We should have played video games.
Freddy, Aaron, Seth and I were in the river playing ‘kill the man with the ball’. The game, like our summer vacation, had no real rules. It was simple, whoever had the ball got tackled.
Freddy fell to our attack. He thrashed in the water, laughing as he held the ball tight. I grabbed his legs and held on for dear life. It took as much strength to keep my head over the water.
“Give it up, Freddy. You’re down,” Seth said. His voice held annoyance. He was always irritated at something. He struggled to hold Freddy’s left arm.
“Let me go before I get pissed off.” Freddy’s temper was legendary. Psychiatrists would later say it was from his father’s abuse. It made perfect sense to us.
I let go and so did Seth. Aaron put a knee on Freddy’s chest. “Let go of the ball, Freddy.”
Aaron and Freddy had been involved in a silent war for power of the group. This was Aaron’s play—his chance to seize control.
Freddy sank under Aaron’s weight and his face went below the surface.
“Let him go, Aaron,” I yelled.
“No Louie. He has to drop the ball.” Aaron’s jaw was clenched and his eyes were locked on the muddying water over Freddy’s head.
Freddy’s body went limp and the ball popped up out of his arm. Aaron stood up and grabbed it. “Looks like I’m it.”
Freddy leaped out of the water, gasping for breath. He hunched over, his dripping hair hanging over his face.
“You okay, Man?” I asked.
Freddy turned his head and looked at me. His lips curled up in a grin that chilled me deep inside. “I’m fine. Let’s kill the man with the ball.”
“Maybe we should just quit.” Seth had obviously sensed the same danger. “We could go to my house and play video games.”
“I—want—to—play.” Freddy ran after Aaron who bolted. He didn’t let go of the ball.
Seth and I watched as Freddy overtook Aaron. He jumped on his back and pulled him into the river. He put both knees on Aaron’s back and grabbed the other boy by the hair. Seth and I ran to them.
“Kill—the—man—with—the—ball.” Freddy screamed the words in a relentless chant, over and over again. Each syllable was punctuated with slamming Aaron’s face into the river bed.
“Stop it,” I screamed.
Seth tackled Freddy off of Aaron. The two rolled in the shallow waters in a frantic struggle.
I hurried to Aaron’s unmoving body. I rolled him over and pulled his head over the water’s surface. Blood flowed from a number of head wounds.
He coughed and threw up. “That boy is psycho,” he said.
A moan of despair turned our heads. Freddy was beside Seth, cradling his head. We got up and went to them.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.” Freddy sobbed, uncontrollably.
Seth was silent. His unblinking eyes stared up at us. That lifeless stare still haunts me.