The Fourth Stall Part III (18 page)

Y
ou didn't seriously think this was just going to end without me filling you in on how everything turned out, did you? You ought to know me better than that by now.

Well, as it turned out, we did suffer some casualties that day at TV Elementary. The Beagle had stayed behind in the tunnels to gather up all of his snakes. Supposedly he just kept yelling, “I shall leave no
Serpentes/Ophidia
behind! I shall save you all!” as he scrambled into the tunnels to find them. So, as a result, he got caught and was eventually expelled, just like me.

I felt pretty horrible about it for a while, but the Beagle assured me he didn't care. He said over and over that he'd rather get expelled saving his snakes than get away clean but lose just one of them. Plus, he seemed pretty proud that he'd joined the ranks of me and Kitten as local legends for sacrificing ourselves for the greater good. The Beagle deserved to feel proud of what he had done that day. Without his snakes and the chaos they had caused, the fight never would have moved outside. And then who knows what would have happened?

Another casualty was Tyrell. Michi Oba had schooled him, basically. And while he managed to escape mostly in one piece and without getting detention or being expelled, he definitely had left his pride and dignity behind. He got marked something awful. I mean, it was just the name Roger Moore written on his face over and over again, which I didn't understand, but to Tyrell it was pretty much the end of the world to have that name labeled all over his face for three weeks. Especially in conjunction with getting bested by a small grade schooler.

So Tyrell actually retired and went into hiding shortly after our raid. He said he needed to do it in order to “regain his confidence and restore himself in the ranks of spies.” Whatever that meant.

Anyways, I'd give it even money that he and Michi Oba would eventually cross paths again. There will be no way to tell. After all, good spies are only seen when they want to be seen.

Great White and Vince got roughed up pretty good during the brawl, and they both got marked as well. Great White was marked with the words “Manchester United,” which about killed him. He just kept telling me, “But, Mac, I'm from Liverpool! Liverpool! I can't have this rubbish on my face!”

Vince was marked with the word “smug.” Man, did he hate having that word on his face. Pretty much the opposite of what he was. Michi Oba clearly had no equal.

So, anyways, who's to say that all of this doesn't repeat itself, right? With Jimmy and Kinko going right back to what they were doing? Well, Jimmy Two-Tone also was caught for the incident. Apparently this wasn't his first run-in with trouble because his parents sent him off to some military academy.

Kinko, though, had no desire to go back into business. She had been running it in the first place to prove to Staples that she could take care of herself, that she didn't need him anymore. Which was sort of not true at all, it turned out.

And as for the Fourth Stall? Well, Dickerson got so sick of all these horrible things happening to our school that he actually scrounged up enough money to get a real toilet installed in there. He also had the bathroom cleaned up and restored to meet all health codes. So, as of today, the East Wing boys' bathroom is once again a fully functioning bathroom and nothing more. At least as far as I know.

And then there was Staples. Well, taking the fall for his sister really did kill his case to get legal custody of her. But he'd won back her affection and as he told me, that was the real first step. More important than Big Brother programs and nice haircuts, he realized.

And he was right. After a six-month deferred sentence with perfect behavior, Staples was once again able to plead his case to the court. And this time Kinko actually testified that she wanted nothing more than to go live with her brother. Which is why I'm happy to report that he eventually did get legal custody of his sister. Apparently they moved away not too long ago, and I just hope they don't someday team up and form the ultimate nightmare of a brother/sister duo. I'm only kidding. I'm sure they're both retired for good. Or, well, I hope they are anyway.

So that just leaves Vince and me, right? Well, soon after the raid on Thief Valley, my parents sent me to this stupid behavioral reformation camp out in the woods in Oregon for six weeks. No, seriously, they did.

And man, those kids I was stuck in the wilderness with were nuts. We had some insane, insane adventures up in those hills and forests. I mean, first there was the wolverine incident, and then the fact that Crazy Ronnie kept trying to start his tent on fire with a laser, and that's not even half as crazy as when a group of us got separated from the chaperones (or “behavior reformation counselors”) for two weeks. Then, most insane of all was . . . Well, actually, you know what? These stories are way too long to tell here. But let me just say, I survived . . . barely, and that's what matters.

Anyways, after I got back from that ordeal, my parents were able to get me into a private school nearby. So we didn't have to move, which was great. Because of my expulsion, though, I had to repeat seventh grade! Which completely sucks, needless to say. It's pretty embarrassing, but I did it all to myself in a way, so what could I do?

At first it was excruciating to not have Vince at school with me. But then after a few weeks we both got used to it. I mean, sure Vince is still my absolute best friend without a doubt. But I have some new pals at my new school, and Vince and I still hung out almost every day after school. And we still watched every Cubs game we could together.

Probably the hardest part and the one thing we'd never get used to was that he had a new catcher now. The good news is that Vince was the seventh-grade team's ace, even without me. And he shattered almost every single-season pitching record in our school history. But I had fun watching him play and he deserved all the accolades in the world for pretty much being the best and coolest human being alive.

And next year, if I can make the team at my new school, I'll even get to face Vince in a few games. Which ought to be kinda fun, as long as he doesn't give me any chin music. Which, honestly, he might. Vince is the nicest guy in the whole world off the field, but once he's on the mound in a game situation, he's like a bulldog. He doesn't back down and he'll do anything he can (as long as it's mostly legal) to win.

So, anyways, that only leaves one question left unanswered, right? Did I finally get to retire, or am I up to my old schemes again at my new school? Well, it turned out there were more ways to get out of the business than juvie or a body bag. The third way was to change schools. Most of the kids at my new school didn't know who I was, which made it a lot easier to avoid getting drawn into other kids' problems.

I mean, I have to admit I've been tempted a few times, but in all reality I don't think I can survive another round of the crap I just went through the past few years. So I'm staying retired. Definitely, for sure, staying retired. No way am I going back to that. Absolutely zero chance.

I mean, at least until high school. Because in high school kids have jobs and that means way more money and way more problems. From what I've heard, just a simple zit is enough to cause mass rioting.

And that's pretty much where I come in.

About the Author

Chris Rylander
is the author of the Fourth Stall saga, of which you are holding the final installment in your hands right now. A fan of strawberry jam, one-armed cowboys, and the Chicago Cubs, he lives in Chicago. You can visit him online at www.chrisrylander.com.

 

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The Fourth Stall

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Credits

Cover art © 2013 by Ethen Beavers

Copyright

Walden Pond Press is an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Walden Pond Press and the skipping stone logo are trademarks and registered trademarks of Walden Media, LLC.

 

The Fourth Stall Part III

Copyright © 2013 by Chris Rylander

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Rylander, Chris.

    The fourth stall. Part III / Chris Rylander. — 1st ed.

        p.    cm.

    Summary: “Mac and Vince have gotten out of their middle school underworld crime business, but an upstart rival business and a run-in with an old nemesis pull them back in”—Provided by publisher.

    ISBN 978-0-06-212005-2

    [1. Business enterprises—Fiction. 2. Schools—Fiction. 3. Bullies—Fiction.] I. Title.

PZ7.R98147Fq 2013

2012012717

[Fic]—dc23

CIP

AC

 

Epub Edition   JANUARY 2013 ISBN: 9780062120076

 

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