His risibility would get us killed.
Let me rewind to this morning, when Gregory decided letting Mr. Peterson’s skunk loose in the football team’s locker room would be “hilarious.” Granted, it was. The normal antiseptic wipe smell of the high school halls got a little stingy by the locker rooms. Burly boys came running out, squealing like girls about their eyes and taste buds burning. Even Fenton “Flash” yelped like a toddler.
Gregory clutched his thin frame as he laughed his freckles off. Tears welled up in his green eyes.
I leaned against my school locker and shook my head. “We’re in serious trouble.”
Greg composed himself, brushing his red hair and adjusting his collared uniform. “Nonsense. We’re in the clear, Carrie. No one saw me.”
“Gregory Thompson III! Principal’s office. You as well, Carrie Truett.”
Gregory brightened. “Ooh! The principal must really like me this week.” He sauntered toward the principal’s office with me in tow, shaky legs and all. How’d I get into these messes? Being friends with Gregory made me an accomplice to every shenanigan. Yet somehow, he kept a smile.
Again, his risibility would get us killed. I’d never witnessed a principal office visit with Greg before, but I wanted to un-see it. He made jokes that the principal took as back talk. By the end, he was red in the face and demanding a month of detention and community service as the football team’s assistants. A whole season with the biggest jerks on campus.
I filled a cooler with water, dressed in short shorts and a tight tank top. The football players whistled and jeered every time they passed. I glanced at Greg, dressed similarly, sitting on the clipped field, humming a tune while arranging sugar cookies on a tray. “Why couldn’t you leave well enough alone? You’re lucky we didn’t get expelled.”
Gregory chuckled, looking up at me with that giddy smile. “The skunk may have been overkill, but look where we are? We’re going to get the best seats to every game, and we’re right next to the cheerleaders. And the detention crowd got a killer math tutor for the next week.”
I covered the cooler, still miffed. “What I’d give for your positive attitude.”
His smile got bigger. “It’s not that hard. Just look for the fun moment in life and don’t let go. Try something new, and if it explodes, look for the fun in the rubble.”
I glanced at the football players, then at the tray of cookies. “You got something else planned, don’t you?”
He raised the tray of salty cookies. “Only if you want in.”