I Dare You

The students darted out of the way as the boy ran down the hallways. As he ran, he kept adjusting his glasses and backpack. Skidding to a stop in front of his best friend’s locker. He bent over and tried to catch his breath. Jamar Taylor placed his hands on the boy’s shoulder and asked, “What’s the hurry, Mouse?”

“Jamal!” He took a breath “Jamal!” Another breath.”There’s a rumor going around school that the Aces are going to ask you to join their gang during lunch period.”

Jamal shook his head as he placed his books in his locker. “Naw. Don’t believe that, Mouse. That don’t swear in sixth graders.”

“Yeah, you’re right, but I thought since your brother….” Mouse’s voice trailed off when Jamal looked down and glared at him.

“Let’s go to lunch and forget this Aces stuff,” Jamal said, placing his hand on Mouse’s shoulder. “You’ll see it’s all a bunch of junk, man.”

The two boys sat at a lunch table with their friends Seth and Julio.  Julio was in the middle of telling a joke when he stopped in mid-sentence.

“How are you young bloods doing?” Cody, the leader of the Aces, asked.

Seth, the only white guy at the table, studdered,” W-We’re doing fine.”

         “Nobody talking to you, Snowflake.” Cody nodded to Jamal.

“I’m okay.”

“How’s your brother?”

“Oh, he’s okay.”

Cody sneered and nodded. “Come over to our lunch table. We need to talk.”

“I’m okay here with my friends.”

Cody leaned both hands on the table and stared at Jamal. “I wasn’t asking.” Get your stuff, and let’s go.”

Cody led the way to his table but not before his henchmen help themselves to Seth’s Oreo cookies, Julio’s chocolate milk, and Mouse’s bag of potato chips.

“What a minute, gentlemen,” Mr. Bailey, the lunchroom teacher, blocked our path.

“What’s going on here?”

Cody smiled. “We just invited Jamal, here,  to  come to our table and have  lunch with us instead of those losers.”

“Are you going with these boys because you want to, Mr.Taylor?”

“Yes, sir.”

Mr. Bailey looked in each of their faces. “Okay. I’ll buy that for now.”

         Mr. Bailey warned.”Watch your mouth, Mr. Cody Brown.  I heard you call these boys ‘losers’. Did you know that name-calling is a form of bullying? Did you know that? Apologize to the boys, or should I reserve a seat for you indention this afternoon?”

         Cody turns towards Seth, Julio, and Mouse. “I’m sorry.”

         “Sorry for what?” Mr.Bailey asked.

         “I’m sorry for calling you guys losers.”

         Mr. Bailey smiled.”Thank you. Boys, do you accept Mr.Brown’s apology?”

         The boys looked at each other, confused by Mr. Bailey even asking them.

         “And, Mr. Bailey, he called me a snow--“

         Mouse interrupted Seth. ” Sure, I accept Cody’s apology.”

         The other boys nodded in agreement.

         “Are you crazy? If you had told Bailey that, Cody would have got detention for sure. He would have killed us, man.”

         Seth leaned back in his seat. “Oh, yeah. I forgot.”

         As they watched Jamal being led away by the Aces, they hoped he’d be okay

         Jamal sat at drumming his fingers.

         “You nervous?” Cody asked.

         “No. I just want to get back to my friends.”

         “Well, maybe it’s time you made some new friends. How would you like to join the coolest gang in Brookly, us,  the Aces.”

         Jamal thought to himself. Well, what do you know? Mouse’s rumor was right.”

         Cody didn’t wait for an answer.”Hey, maybe you can do better than your brother. I think you got more heart. I see you going around school, not taking anything from anyone. You’re a tough guy, huh?”

         Jamal didn’t like the Aces taking his friend’s lunches.   But he liked Cody saying nice things about him. And maybe this was a way of doing something better than his older brother could see through.

         “Okay, I’ll join.”

         Cody and the other members of the Aces shook Jamal’s hand and patted him on the back.

         “There’s only one more thing you got to do, Jamal, to become a full-fledged member.”

         “What’s that?”

         “Tomorrow morning, before school, we dare you to go into Mr. Kirby’s Greocery store and steal a bar of candy for all of us,”

         “All five of you?”

         “That’s right. Proof your loyalty to us by stealing those candy bars, and you’re in.”

         Jamal thought for a moment. “Okay, I’ll do it.”

         On the bus ride home, Jamal thought about the Aces dare. Could he steal the candy bars without getting caught?

         Jamal was unusually quiet at dinner. He told his family he had a hard day at school. The dare he agreed to do was constantly on his mind.

         Walking to his room, he passed his brother Timmy’s room.

         He knocked on the door jam.”Come in, Jamal.” Billy called.

         “How did you know it was me?”

         “Mom and dad wouldn’t have knocked. What’s on your mind?”

         “The Aces asked me to join their gang. I want to, but they gave me an initiation dare that I don’t like. What am I going to do?”

“You have to decide if you’re going to be okay with yourself after you do this dare.”

“Yeah, I guess. The Aces want—”

“I don’t want to know, Jamal. You have to make up your mind on what means more. Being an Ace and do their dare living with this dare.’

“They said you chickened out on your dare. Did you, Timmy?”

“That’s their story. Now, get out of here. I want to go to sleep.

The following day, the Aces met Jamal in front of Kirby’s.

“Okay, kid, do your thing.”

The store was full of students getting their morning candy before going to school.

“Good morning, Jamal,” Mr. Kirby said with a grin.”How’s your Mom and Dad?”

“They’re fine, sir. Do you have any more gum?”

“Hmm. Let me see.”

Mr.Kirby turned his back to check. Jamal scooped up a fist full of candy bars and stuffed them in his jacket pockets.

“Ah, here they are. That’ll be fifty cents, Jamal.”

 Jamal didn’t know if Mr. Kirby suspected him, but he felt guilty. He walked outside to the waiting gang members and handed them the candy.

“Hey,” Cody asked,” don’t you want yours.”

“Naw. I’m not hungry.”

In school, Jamal felt guilty about stealing the candy. Mr. Kirby was a nice guy. Sometimes he’d let Jamal buy stuff when he didn’t have enough money for it.

That evening after dinner, Jamal spoke to Tim

“You knew what they dared me to do, didn’t you, Tim?”

“Sure, that’s what they always do. How did you like it?”

I didn’t. I felt terrible. I quit the gang and went back with my real friends. But what can I do to feel better?”

“Take the money you were saving for those sneakers. Take some of the money you’ve been saving for that video game, and tomorrow go to Mr. Kirby and pay for the candy bars.”

“You think it’ll make me feel better?”

“I know I felt better when I quit the gang and paid Mr. Kirby for the candy bars.”