Our Friend Steven

I hope by the end of the day." "I'm sorry," said David, "If I hadn't thrown the eraser in the first place, this wouldn't have happened."

When the boys came back from recess, they passed Vinnie in the office. He gave Jeff the death stare as they walked by. Vinnie was no stranger to the office. He was usually in there at least twice a month for not doing his homework. Vinnie wasn't a bully or a trouble maker in the traditional sense, and he was not ignorant he just found school boring. He was a hard worker, and helped his father in his grocery store. The day went by without incident as Vinnie was kept in the office for the rest of the afternoon. Jeff would get very little sleep that night. His father noticed his silence at the dinner table, but didn't pursue the matter. Steven called him and said, "I talked to Dave and we're going stay by your side all day tomorrow. We're not going to let our friend get hurt Vinnie will have to take on all three of us." Jeff felt a bit better, but did not want his friends to get hurt for something he initiated. That night, as Jeff lay in his bed, he knew that the coming day would be the day of reckoning, and he hoped he could get through it without dying.

The following morning the boys arrived at school. As they got off the bus, Dave said, "We're not letting you out of our sight." The boys looked at the bike rack at the end of the parking lot and saw that Vinnie's Schwinn Flyer was not there. Jeff said, "I gotta use the bathroom", so all three went in. Steven said to David, "Stand outside if you see Vinnie coming, warn us as fast as you can." Steven and Jeff went into the lavatory and, while Jeff used the urinal, Steve stood a few feet from his friend ready to shield him if Dave came running through the doorway with the alarm. Steven looked around the lavatory and thought it strange that no one else was in there. As Jeff zipped up his pants and went to wash his hands, Steven noticed that one stall was occupied. Just as he began to bend over to peek inside to see who was in there, the door of the stall flew open and out walked Vinnie. Vinnie had hidden his bike and told the other students that if Jeff or any of his friends asked if he had arrived at school, the answer had better be no. As Vinnie moved toward a startled Jeff, Steven was ready to pounce. Their friend David was still on guard outside, unaware of what was going on inside.

Jeff's face went pale and he was speechless as Vinnie moved towards him and grabbed his jacket collar. Steven then jumped on Vinnie, trying to hit him as best as he could, but Vinnie pulled him off, holding him under his right arm as he held onto Jeff's collar with his left hand. He said, "Why did you act as If I threw that eraser?" Jeff replied in a shaky voice, "I don't know, Vinnie... I was afraid that my parents would find out and I would get into trouble." Vinnie replied, "And you think you're not in trouble now?" Jeff gasped, figuring he could be taking his last breath, as Steven struggled to loosen himself from Vinnie's grasp to no avail. Vinnie continued, "I sat in that office with Sister Marie yelling at me, calling me a delinquent and worse, and I didn't tell her that it was you.