Johnny kept throwing the ball and catching it, throwing it and catching it. It looked like a tennis match. Back and forth-back and forth. The school building favored him by leaning out at a right angle, allowing him to hit its ledge. Sure it was an optical illusion of the fading light, but that was what it looked like-at least to a child. He made three ten pointers in a row, which was pretty astonishing. Even to Johnny. He seemed to sense the inevitable doom, which lurked just out of sight…waiting to claim his streak…so he made the final two throws five pointers. As if by magic, Johnny won the game within two rounds-it usually took at least three and sometimes four. He had never hit three ten pointers in a row. After the third one, Johnny wimped out and shot at the easier five-point ledge. Had Johnny tried-Kevin knew-he would have hit all ten pointers, or won a baseball throwing championship that day. The knowledge left him unsteady and scared. The wind seemed to blow the boys in a certain direction-forward, and wouldn’t allow them to turn back. Kevin sensed it-Johnny could have won with two broken hands and ten busted fingers.
Everyone congratulated Johnny. Except for Billy who was terrified what Johnny’s dare would be. This was the first time anyone had tied for the losing spot-him and Kevin. “Kevin and Billy!” Johnny exclaimed in excited tones. “You both lost so you both have to do the dare!”
“No way!” Billy yelled back, more from fear than to question Johnny’s authority. “The last time…”
“You’re such a wimp.” Jimmy cut him off. “Kevin’s not complaining.”
“No. We’ll play sudden death,” Tony said. “Whoever gets the most points on one ball wins. Loser does the dare.”
“Yeah,” Johnny agreed, still flying high from his amazing triumph. Had he not been he would have required both boys do the dare. His smile said it all: he was feeling good, even god forbid, generous.
Billy’s face registered terror at the sudden death prospect.
Kevin, sensing Billy’s heightening fear, made his first adult decision. “No way-I’ll do the dare. If you want you can make it doubly hard. I’m sure that’s okay by everyone.”
Everyone nodded approval.
Kevin noted Billy’s eyes saying, “Thanks, I owe you one.” A pang of guilt, like a slow rolling cloud passed over Billy’s features. Guilt, Kevin knew, for not supporting the earlier decision on his five-point throw. But Kevin didn’t begrudge him that.
“Okay,” Johnny said. “I will make it twice as hard.”
“Whatever,” Kevin replied, not actually believing Johnny would do it, but accepting his fate. A black wave of panic crept into his heart, but he shook it off as childish fear. Fear of the dark unknown.
“I dare you to sit on the train tracks,” Johnny said.
“That’s easy!” It was easy, but now that Kevin said it-he was sorry. Johnny’s face showed it was a mistake.
“I’m not through giving the dare yet,” Johnny said. “Sit on them until the train comes down the tunnel.”
“That’s too easy Johnny,” Jimmy moaned.
“You Dork!” Johnny snapped. “I’m still not done. Kevin, I’ll put you on the tracks with your back to the tunnel. You can’t move until I tell you to.”
“No way,” Billy yelled. “That’s too risky. Don’t do it Kevin.” An undulating tremor rose in Billy’s words. “Pick something else.”
“No way. Either Kevin does it or he’s out of the gang. It’s up to him.” Johnny put his arms together over his chest-a sign of power that meant “do it or suffer the consequences.”
Several minutes of quiet deliberation followed. Kevin decided to try it. Johnny would get nervous the moment he saw the train’s light at the back of the tunnel, then tell Kevin to move, giving him ample time to get off the tracks. “Okay, I’ll do it. When?” A couple days of preparation time would be nice.
“Now. Right now, before you chicken out,” Johnny said.
“But Kevin…what if…?”
“Billy,” Kevin cut him off, “I’ll be fine. I’m sure of it.”
A half-hour later the boys walked to the tunnel site. Johnny positioned Kevin two yards from the tunnel mouth. Placing Kevin on the tracks-not on the metal rails-but on the gravel between two railway ties, with his legs crossed.
“Kevin, don’t do this. Please,” Billy pleaded. The sound of his begging was like an incessant buzzing bee.
“Let him be,” Tony said. Then he pushed Billy.
Kevin yelled, “Leave him be, or I’m not doing it.”
Johnny saw defiance on Kevin’s face. “Yeah, leave him alone Tony.”
The incident ended. Kevin seated on the train tracks, sensed the excited tension running through the group. No doubt, Johnny did also. Which made it important to Johnny. “You know, if I do this…,” Kevin saw his opportunity in this situation, so he let the idea of not completing the dare linger for a minute. “…then I’ll never have to do another dare. None.”
“No way,” Johnny said instantly. His face said that wasn’t true.
Just then the ground began to rumble. The 5:30 train would be five minutes early, making the 7:30 early as well.
“I won’t do it then,” Kevin said, getting to his feet.
At that moment Billy’s face changed from being screwed up tight to the calm, happy-go-lucky face Kevin knew well. An insupportable weight looked to have been lifted from his soul.
“Wimp,” said Tony. Johnny followed, then Jimmy. Their tone indicated disappointment, a sense of loss, an anticlimax, like the anticlimax at the end of a roller coaster ride.
Johnny knew that if Kevin didn’t follow through with the dare the other boys would lose the thrill. That would make them lose faith in him as their leader. Kevin knew it too. Since they all had to be home for dinner by 6 or 6:30 this would be the only time Kevin could attempt the dare that evening. After today, the dare would lose its excitement, because things did that the next day. It was like going to the ballpark and seeing a double header where your team won both games, then trying to retell it with the excitement you felt, the next day. Impossible.
“Okay,” Johnny said, seeming to understand all these things innately. “This is your last dare, as long as you don’t move until I tell you to.”
Though the boys grumbled about the concession, they talked animatedly about the dare.
“He’ll never stay,” Jimmy said.
“Yes I will.”
Billy turned ashen, his demeanor was that of a condemned man about to face the firing squad.
The train grew closer, rumbling along, making the steel tracks vibrate with energy. Kevin could feel it against his gym shoes. The tremors grew stronger and stronger. Pebbles laying on the ground nearby started doing little dances.
Johnny rushed over and pushed Kevin to his butt again. “There-wait for my signal.”
Kevin sat, stunned. His butt hit a large sharp stone upon landing. Stretching his legs out, he massaged the tender spot on his butt cheek.
The train’s horn blasted from down the tunnel. The sound floated to them, tumbling through the tunnel and somersaulting into their laps. Their excited words grew more hurried as they waited.
Adrenaline shot into Kevin’s system. His heart trip-hammered in his chest. The ground moved beneath him-he imagined a stampeding elephant charging toward him from behind. The recent butt bruise no longer throbbed-only his heart did-it was the apex of that roller coaster ride. The top hill, he knew. Soon the ride would be over. Nothing else existed; him and the train.
“Kevin, please,” Billy whined again, fear spilling over in his voice.
“I’m fine,” Kevin yelled, pulled from his world of utter excitement. His voice was nothing next to the train sounds coming from the tunnel.
The train hit its horn again. Its echo reverberated down the tunnel. Startled by it, Kevin jumped. At least he tried to. Still seated, instead he just kicked out.
“There it is…I see the lights,” Jimmy said excitedly. “It won’t be long now.”