She pointed at me and cocked her head to one side, “It’s Alvin-Alvin, right?” she asked with a smirk.
I nodded and grimaced at the same time.
“Thought so, I’m good with names and faces.” She said proudly.
“What did you say they call you?” I asked as I missed it the first time.
“Stacks,” she answered quickly.
“Is that because you’re built like a brick smoke stack?” I asked, hoping that it sounded halfway humorous.
“Nah, nothing like that. I got the nick Stacks because I’m known for stacking up the goals, one right after the other.”
“So, you are on the football team?” I joked, knowing full well, that she was into Hockey.
“Anyone, who’s anyone around here, plays hockey.” She said and then asked me, “You play?”
“I don’t think I have ever seen a game, unless you count the movies. Uh, they do call them games, right?” I asked sheepishly.
“Yeah. A game or a match.” She said with a slight shrug.
“Say, why don’t you come with me?. I’ll escort you to the office and we can get you some dry clothes.” Stacks suggested.
For nearly a full minute, I had actually forgotten that I was standing there, wearing clothes that looked as though I had peed in them.
“I don’t suppose you’d look the other way and let me hide out in one of the stalls, until my clothes dry or school ends.” I asked hopefully.
“No need to worry.” Stacks continued, “You’re not the first to fall victim to Larry and those other hooligans. They’re well known by the staff, so when I tell who did it to you, no one will even second guess it.”
“Whoa, hold the phone… Did you just say hooligans?” I asked.
“Uh, yeah!” Stacks said, as if I’d just asked the world’s dumbest question.
I waved my hands in the air like I was erasing my words from a chalkboard. “Never mind,” I mumbled.
Thankfully, Stacks had been right. Once she told the lady in the office, the one I’d seen early, who was still sitting behind the same big wooden desk, what had happened, she grimaced and said, “If you ask me, they should take those three and that girl they hang out with, and lock them away.”
She then waved us off with the back of her hand, “Go on; take him back.”
Down the office hall and to the right we stopped before a flat wooden door, stained a dark honey color. Smack-dab in the middle of the door, was a poster of a large green frowny-face. You know, like a smiley-face only it was frowning. Just under the frowny-face, it read…