(11)

Friday night.

I hear Brad getting ready to leave.  Mom and Jimbo are down in the living room, waiting to see him off.  As for me, I'm up in my bedroom . . . waiting.  Just waiting.  Waiting to hear the front door slam.  Waiting to hear his car drive off.  Waiting.  Just waiting.  Waiting, waiting . . .

Then, right before he's supposed to be going, I hear someone coming up the stairs, walking down the hall to my room.  There's a knocking on the door.  I open it and there's Brad, standing in the hallway, grinning at me.  I stare at him.  He sticks his hand out.  Like, what – I'm supposed to shake it or something?  Like we're supposed to be fucking friends now all of a sudden or something?  I slap his hand away.  He shrugs, still grinning at me, and says, "Well, little bro?  You made up your mind yet?  You decided?"  I scowl at him, but he just keeps on grinning.  Grins like he knows already what my answer's gonna be, grins this smartass grin at me like he's known all along what my answer would be.

So I tell him.  Get it over with.  "Ok," I say.  "Saturday night.  When you get back.  You and me.  One-on-one."

He nods.  "Good.  And remember, little bro – it's winner takes all this time."

"Yeah, yeah" I say.  Then I take a deep breath and give him a hard look.  "You got it, bro.  You got it.  Winner takes all."

~ END ~