Book 2-Alex Bishop in Follow That Mystery

Alex Bishop in Follow That Mystery

                                                                                     Chapter 48

                                                                          Alex Returns to School

     Lee drove Alex, Glenna and Anna to school on Monday.  Fletch parked his car beside them in the parking lot, as did Chet who had driven Dawn to school.  Then the teens all got out of their vehicles and walked into the school together, as usual.  The group gathered around Alex's locker first, and Dawn opened it for him.   Alex's cast got in the way of his doing that.

   "I will be so glad when this thing comes off," he said, tapping angrily on it.  Alex was just hanging up his coat when Jed North and his pals turned the far corner of the hallway and headed straight towards Alex and his friends.  (Alex immediately noticed that a couple members of the group had been replaced by two others.   Larry Arnold, the kid with the red mohawk and blue eyes wasn't there and neither was Will Kidd, the guy with the shaved head and squinty eyes.)  Glenna backed up behind Lee, while Dawn and Anna jumped behind Alex. Lee and Fletch had moved on either side of Alex when they saw the four big bruisers coming down the hallway, so as to present a united front.

     Jed stopped short in front of Alex with his buddies behind him.   Alex noticed that neither Jed nor his friends were glowering at him as they usually did, and their normally fisted hands were hanging loosely at their sides.  Never the less, Lee looked sternly into Jed's large face and said, "I'm not in the mood for you today," 

     But Alex put his hand up for Lee to be quiet as Lee gave him as incredulous look.  Jed just looked humbly at his feet and said in a quiet voice, "I guess we match now," motioning to his right arm which was in a cast, (due to Anna flinging him across the hallway floor the day Jed put his hands on her.)  Nobody had noticed the cast up to that point.  There was a sling around it as well,  just like Alex's had on his arm.  And Alex couldn't help but grin at him, while Lee lowered his doubled fists.

     "I just want to say...." Jed started, "that Hank and I are sorry for the way we've behaved," he said, glancing at his buddy who nodded in agreement.  "By the way, I want to introduce my friends." he said.  "This guy here is Hank Nettles," he pointed to a big fellow with brown hair and dark brown eyes, that were almost black."  And this is my new friend Tom Fiester,"  he was thinner than Hank, but still a big burly teen.  His eyes were bright blue and he had red hair that hung to his shoulders, which he wore in a pony tail.  "And finally, another new friend Ben Pots," Jed said.   Ben was a couple inches shorter than Jed, Hank and Tom, who were at least six foot tall.  Ben had blond hair and pale blue eyes. 

     "Can I ask what happened to the previous two friends you had," Fletch asked, hoping Jed didn't see his shaking legs.  Jed did notice the shaking and chuckled.  "Those two?  They were doing some really bad stuff that we didn't want any part of," Jed said.

     Alex and the others didn't comment on what had been said, but just chorused a "Hi" to Jed's buddies, who greeted Alex and the others with "How you doing?"  "Hi" and  "Hello.  "The whole school's buzzing about what happened at the store Alex," Jed told him,  "You were very brave.  Braver than I could've ever been."  Alex heard a sudden cough and looked toward the office door.

     He spied his father Max standing in the doorway watching and listening.  "I'm sorry to you too Anna," Jed went on.  Anna was visibly stunned at this change in Jed's behavior.  But she quickly composed herself and replied, "All's forgiven."  Jed smiled and then hesitantly said,  "And we were wondering...." he paused a moment while shuffling a foot back and forth, "if you would teach us that judo stuff?"