "I'm so glad you approve," he said
sarcastically.  "Are you going to do gymnastics this year?"

   "If Mr.  Hallowell doesn't mind."

   Mr.  Reed chuckled.  "He's a fan.  I don't think he'll object.  One more
question, then you need to get to class and at least pretend the teachers
are smarter than you and can teach you something."

   "Yes?"

   "Do you want to play football?"

   I'm not sure what question I expected, but it wasn't that.  "Uh..."

   "I should probably tell you first that Charley is still the coach."

   "No," I said definitely.

   "I see."

   "I'm not sure you do.  I've played football most of my life, and I love
it.  But when I quit I told Parker, I mean, I told Mr.  Parker that I
wanted to spend more time with Tami and not miss the beginning of
gymnastics.  I think those are still good reasons.  I don't think I'd come
back even if you talked Coach Branson back from OSU."

   Reed sighed.  "Maybe next year?"

   "Maybe," I agreed.  "Why?  Looking for a championship?"

   "Well, if I'm going to run this zoo, a big trophy would be nice."

   "You have Robbie and Mike.  You'll never even notice I'm not there."

   "I think we'll notice."

   "Luke's pretty good too.  Almost as good as he thinks he is."

   "Uh, Robbie?"

   "Robbie likes to win," I said as if that explained everything, and it
pretty much did.



   Chapter 12

   I stepped past several students in line and up behind Tami and Robbie as
they pushed their lunch trays down the line.  Neither knew I was back in
school yet.  I stepped up beside Tami and slipped my arm around her waist.
"Hey, baby," I said in a fake voice.  "How's about I buy you lunch since
your lame boyfriend ain't here."

   I wasn't prepared for the elbow that snapped back into my sternum, but
my spider sense must have kicked in 'cause I turned my leg a millisecond
before her fist slammed the space where my balls had been.

   "Tony?" they said together.

   I straightened up.  "Robbie remind me not to sneak up on her."

   "You should have known better," Robbie said without sympathy.

   "What are you doing here?" Tami asked at the same time.

   "Came to have lunch with the two sexiest girls in the county," I said,
still rubbing my sternum.  "I snuck in."

   Robbie laughed.  "You're so full of it.  Reed let you come back?"

   "School board actually," I admitted.

   "Does Parker know?"

   "He saw me, but didn't say anything."

   Tami noticed the lunch line had stopped behind us.  "Come on, let's get
out of the way."

   We settled at a table, and a few minutes later Darlene, Allie, and Mikee
joined us.  I glanced around the room.  "Your brother is cute when he's
being insecure," I told Mikee.  Peter was standing near the front of the
line, holding his tray.  He glanced over at us, then at a couple of tables
of freshman.

   She giggled.  "Want me to get him?"

   "I will.  TEMPLE!" I yelled.  "Get your butt over here."

   "Subtle," Tami commented before trying a spoonful of the bean soup and
making a face.

   "My middle name," I said as Peter came over by the table.  I pointed at
an empty spot between Darlene and Mikee.

   "I could have sworn it was Marion," Robbie said.  She tried the soup and
pushed it away.

   Peter still looked unsure.  "I, uh..."

   "Peter, sit down before I call the goon squad and declare open season."
Peter sat.  The goon squad was a group of juniors and seniors who made life
interesting for freshmen.  Every school has them.  Ours weren't as bad as
most, but I'd already declared Peter off-limits.

   "Peter, if you have friends you want to sit with, fine.  But just
because we're juniors..."

   "Except for me," Mikee jumped in.

   "Except for your sister, doesn't mean you can't sit with us."

   "Thanks," he smiled.  "I wasn't sure, I mean..."

   "I know.  Sometimes freshmen get treated like a lower life form."

   "Totally," Mikee agreed.

   I stared at her.  After a second she blushed.  "Okay, not me so much.  I
had you guys.  But some of my friends."

   We all nodded.

   "I want to know how you got back," Allie said between bites of
cornbread. "I thought you were out for another week."

   So I gave them an abridged version of yesterday and this morning.

   "I can't believe you went over Parker's head to the school board,"
Darlene said, munching a carrot stick.

   I took a second to think about it.  "Suppose Tami and I invited you over
to the house to play Grizbet."

   "What's Grizbet?" Darlene asked, and the others looked confused too.

   "Brand new game.  You've never played it before.  No one has, 'cause I
just made it up.  So you come over, what's the first thing you do?"

   "I suppose, take off my coat."

   I lowered my forehead onto my hand.  I decided that my earlier plan of
going back to bed had been the right idea.  I looked up at Darlene again.
"You've got your coat off.  You're comfortable and sitting at the table. 
What do you do?"

   "I ask how to play," she said with a shrug.

   "Exactly.  You learn the rules so you can use those rules to win." I
grinned.

   "Life's like that too," Robbie took over for me.  "If you learn the
rules, you can use them to play.  To win.  In this case, the rules say
Parker's got a boss, the superintendent.  But he didn't help, but he's got
a boss too: the school board."

   Darlene nodded.

   "But what if they hadn't helped?  Hadn't let you come back?" Mikee
asked.

   I grinned.  "I actually wasn't trying to get back, I was trying to nail
Parker.  Coming back is a bonus."

   "What if it hadn't worked?" Peter put in.

   "Well, over the school board are the state board of education and the
voters, but you know how some card games have a trump?"

   Peter and Mikee nodded.

   "This game has a trump too."

   "Newspapers." Tami, Robbie, and I said together.

   "Now what?" Allie asked.  "Get Reed to let you play football again?"

   "Nope.  I found something better." I leaned over and kissed Tami on the
cheek and she blushed.  "Actually, he asked if I wanted to play and I told
him no."

   "I wish you would," Robbie said wistfully.  "We need you."

   "No you don't.  You've got and Mark, Mike, and Luke."

   "Luke?" she seemed surprised.

   "Yes, Luke.  You've taught him his lesson, now make him part of the
team."

   "But..."

   "But nothing, Monster Girl.  Look, Luke's no friend of mine, but he came
here, and yes, he was obnoxious, but we, and that includes me when I was on
the team, we, never made any effort to make him part of the team.  I want
that trophy."

   For a second I thought she'd argue.  Then she nodded.  "I'll try."

   I leaned over and kissed her, holding it for several seconds.

   "Parker's checking you out," Mikee warned.

   I broke the kiss and looked over my shoulder at the administrator.  He
turned and walked away.  I looked back at Robbie.

   "You'll do more than that," I said forcefully.  "It doesn't matter who
they call the captains.  Or who they call the coach, for that matter.  We
both know who leads that team."

   "You know, I hate you sometimes," she said without any spite.

   "Yep, and I've got the bruises to prove it.



   Chapter 13

   "Tony.  How's your first day?"

   "Good so far," I said with a smile.  "Why?  What have you heard?"

   Mr.  Reed sighed and sat down across from me.  "Could you at least try
to go a week without problems?"

   I shrugged.  "I can try."

   "Why do I feel like I should have told Jason no and gone back to
watching television?"

   It was rhetorical, so I shrugged and kept quiet.  I'd been sitting by
myself in the library.  I had calculus sixth period, not that I thought I
would ever use it, but it kept my brain nimble.  I'd kept up with the work
during my suspension, and Mrs.  Wayne was letting me cut so I could read
over Tami's notes for debate.

   "I was thinking about our talk," Mr.  Reed said after a few seconds.

   "Uh huh."

   "I thought maybe I came down too hard, made you feel like you're on
probation or something."

   I held up my hand to stop him.  "That's not how I took it.  I figured
you were just setting the ground rules.  After all, you're new here, and
I'm probably not the easiest student to keep in line."

   "Probably?"

   I grinned.  "Okay, I'm a trouble-maker through and through.  Blame Mom."

   He nodded.  "So we're good?"

   "We're good.  I don't want this to sound like I'm trying to butter you
up, but I have a lot of respect for you.  Mostly because you see your
students as people.  Par...  uh, some administrators don't."

   "Good save."

   "I try."

   "I did have a question, if you have a minute."

   I looked at the clock.  "About ten."

   "There was a paper in your file I didn't understand.  It was a
recommendation for expulsion from last spring.  But it was only about half
filled out."

   I laughed.  "I have a feeling that Park...  Mr.  Parker forgot to remove
it.  Either that, or he was keeping it as a memento.  What was the reason?"

   "Defiance of authority."

   "That's me."

   "So what was it all about?  And why didn't Par...  Mr.  Parker finish
it? Marty?"

   I grinned at his almost-slip.  "No, surprisingly it was Mrs.  Jeffries
who convinced Parker that he couldn't win.  Did you hear about the prom?"

   "Only that it got canceled."

   "Kinda."

   "Kinda?"

   "Kinda.  I don't know if you heard about it, but last year we had some
trouble with vandalism.  Nothing major."

   "I heard some of it."

   "There were three incidents that I know of," I continued.  "The first
time was in March.  Mr.  Parker had left his car here overnight for some
reason and somebody trashed it.  Cut the tires, spray-painted the windows,
that sort of thing.  Not to sound too paranoid, but I was in Seattle when
it happened, and I have witnesses to prove it."

   Mr.  Reed smiled and nodded.  Not that I thought he'd suspect me,
definitely not my style, but I'd been trying to make a joke.  The joke fell
flat and brought back memories.  The day Parker's car got hit was the day
that Zoe...  that Zoe...  that Zoe got promoted to the next dimension.

   After a minute Mr.  Reed said, "We can talk another time if it's..."

   I smiled.  "That's okay.  Just a few memories."

   "I understand."

   "Anyway, about the middle of April we had another problem.  Somebody
broke into the school, trashed some classrooms, and painted some
interesting biological suggestions on the door and inside the girl's locker
room."

   "Got an alibi for that one?"

   I grinned.  "Away game.  I was in Wenatchee.  Then the last weekend in
April somebody really did a job on the statue.  Tore the front legs and
head off the horse, smashed up the General." The school had a statue of
Robert E.  Lee on horseback.  Some alumnus who'd gotten rich investing in
Microsoft at the start gave it to us since we were the Rebels.

   "THAT I heard about."

   "Anyway, the next week, Parker got everybody together in the gym and
read us the riot act, which was cool.  I don't like vandalism, especially
untargeted vandalism.  It's useless.  Besides, I liked the General."

   "I wish I'd brought my PDA," Reed said with a smile.  "I'd make a note,
you actually approve of one of Mr.  Parker's actions."

   "It definitely wasn't the start of a trend, 'cause next he canceled the
prom.  Which was stupid, 'cause the kind of people who were doing the deed
probably weren't the kind to go to the prom anyway.  But Parker canceled it
saying that he's reinstate if the guilty parties turned themselves in.  He
totally ignored the fact that he was punishing over a hundred innocent
people.  People who had already spent money on dresses, tuxes, and stuff."

   "You?"

   "I was a sophomore, and I was going out with a sophomore.  I wasn't
planning to go.  But Robbie was.  I'd seen the dress.  Keeping her from
wearing it would have been a crime."

   "So what happened?"

   "I stood up and confessed."

   "That must have made Charlie's day."

   I grinned.  "Nope, he told me to sit down.  He knew the team had been in
Tacoma for a tournament all weekend.  But then a lot of other guys stood up
and confessed.  Instead of seeing it for what it was, people trying to save
the prom, Parker decided that we were making a mockery of him and the
school and said the prom was canceled forever."

   Reed chuckled and I looked up at him.  "I was just trying to remember if
I heard anything about an angry mob storming the school board."

   I shook my head.  "Robbie and I talked about it, but Marty Mulino was
gone, that conference in Boston, and we figured the school board was iffy.
After all, what Parker was doing was stupid, but it wasn't entirely
unreasonable.  He wasn't the first administrator to punish the group.  We
came up with another plan.

   "We arranged with the city to borrow the park, then arranged with the
Elks to borrow their ballroom if it rained.  We held the prom in the park.
Since the school student body fund had the ticket money for the prom, we
couldn't use it, but we got stores to donate food and drinks.  Recruited
parents to chaperone.  Everything.

   "It was a perfect night.  Alana Temple was there to crown the prom
queen. She'd gone to the last four proms and said this was the best one
ever.  It was perfect until Parker..."

   The bell rang, and I started gathering my books to leave.

   "No way.  You can't leave till you finish.  What's the use of being
principal if I can't throw my weight around."

   I grinned.  "Not that much more to tell.  About halfway through, Parker
showed up and tried to shut us down.  Told everyone to go home.  I
explained that we were a private group having a party, nothing to do with
the school."

   "That's all?" Reed asked as I stood.

   "Well, I might have mentioned that if he didn't leave I'd get the
football team to sit on him until I could get the cops to arrest him for
trespassing since the city had given us the park for the night."

   "I'm sure that went over well." Mr.  Reed stood and we started walking
toward the door.

   "He's smarter than he looks.  He left."

   "Tony," Reed said warningly.

   I shrugged.  "Robbie got elected a princess.  Tami and I got voted
assistant king and queen, or King and queen in waiting or whatever.  The
three of us became honorary seniors."

   The second bell rang just as we got into the hallway.  "Then, Monday,
Parker called me into his office and started ranting and filling out the
expulsion form.  Mrs.  Jeffries came in, they talked quietly, then he
kicked me out of his office."

   Mr.  Reed shook his head.  I'm not sure whether it was at Parker or at
me.

   "Did they ever catch the vandals?"

   I hesitated.  "Nope."

   Reed stopped and looked at me, so I stopped too.  "Tony, do you know who
it was."

   I considered evading but decided this might be a good time to find out
what the ground rules really were.  "Yes, but I'm not telling you."

   "So they get away with it.  I thought you said you liked the General."

   "They didn't exactly get away with it.  A delegation from the senior
class, guys who almost lost their prom, met with them and explained that
vandalism was a bad thing.  There was bruising.  A lot of bruising."

   "You know, speaking of vandalism," he said as we walked up the hall
together.  "They had a problem at North Lincoln." North Lincoln High School
was the closest school to us, about twenty miles down the highway.  They
were probably the closest thing we had to a rival.

   "What?"

   "Somebody spray painted Rebels over their Grizzly sign."

   "'Tweren't me," I said as we got to my classroom.

   "I didn't think it was.  Just making conversation."

   "Un huh."

   "Speaking of conversation, hear about the excitement this morning?"

   I shook my head.

   "Big fire on the other side of town.  The Bradley family.  Know them?"

   I shook my head again.  "Don't think so.  Everybody okay?"

   "Nobody was home, thank goodness.  The kids were at school.  Mrs. 
Bradley was at the store, but they lost everything."

   "Hope their insurance was paid up," I said, putting my hand on the
doorknob.  Mrs.  Conners wasn't going to be happy with me.

   "No insurance.  The house was rented."

   "Fuck!"

   "Tony!"

   "Sorry," I said and meant it.

   "I understand.  My feeling too."

   "You say there's kids?" I'd forgotten all about debate.

   "Four girls.  Bobbi is a freshman, you've probably seen her.  Billie is
a seventh grader and Betty and Jo are twins and in the fifth grade."

   "What about the father?"

   "He's working in Montana or Wyoming.  Something with the methane
fields."

   The Red Cross can help, can't they?"

   "Normally, but they're out of money."

   "OUT OF MON...  !" They couldn't be.  They'd just had three big fund
raising projects over the summer.  Robbie and I had sang at the talent shoe
last month and Sue Grimwald, the president said it was the best year they'd
ever had.  "KATRINA!"

   Mr.  Reed nodded.

   I shook my head sadly.  "You know, I'm sorry for those people in
Mississippi and Louisiana, but to listen to the news and the stories coming
out of there, you'd think that nothing bad had ever happened to anyone
before this.  And it seems like every relief agency in the country is
sending their money there and there's nothing left for the community."

   Mr.  Reed shrugged.  "What can you do?" he said, then walked back down
the hall toward the library.  "By the way Tony," he said over his shoulder,
"try to remember, it's Mr.  Parker."

   I stood outside the door for a minute, then went the other way toward
the office.

   What can you do?



   Chapter 14

   "Sims!  What are you doing here?"

   Tami and I had been walking down the hall under the gym toward the
girls' locker room when Parker came out of the boys' locker room.

   "Just meeting Robbie," I said with a smile.

   He frowned.  "This area is for football players only."

   "Okay," I agreed amiably.  "We'll wait in the parking lot."

   I think I surprised Parker and Tami.

   "Remind me to tell the cross country team that they can't use the locker
room," I said quietly as we retreated back up the stairs.

   Tami nodded, and for once the telepathy was going my way 'cause I knew
she was thinking, 'That's more like the Tony I know.'

   Outside, we leaned against my car and waited.  "You remember the plan?"
I asked.

   "It's not necessary.  She's not going to hurt you."

   "Are you sure?"

   "Mostly," she said with a giggle.

   "Let's stick with the plan."

   Just then Robbie came out, sandwiched between Mark Russell and Cassie
Grover, and I do mean sandwiched since Mark had almost three inches on
Robbie's five-ten, and Cassie had another inch on him.  Cassie was the star
of the volleyball team and was telling them about their last game.  They
stopped in front of us as Cassie finished her story, then Cassie waved and
headed for her car.

   "When you gonna come back and play some football, man," Mark asked as
Cassie drove away.

   "With Mike and Monster Girl there fighting it out for quarterback, Luke
at half, and you kicking and pretending to play defense, I'd be riding the
pine.  I was never any good at that."

   Mark laughed.  "The third string needs quarterbacks, too." His laughter
stopped abruptly with a little help from Robbie's elbow.  "Seriously man,
it's not as much fun without you."

   "I don't know," I said as I maneuvered Tami between us, my hands resting
on her shoulders.  "Monster Girl's a lot of fun in a tight huddle."

   The quick blush on Mark's face confirmed that Robbie and he were getting
pretty tight, and I really didn't want to know how tight.  My theory is
that all the girls I know revert to innocent virgins when not with me, and
I'm sticking to it.

   "Got to run," Mark said, recovering.  "Mom said that if I was late to
dinner again, she was going to start feeding me out of a bowl on the floor
with the dogs." He gave Robbie a quick kiss and started to step away.

   "You can do better than that," Tami urged.

   I could see Mark thinking about it when Robbie grabbed his neck and
pulled him into a long kiss.

   "This is not the place for that," Parker said pompously as he walked out
of the building.

   "Play practice, sir," I said quickly, even before Robbie and Mark could
separate.  "We're working on act three."

   Parker seemed to consider that, opened his mouth, then shut it again and
walked off.

   "There's a make-out scene in act three?" Tami asked innocently.

   I shrugged.  "Ask me again if I ever get it finished.  At the moment,
no."

   "You called him 'sir, '" Robbie pointed out after Mark had kissed her
one more time and headed for his car."

   "Your point?"

   "Parker, sir?"

   I shrugged again.  "I promised Mr.  Reed that I'd try to be good."

   "For how long?" Robbie asked sarcastically.

   "I'm shooting for two weeks."

   "But we're not holding our breaths," Tami added.

   Robbie moved over and set her equipment bag on my hood.  I shifted Tami
so that she was still between us.

   "What are you two doing here, anyway?"

   "We just came to see you and ask how practice went," I said, trying to
sound off-hand.

   "Un huh.  So what are you two doing here, anyway?" she repeated.

   I smiled.  "You know how you've always wanted a sister?"

   Robbie cocked her head slightly to the side.  "I've got a sister.  She's
a pain." Robbie opened her equipment bag and pulled out her back pack.  She
opened it, pulled out a text book, then slid it back it.  "And you can wipe
that silly grin off your face," she added without looking up.

   I don't think I'd actually been grinning as the picture of Samantha in
her cut-offs and halter top at Labor Day danced through my brain, but I
tried to put a straight face on anyway.

   "You know how you've always wanted a kid sister?"

   Robbie zipped up her equipment bag and set her backpack on top before
looking at me.  "I don't remember ever saying I wanted a kid sister. 
Besides, aren't you the guy who told me that kid sisters are a pain?"

   "I was joking.  Kid sisters are wonderful.  You get to be a role model
and you get to..."

   "Tony, what have you done, and how bad am I going to hurt you?"

   "What makes you think I did anything.  I..."

   "Tami."

   Almost as if it had been prearranged, Tami ducked out from under my
hands and stepped to the side.  So much for the plan.  Robbie stepped
forward.  "What have you done?"

   "Nothing much, I..."

   "One."

   "It was Tami's idea," I lied.

   "Two," Robbie counted.

   "Not even," Tami said.

   "Thre..."

   "I kinda rented out your house."

   Robbie stepped back and sat against my car.  "You what?"

   I decided that dying today might almost be worth the look on Robbie's
face.  "I kinda rented out your house."

   "You rented...  but how...  what...  I mean who?"

   Tami stepped up and hugged Robbie.  "Deep breath, ' she instructed. 
"Hold it.  Let it out.  Again."

   When Tami stepped back, Robbie looked back in control.  I knew I never
liked Tami.

   Robbie took another breath.  "Who?"

   "Did you hear about the fire this morning?"

   Robbie nodded.

   "The Bradleys, four girls and their mom."

   "So you just moved them into my house?"

   I shrugged, trying hard to look innocent.  "You have all that space. 
Rooms that never get used."

   "You just moved them into my house."

   "Actually, I called the furniture store and got beds and dressers first.
By the way, you can't afford college anymore."

   "You got furniture and moved them into my house."

   She seemed fixated on that idea.

   "I talked to your dad first." He was back in Tennessee, though he was
supposed to be back for the game Friday.  "He said since it was your idea
and such a nice thing to do, no problem." Briefly I wondered what Parker or
Butz would say if they notice the long distance call to Tennessee on the
school's phone bill.

   "My idea!  You didn't even ask me!"

   "Would you have said no?"

   "THAT'S NOT THE POINT!"

   Tami giggled, then stepped up to Robbie again, putting her hands on the
other girl's shoulders and leaning forward until their noses touched and
they were looking at each other cross-eyed.  Robbie let out a breath that I
don't think she realized she'd been holding and laughed.  Tami leaned
closer and rubbed noses, then kissed her and stepped back.  "As I see it,
you have two choices.  You can go home and meet your new sisters they're
all real nice or you can kill Tony, then go home and meet your new
sisters."

   Robbie looked at me, and I knew she was contemplating various ways for
me to die.

   "You do realize if you had a bigger house, he would have done this to
you."

   Tami nodded.  "By the way, if you kill Tony, I need a ride home."



   Chapter 15

   Two things helped me salvage my dream of finishing the week with my body
intact.  One, Robbie knew it was the right thing to do.  Even after
installing the Bradley family in three of her unused rooms there were two
left for future refugees.  And two, she liked the girls from the moment she
met them.

   As we walked in the living room I pulled a whistle out of my pocket and
blew it hard.  Robbie turned around and looked at me as if I'd lost it, but
as she turned back the four Bradley girls were forming themselves into a
straight line, oldest to youngest, standing at attention, and trying to
keep straight faces.

   "Refugees ready for inspection, ma'am," I said, assuming a
straight-backed attention myself.  "Any you don't like we can send to the
county orphanage."

   "We don't have a county orphanage," Robbie snapped.

   "Animal shelter then."

   Robbie shot me a dirty look and mouthed one of the words I don't like.
Seven letters starting with A.

   I worked hard not to smile and stepped in front of the oldest girl.  I
pretended to dust off her shoulders.  "Senior refugee, ma'am.  Bradley,
Bobbi R.  Hasn't told me what the R stands for.  Fourteen years old,
freshman, but will grow out of that.  Prepared to rub your tired feet until
her hands bleed."

   Bobbi made a face but then nodded.  She was just an inch or two past
five feet, with short brown hair and perky but small breasts.

   I stepped down the line to the next girl and pretended to lift and
adjust her t-shirt.  "Refugee first class, ma'am.  Bradley, Billie J.  J
stands for Jean.  Twelve years old, seventh grader.  Partly civilized. 
Prepared to fetch cold beverages and snacks all night long.  Will peel
grapes and feed them to you one at a time.

   Billie curtsied.  She looked like an older version of her sister, though
she was two years younger.  About two inches taller and hair just a little
longer, breasts bigger, but not as pointy.

   I stepped down until I was between the last two girls.  "Refugees second
class, ma'am.  Bradley, Betty, no middle initial, I don't know why.  And
Bradley, Josephine M.  M for Marie, uses alias of Jo.  Ten years old, fifth
graders.  Both claim to be oldest and fight constantly.  Mother claims not
to remember which came first.  Prepared to finish any and all homework."

   The twins had what I call dirty blond hair, dark enough that he could be
brunette, but light enough that it could be blond.  One had a single
ponytail and the other a double.  Both wore plain pink t-shirts with bumps
that might have been the beginning of tits or maybe just wrinkles in the
fabric.

   Robbie smiled.  "You have the fifth graders doing my homework?"

   "You keep beating me in class standing," I explained.

   "Pa-rade rest," I snapped.  I think the colonel would have been proud of
me.  The girls snapped to a parade rest position like we'd seen in the
movies, just like a Marine drill team.  We'd practiced that afternoon
before going to the school to get Robbie.

   "All four can be used interchangeably to wash dishes, mop floors, clean
the chicken coop, or remove ashes from the fireplace," I added.

   "Why do I suddenly feel like the evil step-mother?" Robbie asked.

   "He said guilt was the safest way to handle you," a new voice said.  We
looked at the doorway to the dining room.  "I'm Kate Bradley," a pretty
woman in her thirties said.  I hope this is all right.  He said you didn't
know."

   Robbie smiled and went forward to hug the older woman.  "It's fine. 
Tony just likes to tweak me sometimes." She turned and looked at the girls.
"Uh, at ease.  And nobody has to rub my feet, or fetch and carry, or do my
homework."

   The girls relaxed.

   "I really do do foot rubs," Bobbi said.

   "And I really don't do chicken coops," Billie added.

   "And we have enough trouble getting our own homework done," came in
stereo.

   Robbie smiled again, then started toward the entryway and the staircase.
"I might take you up on that foot rub, but I need to have a word with Tony
first." Tami and I started to follow.  "Alone," Robbie added without
bothering to look back.

   Tami shrugged and stopped.  "I'll miss you," she whispered, as though it
might be the last time.

   "Talk!" Robbie ordered when she was about halfway up the stairs.

   "I was talking to Mr.  Reed just before debate, and he told me about the
fire.  He also said the Bradleys had no insurance and the Red Cross didn't
have the funds to help much."

   Robbie nodded, not seeming to be surprised about the Red Cross.  "Why
you?" she asked as she paused at the top of the stairs to let me catch up.

   "I think he had two reasons.  The first was a lot of people were
surprised when I got suspended for cussing out Parker when he was just
trying to be nice and get me back on the team.  I think Mr.  Reed was
trying to help repair my reputation a bit."

   Robbie nodded, accepting the explanation.  "And the second?"

   "I think he was trying to find out if I was the same Tony he thought he
knew."

   Robbie nodded again.  "Probably about twenty percent of the first and
eighty percent of the second."

   I accepted her evaluation.  We walked together to her bedroom.

   "What did you do?"

   "First, I called Mr.  Mulino, cause he knew everybody.  Not the easiest
thing to do, by the way.  He has about a dozen assistants whose job it is
to keep people from talking to the superintendent.  He knew all about the
Bradleys but not today's fire.  They used to have a farm east of town.  In
fact, the farm straddled the district boundary.  They could have sent their
kids to the North Lincoln district if they'd wanted."

   Robbie looked a little surprised as she sat on the bed.  A lot of people
thought the North Lincoln district was better than ours.  Academically at
least.  They always beat us on SAT and standardized tests, though I'd heard
a rumor that they encourage some kids to be absent during those tests.

   "They bankrupted about three years ago," I continued.  "According to Mr.
Mulino, the main reason they're hurting for money, even though Dad is
making good money in the methane fields, is that they're trying to pay back
old debts even though the bankruptcy settled them and they don't have to."

   Robbie nodded.  I know that impressed me too.

   "I also talked to Dan Boyd.  He said pretty much the same thing.  He
said that John Bradley, the dad, had been a hell raiser as a teenager and
in his twenties, but settled down and became a model citizen when Bobbi was
born."

   "I guess being a dad can do that to you," Robbie observed, and it was my
turn to nod.

   "I called around and found out they had no place to go.  Then I called
your dad."

   "And told him it was my idea?"

   "I said that, but I think he knew that I was doing it behind your back.
I got the office to send for Tami..."

   "I wondered where you were and why she had to leave."

   "Then we drove to the middle school, and Mr.  Hallowell helped me coral
Traci, Kelly, and my gymnasts."

   "Your gymnasts?"

   "Yep.  Rachel, Brianna, and Susie.  I told them it was pre-season
conditioning.  They called their parents, then I drove them all to your
house and they started cleaning out the three bedrooms at the end of the
hall.  Stephy Ward showed up on her own."

   "They cleaned?  What about you?"

   "I went downtown and talked Mr.  Rodriguez at Hacienda Furniture into
donating five beds and five chests-of-drawers."

   "I heard he was a tightwad.  How'd you do that?"

   "Mr.  Rodriguez is one of the people the Bradleys owed money to, though
I didn't know that when I went in.  They paid him off, even though they
didn't have to.  I didn't have to do much more than mention their name.  He
called Mr.  Olafson at Swede's Market, who donated about a hundred pounds
of food, which is down in your kitchen, and Dan Conn at Ball's Department
store.  Conn sent over some jeans, shirts, underwear and stuff for all the
girls."

   "Cool," Robbie said, leaning back on the bed, and I think that summed it
up.

   "Mrs.  Bradley was still at the Red Cross trying to work something out.
I went by, collected her and the girls, and brought them back.  We spent
about twenty minutes with me teaching the girls how to greet the ogre who
lives here..."

   "Ogre?"

   I grinned.  "Then I drove all my workers home, and Tami and I went to
school to meet you."

   "You owe me," Robbie said after almost a minute.

   "I owe you?"

   "Big time." Robbie unfastened her jeans and pushed them and her panties
down her legs.  "It's been a stressful day.  Relax me."

   "What about Mark?"

   Robbie shrugged.  "Mark and I have gone out a couple of times.  Right
now we're just at the kissing stage."

   More information than I needed.  "There's kids in the house."

   "When has that ever stopped you, Stud," Robbie said with a giggle.  "But
I'll try not to scream."

   I bowed to the inevitable, crawled onto the bed, and pressed my face
into her pussy.
   Robbie didn't scream, but the pillow she kept over her face helped.