Date: Sun, 27 Oct 2002 10:37:13 -0500
From: C. E. Jordan <c.e._jordan@mailandnews.com>
Subject: "JOHNNY CAKE & JACK - part 1" (b/b)

Johnny Cake and Jack
c.e._jordan@mailandnews.com


JOHNNY CAKE AND JACK - Pt. 1


Copyright c.e. jordan


     Johnny had one of those unfortunate surnames that occasionally afflict
those of English background. It was, `Cake'. Young master Cake eventually
prevailed upon his friends to call him `Johnny K'. And because he was a
naturally good-natured and charismatic boy, and because he was scrappy
enough to give even bigger boys black eyes, most kids he knew went along
with his small request. So, it was with a slight puzzlement that Johnny now
eyed the new kid, Jack, whom, despite taking one punch to the stomach
administered by the smaller boy, seemed not to be getting the message.

     "Are you stupid or what?" demanded the frustrated Johnny, his right
hand curling again into a hard little fist.

     "Sweet, sweet, Johnny Cake..." Jack sang out again, even louder this
time. He'd whispered that line teasingly every time he had encountered
Johnny K by himself in the school corridors or on the playground. But now
they were walking from school on their way home. Poised to dodge Johnny's
quick fists, Jack's face was still smiling and mischievous despite the
brief pummeling he just taken from the smaller boy.  That smile was so
engaging, and those twinkling light brown eyes seemed so friendly, that
Johnny found himself almost smiling back at Jack instead of punching his
lights out.  He stood there uncertainly for a moment, his fists balled up
and feeling a bit weird.

     "I told you not to call me that...why do you keep calling me 'sweet'?"
Johnny demanded.

     Jack looked around before answering. No one was near. "Because you ARE
sweet...and cute.

     "Because I'm WHAT?" Johnny was more confused than ever.

     "Because I think you're cute..." Jack repeated, "...and you'd better
not tell anybody I said that or I might not let you hit me and get away
with it next time.

     Johnny was dumbstruck. He was trying to process two ideas at once:
`this boy had *allowed* himself to be hit? And...and... he thinks I'm
cute!

     Johnny's mind and emotions were suddenly in gridlock. He just stood
there. Jack laughed, walked up to him and put his arm around the smaller
boy's shoulders, "You know, you look kind of stupid right now...'cute',
yes, but dumb." And he laughed again.  This comment gave Johnny something
to focus on, and he frowned, "Hey! Who you callin' stupid? You don't even
know me...

     "It's okay dude, I'm just screwin' around with you...I mean... just
teasing you..." Jack looked down at the boy and grinned, "Your face gets
all twisted-up and funny-lookin' when you're confused...I like that.

     Johnny, normally a talkative kid, went dumb again. He was feeling very
weird. Nobody had ever, in all his twelve years, ever talked to him like
this, and nobody besides his mom had ever before paid any attention to what
his face looked like--well, at least they'd never said anything to him
about it. As for being cute, shy Judy Taylor who sat across the room in his
math class was always smiling at him. One time she even said that she
wished she had his nice curly red hair. So, he figured maybe she thought he
was cute. But, here suddenly was this...this...guy, a BOY, who was saying
all this stuff to him...making him feel...**things**.

     The two continued walking together in the same direction. For some
reason Johnny didn't bother to shake off that arm still draped around his
shoulders. But he finally demanded, "Why are you following me anyway?

     "I'm NOT following you," said Jack, which technically was true since
they were walking side by side, not one behind the other, "We live right
next door to each other...almost."

     "We do?" Asked a surprised Johnny K.

     "Yeah, you live on Ninth and Elm and we moved into the house around
the corner and behind you at Ninth and Hickory...we share a fence, and as a
matter of fact I can see right into your bedroom if you keep your windows
open...you have a green iMac computer on your desk.

     This boy knew so much about him. Johnny was now curious, "How come I
never saw you in my neighborhood?

     "I dunno... I stay inside most of the time `cause I don't have any
friends `round here...yet... and I guess you never noticed me, but I see
you all the time...

     "Um... where...in my bedroom?

     "Yeah...and when you're playing alone in your backyard..." said Jack
casually. Johnny began to feel `funny' again...he had no brothers and
sisters to spy on him, and his parents respected his privacy, so he often
walked around naked in his room after his bath. And most of the time his
big windows were always wide open...it never occurred to him that someone
might be looking... might actually be interested in looking at his body.

     Their school wasn't very far from where they lived, and soon they were
nearing Johnny's house.

     "Um...Johnny, would you like to go riding with me this afternoon? I
mean... if you want to..." Jack sounded suddenly shy.

     "I don't have a bike."

     "That's alright, I have two bikes."

     "Two bikes? Why would you have two bikes?"

     "Well...the other one belonged to my brother..."

     "Brother? You have a brother? Does he come to our school?" Johnny was
curious.

     "No...he--he's..." Jack was suddenly finding it hard to speak and
Johnny had an urge to comfort him, "You don't have to answer if you don't
want to Jack.

     "No, it's alright," His arm tightened around Johnny's neck slightly,
"it's just that... he died last Christmas."

     "Oh...I'm sorry..." Johnny didn't know what more to say so he just
patted Jack gently on the shoulder.

     "It's alright." Jack said again, "Bry was my best friend...we did
everything together...it was just a stupid accident. He ran into the street
to get a ball I threw too far...and a car hit him..." Jack said sadly. He
continued, "But...it was kinda my fault...if I hadn't thrown that damn ball
so far..."

     Jack's voice trailed off and he seemed so sad Johnny felt the need to
comfort him somehow.

     "You can be MY best friend...uh...if you want." Johnny heard himself
blurting out these words to this boy who was practically a stranger, but on
quick reflection he realized he meant it. Yeah, he wanted to be Jack's best
friend.

     "Really?" Jack stopped walking and looked unbelievingly at the
red-haired kid, searching deep in his hazel eyes. "You want to be friends
with me too?

     "Yaw...sure, seeing we're neighbors an' all..."

     "Well...okay, just don't ever punch me again...do you know you hit
real hard for a skinny lil' kid?" Jack laughed.

     "I'm NOT a little kid! I'm nearly as old as you." Johnnie complained
and elbowed the tall thirteen-year-old hard in the ribs.

     "Oh, you little shit...you did it again! You hit me!!!"  And with
that, Jack started moaning and wheezing, "Ooooh... ahhh...that hurt...
gaa...I'm gonna die!" And he promptly fell over and rolled around in the
grassy area beside the road.

     Johnnie was a bit taken aback by this outsize response to his little
elbow in the ribs...but grinned at how funny Jack looked.

     "I didn't hit you that hard...if you don't get up, I'll really give
you somethin' to yell about.

     Still lying in the grass, Jack quit rolling around to inquire
teasingly, "Oh yeah? You and what army...LITTLE boy?"

     Johnny dropped his books, "Okay, you asked for it..."

     Amidst Jack's giggles and laughter, the smaller kid leaped onto the
dark-haired boy and they began a friendly, but intense wrestling on the
ground. Johnnie had finally managed to get Jack in a headlock when they
suddenly began rolling together fast down the grassy area. It sloped down
and away from the roadside until it merged into a thickly wooded area that
bordered the park just behind it. The boys landed with a thud against the
base of a large tree.

(To be continued...)