Chapter 2 Summary

It is six years earlier, and Rusty-James is fourteen. He is playing pool at Benny's, the hangout for junior high kids, when Midget, a tall, skinny kid, runs in to tell him that Biff Wilcox is looking to kill him. It's over something Rusty-James said to Biff's girlfriend Anita, which their friends B.J. and Smokey agree was true, though it turns Steve and Midget red to hear it.

Rusty-James is annoyed Biff wants to kill him for such a stupid reason—if it were something big, he would not mind so much. He gets some chocolate milk from the counter and sits down with Midget. Everyone else gathers around. Midget tells Rusty-James that Biff wants to meet him in the vacant lot behind the pet store. Smokey says Biff probably will not come alone, and Rusty-James says he will not, either. Steve...