Pierced by a Sword Read Online Free PDF Page A

do the entire school a favor. Nathan mentally dubbed his plan Nathan Payne's Personal Bequest to Fenwick High School. Someone had to tame the Animal before he killed somebody.
    The next day Nathan went for a jog. He also signed up for Judo classes at a dojoin Elmwood Park. He took a job after school at McDonalds to pay for the Judo classes. Within four weeks he was running five miles a day and lifting weights in his basement for two hours a day, three days a week. He often played the theme to the movie Rocky when he lifted weights–not for inspiration, but because it struck him as funny. Yo Adrian! You don't understand! I gotta fight dis guy! Gottafight da Animal!
    Nathan decided the Fat Boy wasn't going to be fat ever again. He didn't have any close friends so there was no one to miss him after school. His only extracurricular activity was the Math Club, which met twice a month.
    Nathan took up cigarettes despite his running because he associated smoking with mental toughness–and his father. His chain-smoking father was doing ten to fifteenfor grand larceny at Rahway State Prison in New Jersey at the time of Nathan's little high school project.
    He surfaced from his reverie about George Moore. His Mustang had rapidly caught up to a truck laboring up a long, low hill. Considering the speed at which he was traveling, Nathan guided the Mustang around the truck with a deftness that belied the difficulty of the maneuver. He pulled a cigaretteout of the pack with his lips, expertly popped his Zippo in the wind despite the top being down, and stepped on the gas pedal. The needle shuddered up to ninety. The edges of a green sign glimmered as the sun rose beyond it: Notre Dame 7 Miles. Notre Dame. Knute Rockne. Rudy. Fighting Irish–the whole nine yards. Chet says it's the most beautiful campus in the country and Joanie here is from SouthBend. Maybe I'll drop in, see the place. Need gas.
    Nathan's high school memory persisted. George the Football Animal. Ten months after taking up his bequest, Nathan patiently waited for the big football player near the back of the school building.
    "Hey Fat Boy!" George sneered when he spotted Nathan, who was smoking a Kent. "See you ain't so fat no more." George laughed at what passed for a jokein George's book.
    Nathan casually flicked the butt down and ground it under the heel of one of his Converse All Stars. You can do it, Rocky! Burgess Meredith's gravelly voice rang in his head.
    The two loners were alone together in an alley of sorts, with a cyclone fence on one side and the red brick wall of the gym on the other. Nathan stood in the middle of the path. Some brown leaves from theprevious autumn scattered the dirt path that was a favorite shortcut through the woods for some students. Senior year had started a month before. Nathan had been studying George's habits for weeks. Every day the Animal walked alone down this path after football practice. Nathan felt a mixture of fear and anticipation.
    He had imagined walking up to George and insulting him, picking the fight, beatingon him for several minutes, and then calmly telling him something like, "Watch who you decide to beat up for the rest of the year, you animal." Now that the moment of revenge was upon him, Nathan waited until George was a stride away before speaking to the massive football player.
    "Stop," Nathan stated calmly but firmly.
    George stopped, looked at what he thought was a now pitifully thin Nathan,and came up with this brilliant retort, "What's your problem, Fat Boy?"
    George was in a hurry. He wanted to get home and watch his new pro wrestling video.
    With one economical but powerful motion, Nathan cracked the fingers of his left hand crisply onto the small but sensitive area just below George's nose and above his upper lip. George collapsed in pain, completely surprised by Nathan's blow.
    The Animal goes down! Just like they taught me in the dojo, Nathan thought absently. Wax on, wax off.
    Nathan stood over George's