---

Page  130

---

Bradley  closed

the  book

and  slowly  stood

on  the  concrete  (水泥)  steps.

---

“Chicken  Chalkers,”

said  Dan.

---

Andy  bounced  (彈)

a  basketball.

---

Bradley  glanced  (瞥)

behind  him.

---

Doug  was  blocking  (擋住)

the  door

to  the  auditorium.

---

“What’s  the  matter,

Bradley?”

he  asked.

---

“Hey,  Chalkers,

what’s  the  name

of  your  book?”

asked  Robbie.

---

He  looked

at  his  book,

then  stared  defiantly  (挑釁地)

at  Robbie.

---

“Let  me  see  it,”

said  Robbie.

---

Bradley  clutched  (緊抱)

it  against  his  chest.

---

No  matter  what,

he  wasn’t  going  to

let  them  harm

Carla’s  book.

---

“Aw,  c’mon,

Bradley,

be  a  pal,”

said  Robbie.

---

“I  just  want

to  see  it.”

---

Curtis  chuckled  (輕笑).

---

Robbie  stepped

up  toward  him.

---

“You  can’t  read

anyway,”

he  said.

---

“Give  it  to  me

and  I’ll  read

it  to  you.”

---

He  reached  out

and  rested  his  hand

on  the  book.

---

Bradley  jerked  (猛拉)

it  away.

---

“Uh-oh,

I  think  he’s

getting  angry,”

said  Brian.

---

“I  just  want

to  see  it,”

said  Robbie.

---

Again,

he  reached

for  the  book.

---

Bradley  held  it

under  his  left  arm

and  against

his  chest.

---

He  made

his  right  hand

into  a  fist  (拳頭).

---

Robbie  backed

away.

---

“Jeff,”

he  called.

---

“C’mon,  Jeff,

teach  him

a  lesson  (教訓),”

said  Dan.

---

Jeff  stepped

between  Andy

and  Russell.

---

“All  right!”

said  Curtis.

---

“Hold  on,”

said  Andy.

---

“Let’m  (Let them)

get  off

the  steps.”

---

The  boys

backed  up.

---

Bradley,

clutching  his  book,

walked  down

the  concrete  steps

to  where  Jeff

was  waiting.

---

“Do  you  want

me  to  hold

your  book,

Bradley?”

said  Andy.

---

Bradley  glanced

at  him.

---

“Don’t  worry,”

he  said

sincerely  (真誠地).

---

“I  won’t

hurt  it.”

---

Bradley  handed

Andy  the  book,

then  looked

back  at  Jeff.

---

They  stood

on  a  patch  (一塊)

of  grass

and  dirt

and  faced

each  other.

---

The  bruise  (瘀傷)

around  Jeff’s  eye

had  turned  brown

with  a  greenish

tint.

---

Jeff  raised

his  fists.

---

The  other  boys

formed  a  circle

around  them.

---

“C’mon,

get’m,

Jeff,”

urged  (催促)  Brian.

---

“Give  him

another  black  eye,”

said  Russell.

---

Bradley  readied  (準備好)

himself.

---

He  raised

his  fists

in  the  air,

then  lowered  (放下)

them.

---

He  had

an  idea.

---

“Hello,

Jeff,”

he  said.

---

Robbie  snickered  (竊笑).

---

Jeff  stared

at  him,

wide-eyed.

---

“Hello,

Bradley,”

he  replied.

---

Bradley  smiled.

---

He  held  out

his  hand.

---

Jeff  smiled

too.

---

It  was  his

first  honest  (真心的)

smile

in  a  long

time.

---

He  shook

his  best

friend’s  hand.

---

The  other  boys

were  dumbfounded  (目瞪口呆).

---

No  one

said  a  word.

---

Andy  finally

broke  the  ice  (打破僵局).

---

“Do  you  like

to  play

basketball,

Bradley?”

he  asked.

---

Page  132

---

Bradley  looked

at  him,

bewildered  (困惑的).

---

“I’m  not  very

good,”

he  said.

---

“So?

None  of  us

are,”

said  Jeff,

patting  (輕拍)  him

on  the  back.

---

“Now  we’ll

have  even

teams!”

said  Robbie.