Blind Date by R.L. Stine

Author:R.L. Stine [Stine, R.L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

I

O'Brien pressed a big fist against Kerry's chest, pinning him to the door. Kerry looked into their smiling faces, reflected in the dim light.

This can't be happening to me, he told himself. I'm not going to get creamed again by these goons.

"Hey, Hart—cool it," O'Brien said, shaking his head.

"Yeah, cool it," Malick repeated.

"We owe you an apology," O'Brien said.

"What?" Kerry's voice was a squeak.

**You heard me," O'Brien said, loosening his grip on Kerry'sxhest, his beefy face floating ominously in the dim yellow light.

"It was all a misunderstanding," Malick said. "We saw Sal today. At the hospital. He set us straight."

Kerry was still breathing too hard to talk.

What were they saying? The words weren't making sense to him. "How's Sal?" he finally managed to say.

110

"He's doin' better," O'Brien said. "It ain't been a picnic, but he'll be okay."

"Good," Kerry uttered, trying to stop the two faces from floating in front of him.

"That's good."

"Sal said the whole thing was an accident,"

Malick said. "He said you fell on him 'cause you couldn't stop."

"He don't blame you," O'Brien added. "He saw the whole thing. He saw you didn't do it on purpose."

"Of course not," Kerry said, brightening.

But then he had a shudder of horror. Was this another one of his daydreams? Was he imagining this whole scene? Would he blink, open'his eyes in a second, and find them ready to pound the life out of him again, leaving him a pile of pulp for the janitor to clean up on Monday morning?

Kerry blinked. He opened his eyes.

"Anyway," Malick said, "no hard feelings."

He stuck out a meaty hand for Kerry

to shake.

Kerry shook his hand. Then he shook

O'Brien's hand. "No hard feelings," O'Brien said.

"Hey, you're still a little puke," Malick said, tapping Kerry hard on the knot of his tie. "But we wanted to set the record straight"

They turned and walked off into the darkness.

Kerry waited, listened to them climb

the stairs. "What a dork," he heard O'Brien say. He heard them both laugh. Their laugh-111

ter and the footsteps grew fainter, then faded to silence.

Kerry stood in the dark doorway for a few more minutes, getting himself together. He began to feel pretty good. He realized that word would get around about what Sal had said, about how it was all an accident. Maybe people would start talking to him again, start treating him as if he didn't have bubonic plague. And the pranks wouldVstop.

And no more late-night threatening phone calls.

"Okay V* he called out to no one.

He walked to the stairway and began

climbing the stairs two at a time. He could hear the music from the gym, pounding

drums, loud saxophones. Mandy. . .

.

He had almost forgotten about her.

He had to find her. He wanted to tell her what had happened, how good he felt.

He wanted to dance; he wanted to shout!

Maybe they could leave the dance and go be impulsive somewhere together

!

He pushed open the door to the gym and was assaulted by a wave of heat and noise, by twirling purpleiights, weaving and swaying dancers, a roar of talk and laughter.

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