George was sitting with Malcolm and Angus in the basement. The two eleven and thirteen year old boys each had a guitar practicing some chords taught the other day. "Good, good. Now hold your fingers like I showed you."

"I can't wait till I get my own guitar," Angus said. "This one's too big for me."

"Aw, you guys will grow," George said. His brothers looked up at him. Neither one had grown very much over the years and the future didn't look promising. "Maybe."

Malcolm sighed and looked at his watch. "Oh shit, Ang! We gotta get to school!" They set their guitars down and raced upstairs for their uniforms. They and Hannah, now went to junior high. It was 1966, December right before Christmas/summer break.

Hannah waited outside their house. They were late yet again. Malcolm ran outside with Angus following behind. "You're late."

"We know," Malcolm answered breathlessly.

"Did you get it, did you get it?" Angus asked. Hannah pulled a note out of her backpack. She wrote a love note for him to give to Susan Lockhart, his all time crush. "Aha!"

"Remember the deal..."

"Right." Angus pulled two Snickers bars out of his bag.

"Thank you."

"You know, Ang, you could just ask Susan out yourself instead of a lousy note," Malcolm said.

"Lousy?" Hannah asked spitting out Snickers.

"You know what I mean."

"Because this note is anonymous. Susan can't say no if she doesn't know who sent it."

"But she can't say yes either," Hannah said. Angus kicked a rock.

"Oh, what do you know about girls?" he mumbled.

"More than either of you." She kicked the rock as well. "My guess is she throws the note away. Why didn't you write it yourself?"

"'Cause you're the best writer I know." Angus smiled at Hannah. "And my handwriting is shit."

"Just give her flowers or something, Ang, just tell her in person," Malcolm said.

"Ha, fat chance." The three kids played a soccer game with the rock the rest of the way to the school.

The first thing Angus did was slip the note in Susan's locker then headed to his class. He and Hannah were in year seven while Malcolm was in year nine. He and Johnny were still friends, and Angus still didn't like him. Said he was a 'daft sod'. He especially wasn't fond of him during lunch later that day.

Malcolm and Angus were in the cafeteria going on and on about their upcoming New Year's party. "So who's all coming?" Malcolm asked.

"Hannah of course, then all the cute girls of our years. And our friends."

"What about Susan?"

"Didn't you hear me say 'cute girls'?"

"How you've changed, Angus."

"Huh?"

"You used to think girls were gross." Malcolm twirled his plastic fork and Angus watched it.

"That's before they cleaned up."

"So Johnny was right?"

"Yep. That shrimp was right." Malcolm laughed then turned around.

"Ang, look."

"Speak of the devil..."

Hannah sat with a group of year seven girls. Some were squeaking about the party, others were squeaking about boys. Some were just plain squeaking. "Isn't he the cutest thing?"

"I could pet his hair for hours!"

"And his eyes, so gorgeous!"

"Do you think Ethan will ask me out to the party?" Maria asked.

"If he puts on his glasses and can actually see to ask you," Rachel answered. Talia poked Hannah in the ribs.

"What about you, huh?"

"What about me?"

"Who do you want to ask you out?" The girl looked down at her with a smug smile. Hannah raised an eyebrow.

"No one. I'm just going with my friends since they're hosting."

"Aw, come on!"

"Yeah right!" The girls jeered at her. Talia rolled her eyes.

"We all know you and that Angus kid are going together. More than friends." Hannah choked on her water.

"That loaf of bread?" she asked pointing in his direction. "Yeah right. No, he's going with Susan Lockhart."

"Miss Popular? Doesn't she already have like, seven boyfriends?" Hannah shrugged.

"So what's one more?"

"She's 'too good' for anyone, I don't see how anyone likes her," Maria said.

"Because she's pretty, rich, smart, perfect, and it's just plain disgusting," Hannah said showing her disgust.

"Agreed," the other girls chanted.

Johnny walked over to Malcolm and Angus. He'd grown up way more than those two height wise and was now captain of the soccer team. "Hey Mal, hey Weirdo." Angus glared at him.

"Hey Johnny," Malcolm answered. He turned to his brother. "Just ignore him," he whispered. "So Johnny, you coming to our party?"

"Of course, everyone is coming. You gonna take your girlfriend, Weirdo?"

"She's not my girlfriend, jackass," Angus muttered.

"Oh, so you're gonna take your boyfriend instead?  Figured you had one since you know, you're such a fairy." Anyone within a yard's radius heard him and reacted. Angus felt his anger rise.

"I'm gonna kill 'im." Angus stood up to do so, but Malcolm pulled him back down.

"No you're not."

"I'd kick your ass anyway, fruitcake," Johnny said over his shoulder as he walked away. That was it.

"I'm gonna kill 'im," Malcolm said as he stood up. "Hey, Johnny! What the hell are you doin'?"

"Come on, Mal, you don't want to hang out with him, he's a loser!"

"Excuse me, but that loser is my brother."

"Do you come from a family of losers then?" Malcolm pushed Johnny to the ground and the two started going at it. Everyone's attention landed on the pair. Johnny's friends only stood and watched the commotion.

"Get off my brother!" Angus stood and ran to help Malcolm in the tussle. Soon enough all three boys were fighting on the cafeteria floor.

"Hey Hannah, there's your boyfriend-not boyfriend and his brother," Talia remarked carelessly. Hannah turned around to see two kids beating the crap out of a much larger soccer player.

"Oh, freaking hell," Hannah muttered. She knew those two were gonna get it when they got home. "Those idiots."

"Alright, enough already!" An elderly woman came to the cafeteria in a rage. She ripped Malcolm away from the other two and stood him back while Angus kept hitting away. Soon he too was pulled back. Johnny lay on the floor with a bloody face. "Someone take him to the nurse!" A friend of Johnny's jogged over and helped him stand. "And I will deal with you two."

Both boys sat in the principal's office awaiting punishment. He had called their mother and explained the story. Malcolm bit his cut up lip while Angus rubbed his black eye. "This sucks," he mumbled.

"Mum's gonna kill us. And Dad'll kill us again," Malcolm said. "Not talkin' to Johnny again," he promised under his breath.

"Sorry for costing you a friend, Mal, that was the last thing I wanted to do."

"It's alright, he was an ass anyway."

"I promise, Mal, I'll make it up to you-"

"Angus, it's fine. Besides. No one gets away with insultin' my brother like that 'cept me," Malcolm smiled. Angus smiled back.

"Thanks, Mal." About five more minutes passed until the principal came back.

"Well needless to say your mother was very disappointed in you, both of you when I talked to her. She's coming to pick up the two of you early today. Johnny's mother will pick him up too."

"So-what are you gonna do to us?" Malcolm dared to ask.

"The week you get back to school you both have detention. All five days."

"All five?!" Angus cried.

"We'll be there," Malcolm assured.

"Yes you will. Now I'm sure your parents will come up with something worse so I'll leave it at that. Don't think I'm being soft." He pointed a finger.

"No sir," Malcolm said. The principal looked at him.

"Seems to me this is your first offense, Mr. Young. And I believe you started it, correct?" Malcolm lowered his head.

"Yes, sir." Angus whirled his head toward him.

"What are you doing?" he whispered. "Sir, it was Johnny's fault, Malcolm didn't start nothin'!"

"Angus!"

"What Mal, I'm helping you!"

"Jonathon Cass?" the principal asked making sure.

"Yes, sir," Angus replied.

"When I talked to him, he said you two jumped on him."

"That son of a bitch," Angus whispered.

"Angus!"

"Mr. Young, that's enough. You've been in trouble on more than one occasion, I suggest resisting the temptation to find more, am I clear?" Angus didn't answer. "Am I clear?" Malcolm elbowed him.

"Yes, sir."

"That'll be all. You better get going, your mother will be waiting." The boys stood up and left the office.

"I'm gonna kill that bastard," Angus swore.

"Angus stop! You're not gonna kill anyone! Okay? It's over. We're in trouble, he got off the hook, it's over. Just let it go."

"What the hell were you guys thinking?" a voice asked. Hannah was leaning up against the lockers crossing her arms. "Gettin' in a fight? And you Malcolm? What were you thinking?"

"Aren't you supposed to be in class?" Angus huffed at her.

"Snuck out," Hannah shrugged. "I know, I surprised myself. Thought I'd walk home with you."

"No need. Our mum's picking us up," Malcolm said.

"Well, she'll be having another one over, won't she?" Malcolm put a hand to her shoulder.

"Hannah, you really should get to class, there's no need to-"

"Look Mal, you guys are in huge trouble. Huge. You need a witness to back up your story, right?" Her eyes darted between the two.

"She does have a point, Mal," Angus said. Malcolm sighed.

"Come on then." The ride home was silent. All three kids were picked up without any word or question. That almost made it worse. But once they got inside, all hell broke loose.