RICHIE - CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO (Twitter Novel / Keitai Shousetsu)

so a couple of days later the
g5 goes missing from the
common room which is weird
cuz it wasnt the memory card

or one of the games but the
entire system which doesnt
make any sense cuz first off
how could someone hide it
and secondly

no one could use it in their
room or something without
everyone knowing but either
way its gone and after school
cuddy and nulles

and a few of the physical
plant workers come to the
dorm and start doing room
searches looking for it and
none of the guys object at all

including me and they go
through almost like
apologetically and when they
actually find something like
porn

or weed or a bottle of vodka
cuddy just goes like –watley
take care of this- or
–malachowski i dont want to
see this again-

and they just move on not
even taking the stuff they
found which is kinda crazy to
me but the physical plant
guys are

totally stone faced they just
seem to be there to like
lift mattresses and stuff and it
feels super weird when they
go through my room

but they dont find anything
and cuddys just like all
sheepish –sorry- and im like
–its cool- and nulles just
stands there with his

red glasses and tight little
mouth all creepy and shit and
they just move on to the next
one and all of us just kind of
follow

from room to room and
watch all clustered around the
doorways as they do exactly
the same thing to everybody
and find no g5 of course

but then they get to richies
room and it gets like tenser
cuz i think a lot of the guys
here think richie did it even
though

i know thats absolutely
ridiculous but when were all
standing at his door frejean
goes to tyshawn –he
definitely did it

-he hates video games- and i
go –why the fuck would he
steal the g5 if he hates it so
much- and frejean looks over
his shoulder at me

like im retarded -so none of
us can play it dumbass- then
he looks at tyshawn shakes
his head and looks back into
the room

where cuddy and nulles and
the physical plant guys are
standing in front of richies
bed taking up almost all of
the available space

and richies sitting on the bed
with his arms folded and
cuddy smiles at him -richie
you know what were doing
here may i take a look

-through yr room for the
missing g5- richie smiles
back -no you may not-
cuddy mustve been expecting
this cuz he just goes

-why would you respond to
my request in that manner i
wonder- and richies smile
nearly breaks when he says
-because its invasive

-because its condescending
because it betrays trust-
cuddy raises his eyebrows
-trust- richie says –yes

-you should just ask me if i
did it id say no why the hell
would i you trust me the
end- cuddy gestures briefly
back at all of us

at the door -none of yr
classmates had any problem
with the search- and richie
looks away shrugs looks
back

-maybe they didnt think it
through clearly enough- and
someone not frejean shouts
from the back -let him look
asshole- and a few

guys laugh cuddy turns
shakes his head gestures with
his hand silence again his
tone is regretful -you know if
you dont let us search

-and all yr classmates do-
breathes -the finger of
suspicion will remain pointed
at you rightfully or not- tilts
his head

-can you withstand that sort
of pressure- and richie
doesnt even acknowledge the
threat -sure because i didnt
do it and you

-and everyone else should
believe me when i say that-
and cuddy is about to go on
when his eye is caught by
something on the bed

-is that yr teddy bear richie-
and richie smiles -sure is
thats ah pook the destroyer-
and nulles grunts and cuddys
face falls

-did you spray paint the wall
in the commons richie- and
richie doesnt look away but
doesnt respond either cuddy
steps closer

-did you take my car richie-
and richie looks away and
cuddy nods bites his lower lip
-okay i think were done
here-

then goes to turn away but he
is stopped again by all the
salinas school shooting stuff
taped up on richies wall he
gestures to it

-do you think this is
appropriate- and richie looks
up at the wall then back to
cuddy -i didnt know we had
to clear

-our room decorations with
you too- cuddy nods -room
decorations hmm- turns to
the physical plant guys -lets
move on- and they backtrack

through us at the door but
nulles stares at richie for a
few moments seething and
richie just stares back until
nulles grunts

turns on his heel and
steamrollers through the door
after hes gone the guys pour
into the room tyshawn goes
-were gonna get you

-you fucking asshole- and
frejean points at richie
-fucking dick that g5 better
be back tonight- richie clicks
his tongue and shrugs

and everyone else leaves but
me i ask him -what was that
all about- and richie starts
sorting a pile of books on his bed

-im just not gonna put up
with that kind of shit- and i
go -but if you let them look
they wouldnt have found
anything

-and this would already be
over for you now everybody
thinks you did it- richie sighs
-yeah i know but i didnt- and
i think for a minute

-is this like a principle thing-
and richie straightens up
looks at me -yeah its like a
principle thing-

i sit down on the other end of
the bed and start looking
through the books -you
know everyone thinks im an
asshole

-for even hanging out with
you- and he scoffs -so dont-
and i find this book by phillip
k dick and leaf through it

while richie keeps sorting and
silently making little stacks
of books between us on the
bed