Chapter 12

Frazier managed to stall through the next day by feigning symptoms of the flu. He lay in his bed agonizing over what a jackass he had made of himself with Lindy Grant. Running away, for Christ sake! The worst possible thing he could have done. Sooner or later he was going to have to face her, and staying home in bed today would only prolong the moment.

Besides, he didn't think his mother was fooled. She listened to his complaints of chills and fever, felt his forehead, told him to rest quietly, but her eyes told him she knew there was something much more going on With him than the flu. He almost wished he could talk to her about it, or to his preoccupied father, but he knew he would no sooner do that than he would compare methods of masturbation with them.

The next day he recovered from the make-believe flu and trudged into school like a condemned man. While the rational part of his mind told him to get it over with fast and be done with it, he spent the day darting around corners and slipping into the boys' room to avoid a face-to-face meeting with Lindy.

At the end of the day his nerves were raw. What the hell was he afraid of? What was the worst thing that could happen? How bad could it be, anyway?

She could shove the figurine back into his hands. I don't accept presents from creepy little shits with acne and fat behinds. So take this piece of junk back and don't ever come around me again.

Okay, it could be pretty bad.

Frazier felt utterly drained as he slouched down the steps of Wolf River High School after the last class of the day. So deep was he in his personal gloom that he didn't hear the light footsteps hurrying down behind him.

"Frazier? Wait up."

He turned, sick with dread. It was her.

"I need to talk to you," she said.

"Oh, y-yes?" God, she was beautiful.

"Not here." She looked around conspiratorially. "Meet me at the Bean House in fifteen minutes." She flashed a smile on and off and walked swiftly away.

Frazier stood looking dumbly after her. He could not believe the sudden turn in his fortunes. Instead of ripping him apart with her scorn, Lindy had actually seemed friendly. She wanted to talk to him. Maybe the gift of the little shepherdess had had the desired effect after all.

The Bean House owed its nickname to some past generation of Wolf River High students for reasons lost in the intervening years. The name on the blue-and-white sign over the service window was Riverview Burgers 'n' Shakes, but nobody ever called it anything but the Bean House.

There was a fast service window and half a dozen Formica tables outside for fair weather. Inside were four small booths and a counter. Frazier arrived five minutes after talking to Lindy and hung around the door trying to look casual and failing miserably.

The familiar candy-apple Chevy pulled up in front and Frazier's heart dropped. Lindy Grant got out, but Roman Dixon and Alec were with her. He must have been crazy to think Lindy wanted to talk to him alone. Maybe they were going to beat the shit out of him. Right now he didn't even care. At least then it would be over and done with.

"Hi, Frazier," Lindy said, seeming friendly enough, if a little nervous. "Let's go in and get a booth."

Roman nodded at him and grunted some kind of a greeting. Alec gave him an oily smile.

The four of them went inside and took one of the small booths and ordered Pepsis. Frazier sat on the inside, painfully aware of the radiating heat of Lindy's body next to him. Across from them sat the broad-shouldered Roman and weasel-face Alec. Frazier could not figure out why everyone was smiling at him. It made him acutely uncomfortable.

"We've been wanting to talk to you since school started," Roman said.

"You have?" It seemed to Frazier there had been ample opportunities.

"That's right," Alec agreed. "We've got sort of an invitation for you."

Frazier searched the boys' faces, looking for some sign of mockery. They seemed sincere enough.

"You've heard of the Wolfpack," Roman said.

"Sure." Who hadn't?

"How'd you like to join?" Roman tossed it off casually enough, but he might as well have asked, How'd you like to play quarterback for the Packers?

"M-me?" Frazier stammered.

"Sure," Alec said. "We all figured we could use some brainpower in the Pack, and you've got the best brain in school. We talked it over and... everybody wants you."

Frazier thought his ears might be failing him. He looked to Lindy.

She gave him the smile that made his stomach knot. "That's right, Frazier."

"What do you say?" Roman asked.

How much, he wondered, did Lindy have to do with this off-the-wall invitation? He said, "Well, sure, I guess so."

"That's great," Alec said. "We'll shoot you right through the initiation, and you'll be a full-fledged member of the Wolfpack. He flashed his ring with the grinning wolf's head and the two red stones for eyes. "Then you'll be wearing one of these."

"Initiation?" Frazier asked.

"Everybody goes through it," Roman said.

We Just have a little fun," Alec said. "No paddles or anything like that."

"We'll do it Saturday night," Roman said.

"This Saturday? Isn't that the Halloween Ball?"

"R1ght," Alec said. "This way you get initiated and welcomed into the Pack at the party. How does that sound?"

"Well... fine, I guess."

"It'll be kicks," Alec said. "Right, Lindy?"

She touched Frazier on the arm, and he fancied he could feel the flesh under his jacket sleeve turning red. "We'll all be glad to have you, Frazier."

"I don't have a costume or anything."

"Don't worry about it," Alec told him. "We'll pick You up and bring a costume for you and everything. I'll let you know where and what time. Cool?"

"Okay," Frazier said, breaking into a smile. "Cool."

Alec beamed back at him. "Good, good. Glad to have you with us."

He stretched his hand across the table and shook Frazier's. Roman gave him a nod.

Lindy smiled, then looked away. She said, "I've got to get home."

Roman and Alec slid quickly out of the booth to stand with Lindy. She looked as though she would say something more, but turned suddenly and walked out. Roman followed her.

Alec lingered to repeat, "I'll let you know where and when," and he too was gone. The red Chevy roared to life and peeled away from the curb.

For several minutes Frazier sat in the booth staring out the window after them. He could not believe what had just happened to him. The girl he secretly loved had smiled at him and touched him. The star of the football team had asked him to join the most important club at school. From a nothing he had become Somebody. He took off his glasses and wiped them with a paper napkin. Then he picked up what was left of his Pepsi and drained it in a gulp. This was shaping up to be the most important day of his life.

* * *

Alec MacDowell laughed, pleased with himself, as the three young people drove away from the Bean House.

"He bought it," Alec said. "Bought it hook, line, and sinker. And he's supposed to be so smart."

Roman at the wheel was grim. "I'd still like to smash in his stupid face."

"This'll be better," Alec said. "You'll see."

Lindy, sitting between them, was thoughtful. "I don't know," she said. "He seems so harmless."

"You ought to know better than that," Roman said. "You're the one he was peeping at."

"And who knows what he might do next," Alec added. "Window peeping today, sneaking into a house tomorrow, the next day... who knows?"

"I can't believe he'd hurt anybody," Lindy said.

Roman gripped the wheel. "It's always the quiet ones that go crazy."

"That's right," Alec said. "Lee Harvey Oswald was just a quiet wimp, and you know what he wound up doing."

Roman was scowling at his own thoughts. "Looking at you the way he did, we can't let him get away with it."

Lindy chewed on her lip. "I guess you're right. Just so nobody gets hurt."

"Don't worry," Alec assured her. "I've got everything planned out. lt's going to be a kick, that's all."

Lindy sat back and stared through the windshield, saying nothing during the rest of the ride to her house.