The next Tuesday, the day of the next scout meeting, Sawyer and I skated over to the school early. I was excited, nervous and scared all at the same time. This was the first meeting Burnside was going to attend. For the past few days since he said yes, he was texting my mom and saying he had everything he needed to get signed up as our leader. He said he would meet us at the school before the meeting. I was hoping this was a turning point. Can Burnside get finally Kyle off my back? Can I start enjoying scouts now? If Burnside can give me just a little bit of help, I can start focusing on my merit badges, ranking up and getting one step closer to Eagle Scout. I think that will make my dad proud. It is hard to describe the relief Burnside gave me when he said he would help me and the troop. Because God knows none of the other adults in this crappy clique troop would not. For them it is all about forcing their kids to build a resume to get that college application complete. I may be wrong, but I just don’t buy into that crap. Why can’t it just be fun and enjoy the moment?
When we reached the school parking lot, we decided to wait outside. We learned the hard way that if we went in early, either Kyle, one of his goons, or some parent would at once start yelling at us. They would start assigning some lame task like polishing and cleaning mess kits or lanterns that have already been cleaned 100 times before.
They don’t give kids jobs that need to be done. They just assign random crap work just to keep us busy. It’s a total control thing. They act like it’s a cardinal sin to just stand around and talk to your friends. Is that really so bad? Just standing around and hanging out with your friends? I never understand why so many parents treat scouting like a mini military organization. Why the yelling? Why the control? Jesus, who cares if a kid’s shirt if a little wrinkled. That doesn’t make him a bad person. Maybe that kid has a thousand other things they must deal with. Between teacher, parents and now scout leaders, they’ve got a group of three adults all up in their business. If that kid is at home trying to take care of a sick parent, make dinner for his little brothers and sisters, get his homework done and help around the house, I don’t give a shit if his uniform shirt isn’t properly iron. At least he’s here trying to be a part of something. I’ll bet you a thousand dollars that these parents were just as sloppy and disorganized as we are. We’re just trying to get our shit together. Would a helping hand be too much to ask? Their bullshit is really nothing more than a triggered power trip triggered by a frustrated adult who feels better about themselves by low-key bullying 15-year-old kids that are just trying to figure their shit out.
Sawyer on the other hand had this big goofy grin on his face all the way here. Maybe he understands something or knows something I don’t. It’s like he already knows how this is going to go down. Or maybe he didn’t know what was going to happen. One thing I know about Sawyer, he’s happiest when chaos is about to break out. And if chaos isn’t ready to break out, he’s willing to get it started. If there ever was a kid that loved throwing a match onto a puddle of gasoline, it was Sawyer. If Sawyer gets his way, this is going to be one messed up night. And if I must admit it, I like that about him.
We kept skating around the parking lot as all the other scouts started arriving. They went in and were at once put to work. It was frustrating, I could see Kyle’s mom hovering at the door waiting to pounce on unsuspecting kids and taking the first chance to hassle them in the name of character development and discipline. Then she would hand them off to Kyle. Even out here, I could hear his whiny voice trying to act tough and yell at the kids to get to work or stand in line.
It was five minutes until the meeting started. Where the hell was Burnside? I sent a text to my mom. She hadn’t heard from him. Is he going to stand us up? Is he going to bail on us?
“Scouts! Form up!” I could hear Kyle yelling from inside the hall.
I can see through the doorway all of the kids falling into their lines.
“I said hurry up, line up! If you’re not formed up in one minute, you are all doing push-ups!” Kyle bellowed in that whiny high pitched voice of his. God, this kid was annoying. I could see his mom helicoptering around also telling the kids to get in perfect straight lines.
“Sawyer, what do we do? It’s time to go in.”
“Screw it. We can be late.” Sawyer truly just didn’t give a shit. If he was late, he was late. If Kyle yelled, he didn’t care. Sometimes I think he did stuff like this just to piss Kyle off.
Kyle’s mom was standing at the doorway and saw us standing outside.
“Boys! Your Senior Patrol Leader has called the meeting to order. Get in here now!” She cackled. Now I know where Kyle inherited his whiny voice.
“We’ll be a few minutes late. We’re waiting for a new scout.” Sawyer yelled back, not even looking at her and skating in big circles.
“You will get in here now or you will be assigned cleaning duty!” she yelled.
“Nope. You can’t do that. You’re not my leader.” Sawyer continued to skate in big lazy circles around the parking lot.
“If you are not in this meeting in ten seconds, I will not sign off on your rank advancement!”
“Nope. You can’t do that.” Sawyer retorted. This pissed her off even more. Sawyer just kept skating around the parking lot in these big lazy circles. It looked like he didn’t have a care in the world. And I could tell that was pissing off Kyle’s mom off. She at once stepped out of the doorway and into the parking lot.
Was she seriously going to chase Sawyer? What was she going to do if she caught him? Tackle him? What was she thinking? Sawyer saw her coming, laughed and sped up, kept making big circles around her. Like I said, this is Sawyer tossing a match onto a puddle of gas. Prepare for liftoff.
“Get in that meeting now! You are late. You will get punished for being late!”
“I’m not late.” Sawyer retorted. “Meeting doesn’t start for another 5 minutes.”
“Your Sr. Patrol Leader said to form up!”
“He called it too early.” Sawyer casually replied.
“I am responsible for you while you are here. I don’t want you out in this parking lot.”
Sawyer was really egging it on. As Kyle’s mom chased him in those big circles, Sawyer would slow down just to the point where she got within a few feet of him, then sped up again. Every time, she kept falling for it.
“Sorry, wrong again. My parents are responsible for me. I am out here on my own time. Meeting doesn’t start for another 3 minutes.” Sawyer kept circling and Kyle’s mom kept chasing him.
I was completely freaking out at what was happening. First, I wanted to burst out laughing while watching Kyle’s mom chasing Sawyer around the parking lot. I used to be so intimidated by her. Now she looked just like a crabby old mom trying to keep people under control. It’s the first time I realized, she’s nothing but a bully. But she’s also vulnerable. The only real power she has over us is the power we give her. And I think Sawyer understands that too. And then it hit me, the same thing goes for Kyle. He’s just an insecure kid. Just like me. But he covers it up by being a bully. Realizing that felt like a lightbulb turned in inside my head. For the first time in a long time, I felt better.
But it didn’t last long. Time was running out and Burnside still hadn’t shown up. For as much fun as we are having out here, if he doesn’t show, as soon as we step into that meeting, were fucked. If something doesn’t happen in the next two minutes, it’s all over.
In reality it was only two minutes. But in my mind, it was an eternity. But Sawyer and Kyle’s Mom were making such a racket that it caught the attention of the other scouts inside. They started to break from the ranks of lining up and started gathering at the door. The breaking of the ranks completely set Kyle off. Again, he was losing control of the meeting. Nothing could anger him more.
More and more kids were piling towards the door and laughing at the spectacle outside. As they crowded the door, they naturally blocked Kyle’s path.
He was furious and started grabbing kids by the backs of their shirts and pulling them away from the door. Kyle was grabbing some of the smaller first years so hard they were falling backwards on their ass. As they pulled away their uniform shirts ripped.
“What the fuck is your problem?” some of the older boys started yelling back at Kyle. Had he gone too far?
“Sr. Patrol Leader said form up!” a few other boys, Kyle’s goon squad, yelled back.
This troop was seriously splitting in two. Boys were yelling at each other, and chaos was starting to break out. As the yelling continued a loud whistle blew from the door way of the Scoutmasters office. Mr. Miltner was standing in the doorway of his office with a referee whistle in his hand.
“That’s enough!” he bellowed. I had never seen him angry before. This was not something I did not want to see again.
“It is 7:00pm. It is time for the meeting to begin.” He scolded us. Even though he was inside the hall, I could hear him clearly all the way out in the parking lot.
All of the boys started filing back into the hall. We all knew this meeting was going to be hell. It was over. Kyle and his mom will have their vengeance on us. I looked over at Sawyer.
“Let’s go in.” He said.
“No. I can’t do it.” I was choking back tears. I didn’t want Sawyer to see me like this.
“What? Sawyer asked.
“I can’t go in. I can’t take it anymore. I quit. They win.”
“The fuck you are. You’re not quitting. Are you fucking serious? There is no way you are quitting. We’re just getting started.”
“I just can’t do it. I know what they are going to do to us when we walk in there.”
“So, fucking what. Then stand up for yourself and fight back. We said we’re going to change things for the better. Together, remember?”
I nodded.
“Quitters don’t change anything. Let’s get in that hall. We have a right to be there and make it our own. No matter what dickless Kyle and his helicopter mom say.”
“I don’t know if I can take it.”
“You don’t have to take it. And you are certainly not going to take it alone. Seriously , dude, if you don’t walk in that hall right now…. we’re finished.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I couldn’t believe he said that.
“Dead fucking serious. Get in that meeting.”
“Dudes! Come on! Meeting is starting!” someone yelled from the doorway. It was the other guys, the rest of the Magnificent 7, Alex and Arnaub. Yeah, I know, that’s only 4 of us. But The Magnificent 7 is still a cool name for a patrol. I looked over at them waving me into the meeting. I looked over at Sawyer.
“Yes, you started this thing. And yes, it’s mostly about you. But it’s not 100% about you. This thing we’re putting together. It’s now bigger than you. Bigger than all of us. But it won’t work, if we are all not in.”
Sawyer looked me right in the eyes. It scared me a little. I’ve never seen him so serious.
“Don’t bail on me dude.”
I wiped the tears from my eyes and nodded yes.
“Good, let’s go eat some shit.” Sawyer put his hand on my shoulder and guided me towards the door. This meeting is going to suck. We are going to get our asses kicked.
