The boy s buzzcut swirled out like a tiny universe whose only limits were two stubby ears. For weeks Joey had been trying to stir up the bravery to say something to him, until his math teacher asked what was so distracting. New school, new town, new home, new league. Pick one, lady. Wrestling, Ma am.
Tryouts start today.
A month later, Joey got his first pin on his new team, the Little Falls Colts. He jumped in the air and the buzzcut, who was called Dink, caught all 126 pounds of him just like at the Olympics, except it was just an exhibition match with only about forty people watching, including all the other wrestlers, coaches, the ref, the mat maids, the janitor. Anyone among the few dozen people in the stands was somebody s family, which included Joey s father and brother. By the next Monday, which was the day after Halloween, his win was just history. Other guys had won.