The Lost Boy by Dave Pelzer Page B

“Go to hell!” I yelled.
    Larry’s eyes grew wide. “Oh, so Momma’s little boy has a mouth. I’m 5000 scared. I tell you what, runt, ” Larry snarled, as he pushed me against the kitchen countertop, “Why don’t you make me?”
    I knew by the size of him that he could snap me like a twig. I didn’t care. “Back off, man, ” I blurted. “I’m tired of you. Just because you’re older and bigger … that doesn’t give you the right to treat us that way, does it? How would you like it if someone picked on you?”
    For a moment Larry seemed to be in a daze. Then he shook his head clear. “And who do you think you are – Dr Spock?” I stopped for a second, thinking of what Larry had just said.
Spock? Did he mean the Vulcan dude from
Star Trek? I asked myself.
    “If I were you, ” Larry continued, “I’d stick to my own business and ride my little bicycle. Otherwise, ” he added with a wide grin, “I might use your little face to mop the floor.”
    I lost control. I wanted to climb up his legs and beat his face. I ran up to Larry. “I’m tired of taking crap from guys like you. You … you … butt head! You think you’re so big. You’re a creep … a bully. You ain’t … you ain’t shit. You’re so tough, aren’t you? Like it really takes a tough guy to pick on someone like Chris. You wanna take a punch? Okay, come on, do it! Show me what you got. Come on tough guy! Well … ?”
    I could feel my fingers coil. I knew that what I was doing was wrong, but after all the years of being put down by others who
felt
they were so superior, I had had it. And seeing how Larry Jr treated Chris made my blood boil. I had to do something.
    As I felt my breathing become heavier, I could tell I was getting to Larry. His face became tight as I badgered him relentlessly. For once, I was on the giving end. I liked the feeling. Larry’s face twisted from side to side until he elbowed me against the kitchen countertop. I felt my head strike something hard, but my anger kept the pain away.
    Before Larry stormed out of the kitchen, he raised his fist at Chris. “Hey, man, you better watch yourself, or one of these days you may find yourself getting tripped down the stairs and breaking that retard neck of yours. And know this: it’s going to take someone more than this excuse of a wimp to fight your battles!
    “And you!” Larry stopped as he looked at me. “You better watch that mouth of yours. If I wanted to … I could clean your clock … just like that!” he boasted, as he snapped his fingers. “Both of you, stay the hell outta my way. You got me? You pair of freaks!”
    I clamped my hands on the countertop until I heard Larry slam the door to his bedroom so hard that the windows upstairs rattled. After a few seconds, I finally released my grip. I closed my eyes as I tried to control my breathing. It seemed to take me forever to breathe normally again.
    I opened my eyes and searched for Chris. He had disappeared. As I ran out of the kitchen and into the living room, I heard the door to Chris’s room slam shut, too. I raced downstairs and quickly knocked on Chris’s door before I burst in. He sat on the foot of his bed, staring at the floor. Tears rolled down his face. I tilted my head to one side. “Did Larry hit you?”
    “Na … ah … no! I ca … can take ah … care of myself, you know! I don’t need a li … little runt to …” Chris stuttered.
    “Man, what are you talking about?” I asked. “Larry is the biggest creep on the planet. I’m tired of him picking on me and you all the time.”
    Chris’s head shot up. “You ah … just bet … better take care of yourself. Ah … you can get into a lot … of… of trouble. If Mom … ah ever heard you ah … swear … swearing … she’d …”
    I brushed Chris’s statement away with my hands as I watched him limp his way to his stereo. He grabbed a thick, red cartridge, then shoved it into a tape machine he called an eight-track player. I