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"You like it? This is what you do with your free time? Jeez. Don't you even think about girls, or do you have something better?"

"What I do is none of your business." I said. He laughed.

"I bet. I bet you don't want it to be anyone else's business but yours."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Hey," he said holding up his hands. "I don't really care if you found something else to take the place of girls. Maybe a big, pretty fish. huh?"

"You're disgusting.," I said.

"I'm disgusting? That's disgusting? What did I do, offend your tender soul? That are you, a mama's boy or something? Is that the story? Mommy doesn't want Junior to get himself dirty by hanging around with dirty teenagers or something? Is that why she keeps you chained to this place?"

"I'm not chained to anything."

"You're not?"

"Think what you like," I said.

He smiled and reached into his top pocket to get a pack of cigarettes. He pounded one out and put it in his mouth. I watched him, unable to not be intrigued with his every move. He smiled.

"Want one?"

"No." I said quickly.

"So you don't smoke either. huh?"

"No. I don't," I said.

"Pure in mind and body. Nature boy." He laughed and puffed on his cigarette, blowing the smoke directly at me.

"Stop calling me that. Look, just leave me alone," I said. "This is our side of the creek, and you don't belong here."

"Not so fast with all the orders, nature boy. I was going to ignore you until I caught you peeping into our window. What were you hoping to do, catch my sister undressed or something."

I felt the heat rise up my neck and into my face.

"No!" I practically screamed. He laughed and flicked the ashes off his cigarette, again in my direction.

"It's all right if that's what you were hoping to see. She's sexy. That's one of the real reasons my father wanted us to move out here. She was getting into all sorts of trouble with boys, actually college men, know what I mean?"

He puffed his cigarette and studied me, which made me very uncomfortable. I turned away.

"Maybe you don't have any idea what I mean. You've never been with a girl or been on a date or anything, have you, home-school boy?"

"I can see you're not going to leave me be," I said and started to reel in my line.

"Man, what a pussy," he said.

I tried to ignore him and continue to gather my things, but he stepped up behind me and pushed me so that I had to step forward, my right foot going into the water. He laughed when I spun around.

"Got to be more careful." he said. "Here, let me try that fishing pole." he added and stepped forward to take it from me, the cigarette burning away in his mouth.

"Get your hands off it," I said, pulling back.

He gabbed hold anyway, and we struggled for a moment. Then I let go and pushed him at the center of his chest as hard as I could. He was holding on to the rod, but he fell backward and sat right in the stream. He jumped up as if the water burned him. He was red with rage.

"Bastard," he said, charting at me. He wrapped his arm around my head and tried to turn me and throw me down. but I pushed up on his arm and slipped out easily. Then I gabbed his left arm and pulled him as hard as I could. It threw him off balance, and he tripped over some rocks and went down again, this time