"Guess what?" Billy shouted. "I raped you!"
I turned around and saw him standing there by the car, looking hurt and
angry but not as tall as usual. I searched my mind for a cutting
comeback, but since I didn't know what. "rape" meant, all I could think
to say was. "Big deal!"
At home I looked up the word in the dictionary. Then I looked up the
words that explained it, and though I still couldn't figure it out
completely, I knew it wasn't good. Usually, when I didn't understand a
word, I'd ask Dad about it, and we'd read over the definition together and
discuss it. I didn't want to do that now. I had a hunch it would cause
problems. The next day Lori, Brian, and I were sitting at one of the
spool tables in the depot, playing five-card draw and keeping an eye on
Maureen while Mom and Dad spent some downtime at the Owl Club. We
heard Billy Deel outside, calling my name. Lori looked at me, and I
shook my head. We went back to our card game, but Billy kept on, so
Lori went out on the porch, which was the old platform where people
used to board the train, and told Billy to go away. She came back in and
said. "He's got a gun."
Lori picked up Maureen. One of the windows shattered, and then Billy
appeared framed in it. He used the butt of his rifle to knock out the
remaining pieces of glass, then pointed the barrel inside.
"It's just a BB gun," Brian said.
"I told you you'd be sorry," Billy said to me and pulled the trigger. It felt
like a wasp had stung me in the ribs. Billy started firing at us all,
working the pump action quickly back and forth before each shot. Brian
pushed over the spool table and we all crouched behind it.
The BBs pinged off the tabletop. Maureen was howling. I turned to Lori,
who was the oldest and in charge. She was biting her lower lip, thinking.