Part 5

James leaned against his locker watching all of the activity in the hallway. He had already begun to become very irritated with how many new faces were crowding the schools’ hallways. Everywhere we looked there were either detectives or news people. Our school looked more like a mall shooting than a school. He let out a loud huff as he turned to me, "I hate this crap. Right about now I could kill Norton, if I could find him." he said banging his head against the locker in frustration.

“Why you so jammed up about this. Come on, let's just go. My ma will be leaving for work soon and I have a term paper due. Jay-mes? Ya listening." I was worried about James. He never let anything get him down, but this Norton stuff wasn't his normal reaction.

He pushed himself forward as his tossed his book bag over his shoulder, “Yeah, I know. It's just too weird Si. What the hell happen last night?" He began walking down the long hallway that leads outside. His mood wasn't very pleasant at the moment and it was about to get even uglier.

Dusty stood right outside of the red brick high school just beyond the entrance to the gym. His dark brown eyes shifted back and forth as he watched intensely for his prey. Behind him stood the group of five or so of his faithful followers. These guys didn't have one clear brain cell between them and that meant that they acted only on the demands of Dusty. As the final bell rang students by the dozens poured out of the huge buildings on their way home or to their buses. There was only person that interested Dusty and that was James Brooks. He wanted more than a word with James; he wanted to stir up some trouble.

James and I left the school and headed down the winding road towards our neighborhood. As we walked I decided that I wanted to know what was up with him, " Okay, you gonna tell me what's going on or do I have to ask a thousand questions that you're gonna hate?"

He didn't answer right away, but just looked down at the cracked pavement. He was lost in thought, trying to put his mind in order. At times James could be very logical and that was one of best qualities. Finally he spoke, looking at me as though he still wasn't sure of what he felt, "Man, you think you know a person, right?"

"Right." I answer, feeling weird about this start of the conversation.

"K, then all of a sudden a great idea comes along from a person no one pays any attention to, then bam!' he stomped his foot to make his point, " I'll be damn, he just ups and disappears. Gone, without a trace." his concern was so clear that I felt sorry for him.

Feeling like I needed to comfort him, I simply replied, "Hey, don't worry so much. James I swear, they'll find Norton. I mean where in all the worlds could he be. There has to be an explanation. You'll see." I touched his arm just to try to let him know how bad I felt too.

We had been walking for about ten minutes and paying little attention to our usual surroundings when our conversation was abruptly interrupted. "You sux James. You think you gonna show me up just to punk me out. I've got news for you, ain't gonna happen." Dusty gritted his teeth as he leaned back, taking a swing at James.

         From the corner of my eye I could see Dusty's fist in motion. Shoving James hard enough for the punch to glide right past his head, Dusty lost his balance and fall forward with all of his weight catching him off guard.

James dropped his book bag, turning slightly to his left drawing his fist back, then swinging as hard as he could. His fist collided with the top of Dusty jaw dropping him to his knees.

It only took that one punch to put Dusty down on the ground and from there all hell broke loose. Five guys seemed to come from out of no where jumping on top of James at once. I began swinging my book bag back and forth as James throw one guy after another off of him. What had begun as a simple walk home had somehow turned into a free for all for me and James.

After several punches and kicks from James and me, the five friends of Dusty gathered him up dragging him away from where we stood. Dusty screamed at James as his friends pulled him down the road and out of arms way, “You piece of crap, this is not over, you got it. I'm coming for you. You hear me, you slag!"

James wiped his lower lips where at least one good punch had connected with him. He looked at me; we both started laughing at the sight of Dusty being hauled away like some poor rag doll. It didn't make sense what had just happened, but at least for a moment James and I had something else to think about. Too bad neither one of us had had time to take a picture of this. What a sight that would have made on our cell phones.

After collecting ourselves James picked up his book bag, “Well, I don't know why he has got it in for me. Hell, if it's a fight he wants, it's a fight he'll get."

I stood in the road just looking at my best friend in confusion, “Be careful for what you wish for James, right? Besides, we have more important things to worry about than Dusty and the Dusty-mites. We still don't know where Norton is and what happen last night." Looking at James with the greatest amount of concern that I could, I tried to remind him of one important fact, "If Norton can disappear so easily, who's to say that someone else can't too?"

For a moment we both just stood in the middle of the road looking at each other. No one had even entertained the idea that another student could come up missing and that was a fact that other's should be thinking about, especially as night began to make its appearance.