The Battle of the Century

Jerry's Redemption

Arnold was glaring at Jerry. I noticed Jerry was looking like he had been through a couple of thrashings. Then Arnold gave him a light slap.

"You get your ass in there and apologize to that boy right now." He was scolding him. "And the next time you and your friends touch any of my bats or golf clubs, or tools, all your asses are gonna be up on my the wall of my study, you understand me?!"

"Yes sir." Jerry looked really ashamed.

Denise and I stood there in shock. Then Arnold came up to us.

"I'm sorry what my son did to your brother." He said. "I taught him better than that."

I nodded at him.

Denise went to the bathroom and I continued to Wes' room. I peeked in to see Jerry at his bedside, crying.

"I just wanted to tell you...." He sniffed. "I wanted to tell you that.... I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you this bad. I wasn't trying to make you end up in here." His words then became too difficult to distinguish from his sobs.

He left the room and looked at me on his way out. He started crying even harder. His sobs rand throughout the hall and eventually faded out.

I went inside and there was Wes. Asleep. His hair was out of a ponytail for once and it was tangled. He was covered in bandaged cuts and bruises. He had a black eye and a busted lip. His glasses lay beside him, cracked.

I decided to let him sleep and walked out to see Dale standing there. He asked me about Wes.

"Let him be for now." I said. "He's asleep."

Then Brian and the others came in with the exception of Don. They were talking to a nurse.

"Which room is Wesley Davidson in?" Brian asked. "He's my buddy and I need to see if he's gonna be alright."

I got very mad when those words had come out of Brian's mouth.

"What's your name?" The nurse asked. Brian gave her his name.

"We've been told by his brother and father that you should not be allowed to see him."

"Bullshit." Brian frowned. "That's my buddy in there and-"

"Let me stop you right there." Dale said as we walked up to him. "You are the reason he's here! Don't you be lyin' like a bitch. You and your friends are the ones who made it to where he had to be here!"

Marshall began laughing a little.

"Don't you fucking say a single damn thing, Marshall." I hissed.

"Well maybe he deserves to be here." Marshall tackled. "We shoulda beat him a little more. Maybe he would've died."

Dale stopped talking to Brian. He froze and stared at Marshall. I hit Marshall and took him to the lobby floor. I repeatedly punched him, everyone staring at me. I started to choke him. The look of fear in his eyes. He tried to break free. Then Mr. Davis pulled me off of him.

"Tommy, calm the hell down!" He shouted.

Marshall looked at me with anguish.

"People like you just need to go to Hell, Marshall!" I screamed. "This isn't finished.

Marshall ran out of the door.

A couple days later, I was heading to school when I saw a note on the stoop. I opened it and it read:

Hey Tommy,
I'm  really sorry for what I did. I didn't think Brian would make me go that far just so he'd accept me. Marie won't let me hear the end of it and my dad's grounded me for a while now and I'm only allowed to be out of the house for school only. I just wanted to tell you that you won't expect any trouble from me anymore. I had no clue what I was doing to you both. Denise has threatened me multiple times and Marie gave me a blow by blow of what I did and I feel really bad for what I did. Again, I'm sorry.
                      
             -J.G.

I went through the note twice to make sure it was right. But how did he know Marie? I was more than sure that she was related and the only lowerclassman she talked to was Wes. But why did I care?

I went to school and neither Don or Marshall was there. I saw Jerry a couple of times and it looked like he had a black eye. Jerry looked at me with pain on his face when I saw him a third time. He nodded and walked away. Fred asked what it was about and I just told him that I didn't know.

As for the band, not much of us knew what to do as Wes had a broken knee and a broken arm so he couldn't play while in a sling. Marie was at our house more often. I thought something had to be up with that but I just brushed it off because Marie is basically Wes' best friend.

Then Jerry showed up one day.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I came to see how Wes was doing." He said. "Also you left this in the gym."

He handed me my notepad.

He and Wes talked for a while until he told us that he had to go since his dad was gonna be home soon and darted out of the door.

Jerry grew really fond of us as the days passed.

We were practicing on one song with four weeks left before the competition. We had decided that we would make it work without Wes because he told us to do it somehow. Then no other than Jerry came in with a bass.

"You guys have a bass again."

Luther's face dropped. Dale froze in place. And Denise looked like a ghost, her pale skin going even more pale.

"Show me what you got. " I said.

Jerry sat down and Dale, Jerry, and I did Fats Domino's "I'm Walkin." I was amazed at the very least. Jerry got all the bass lines perfect.

"Damn." Denise said. "Guys, I think we're saved."

"Let's hope." Jerry said.

With Jerry redeemed and temporary bass player of The Knights, we were set.As time went on, ee had one more week and that happened to be the craziest week of my life.