Piercings

Sitting in Back

Just once I'd like to sit front. I could, you know. It's not like I can't. But take school today. There's this speaker. We all pack into the auditorium. I head to the back. Like I'm gonna sit in front and listen all hour to whispers and laughs and all that. "Hey Twitch!" I' mean, it gets old. And I would think it would for Jace too, but it doesn't. It's like every time he sees me and I go off twtching he gets the same fun out of ripping me that he did in first grade.

When does it stop being funny? I mean for everyone else. Cause it stopped for me a long time ago. 

Skunk 2

Here's my skunk story. I sort of promised it. Anyway, yeah, he's out there in the barn and I'm out there in the barn and I have my flashlight an the .22. I can't really shoot in there 'cause if I miss I might catch a ricochet (is that how you spell that?) in the leg and I won't get to run the next day. But I can't not shoot cause it's freezing and I could've died out there. He/she who knows, was behind the shovel. Even worse for shootin' so, and you won't believe this but it really doesn't matter, I saw it. I bent over and picked up an ice chunk and tunked the shovel. It was a good throw from forty feet away cause them skunks can shoot thirty. It was a good throw and it hit the handle of the shovel, which clattered down, and the skunk went off. Man did it reek. I raised the .22 and just as I squeezed the trigger I twitched big in the right shoulder. That shot hit the metal roof bounced down, hit something else, and killed our cat. She was in the corner. So I'm thinking what now? The skunk freaked, ran toward the dead cat. I figured I killed one cat, can't mess up much worse. I shot him dead as he ran and the rest of his reek poured out. 

So all in all I was two for two. The cat died of friendly fire, and the skunk took it in the head.

I slept really well.

Skunk

It got home late tonight, had to chop some wood for O.B. So anyway, I got home late and I'm pulling in he turnaround and when I get out of the Malibu? Skunk. Skunk was everywhere. The smell, I mean. I hate skunks. I hate'em. 

The only one who hates them more is O.B. And he is going to hit the ceiling. He's still at the bar, but when he staggers home, he'll pound up the steps, pound my door, and yell, "Get rid of that @$&# skunk!" They aren't so easy to get rid of. You don't shoot'em dead, they'll stink you up good. And it takes about three weeks of tomato baths to make the smell go. Even then it sticks in the nose so you THINK you smell like a skunk.

Anyway, this one's my fault. I left the cat food out in the barn. Stupid cats shoot be eating mice. We feed them cat food. Why would they ever eat a mouse? They got it made.

I need a few hours sleep. I tell you if I get the skunk or if the skunk gets me.

Nothing

Ever looked out your window and seen nothing? I'm not talkin' your blind our anything. It's just like the brain doesn't take it in or something. You stare for an hour at nothing. I watched nothing today. From the end of school until it got too dark. 

But right in the middle of all that nothing this big old bald eagle landed near the road and just stood there, looking all proud. He didn't turn his head or anything and for a few minutes I thought he froze to death because it is -20. But then he took off with big wing beats and slowly circled higher until the pine tree got in my way and I couldn't see him anymore. 

I don't know why, but seeing that bird fly away made me feel good. Sort of gave me hope. I don't know.

Football

So what's up with the game tonight? Cancelled? Jets/Chargers. Monday night and no football. Weird.

Cow Tipping

At about ten this morning a wind came through. Must've been lookin' for somebody, cause it was in an awful hurry. Bad manners too. Knocked our porch swing over. I heard it thud against the rail. O.B. yells up at me to go set it straight. Like I'm gonna run into the storm and stand her back up. But he kept hollering, you know? Holler, holler. I'm thinking it'd be better to get killed in the storm than to hear him keep it up so I get off my bed and make for the door. But I turn, don't know why but I turn, and look out the window and at that very second I see one of Sever's cows. Big old cow. Whap!. A gust knocked her flat on her side. Never seen a cow tipped like that before. That was some wind.

Father's Day

Didn't seem dumb at the time. Sometimes I wake up feeling good, like nice, you know? Like maybe I should at least try and pretend. Today was like that. So this morning I went down and waited around, did stuff with Lane and Mom. O.B. got up around noon. Guy was out late last night. I tried to say it right. Say it normal. I opened my mouth and jerked and tried to say what every other kid in Pierce says today. 

"Spit it out." O.B. stares at my big, dumb, hanging-open mouth.

I peek at Mom--she looks all worried.

"Happy Father's Day, Bill." I say. "Anything special you want?"

He don't blink. "Yeah. I want to not see that twitchy face of yours all day." He turns to Mom. "Lunch on?"

I gave him what he wanted. What I wanted. The whole conversation doesn't sit as cute and cuddly as a Hallmark, but it's probably for the best. Least I said the words. Gotta count for something.  

Is there anything you know for sure?

I'm just curious.

Old Coot

Saw Old Coot today. From the back. Well his truck, anyway. That brown Ford? Happened around 5 am, middle of my morning run. He and the Loser were taking off, probably for the Cities. Don't really know where the guy goes. Nobody does. Jace says he's the one that killed Davey. Don't figure that's right since they found him floating in Lake Mille Lacs, but you can't be too sure about Coot. Enough people say enough stuff about somebody, something's gotta be true, right? And he always hangs out with the drifters, the ones O.B. wants to flat out shoot.

So I saw him head out, figure he got back before tonight's storm.

Thing is he sticks in my mind like gum. People rip him I want to stand and shout and defend the guy. Never said one word to the town crazy and I want to defend him. What's that about? 

Well, guess every town's gotta Coot. Or maybe should. 

New Girl

Don't know what it is about some people, why I hear 'em talk one time and I want to stuff a pitted out t-shirt in their trap. The new girl's like that. Took five seconds. I saw her, thought, she's pretty and all that, and just started the why-in-the-world-would-someone-like-that-move-to-Mitrista thought, when her mouth fell open. I tell you it stayed open for fifteen minutes before she breathed. I know more about her than I do about O.B.

By the time she hit the brakes on her rant, she was queen. None of he locals had much to brag about anymore, and her little circle of blond poodles followed her around the rest of the day.

Think she only saw me once, saw my shoulder jump one time, which is good, cause her tongue's sharp and her brain's quick and if she sees she'll rip me to shreds. She said she's stuck in Hicksville, which is her name for my home. She's probably right. So tonight I flipped on American Idol, the dumbest show on TV, and watched some kid named David who gotta be younger than me make it to the round of three while the crowd went nuts.

New girl probably watched it too. Wonder if that little David guy is a hick. Probably not. He don't twitch either.