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from anxiety, fear? The bruises didn't appear bad but a bone could be chipped, and there could be abrasions on the eyeball. She would call Mitch Tojian, their pediatrician, but he was still at practice. |
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She pulled Matty to the sink, wet a towel and dabbed away some of the dirt on his cheekbones. Those little bastards, she thought. Bobby, Michael and Jackie. The Butler bullyboys. |
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To be sure, she'd take him to Emerson. |
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"I had a little accident." He fought against her grip. He was strong for his age, but at times she was amazed at how strong. It was almost like trying to restrain a grown man. |
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"Let me look at it," she snapped. "What kind of an accident?" |
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They had roughed him up before, according to Gina. But he would never tell, as if upholding a prepubescent code of omertà. This time she wouldn't allow it. "If you don't tell me the truth . . ." she began, but suddenly went blank. |
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What, go to your room? No Nintendo or TV tonight? Threaten to tell Calvin? Nice options. Maybe you could give him a spanking for not telling how he got beaten up. |
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". . . I'm going to get really upset. Who did this to you?" |
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"No, it isn't nothing. It was Bobby Gorawlski and Michael and Jackie Stoneburner, right?" |
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"Did they start it? Just tell me that." |
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"They were walking in the woods when Matty jumped them." |
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He tugged to get away. He smelled of damp mud and perspiration. Such an adult odor, she thought. |
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"I have to go to the bathroom." |
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She sighed and let him go. |
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He poured himself a glass of bottled spring water from the refrigerator. His uniform shirt was ripped down the back; he would need a new one. The white turtleneck under it was muddied, as was the back of his pants. His hair was a mess, and the rim of his left ear was caked with blood. He couldn't have started it. It was that Gorawlski kid. He was twice Matty's size and a thugthe school menace. Every kid at Butler was afraid of him. |
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Suddenly Terry felt furious at Betty Gorawlski and her self-right- |
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