Tangerine: Part 3

I watched that hand, mesmerized. I watched it move like a snake—a slow, casual snake hand—with a gold varsity ring on one finger.

Then Erik turned his full attention back to Tino, standing insolently before him.

The trees are injured already; they’re weak and vulnerable.

The car riders were once again running, panic- stricken, through the punishing gusts of wind.

Underneath that it said, “Antoine Thomas throws for 3 TDs, runs for 2, in 30–0 rout.”

Those plants are supposed to be cold- hardy, but nothing is going to come through a freeze like that completely undamaged.

“No. You are either born with an aneurysm, or you are born with the tendency to get one.”
I typed in, “Can an aneurysm kill you?”
“Yes. An aneurysm can burst, causing a massive stroke and death.”

Victor jumped on Arthur and started pummeling him furiously, landing roundhouse blows to his head so fast that his arms were a blur, like the nylon strings on a Weed Whacker.

Coach Warner himself grabbed Tino, who was still standing over Erik’s prostrate body.

They drove away leaving that name, Castor, hanging in the air like some horrible apparition, like the key to a lock, like the solution to an unsolved crime.

The Tangerine County Sports Commission, meeting in emergency session last night, voted to nullify all victories by the Lake Windsor High School football team over the last three seasons.

The article quoted a Commission member as saying that Antoine “had contacted them, had met with them, and had presented them with a notarized statement.”

He has allowed us, and by ‘us’ I mean the Fishers and the Bauers, to approach all of you with a plan to make restitution. That is, Erik and Arthur will make full restitution to all of you for all of your stolen property.

He has admitted his wrongdoing, he has said he is sorry, and he has made full disclosure of the facts.

She explained, “Your violation is called a ‘Level Four Infraction,’ in this case, ‘assaulting a teacher or other School Board employee.’ This is the most serious level of infraction. The penalty for this and for any other Level Four Infraction is expulsion.”