My Friend and Protector - 10. Three Squared Musketeers, and the Idiot Bunch Remnants Get Schooled

Tuesday - Lunch Time

Steve Lancer walked up to our table a little hesitantly.

"It's OK, Steve. We were serious yesterday. Sit down, join the convo."

"Thanks. Hi all. What are you talking about?"

"Lance was bitching about Mrs. Landsdowne."

"Like three weeks into school and she already assigns this huge project."

"Pick an event in American History, describe it in your own words, and explain what could have been done to prevent it."

"You have her too, Steve?"

"Yeah, 3rd period."

"I got her second. Like we're supposed to be able to figure out how to prevent something in the past."

"It's not hard if you pick the right event."

"Like?"

"The bombing of Pearl Harbor."

"And how would you have prevented that?"

"Drop the A-bomb on them first."

"That might have done it, but why would we do that before they bombed us?"

"To prevent the war. Why else?"

"OK, you use that one and let me know how far down the alphabet your grade is."

"You asked for an example."

"Yeah, I guess. But see, it's not as easy as it sounds."

"I guess. Hey, maybe we can work together, pick the same event. If we figure out something with a couple realistic ways to prevent it, would that make it easier?"

"Yeah, but, I don't know."

"You guys want me to prove I'm worthy of your friendship. What better way than working a history project together? I promise I'll be good. If not, you can all pound me."

"Well."

"Give him a chance, Lance. We'd have your back if he falls back into homophobia."

"OK. But you're on a very short leash, Steve."

"Shit, I'll wear a choker collar too. It'll be cool. You'll see."

"OK, next topic. What are we going to do about Mike and Tony?"

"What did they do now, Carlo?"

"Yeah, you had already left. When we were leaving Adventure Landing on Saturday, my and Karl's tires were all slashed. You weren't part of that, were you?"

"Fuck, no. I knew I was going to be on their shit lists. After I swam away, I changed and got a Uber home. My dad is still pissed at me for what happened last year. Asshole probably still believes we were all having gay sex in the abandoned house. If I ever find out who started that rumor, I don't know what I'd do to them."

Ken got really scared. He looked around at us, hoping none of us would rat him out. I went into damage control mode.

"Could have been anybody. After what you guys pulled on us, could you really blame us if it was one of us?"

"No, but that doesn't mean I can't be angry about it. I don't know, maybe I wouldn't do anything to him."

"Or her?"

"You think it was a girl, Brandon?"

"No, just saying it could have been."

"I don't know. I mean you guys are the most likely suspects, why would it be anybody else?"

"And what if it was one of us?"

"I don't know, Carlo. I guess I'd have to suck it up. I don't want to spend the rest of my senior year as an outcast. Most other people I know still think I'm a dick for doing what was done. If it was one of you... I... I guess I'd just have to try to forget about it."

"Well. I'm not saying who, so you don't have a specific target, but it was one of us. Well, not Mark, he wasn't here."

"Oh. I guess that makes sense. Like I said, you'd all be high on the suspect list. Damn, I'm trying to get to be a friend and now I have to set aside that one of you said that. If my dad didn't hate me, it wouldn't be as big a deal. Like I said. I'll just try to suck it up. Whoever it was had a damn good reason for doing it though."

"Would it help if we came over and told your father it isn't true, that we started the rumor?"

"I don't know. I bet he'd forbid me to be around you guys. I'm lucky the school reinstated me for this year after my mother lobbied for it, seeing I wasn't a part of the fight Mike started among us. Well, not a big part. I just have to deal with it. You guys confronting my dad could only make things worse, I think. But thanks for the offer, Carlo."

"No problem. If you ever change your mind..."

"Yeah. I get it. Don't think that'll ever happen."

The bell rang, summoning us all back to class. We'll have to wait until tomorrow to consider how to deal with Mike and Tony. Turns out part of 'we' took care of that for us.

Tuesday - Evening at the Lancer's

"Dad, can we talk?"

"Is it about girls?"

"Geez. No. But it is kind of about sexual orientation."

"You don't need to admit you're a fag."

"I'm not. The story you heard was made up. I've been starting to hang out with a different group of kids. They admitted to me that one of their group made that up. I'm not gay, but I'm not going to follow in your footsteps hating people because they are. My old friends do that and they're going to end up in deep trouble because of what they did Saturday."

"What did you do Saturday?"

"Me? I basically said goodbye to Mike and Tony, who still insist on terrorizing the kids they THINK are gay. I guess after I left, but before the other group of kids did, Mike and/or Tony sliced all the tires on their two vehicles. Calling them names and drawing pictures to put into their lockers is one thing, but destroying their property is way over the line."

"I do have to agree with you there. But this new group of friends, do they include the kids you had issues with last year?"

"Yes. And I'm trying to make amends and show that I'm not the total dickheads my old friends are. Actually, one of them, Ken Birch, has already made friends with them."

"Yes, if I remember, you were pretty close with Ken. I guess those other boys you were hanging around with really were a bad influence."

"Yeah. I'm sorry I ever associated with them. I just wish I could do something to make them pay for the damage they did."

"Mike Armstrong and Tony Rose, correct?"

"Yes."

"I can understand where they got their attitudes from, and, sadly, I must say, you as well. Both their fathers were quite vocal when that story broke out. I'm sorry I didn't believe you. But neither one of their fathers would be at all happy about the tire slicing. Are these new friends sure it was Mike and Tony?"

"Well, no, they can't be positive, since they weren't there. But I guess they don't know who else it could have been."

"OK. You leave that to me. I'll try to be more tolerant, especially if some of these new friends truly are homosexual. I don't want this chasm that has appeared between us to remain."

"Thanks. And now that I'm not hanging with the dickheads, maybe I can get a girl interested in me. I really do like girls, and although I can't stand what the gay boys might be doing to each other, as long as they don't try it with me, I'm not going to hate."

"You sound more mature about that than I ever did."

"Thanks, dad. I didn't like us drifting apart either. I hope we can get back to normal."

"I'm sure we can."

After Steve left him, Mr. Lancer made a few phone calls. First, he told Armstrong and Rose what their kids were suspected of doing. As he expected, they were quite angry about it. The third call was to a friend of his in the sheriff's department. He wasn't sure who had jurisdiction at the water park, but Alfred would follow up on it. Mike and Tony were going to get it from both sides.

Later - At the Armstrong household

"Mike!!"

"Yeah dad?"

"Get your ass in here."

"OK, I'm here. What's up?"

"I'll give you a chance to come clean first. What's this I hear about you getting in trouble Saturday night?"

Mike tried to hide his surprise but didn't do a very good job at it.

"I didn't do anything wrong."

"You didn't get into a little bit of mischief after your trip to the waterpark?"

"No. Who told you that?"

"Not important. You're saying you and your friend Rose didn't slice all the tires on two vehicles Saturday night?"

"No. And whoever told you that's a liar."

"OK. I'll believe you for now. But I'm going to check into it. I find out you're lying to me, you'll be one sorry young man. Go back to whatever it was you were doing."

He didn't do that exactly. He gave Tony a call.

"Hey Tony."

"Um, hi Mike."

"You didn't tell anyone about the tires, did you?"

"No. My dad just read me the riot act about it. I'm sure nobody saw us."

"My dad too. I'm fucked if anybody can prove it was us."

"Me too. I don't see how anyone can prove it. So, I think we'll be OK."

Wednesday - Lunch Time

"So anybody have any ideas about what we can do about Mike and Tony?"

"Um. I might have already done something, Carlo."

"What Steve?"

"I told my dad about it. I talked to him about that and the story that was made up. I think he finally believes it isn't true. But after I left, I heard him on the phone. He called Mike and Tony's dads. Plus, he has a friend in the sheriff's department. He called him last night too."

"But what if they can't prove anything?"

"I don't know Brandon. Did you guys report it in any way?"

"Well, we went to the security office at the park so they would let the tow trucks into the parking lot. They weren't closed yet."

"So even though they may not know who it was, they might have saved video from the parking lot. With the sheriff's department looking into it, I bet there'll be enough to prove it was them. If it was."

"Oh, we have almost no doubt it was them. We didn't see anyone else we knew. I guess we'll wait to see if anything comes from that before we consider any revenge."

"That'd be a good idea, especially on the off chance it really wasn't them."

There was a lot of activity related to the tire incident over the next couple days. The police obtained the tires from the garage that replaced them. Having fairly good information about potential suspects, they were able to match the fingerprints from the tires with their records. Neither Mike nor Tony were strangers to the cops. Their fingerprints were on file due to a petty theft from a few years prior.

The Marinis and Marlows were consulted about possibly pressing charges. They were more interested in restitution. This left the door open for some home-grown punishment. First, we'll look in on Mike.

Friday

"Oh Michael?"

"Yeah dad?"

"What do you have to say about this?"

Mr. Armstrong showed Mike a letter from the Marini and Marlow lawyers, complete with copies of the police report indicating Mike and Tony's fingerprints were found on the tires.

"I told you if you were lying to me, you'll be sorry about it. I'm so fucking glad you're not 18 yet. You can't say shit when I bring you to the recruiting office tomorrow and sign you into the Army."

"You can't do that."

"Would you rather stay here and experience my wrath for the same two or four years? Because I know I can make your life a living hell way worse than the Army would."

"That's not fair."

"You should have thought about the consequences before you started slicing tires. Did you think there weren't cameras? Or that you could leave fingerprints?"

"Well, no."

"No. Of course not. So, your choice, the Army, or whatever punishment I can think of for as long as you're living here. And since you're not working and have no marketable skills, I think you may be here a long time."

"Can I pick the Marines instead?"

"Ha! You think you're tough enough? Sure, Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines. Take your pick. And you'll send money from your first few paychecks until half the tires are paid for. I don't give a fuck what your so-called friend Tony's going to be doing."

"I guess I don't have much of a choice, huh?"

"Sure you do. Them, or me."

"Them."

"See you in the morning."

Moving a couple blocks west to the Rose residence...

"Well, do you have an explanation? Or maybe I should say an excuse?"

"It was Mike's idea, dad."

"And Mike forced you to touch the tires he was cutting? You didn't do any yourself?"

Tony couldn't respond to that; he had no defense.

"You're 18. You'll get a job and pay back your half to the Marinis and Marlows. You'll start paying room and board here until you have enough to move out on your own. And believe me, that will take a while making minimum wage and paying your mother and I at least half of your take home pay."

"That's not fair."

"Tough. And I'll be dragging your ass over to their houses tomorrow so you can apologize and beg for their forgiveness, and thank them for not pressing charges."

"I'm NOT apologizing to a pair of faggots."

The sound of the slap Tony received echoed through the house almost as a gunshot would.

"I don't care if they're fags, spicks, chinks or niggers. You'll apologize or you won't need to pay rent because you won't be living here anymore."

"You'd kick me out?"

"Do you think for even a microsecond that I wouldn't?"

"Fine. I'll apologize."

"And you'll make it sound like you mean it. I know damn well you won't mean it, but it better be convincing."

"God. I said OK."

Tony received a matching handprint on the other cheek for that outburst.

"What if I can't find a job?"

"Then I'll find you one. I'm sure there are plenty of shitty jobs around that nobody wants."

Next up - "I Want You, Humiliation, and a Sense of Normalcy"