Summary

True to its title, the story begins with the narrator, Danny Matz, explaining that when he was ten he and his friends were always worried about being de-pantsed by the older boys in town. This was an activity that the older boys participated in often, usually at the expense of Freddy Bird. The narrator notes that it was a bad idea to make eye contact with the older boys because "it could lead anywhere" (2). He relays an anecdote about Devin Sleverding, who was being harassed by the older boys one afternoon. The narrator had accidentally made eye contact with one of the older boys during the fight, and they took it to mean he was on their side. Devin Sleverding found a large stick and hit the narrator with it. He bled, and eventually had to have stitches.

The next thing the narrator says...