trying to make up a cool acronym, so I forced myself to think about J.R. and Morrie and the lousy things theyâd done. That got me mad all over again. Then, when we got back to the fort and I imagined J.R. and Morrie being there, fooling around with our stuff, I was seriously ticked off.
We built a new fire and sat staring at it.
âYou can always think better by a fire,â I said.
âDefinitely,â Augie agreed.
After a minute, I asked, âSo, did you think of anything?â
âNot yet.â
âMe neither.â
A couple more minutes went by.
âAnything?â I asked.
âNope.â
Finally, I offered, âWe need something diabolical. Fiendishly clever.â
âFor sure,â Augie agreed.
âSomething thatâll really teach those jerks a lesson.â
âYeah,â said Augie.
âSo theyâll never mess with usâor Gerardâagain.â
âYeah!â said Augie, turning to me for a high five.
After a few more minutes, I said, âRight here: this is where itâs got to happen. Theyâre definitely going to come back here.â
Augie nodded.
âSo we need to be ready for them.â
âUm-hmm.â
âTheyâre older than us,â I went on. âAnd bigger and meaner.â I grinned. âBut we have the advantage of superior brain power.â
Augie grinned back. âGoes without saying.â
âEvery good military tactic uses the element of surprise,â I said. âI read that somewhere, anyway.â
âMakes sense,â said Augie. âThatâs a good start.â
âAndââan idea hit meââGerard should be here to watch it happen.â
âTotally,â agreed Augie.
We high-fived.
âIâm getting hungry,â said Augie.
âMe, too.â
âWant to do some squirrel hunting? While we think more, I mean?â
âMight as well,â I said.
Augie handed me the Squirrel-Slayer.
âYou sure?â I asked. âI mean, we could starve to death before I hit one.â
Augie handed me a few marbles. âThese are easier to aim than stones. Youâll see. Take a few practice shots.â
I did. I guess I got a better feel for the slingshot, but I didnât actually hit anything I was aiming at. I didnât want to waste Augieâs valuable ammo, so I gathered up the marbles and handed them back.
âYou shoot, and Iâll chuck the rocks,â I said. âI need way more practice, and I want to eat sometime today .â
Augie shrugged, and I returned the slingshot. We found another pine tree full of cones and set up underneath it, the way we had before.
As we sat very still waiting, half of my brain concentrated on listening for squirrels, but I let the other half work on the J.R.-Morrie problem.
When weâd finished, Augie had shot two squirrels, and I still hadnât thought of anything close to a plan.
As we cooked the squirrel meat, we racked our brains.
âI keep coming up against the same problem,â I complained.
âWhatâs that?â asked Augie.
âWe donât know when J.R. and Morrie will come back. Like if they came right now, what would we do? Pelt them with hunks of squirrel?â
âWaste of good meat,â Augie muttered.
âTrue,â I said. âBut we canât let them have the element of surprise.â
âI donât think we have to worry about that,â said Augie, looking pleased with himself.
âWhy not?â
âBecause,â he replied, wiggling his eyebrows, âI happen to know they have JV football practice every weekday starting today.â
âReally?â I said, unable to believe this piece of good luck. âYou sure?â
âYep,â said Augie. âThey all complain about how hard Coach works them. They only have off on the weekends. I figure theyâre dying to get back here and cause more