Al Capone Shines My Shoes

“Shut up, Annie,” I say, but now Scout is laughing too. “And stop ganging up on me,” I tell them both.

“Poor Humpty Dumpty,” Annie says, throwing me one of her best pitches ever, and now I’m so mad I swing the bat so hard I miss.

“Better go easy on him,” Scout tells her. “Or he’ll fall off the wall.”

18. KISSING A DEAD SQUID

Same day-Tuesday, August 27, 1935

After Scout leaves, I drop my bat and ball at my house and head for the secret passageway, which I guess needs a new name now that it isn’t secret anymore. I’m still mad at Jimmy for telling Scout about this. I don’t understand why he did it. Why should I be punished for what Scout said? And the way Jimmy acted, it was like he was sure I’d tell Scout so he decided to do it first. What gave Jimmy the idea I had a big mouth? Just because I’m friends with Scout doesn’t mean I’m not Jimmy’s friend.

I don’t have a screwdriver, but Jimmy didn’t put the screws back securely, so I jiggle them out with my bare fingers. Inside the dusty space I crawl all the way until I am under Mrs. Caconi’s apartment. My plan is to sit here and just think about all of this, but a minute later the door opens and a flash of light flickers at the other end. The door bangs shut. The passageway goes dark again.

My stomach tightens. The hairs on my arm stand up. Just because there are convicts on this island doesn’t mean they’ll be under here. The only con that might have access is Seven Fingers.

This does not make me feel better.

It’s just Jimmy fooling on me, right? But the steady thumping of hands and knees and a metal clicking are coming my way.

“Jimmy?” I whisper, my voice croaking.

The sound stops. The person doesn’t answer and I realize with a start I’ve just given away my exact location. What an idiot! I scurry off in the opposite direction, when suddenly I see in the half darkness the dark hair and white-ribboned ponytail of Piper.

“Scared you, didn’t I?” she whispers, continuing to move toward me. The metal clicking, I see now, is her ring as it hits the ground.

“Of course not,” I tell her.

“Liar! Jimmy told me you had to tell the truth in here,” she says.

“All right, maybe a little,” I admit.

She laughs softly, taunting me. She spits on her fingers, runs them through her hair, pushes a loose strand not held in her ponytail, hooks it behind her ear.

“Don’t sit there,” I tell her. “Here’s better.” I pat the dirt next to me. “Not so many ants.”

She crawls to where I’m sitting and settles comfortably by me.

“What are you doing in here?” I ask.

“What are you doing in here?” She throws the question back at me.

“Just thinking.”

“About what?”

“About you,” I say.

“You shouldn’t think about me. I like Scout now in case you haven’t noticed.”

“I’ve noticed,” I mutter. “I just don’t understand why everyone is mad at me.”

“I’m the one who should have taken Rocky,” she says, our legs barely grazing each other.

“Piper, that was two weeks ago and it wasn’t even my fault,” I tell her.

“It’s only because I’m a girl.”

“No, it’s because the Mattamans don’t trust you.”

Piper ignores this. “You guys have it made. You get handed everything on a silver platter. It’s disgusting.”

“You’re one to talk.”

She snorts. “I wish I was a boy,” she admits.

“I don’t wish you were a boy. And nobody fawns over me,” I tell her.

“Oh yes they do. Mrs. Bomini, Mrs. Mattaman, Theresa, Annie…”

“Annie certainly doesn’t.”

“Are you kidding me? You’re all she ever talks about,” Piper insists.

“Oh come on.” This makes no sense, but I’m not thinking of Annie right now. Piper is sitting so close to me. Her face is perfectly still. I smell her warm root beer breath.

“How come you’re not jealous of Scout?” she asks.

“I am jealous of Scout.”

This perks her up. “You are?”

Our legs are stretched out in front of us. My calf and hers are barely touching each other, but it feels like a live wire between us. Can she feel it? Or is it just me? It’s getting warmer down here. My ears are hot. I’m breathing like I just walked up the switchback. My mind is scrambling.

She likes me. She just said she doesn’t. But Scout said she did.

I like sitting so close to her. What should I do now? What was it Scout said about going in sideways? I can’t just up and kiss her… can I? You’re not allowed to just kiss a girl, are you? Should I ask her? What if she says no? Why didn’t I ask Scout if you’re supposed to ask a girl before you kiss her?

Her hand reaches up to my face. She gently brushes my lips, barely touching them.

My head moves toward hers. How do you avoid nose crashes again? What did Scout say? I can hardly even see her lips it’s so dark down here.

Her hair brushes against my arm. The smell of her baby oil and warm root beer fill my nose. Are you supposed to have your mouth open or closed? My teeth nick her lip.

“Ouch!” someone yells.

I jerk my head back.

It takes a second for me to understand that it isn’t Piper yelling. It’s Theresa looming in the sudden flood of light from the crawlspace doorway. “Moose Flanagan!” Theresa cries. “You stop that right now!”

“You little sneak!” Piper shouts.

Theresa pushes inside. “Am not a sneak. I am supposed to find Moose!”

“Get out!” Piper scurries toward Theresa, and Theresa jumps back out of the doorway and grabs the door to keep from falling.

“Moose!” Theresa pleads, hopping around like her leg hurts.

“Go play with someone your own age. Janet Trixle, for goodness’ sake. Why do you snoop on me?” Piper shouts.

“I’m not snooping. I had to get Moose.” Theresa turns back to me. “Moose, c’mon. Annie needs you.”

Piper snorts. “What did I tell you?” she whispers.

“Annie, Moose!” Theresa tells me as if this explains everything.

“Hey, look…” I’m crawling as fast as I can to the entrance. “Don’t do this, okay?” I tell Theresa. “I don’t want to be in the middle of this.”

“There’s nothing to be in the middle of,” Piper shouts. She shoves me back and hops out the door. “Just leave me alone.”

“Moose!” Theresa peers in at me. “What’s the matter with you? You were going to kiss her! I saw!”

“I was not going to kiss her.”

“You were! It’s sickening! Kissing Piper is like kissing a squid. A dead squid!”

“Not exactly, no.”

“No? This isn’t the first time! How many times have you kissed her, huh, Moose? How many?” Theresa’s hands are on her hips.

“None. I mean…” I take a deep breath. “Nothing happened, okay, but look, this is not your business.” I crawl out the door.

“Of course it is. I saved you. You owe me.”

“Theresa, you’re only seven. When you get older you’ll understand.”

“I already understand. My dad told me all about it. Wildness comes over teenagers like a disease and they go around kissing all over the place. They can’t help themselves. If you find yourself about to get smoochy, find Annie or, if you have to, me.

“Oh boy.” She sighs, shaking her head and scolding me with her finger. “Wait until I tell Annie.”

“Just keep your mouth shut about this, okay, Theresa?”

Theresa nods her head as if I’ve finally said something that makes sense to her. “I’d be ashamed of myself too. Jeepers, Moose. Jeepers.”

19. DRUNK IN THE GUARDTOWER

Tuesday, September 3, 1935

Today is my first day in eighth grade. I have Piper in three of my classes but she totally ignores me in school and on the way home too. I’m like a toad squashed flat on the street for all the attention she pays me. She is always a little mad, but this is worse than usual.