The Life of Buddy

Burt and the sadist

"First I want to talk to you about Buddy." Anger filled Ron's eyes at the mention of his cousin's name. His jaw tightened and his body went tense. "I know you are upset with him for telling on you."

"Yes I am." Ron clenched his fist. "He is a little snitch."

"And you don't like snitches." Burt said.

"No." He shook his head. "He could have gotten me and the entire team into serious trouble." He choose that insect Jasper over us." A hurt look crossed his face. "Over me his own cousin."

"He was trying to do the right thing." Burt told him.

"The right thing would have been for him to keep his stupid trap shut." Ron sneered. "To mine his own business. Not stab me in the back to help some loser stupid loser."

"Dont call Jasper stupid or a loser."

"Well that is what he." Ron said.

"No hes not." Burt said firmly. "But we will get back to him."

"Do we have to." Burt said with an impatient sigh. "Mister Collins already made me apologize to the cockroach and promise not to mess with him anymore."

"And I am sure you were geniune the both."

"I was."  He saw the skepticism in eyes. "Honest."

Sure you were Burt thought. "As we said we will get back to that."

He then blew out an impatient sigh. "Whatever."

Burt gave him an annoyed look as he thought how much he would like to take this boy over his knee and give him a much needed attitude adjustment. I know I told Buddy that I did not believe in corporal punishment for anyone eighteen or older but I might make an exemption in this case.

"I know you upset with Buddy and to you he committed the ultimate sin by telling you and for that you want to get back at him."

"No I dont."

"Don't lie to me boy." Burt said forcefully. "I'm not an idiot I went to that school, I played on the football team I know how these things go. You are plotting some kind of revenge on him to teach him a lesson."

"Yes." He sighed.. "I was just going to give him a bare bottom spanking in front of the team."

His eyes lit in anger. "You are not touching him." He said in an ominous tone. "You are not going to touch noris the team. You understand me boy."

"But..."

"I said do you understand me." He slammed the palm of his hand against the table causing Ron to jump. All eyes were now on them. Even the loud obnoxious group of teens had stopped.  Elena seemed to take great pleasure in the fear in his eyes

"Yes, yes I understand." He said and the other customers returned to their own conversations.

"Good." Burt said. "Because if there is even the slightest hint of retaliation taken against him I'm holding you responsible and I'm coming after you boy."  He seemed to shrink under his gaze. "You know what happened with Mister Winters."

"Yes." He replied.

"Well you and your team better keep that in mind."

"Yes sir." He said as he gulped.

"Now let's talk about Jasper." He said. "I know the football team likes to pick on him."

"He brings it on himself."

"I don't care." Burt said. "I want it to stop. I want the haze, the bullying, the tormenting of him to stop."

"Why do you care so much?" A look of disgust filled his face. "He's not your son is he."

"No." Burt shook his head. "But he does not have to be for me to care about him." Burt then sighed. "You know that your lounge is named after a cousin of ours."

"Yes Nehemiah Johnson." Ron said.

"You know how he died?"

"In a car accident." Ron said. "Everyone knows that."

"It was not an accident."

Ron looked at him confused. "It wasn't?"

"No."  Burt shook his head. "That is what his parents told people but it did not lose control of his car on and go off that bridge on accident."  Burt became visibly upset as he said. "He killed himself."

"He did."

"Yes." Burt said. "He killed himself because he was being bullied."

"But he was a jock." Ron said. "He was on the football team."

"Yes he was." Burt said. "But just as not all bullies are jocks, not all victims of bullying are scrawny nerds."

"I guess that is true."

"He was bullied by his own team mates." Burt said. "Just a couple of guys on the team who did not like him and decided to make his life miserable. He tried to ignore at first, he reached out to his fellow team mates who called him a cry baby, he tried to talk to the coach who called him a pussy. He could not get anyone to help and his only recourse was kill himself."

A somber look crossed his face. "Nehemiah was a sweet kid. He did not deserve to be treated like that. And he certainly did not deserve to have his life end at the tender age of sixteen."

"I could not help Nehemiah but I'll be dammed if I allow another young man to die because of bunch compassionless punks are incapable of leaving someone be."  His voice cracked as he said "I want him left alone Ron. I want you to tell your team to leave him alone."

"What if they don't want to leave him alone."

"Then you better make them." He said. "Because also keep in mind Ron there are only so many times you can kick a dog before he decides to bite back. The last thing I want is to bury one of my children, or my neices or nephews because you idiots push him too far and he decides to shoot up the entire school."

"That would..."

"Dont say never." He said. "I'm sure Nehemiah's parents never thought he would kill himself. You don't know what a person will do when they are pushed beyond their breaking point."

Ron fell silent for a few seconds as he processed what he said. Burt looked at him wondering if he got through to him. If he was able to get through that thick skull of his.

"Okay."  The boy looked rattled by what he said. "I will talk to the others. The bullying will stop."

"It better."

"But there is still one other thing " Ron said.

"What?"

"Randall Moore." Ron said. "He picks on both Buddy and Jasper. And there is nothing I can do stop him." Well there a few things but they would probably get me arrested.

"You let me worry about him." Burt said.

"Okay." Ron said.

They spoke for a few minutes and then Ron left. Burt finished his coffee and then watched as a burly man in his mid forties walked into the diner.

He.walked to the table of teens. "Time to go."

The five teens got up as the man threw cash on the table. The teen who had been the most focused on his eyes met him and he shot him a mischevious look and then look away.  The teens laughed one more time as they walked out.

Who is he Burt thought.

He then walked outside and saw them load into the van that said Red Vine Singers. He wrote the name down as he told himself he was going to find out who he is.