Gentlemen by Michael Northrop Page B

you was always to make fun of it.
    â€œYeah, I mean, it’s dumb, but that’s what he was getting at, right?” said Mixer. “I mean, he knows we’re Tommy’s friends, and he’s sort of been picking on us. Making us haul that barrel yesterday, and whatever the hell was in there, and today in class, I mean, Mike said he was looking at him.”
    He reached for his notebook, and I knew he was going to read the line about the victim’s friends, and I looked at him like, Don’t bother.
    â€œListen,” I said, “I think it’s all in the book. I think the Russian dude kills his mother with an ax and maybe like she had some friends. Who saw something or carried somethingor whatever. I don’t know, I’m just going by what he said, but it’s a lot more likely that he’s talking about the book than about some real-life killing spree. I mean, it’s English class, frickin’ Homoman. What’s he going to do, kill Tommy with that fish club?”
    And I wasn’t serious about that last part, but as soon as I said it, I got a sick feeling. I remembered that club, hard and balanced in my hand. I remembered how Haberman tugged whatever was wrapped in that blanket out of the barrel, stronger than I thought he’d be. And I remembered the way the blanket moved, all joints and knobs, and come to think of it, the idea of bringing roadkill into class wasn’t a big step down in the craziness department from stuffing a body in there.
    So now I was finished saying my piece, and it was like the other two were more or less convinced, because they were like, Yeah, that’s crazy, dude’s in Manchester again, and now I was the one who wasn’t so sure. I had the book in my locker, and I had half a mind to go and get it, just to start reading it and trying to match what was in it to what Haberman had been saying. But it wasn’t like I was going to sit around with Bones and Mixer reading, so I just sat back and looked over at the glass hallway that runs along the courtyard. I must’ve caught the movement out of the corner of my eye, because there were three girls walking by.
    They were freshmen, I think. There should really be a word for freshman girls, like one without “men” in it, but Idon’t think there is. Anyway, one of them was kind of cute, once I got a better look. Then I heard Mixer laughing, so I knew Bones was up to something. I turned around and he had two fingers V’d out in front of his mouth and he was darting his tongue in between them. The girls giggled and hurried past us like typical freshmen chicks. Mixer and Bones were feeling better about things now. They were sort of leaning back on the benches like they owned the courtyard, but I was still sitting up and thinking.
    When I started talking, they could tell by my voice that I had something serious to say. “I’m not saying it is crazy or it isn’t.” That’s how I started it out, and they sort of looked at each other, because I guess they thought we’d settled this. “But if Haberman did do it, here’s how it could’ve happened.”
    Then I laid it all out for them: Tommy was in the hallway in the middle of the period. He’s in no hurry to get to the office. And there’s Haberman. He’s got a free period, and he’s like, Come in here and help me with something for a second.
    I started off slow, just throwing it out there, but as I went on, it kind of fell into place, and I really could see how it could’ve happened.
    I’ll sort it out with Trever, Haberman would’ve told him. I just need help hanging something on the wall, or whatever. Then Tommy’s in Haberman’s room, just the two of them. Tommy’s got his back to him, hoisting a picture frame. He’d be saying, Is this OK? Higher? He’d hang a picture or two if he thought Haberman could really square him with Trever. Then, bam,