Victor, Victorious

Chapter Four

That afternoon, after school, Colin walked home with his younger sister, Courtney. They cut through an alley that ran behind some paint-chipped homes. Each house had bars over its windows. Patches of yellow grass aspired to be brown on nearly every lawn.

The alley was a well-known shortcut used by a lot of kids. Cinderblock walls were tagged up end to end with unintelligible scrawls.

Courtney was a freshman, but she was as tall as her brother, which drove him nuts. Their mom said he'd get his growth spurt someday.

"Yeah, when he's in college, maybe," Courtney had said.

Hardy har har.

Courtney gave her brother a lot of grief, but as far as siblings went, the two of them usually got along just fine. Colin made sure not to pick on his sister too much. He wanted to be a good role model for her. Not that Courtney really followed in his footsteps. Her grades weren't anything to be proud of.

"You're not wearing your new shoes," Colin observed.

Courtney said, "I wore them during English. Made Thelma and Brittany all jealous."

"You begged Mom to get them for you. You just had to have them. Did you leave them in your P.E. locker?"

"Hell, no. Ain't safe in there." She patted the backpack she wore. "They're in here."

"Seems like a waste."

Courtney kicked a chunk of broken cinderblock down the alley. "Some people see you with fresh kicks, all they wanna do is step all over them. That ain't happening to me." She gave Colin the once-over. "What happened to your shirt? It's all jacked up."

Colin hesitated for a moment. "I got it caught on my chair in Geometry."

"Why're you even trying to lie to me?"

"You'll tell Mom."

"Come on! Tell me already!"

Colin was quiet for a few seconds. Then: "Some guy...I don't know. He, like, attacked me in the middle of Science. 'Cause he thought I was talking smack to his friends."

"Were you?"

"Of course not."

"'Of course not.' You have to stand up for yourself, Colin."

"I did, sort of. Okay? They were saying stuff to me, and I told them to shut up. And then he got all crazy on me."

"You fight him back?"

Sure, Colin wanted to get Victor back somehow. But Colin knew he didn't have the capacity for revenge. Fighting was for losers. He was determined to be a winner.

He'd just have to take the humiliation and try to grow from the experience.

If such a thing was even possible?

"Leave it alone, Courtney."

"You have to be tougher."

She dropped back a step and shoved her brother from behind. He nearly fell to the ground.

"What was that for?!"

Courtney got in her brother's face. "What're you gonna do about it?"

"Seriously?"

"You gonna let me get away with it?"

Colin stared her down for a bit, then shook his head. "Let's go." He turned and walked away.

Courtney ran after him and shoved him again. Harder this time. Colin really wasn't expecting this. He lost his balance and landed on his hands and knees.

His sister laughed. "Oh, man, that was graceful!"

Colin stood, fuming. "Courtney!"

"What're you gonna do about it?" She jabbed a finger into her brother's chest. "Huh? What're you gonna do, Colin? Anything?"

"What's wrong with you?"

"'Wrong' with me? What's 'wrong' with you?"

"Nothing!"

"You let your little sister do this to you?" She pushed him twice more. Colin almost tumbled again.

"Enough!"

"You can't let people think you're weak!"

Courtney picked up a smashed soda can and threw it at her brother. Colin shielded his face with both arms. The can ricocheted off an elbow.

"Watch it! Aluminum's sharp, you know!"

"Yeah, I do know! You can't let people screw with you, Colin!"

"I'm better than that!"

"'Better' than what?"

"Better than fighting. It's stupid."

"But not fighting's not helping you. It doesn't make you feel good." Courtney grabbed Colin by his collar. "Look at what that guy did to your shirt."

"Let go!" The boy smacked her hand away.

"Mom got you this dumb shirt that you wanted, and this guy ruins it. And then you don't do anything about it!"

"Mom always tells us to be the bigger person. I'm just being the bigger person."

"The only thing big on you is your head. Why don't you use it and figure out some way to get this guy back? What's his name, anyway?"

Colin looked down at his feet. "Victor."

"Mom doesn't know everything. She's not out here with us. She's not with you when Victor decides it's a good idea to jack you up."

"He didn't jack me up."

"Okay, but how 'bout when he does?"

"He won't."

"No, he will. Or he'll try to. You have to beat him first, Colin."

"How do I do that? I can't fight."

"You mean, you won't fight." Courtney smiled. "No, I guess you can't really fight, even if you wanted to. Hmmm. I dunno. Use your big head. Think of something. Some way to embarrass him, maybe? Some way to make him feel just as bad as he made you feel."

"I'm not good at that kind of stuff."

"Yeah, you do suck at everything except homework, don't you?"

Colin went around his sister and unzipped her backpack.

"Hey! What're you doing?!"

Colin didn't answer. He reached into the bag and removed a pair of brand-new purple Vans. The laces were tied together.

"Come and get your shoes!" the boy said, a grin on his face.

He ran around in circles, his sister chasing after him. Colin may have been small, but he was quicker than Courtney.

"Gimme those!" she said halfheartedly, giggling. She didn't mind this little game of "keep away," glad that her brother had some fight in him.

Focused on the shoes, neither Colin nor Courtney saw Victor Villa and his friends enter the alley behind them.