Read All Fall Down for Free Online Page A
Authors: Annie Reed
said, tired of just
standing around. "Let's go."
I tossed the rest of my drink toward the
trash. It hit the rim and bounced back on the sidewalk, spilling
ice on the hot concrete. Bobby picked up the cup and threw it with
his into the trash can.
"What are you, the garbage man?" I asked as
I headed off down Garnett. Colfax was four blocks away, the empty
house three blocks up.
"Rebound Man," Bobby said. "He shoots, he
scores!"
He did an air ball jump shot and then
started walking with me, and just like that I knew he'd decided to
do it.
Never a doubt. Bobby's my friend.
* * *
Seven blocks can take forever when you're
walking someplace you don't want to go. Your feet drag and the hot
sidewalk burns through your shoes until the bottoms of your feet
feel like they're on fire. The sun zaps all your energy, and it's
all you can do to keep on walking.
The seven blocks to the empty house on
Colfax wasn't like that at all. The sun still fried my head and the
sidewalk, but my feet didn't feel the heat. A few cars drove past,
but nobody else was out on the streets but me and Bobby. No kids
jumping rope or throwing ball. No dads mowing half dried-out lawns
or washing cars in the driveway, no moms pulling weeds in front
yard flowerbeds. Even the dogs that normally yapped their heads off
while they chased along after me inside chain-link fenced yards
only barked a couple of times and stayed in the shade.
Lazy, hot Saturday afternoon, and I was so
jazzed I could hardly keep from running. I get like that when I'm
playing the game.
"Burgers," Bobby said, his nose in the air
sniffing like a dog.
I smelled barbecue too. Somebody was in
their backyard grilling lunch or maybe an early dinner. Probably
sucking down a beer or two and listening to the Giants' game on the
radio. My stomach rumbled. Barbecue was one of the best things
about summer.
"Steak," I said. "Gotta be steak. Or maybe
ribs with lots of sauce. Or chicken. Burgers don't smell that
good."
"Burgers rule."
Bobby was Burger Man. He'd eat burgers for
breakfast, lunch, and dinner if he could get away with it.
McDonalds, Burger King, Jack in the Box, Bobby didn't care as long
as it was a burger. I always figured it was part of him wanting to
be Bobby instead of Roberto. Nobody could like burgers that
much.
"Burgers suck," I said, just to piss him
off. "Give you mad cow disease."
"Do not!"
He went to shove me, but I veered off the
sidewalk into the street. I moo'd at him and he laughed at me.
"Mad cow," I said, and moo'd again, then we
both started to laugh.
Half a block away from the empty house,
Bobby started walking slow. He eyed the house like it was going to
bite him. It wasn't anything special, just like any other old house
in the neighborhood except for the For Sale sign. Sure, the lawn
was dried out and the yellow paint on the outside of the house was
peeling, but half the houses we walked by were in worse shape.
"You sure nobody's there?" Bobby asked,
eying the rusty old white Toyota parked in front of the house.
"It's Saturday. They don't work on
Saturdays. I told you, I been watching."
Watching long enough to know that the Toyota
belonged to the house next door. That meant the neighbors were
home, but I could hear the deep thump-thump-thump of a rap beat
coming from their house. Whatever me and Bobby did, they'd never
hear us.
"I'm hungry," Bobby said. "We should get
something to eat first."
He was stalling. Maybe he'd decided to back
out. I could start the fire myself and it would still be cool,
playing the game was always cool, but it wouldn't be as much fun
without Bobby. Friends did shit together, that's what being friends
was all about.
"You backing out on me?" I asked. I stepped
up close to him, getting in his face. "Huh? Roberto?"
Bobby backed away from me.
"No," he said, defiant like, but he wouldn't
look me in the eye. "I don't think this is such a good idea. I
mean, this is somebody's house."
"No, it's not." I pointed at that
standing around. "Let's go."
I tossed the rest of my drink toward the
trash. It hit the rim and bounced back on the sidewalk, spilling
ice on the hot concrete. Bobby picked up the cup and threw it with
his into the trash can.
"What are you, the garbage man?" I asked as
I headed off down Garnett. Colfax was four blocks away, the empty
house three blocks up.
"Rebound Man," Bobby said. "He shoots, he
scores!"
He did an air ball jump shot and then
started walking with me, and just like that I knew he'd decided to
do it.
Never a doubt. Bobby's my friend.
* * *
Seven blocks can take forever when you're
walking someplace you don't want to go. Your feet drag and the hot
sidewalk burns through your shoes until the bottoms of your feet
feel like they're on fire. The sun zaps all your energy, and it's
all you can do to keep on walking.
The seven blocks to the empty house on
Colfax wasn't like that at all. The sun still fried my head and the
sidewalk, but my feet didn't feel the heat. A few cars drove past,
but nobody else was out on the streets but me and Bobby. No kids
jumping rope or throwing ball. No dads mowing half dried-out lawns
or washing cars in the driveway, no moms pulling weeds in front
yard flowerbeds. Even the dogs that normally yapped their heads off
while they chased along after me inside chain-link fenced yards
only barked a couple of times and stayed in the shade.
Lazy, hot Saturday afternoon, and I was so
jazzed I could hardly keep from running. I get like that when I'm
playing the game.
"Burgers," Bobby said, his nose in the air
sniffing like a dog.
I smelled barbecue too. Somebody was in
their backyard grilling lunch or maybe an early dinner. Probably
sucking down a beer or two and listening to the Giants' game on the
radio. My stomach rumbled. Barbecue was one of the best things
about summer.
"Steak," I said. "Gotta be steak. Or maybe
ribs with lots of sauce. Or chicken. Burgers don't smell that
good."
"Burgers rule."
Bobby was Burger Man. He'd eat burgers for
breakfast, lunch, and dinner if he could get away with it.
McDonalds, Burger King, Jack in the Box, Bobby didn't care as long
as it was a burger. I always figured it was part of him wanting to
be Bobby instead of Roberto. Nobody could like burgers that
much.
"Burgers suck," I said, just to piss him
off. "Give you mad cow disease."
"Do not!"
He went to shove me, but I veered off the
sidewalk into the street. I moo'd at him and he laughed at me.
"Mad cow," I said, and moo'd again, then we
both started to laugh.
Half a block away from the empty house,
Bobby started walking slow. He eyed the house like it was going to
bite him. It wasn't anything special, just like any other old house
in the neighborhood except for the For Sale sign. Sure, the lawn
was dried out and the yellow paint on the outside of the house was
peeling, but half the houses we walked by were in worse shape.
"You sure nobody's there?" Bobby asked,
eying the rusty old white Toyota parked in front of the house.
"It's Saturday. They don't work on
Saturdays. I told you, I been watching."
Watching long enough to know that the Toyota
belonged to the house next door. That meant the neighbors were
home, but I could hear the deep thump-thump-thump of a rap beat
coming from their house. Whatever me and Bobby did, they'd never
hear us.
"I'm hungry," Bobby said. "We should get
something to eat first."
He was stalling. Maybe he'd decided to back
out. I could start the fire myself and it would still be cool,
playing the game was always cool, but it wouldn't be as much fun
without Bobby. Friends did shit together, that's what being friends
was all about.
"You backing out on me?" I asked. I stepped
up close to him, getting in his face. "Huh? Roberto?"
Bobby backed away from me.
"No," he said, defiant like, but he wouldn't
look me in the eye. "I don't think this is such a good idea. I
mean, this is somebody's house."
"No, it's not." I pointed at that