"Hey, boy." "All right." "Come on, Rowdy." "Whoa!" "Think that's a bear in there?" "It's only a rabbit." "You ain't never even seen a bear." "Whoa." "You got some imagination on you for a horse." "Come on." ""Total points each varsity season."" ""Greatest strength."" ""Most memorable game."" ""200-word essay"?" "Bridle itches you, huh, boy?" "Hungry, huh?" "Look, I don't got any carrots." "I said, I don't got any." "You got that carrot detector working full blast, don't you?" "Here." "Way you're jumping these days, nobody'd ever believe you were a cow horse." "We'll ride some more when I get back from school, OK?" " Hey, Mace?" " Yeah, here." "Hey, Mace, what happened to your 50 points before breakfast, man?" "I got to do this instead today." "You'd better get changed for school if you're gonna make it." "Doing what instead?" "It's a questionnaire for..." "I ain't gonna shout, you come in here." "I'm changing." "You told me to change." "Well, when you're done changing, genius." "That's changed?" "Can't you tell school pants from riding pants?" " You'd better get yourself washed, Tex." " Yeah, yeah." "What do you want to go to Indiana for, anyway?" "One, they got the best basketball team in their conference, if not the Midwest." "Number two, it's not in Oklahoma." "And number three, I got a shot at a full scholarship." " Are we defrosting?" " Just broke." "It's cold in here, too." "It's turned off." "I haven't paid the gas bill in a while." "What happened to all that money we made last summer?" "Oh, I blew it all on a fun-filled week in Acapulco!" "What the hell do you think happened to it?" "Food for us, food for Rowdy and Toyota, electric bill." "How far do you think a couple of hundred bucks is gonna stretch?" "Well, Pop's coming back soon, now the rodeo season's almost over." "Well, that's been another big help, Pop sending home all that fabulous money." " He did, Mace." " Four months ago." "That's not so long ago." "He's only been gone for five." "You'd better go if you're gonna make the bus." "I'm gonna ride with Johnny." "Don't worry, Pop's coming back." "See you in school." "Hello, Tex." "Go!" "Let's move it!" "You're supposed to meet me out on the road." "I'd like breakfast too, you know." "Let's go." " Tex, you left your books behind." " Hey, there's your sister." "Cole said to tell you to be home by four to help him flush his radiator." "I was gonna go out to the gravel pits today." "I'll flush out your radiator, baby!" "Hey, Tex." "Ugh, I think his horse needs a bath again." "Oh, no, see, that's just me." "I'm a quarter horse by birth." "Yeah?" "I know which part, too." "See ya." "That sister of yours is pretty." "She must be a pain to have around the house though." "We was all thinking of pitching' in and buying her a dog to be mean to." "Tomorrow we'll be talking about Paterson." "the epic poem Williams wrote about his hometown in New Jersey." "Which, who knows, may inspire one of you to write an epic about Bixby." "Now, before you all race away for lunch, let me remind you that your book reports are due on Friday." "And Tex McCormick, I don't want to see another report on Smokey The Cowhorse." " You've done it twice already." " Yeah, but I read it both times." " Read another book by the same author." " You mean that guy wrote another book?" " In the library." " Oh, wow." "See you later." "Way to go, man!" "Hey, Mace." " Ah, the heat's back on." " I went down and took care of it." "Good." "Sure wasn't looking forward to burning up the furniture." "Food!" "You left school early today, huh?" "You feel all right?" "Yeah." "I just cut the afternoon." "Mr. Supergrand cut a day's school?" "I guess that makes it OK for me to cut, huh?" "I guess it don't." "So, did you go fishing?" "No, I didn't go fishing." "I'm gonna go out the back and get Rowdy and Toyota some oats." "If they don't get fed pretty soon, they're gonna tear down the fence." "They ain't there." "If they're out in the pasture, I'd better get 'em in." " I sold 'em." " No, you didn't." "Yeah, I did, and I got a good price for 'em, too." "I'm gonna give you another chance, Mason." "Where are them horses?" "I told you." "I sold 'em." "I don't know why you think I'd start lying to you this late in life." "Ever close doors?" "No wonder I can't pay the gas bill." " Who'd you sell 'em to?" " I ain't gonna tell you." "Those people didn't pay to have some kid come bothering them." "Mace, Rowdy's mine." "You just can't sell something that isn't yours." "You can't live on no money, either." "They got a good home." "I made sure of that." " They're gone, so shut up about it." " You'd just better get those horses back." "I ain't getting them back." "We couldn't have kept feeding them much longer." "Either they would have starved or we would." "So shut up about it." " You get those horses back." " I ain't getting them back." "Tex, you better quit it." "You're strong, Tex, but you never could fight worth a damn." "Come on." " I'm gonna get my horse." " You ain't gonna find him." "Pop wouldn't have let you sell them." "If Pop was here, I wouldn't have had to." "That's the point." "Hello, Tex." "Hey, where you going?" "Hey!" "What happened to you?" "Rowdy." "What happened?" "You get hurt?" "Mace sold him." "He sold him and he sold Toyota." "I'm gonna find him and get him back." "Well, were you going home later?" "Not until I've found my horse." " Tex, that's nuts." " He's my horse." "I know, but he could be anywhere and you can't just sleep on the road." "Why don't I take Jamie home and then I'll come back and take you?" "OK?" "Look, don't you two understand English?" "He's my horse and I'm gonna find him." "I ain't going back until I find him." " No, Tex, wait up." " Get lost!" "Get in the truck." "No." "Damn it, I've had enough with you tonight." "I got a rope here." "I'll tie you up and drag you home if I have to." "He's right around here, isn't he?" "That's why you want to stop me, right?" "Yeah, he's right around here and you're gonna find him." "Then he won't be sold any more." "Pop'll come home and we'll all be happy." "And we won't have to brush our teeth or go to school ever again." "Christ, you're dumb." "Come on, get in the truck, OK?" " Hey, man." " Hi, Robert." "Johnny and sis told me what happened." " How's Texas doing?" " All right." " Heard you two had..." " Just short of a major war, yeah." "Come on in." "You know, Cole could have bought those horses for Johnny or Jamie." "Yeah, that would have completed the Collins' vast empire pretty good." "Johnny's got enough for Tex to be jealous of already, don't you think?" "Can't see where Tex'd get jealous." "Johnny's always following him around like some kinda puppy dog." " Yeah, like a rich puppy dog." " Kids don't think about money that much." "They do when you gotta sell their horse." "I didn't mean to hit him like that, though." "It's not like it was his fault." " It wasn't anybody's fault." " It sure as hell was." "It was my pop's fault." "He ditched us here." "You know, I almost quit school last quarter to get a job." "They might have let you quit school." "They'll never let you quit basketball." "I can't play basketball if I gotta get a job to take care of Tex." "Coach Jackson's got me in for a scholarship at Indiana." "Scouts don't even come to Bixby." "He's gotta send them a film of me playing." "If I make it through this season," "I'm gonna get out of Bixby and I ain't coming back." " Did we get any mail today?" " Couple more bills." "If you're hot to pay them, it's OK with me." "Nothing from Pop, huh?" "Pop would send us bills if he thought we'd pay 'em." "I think he's hoping we'll forget we got a father out there." "Yeah." "Well, he's gotta come back, specially if you're going off to college." "Hey, it's Lem." "Hey, Lem." "Hey!" "T for Texas!" "How you doing, man?" "Finally got us a man from the big city." "When did they let you out of Tulsa?" "Where's Connie?" "Oh, Connie's back in Tulsa." "She's with another man." " What do you boys feel like doing?" " Another man?" "Yeah." "They're in bed together." "Course, guy's only a couple of hours old." " You mean you had your baby?" " No, Connie did all the having." " I just paced a hole in the damn floor." " Tell your folks yet?" "No, Mason, we figured we ought to wait till we'd been married nine months." "Come on, guys, get your coats." "Let's go tell some people." "I can just see Cole breaking out the champagne." "Cole don't have to know about it." "I been in Cole's house a thousand times without him knowing about it." "Yeah, well, I guess you do have to have a few more people congratulate you." " Getting an entire woman pregnant." " I like how you put that." "Johnny says Cole's been on the warpath all week." " Hurry up, it's Cole." " Ssh!" "Open up!" "What the hell's going on?" "Will you guys be a little more hospitable here?" "We got our common law articles." " Hey, boy or girl?" " Boy." " What does he weigh?" " I don't know what he weighs." "Kid just got born, man." "We put him on a diet already?" " How about a little celebration?" " Yeah!" "Give me that!" "I'm gonna go get Jamie." " Keep it down." "My Dad's still up." " Oh, I ain't scared of Cole." "Well, good, Mace." "I'll tell him you're here." "Hey, Jamie." " Oh, I thought you were Johnny." " Well, I ain't." " Jamie, are you in bed?" " Cut it out." "Get in the closet." "Yes, Dad?" "Jamie, what was that noise?" "I think the wind blew the door shut." " I told you to leave the window closed." " I can't sleep when it's closed." "Well, you won't be able to sit if you don't." "You leave this shut, you hear?" "I'm not deaf, Cole." "Good night." "Hey, you do have a reason for being in my bedroom in the middle of the night?" "I..." "Well..." "Don't look so scared." "I got my nightgown." "I'm not scared." "Scared of what?" "Getting what you came for." "Oh, no, no." "See, Lem showed up." "He's over in Johnny and Bob's room." "Oh, yeah?" "Boy or girl?" " It's a boy." " Ah!" "I'm sitting there and this nurse comes in." "She goes, "Hey, are you gonna be like her coach in there?"" "And I says, "Her coach?" "What is this now?" "A sport or something?"" ""Compete against the other moms, who can have their kid first?"" "I said, "I'm sitting in that waiting room, and I'm gonna read some old Time magazine 20 times before I go in there."" " Hey, Jamie." " Hey, Lem." "Congratulations." " Thank you." " You get caught in a storm on the way?" "You're just lucky she didn't have it loaded with ink this time." "No, what he's lucky is that I didn't have my BB gun with me." "No, where I'm really lucky is Cole didn't catch me over there." "Whoa!" "Instant death." "You are a little young to be hiding men in closets." "I wouldn't mind if most of them stayed hid." " So, you had a boy?" " You're damn straight." "If it'd been a girl, you could have kept on trying till you got what you wanted." "Oh, Jesus!" "Don't get her started on that femalism stuff." "Feminism." "Boy, I'm glad Connie don't mess around with that stuff." "Jamie, you're a real good kid, but you don't know nothing about being a wife and a mother, so cool out, little girl." "Well, good luck, but personally I don't think the two of you could raise a cat." "You got a kind word for everybody, don't you?" "Lay off, Mace." "Kid's only five hours old, for God's sake!" "Yeah, and probably smarter than the both of you put together." " Hey, Jamie!" " Sorry." "Tell Connie I'll baby-sit as soon as I learn how to drive." " Sure, I'll tell her." " What's all that noise up there?" " Hey, congratulations." " Hit that light." "Hi, Dad." "I'm telling you, Cole jumps on those guys like a duck on a June bug." "I'd be a little bit uptight too, if I was 48 before I threw my first kid." " It's too late for you, Lem." " Yeah, right!" "Hey, listen, you boys got to come by and see Connie and the kid, all right?" "Oh, I almost forgot." "Pass around the cigars, huh?" "No, not for me." "I'm in training." "You're gonna have to teach my kid to fast break." "Listen, the next time you farm boys hit the big city, come on by." " Sure." " See you at the fair." "OK, Tex?" " Not me, but say hi to Connie." " OK, buddy." "Take care, Lem." "If you smoke that thing, don't come hollering to me in the night." "I won't." "Last time I smoked one of these, I damn near fell off my horse." "Hey, you're not going to the fair?" "It'd just be the same thing as last year." "Waste of money." "I'm going, and I'm taking the pickup." "No way." "The way you drive, you wouldn't last ten minutes in Tulsa." "You haven't got a licence, anyway." "I will drive you and I'll give you five bucks." "Don't bother asking for any more." "It's pretty neat about Lem, huh?" "Don't see what's so neat about it." "When Connie got pregnant, everybody acted like it was the end of the damn world." " I thought you were happy for them." " Oh, yeah, I'm delighted" "Man gets to pump gas all day." "He's married to a girl he could half-stand when he was going out with her." "He gets to scramble around for money." "You and Jamie, both." "I don't see why the guy can't have a baby if he wants to." "Yeah?" "Well, it looks like he can, even if he doesn't want to." "Jamie's smartass enough to make you crazy, but at least she ain't dumb." "Night." "You want to see the horses?" "No, I don't feel like checking out any horses." "You wanna hit Bill's?" "Yeah, why not?" "Yeehaa!" "If we fall out, I hope we land in the girlie show." "We can't, man." "You have to be 18." "Knock off rocking the car." "You hear me?" "You morons!" "Wait till you get down out of the car!" "You idiots!" "They don't care how bad they louse up the ride for everybody else." "If you're gonna kill yourself, you can go to the Mad Mouse as far as I'm concerned." "We burned him!" "Either that or he had a seizure." "You kids came from a sideshow or something?" " How you doing?" " Hi." "We just made a jailbreak off that Ferris wheel over there." " You guys been to the fortune teller?" " I'm not wasting my money on that junk." "He's afraid she's gonna tell him something he doesn't want to hear." " I'll pay for it." " I'll pay." "It's my own damn fortune." "Sit down, please." "Cross my palm with silver." "Oh, you want me to pay you?" " When is your birthday?" " October 22nd." "I'll be sweet 16." "Give me your palm." "Your far past." "You are a fourth-generation cowboy." "Your next year." "Change." "don't change." "Your future." "There are people who go, people who stay." "You, you will stay." ""Change" and "don't change"?" "What do you mean?" "You may think to yourself one yes-or-no question." " OK, yeah." " I am sorry." "The answer is no." "Good night, then, Tex." "Go to bed, man." "Tex, where in the heck you been?" "Just went down to this party." "Friend of Bob's." "Only stayed for a few minutes." " I think I'm sick." " I think you're drunk." "Good night." "Remember that last fight Mom and Pop had?" "Before she died?" "She ended up walking out there in the snow." "I could hear 'em shouting at each other." "You couldn't remember that." "You weren't even three years old." "I remember it anyway, or I sort of remember." "Everybody was so tall." "I wanted to go out there and stop it, but I couldn't reach up to the door knob." "And after that, I don't remember it all." "There's not much to remember." "She stayed out there a couple of hours and came back in." "A few days later, the doctor said she had pneumonia and put her in the hospital." "A few more days and that was it." "I'm gonna get some sleep." " Can you get undressed by yourself?" " Yeah, I'm fine." "Oh, my head!" "Hi, Cole." "Mace, Bob and Johnny both came home drunk last night." "Oh, no." "I'd like to know why." "Well, they were drinking, I imagine." "I know Bob, and I'm not sending him to college to be an idiot." "Now, we've got that straight." "Bob wouldn't get drunk, and if he did, he wouldn't drive." "And he sure as hell wouldn't let Johnny drink." "Well, except for them coming home drunk, that sounds fine." " Somebody got 'em drunk." " Wasn't me." "I happen to be in training, which means I'm in bed every night by 10 o'clock." "I wouldn't touch a beer if I was dying of thirst." "Why don't you ask Robert?" "I did." "He said it was his fault." "Says he took them over to some party somewhere." "Maybe he's telling the truth." "He does that sometimes." "Keeps you guessing." "Now, don't you get smart with me, Mace." "I'd like to talk to Tex, if you don't mind." "Yeah, well, I do mind." "I mind a lot, as a matter of fact." "Don't you have enough kids of your own to hassle?" " How old are you, Mason?" " 18." "I'll be 19 this summer." "I haven't seen your Pop around here much this year." "His work requires him to travel." "What is this call?" "The census?" "Two boys living out here alone without the sign of an adult." "Now, that's really something." "I bet the state welfare people would like to know about this." "And if anybody was to call at County Juvenile Bureau..." "If everybody was to mind their own business, we'd be doing just fine." "I would appreciate it if the two of you didn't associate with my kids." "Well, you tell that to them." "I don't believe that stuff." "Not associate with his kids!" "Probably afraid we're gonna corrupt 'em all." "After Bob Collins shoving everything from dirty magazines to 3.2% beer in my face my whole life!" "Tex?" " You lose something?" " It's sorta nice down here." "Cool and quiet." "Come and have breakfast under the kitchen table, so you'll be on time to get under the school bus." "You'd like that, wouldn't you?" "Anyway, I can't make it to school today." "I woke up sick." "I think I got a 24-hour virus or something." "An 80-proof hangover, that's what you got." "I can't make it through a day of school." "Everything's spinning around." "Then maybe you'll sit still for once." "Tex, I don't want you missing any more school." "Hear what Cole said about that Juvenile Authority?" "Think that ain't for real?" "You're a minor without a guardian, remember?" "I thought you were my guardian." "As far as the damned court is concerned, I'm as underage as you are." "How about if we go to Indiana, then?" "Nobody said nothing about we going to Indiana." "I don't even know if I'm going." "Coach sent them that film and I haven't heard a damn thing." "They're gonna want you, though." "I know that." "You're probably the best high school basketball player..." "Tex, I'm trying to explain to you." "We are not both going to Indiana." " Why can't I come?" " What do I with you when I'm at college?" "Where are you gonna live?" "In my locker?" "So you're gonna go and I'm gonna stay here?" "Nobody's going nowhere if you bring social workers down on our necks." "Grow some brains, will ya?" "You want to stay off some youth farm?" "Start thinking ahead five minutes." "All you care about is going off and being a big basketball star." "Well, it beats staying here and being a screwup." "OK, guys, that's it." "OK, I like it." "Oh, you added some colour to it, I see." "Good." "Be careful when you're gluing it." "Nice." "Nice texture." "Oh, yeah, I like it a lot." "Smooth that out a little bit." " How's this coming?" " Fine." "That's good." "Very good design." "Good." "I really like how it's taking shape." "That's just fine." "Grade it, quick!" "It's going fast." "You'd better grade it." "Tex, setting fire to school property is not a little joke." "I don't care what that property happens to be." "Now, what if something on that desk had caught on fire, or somebody's clothes?" "Yes, ma'am." "Were you angry with Mrs. Germanie because you couldn't do a good sculpture?" "I don't think there was any psychology involved, if that's what you're asking." "My sculpture looked better on fire." " Tex..." " No, ma'am, really." "If you'd had seen it, you'd probably agree with me." " Are you and your brother getting along?" " We're doing great." "Mason, he's always after me about eating right and studying and everything." " Have you heard from your dad?" " Oh, Pop, yeah." "When he goes away on one of his trips, he doesn't go for long." "But when he does go away, he always makes sure he sticks a little note in with the cheque that he sends us, just to let us know how he's doing." "I could suspend you for this." "I'm gonna let it pass, but please do not let me see you in this office again this quarter." "I'll probably be in there again this week." "Yeah, well, good for you." " Here." " What do you mean?" "Well, seems I can catch enough hell as it is, without going round looking for more." " You're starting to sound like Cole." " And what's wrong with that?" "You're the one who goes round griping about him all the time." "Now you sound like you believe him about me and Mace being so bad." "Tex, you leave Cole out of this, you hear?" "He's my father and I can bitch about him if I want to." "Bitch about your own, if you ever see him again." "I want to talk to you." " Sure." " No, some place a little more quiet." "When are you and Johnny gonna stop being so stupid and start talking again?" "People thought we sounded stupid even when we were talking." "Yeah, well, this is ridiculous." "It's been two weeks." "I wouldn't let a little argument get between Linda Murphy and me." "I thought your best friend was Marcie." "That was last month." "If I switched best friends every month, I guess it wouldn't matter." " But this matters to me." " You think it doesn't matter to Johnny?" "Look, he's gonna be out dirt-biking after school today." "If you two don't stop being so asinine, I'm not gonna speak to either of you." "Oh, why, that just might put me off my feed!" "You know, Tex, you really are cute." " Oh, Tex, you're so cute." " Shut up." " You're so cute." " He's so cute." "Hey, Mike." "How are you ropers doing?" " Tex, do you want a cigarette?" " No, thanks." "How come none of us was round when you jumped the creek?" "Not my fault." "Must have been Sunday." "He was crazy, man." "That little dirt bike of his?" " He'd need a 350, at least." " Fergus can't ride." "Well, I'd do it now, except I'm low on gas." "Your bike couldn't make it across the creek if it had wings on it." "What the hell are you saying?" "Hey, Johnny!" "Hey!" "Johnny!" "Anything broken?" " I don't think so." " Man, you could've been killed." " What happened?" "Run out of gas?" " He hit a bump." "Anybody can hit a bump." " Bike looks all right." " What's the matter?" "Too cold to swim?" "Let me give that bike a try." "Clear a path." "Come on, Rowdy!" "Man..." "Are you all right, Tex?" "Yeah, I'm all right." "Boy, you're crazy!" "Are you OK?" " Yeah." " Oh, look at that." " I made it." "I didn't do it with wings either." " That was great, man." "Here you go." "Um..." "I'm going in to Tulsa." "You wanna come?" "Yeah." "You think we can go see a movie?" "Yeah, maybe." "You can go while I'm at the hospital if you want." " Hospital?" " Yeah, I got to get some tests." "Drop you off at the mall." "What's with you?" "It's not cancer or anything, is it?" "Cancer?" "Think that's all people go to hospitals for, is cancer?" " Well, then, what is it?" " Probably nothing serious." "Don't worry." "If I thought it was some kind of big deal, I would've told you." "I don't lie to you, remember?" "Tex!" "Hey, Tex!" "Are you deaf, or just dumb?" " Hi." " Hi, yourself." "Bargain hunting?" "Naah." "So, what's happening?" "Going to a movie." "Cole's gonna pick us up later." " Is it a good movie?" " I don't know." "I haven't seen it yet." " That's right." " Yeah." "What are you doing here, anyway?" "I'm just killing time." "Hey, Jamie, come on." "We're already late." "Yeah, well, it certainly was interesting talking to you." "I gotta go." "See you later." "God, he is so cute!" " So, what'd they say?" " Got an ulcer." "Ulcer?" "Is that serious?" "Well, it could get serious." "Could get pretty goddamn serious, yeah." " How'd you get an ulcer?" " I don't know how I got it." "Doctor said I'm not supposed to let things get to me." "However you do that." " And I take these." " What are they?" "For pain." " You getting pains?" " Yeah, I got pains." "Last week after practice, I was spitting up blood." "Oh, no, man." "Are you gonna be able to play?" "Yeah, for the time being." "Oh, hi, Mace!" "God, I haven't seen you since forever." "Hey, Tex!" "How you doing?" "Oh, you guys haven't seen the baby yet." "Just let me tell Lem you're here, OK?" "Lem!" " It's OK, it's just Tex and Mace." " Oh, great!" "Hey, fellas, how you doing?" "I didn't think you guys would ever come visit me." " How you doing?" " Just great, man." "What do you think?" "Yeah!" "These are Daddy's old friends, yeah." "This is Tex and this is Mason." "They came all the way from Bixby just to see you." "Yeah, how about that?" "Yeah, they did." "Hey, Tex, you wanna hold him?" " Well, I never held one before." " Go ahead, he won't bite." "Here." " Be careful." " Hey, Lukie!" "Hey!" "It's kinda like holding a puppy." "Ain't much heavier than a basketball, is he?" " He's almost as round." " Don't dribble him though, OK?" "He's the one doing all the dribbling." "It's all right, sweetie." "Is he house-broken yet?" "Must be fun training him, huh?" "Tex, he's not a horse, OK?" "Oh, yeah, by the way, guys, I wanna show you something else." " We'll be right back, honey." " See you later, Luke." " See you, Connie." " Say bye, Lukie." "Say bye." "Say bye." "Yeah, it's all right." "Da da da-da da-daaa!" "When'd you get it, man?" "Couple of weeks ago." "What do you think, man?" "Gas jockeys must be getting better wages these days." "Good enough, man." "I had an eight-track in there." "Got ripped off the day I got it, though." "Yeah?" "Where?" "Over at ORU stadium." "Should have known better." "Lem, how much you been dealing?" "I'm not dealing, man." "I'm just helping some friends get hold of a little grass and speed." "No big deal." " Yeah, right." " Don't get high and mighty with me." "I'm just a go-between." "It's not like I'm out selling it on Peoria Avenue." "And I reckon you don't use it much, either." "Oh, yeah." "I'm real hooked, you know." "Next thing you know, I'll be stealing car stereos." "Come on, man." "Hey, I've seen you about as high as anybody else." "How about Joe Ray's party." "You remember that, man?" "Look, when my kid gets older, I'll cool it." "Oh." "Uh-huh." "Yeah, well, maybe it's a little bit easier on you, buddy." "You ain't got a wife and kid to feed." "You don't have people depending on you." " Come on, let's go for a ride." " What do you think he is, a baboon?" "Who?" "Me?" "It ain't a big deal, Mason." " Come on, let's go get some pizza." " No, we'd better get going back." " You wanna drive?" " Yeah." "All right!" "Come on, let's say goodbye to Connie." "When you're, like, making out with a girl, how do you know when it's OK to go any further?" "How much further you been going?" "I didn't do it going anywhere yet." "But I'm just thinking, just in case." "Uh-huh." "Well, don't worry about it." "You keep going, she'll tell you when to stop." "You planning on being the school stud or something?" "You've been going all the way, right?" "No, I never done that." " Don't tell anyone." " But I thought you and Bobby..." "Bobby hasn't gone any further than I have." "Everybody talks." "If you believe everything you hear in a locker room, you'll never wise up." "Probably had a lot of chances, though." "Right?" "Yeah, I've had plenty of chances to end up like Lem." "If you're thinking about Jamie, you might as well forget it." "Why?" "Just 'cause they got money and we don't?" "What's the difference?" "You know, money isn't everything." "It ain't the money." "Because you're Tex and she's Jamie." "Thanks a whole goddamn lot." "You wanna pick up this kid?" "We're headed for Bixby." "Step in the right direction, anyway." " How about yourself?" " Going to the state line." "Had all the 3.2% beer you can take, huh?" "Yeah, that's right." "I want me some full-proof Budweiser, so how about we just keep going to that state line?" "Let's all take it easy, huh?" "Isn't this kind of extreme?" "Sooner or later, somebody would've been going to the state line." "When you got people looking for you, you can't really wait till then, so I decided to make it sooner." "This sucker is loaded, in case you're wondering." "No doubt in my mind." " Hey, man, you OK?" " He's great." "You just keep driving at the speed limit, he's gonna be fantastic." " Nobody said let's go cruising for a pizza." " Nobody saw you." "Roll up that window." "I could've been in East Texas by now, except I had some business to take care of." "I thought I did, anyhow." "Guy keeps telling you you're just like a brother to him." "Finds out you sell enough speed to make lunch money, and he drops it down on you for five years' worth, no time off." "Somebody screws you like that, you screw 'em right back." "Right, cowboy?" "Came time to do it and somehow it just didn't seem like it was worth the effort." "He's lying there, going, "Go on, finish it off."" "Let him walk around with a hole in him." "He can whistle through it, all I care." "One more mile an hour and Stretch here gets dead." "Throw down your weapon." "Tex, duck!" " The guy had a gun on my brother." " You guys all right?" "Been an APB out on that guy." "Someone saw you drive through Bixby with him and called it in." "He just escaped from McAllister now." "I tell you what, that punk would have killed you all if he'd had the chance." "You're either real brave, real stupid or real lucky." "I've been hearing that all my life." " Is he dead?" " Yeah, he's dead." " Hey, man, are you OK?" " Oh, yeah, I never felt better." "... shootout. leaving Mark Jennings." "the escapee. dead from police gunfire." "The drug dealer killed a trustee during his escape and wounded another man." "before kidnapping twwo local teenagers." "Tex and Mason McCormick." "demanding to be driven to the state line." "Police caught up with them when Tex McCormick drove his truck into a ditch." "... he was shot. fleeing the truck..." "If it's The Clarion." "tell 'em to forget it." "Hello?" "Hey, Johnny, pretty slick, huh?" "No, no, no, I'm on now." "Get off the phone and watch." "See you later." "Hey, that's us." "Take it easy, you don't have your own show yet." "So why did you pull off the side of the road here?" "He had this gun on my brother." "I thought he was gonna shoot him or something." " Were you scared?" " Yeah." "I was scared!" "I was..." "I was really scared." "Were you scared?" "No." "I wasn't scared." "What a stupid question!" "Will you ever pick up a hitchhiker again?" "I don't know." "I don't think they're all bad. you know." "I hitchhike sometimes." "You look pretty cool." "I sound funny, though." "Tex. one final question." "Where'd you get those dimples?" "Well." "God gave me my face but he let me pick my nose." "I can't believe you said that." "And one bright note." "Mace McCormick." "the Bixby High School basketball star." "no injuries for Mace. he'll be able to suit up for the game against Eastmont." " I bet you liked that, huh?" " What's the difference?" "Tex!" "Hello?" "Hey!" "Hey, Pop!" "It's Pop." "He saw us on TV." "Pop?" "Hey, Mace, I think it's him." "It's not him." "If he left at six o'clock in the morning, he wouldn't even be here." "Hey, Pop!" "You look great." "Boy, have you grown!" "Either that or I've shrunk." " So how's the rodeo season?" " Aw, heck, I'm too old for rodeo." " So what you been doing?" " Oh, just... messing around." "Howdy, Mace." "Nice to see you're mad at me as usual." "Now, why don't we just have the explosion now and clear the air?" "All right, I've been known to explode." "Like when we hadn't heard from you and all the money was gone, and the gas got shut off and I had to sell the horses." " Sold your horse?" " Yeah, I sold my horse, and Tex's, too." "Oh, Mace, I'm sorry." "I would have thought about the money but I didn't figure on being gone so long." "I'd like to know how long you're planning on staying." " You're not giving him any reason to stay." " You just shut up." "Well, I reckon there ain't much I can say." "I quit the rodeo." "All I can say is I'll be staying." "And all you can do is give me a chance to prove it." "I'll tell you what." "Let's start off by getting those horses back." "All right!" "Well, I don't want mine back, but you can get Rowdy back for Tex." "That's a promise, son." "Come on." "You made sure I wouldn't find them, huh?" "That's all I would've needed, you getting busted for horse theft." " I want to see my horse." " Yeah, you go say hi to Rusty." "Rowdy." "Me and your brother are gonna talk the universal language to the gentleman here." "Hey, Rowdy." "They got you jumping barrels and everything out here." "I'm gonna take you home." " Hi." "Who are you?" " Well, this used to be my horse." "You're not the boy we bought him from." "Yeah, I know." "That was my brother." "See, it was an accident." "He wasn't supposed to sell it, but he didn't know." "Well, we knew we were buying him." "My dad paid for him fair and square." "I know." "So he's my horse now." " Did you used to ride him western?" " Yeah." "I ride him jumping." "He really seems to like it." "I used to jump him." "We used to go out in the fields though." "We used to jump big logs." "I showed him at a show a couple of weeks ago." " Yeah?" "How'd he do?" " He took a third." "I had a pony before, but he died." "He's really been a good horse, once we got a little weight off him and we got his coat in shape." "He's real smart for his age." "Never did much show riding with him." "I didn't think I'd want another horse until I got him." " Right, Gentleman?" " Gentleman?" "He likes you." "Yeah, I know." "I guess you heard too." "They don't want to sell him." "Save your damn breath." "Where's Pop?" "Let's get outta here." "Still saying goodbye." "Turns out the guy's a real rodeo fan." "Great." "I'm gonna get you for this." "I hate you." " Let's go, boys." " I'm gonna get you back for this." "I haven't been this mad at anyone in my whole life." " Yeah, well, you're young yet." " Shut up." " You get him out of there!" " We got him." "I gotta see how he is." "Bixby Spartans!" "Bixby Spartans!" "You OK, boy?" "It's a miracle you stayed in there as long as you did." "Those guys wanted to hang your head in the hunting lodge." "Try bending it now." "Slow." " They gonna bench that damn clown?" " Yeah." "And you too, I guess." " It's not too serious." " Can I go back in?" "No way, Mason." "I'm sorry, you won't be playing again for a couple of weeks." "It doesn't matter." "Indiana never sent that application." "Yep." "Deadline's next week." "I'm sorry, Mace." "You deserved it if anyone did." "Yeah, well, I guess a full grant was a pretty steep order for a Bixby farm boy." "Hey, Tex, wanna trade clothes and shoot a few baskets?" "Sure, Mace." "Take it easy now." "You're no good to anybody with a messed-up right arm." "Is this your boy?" "Don't know yet." "Don't know how much he's gonna cost me." "I didn't know a quarter horse like you'd come up with such a lanky racer." "His momma was a thoroughbred." "That's it." "Just keep it in." "Hold it right like that." "Tighten up here." "What time are you meeting Johnny and Bob?" "In an hour at the carwash." "We got time for a Coke or something." "They sell Cokes round here?" "Well, you had a Coke at the game, and I ain't thirsty." "What are you if you aren't thirsty?" "Um..." "I don't know." "It feels kinda weird." "Yeah." "Hey, Jamie..." "I think I love you." "I think me too." " What's the matter?" " I'm not ready for that." "I mean it." "What did you let me get started for, then?" "How was I supposed to know you were gonna be in such a hurry?" " I was curious." " Curious?" "I'm burning up over here." "You're curious." "Tex, right now I think you're the only boy I'll ever feel this way about." "But how am I supposed to know?" "This last year has been so crazy." "One minute I hate everybody and if they don't like me, they can just go jump." "The next minute, I love everybody and I'm scared maybe they don't love me back." "Maybe Cole's right." "Maybe I am too young to get messed around." "But I tell you, I'm confused enough these days without throwing sex in the deal." "I wasn't thinking of this as just sex." "How about when we get older?" "Maybe we could get married or something." " I can see me marrying you." " You could?" "Yeah." "It would last about a year." "Guess old Mason was right." " What?" " It's like that fortune teller said." "You're one of the ones that's going." "Yo, Tex, do you think this is worth it?" "They're not gonna find out who did it." "Even if they do, what are they gonna do?" "Send us down the principal's office for a lecture?" "There, that's the last one." "Come on, I don't want to miss the fireworks." "OK, folks, let's get it together here." "I know everybody's a little nutty this week, but there is life after finals." "So let's get everything off our desks except for pen or pencil, and two pieces of loose-leaf paper." "Cathy, somebody has put caps in the typewriters." "And you two were laughing just a little bit too early, weren't you?" "Who, me?" "Well, you boys must think it was so nice of the county to build this school just so you could have your fun, play your little jokes." " Hello, Mr. Collins." " Mrs. Johnson." "I might have known you'd be behind this." "Ever since the first day you came round, I knew you'd be trouble for Johnny." "And I've been getting awful sick of you getting Johnny in all these messes." "You ought to be just as sick of Johnny getting Tex into 'em." "I'd say it's 50-50." "Well, hello, Mason." "I don't recall inviting you to this meeting." "Don't you have a class now?" " I didn't know if my dad was coming." " She called him." "He'll be here." "Tell me the truth." "Was this your idea or Johnny's?" "It was my idea." "And the time they threw that shopping cart off that roof into that pool, that was Johnny's idea, as I recall." "I told you this friendship was just gonna keep lousing you up." "Now, I want you to promise me that you'll end it right now." " No." " What?" "No, sir." "Mr. Collins, just so you'll know." "I'm gonna suspend both of these boys for the next three days." "They can make up their quarter finals, but I'm gonna take 10 points off each of the tests, and I'm gonna recommend that the high school put them in separate classes." "Well, I would think that's the least you'd want to do." "When I get this one home, I'm taking a lot more off of him than 10 points on a test." "You come with me." "Hey, Cole Collins, where you been keeping yourself?" "I been keeping myself at home, taking care of my family." "You ought to try that sometime, if the demand for rodeo clowns slows up." "Come on." "Appreciate your coming down, Mace, and I really do think..." "Hey, everybody." "What seems to be the charges against this here outlaw?" "Well, what we did was, we put some of those caps on some typewriter keys." "Start the day off with a bang, huh?" "That sounds like one of them crazy things I used to do when I was a kid." " You were the one that told me about it." " That's right." "If you'll excuse me, Mr. McCormick, I think I'd like to talk to Tex in private." "I'm sorry." "I didn't think this would cause this much trouble." "You'd better start thinking, because there are no more free chances." " You know I almost expelled you today?" " Really?" "I've considered it before, but I haven't done it because I like you." "But I also like having a halfway decent school." "If you make me choose, I'm gonna choose the school, aren't I?" "Yeah." " I want to talk to you about a job." " Huh?" "Mr. Kencaide, over at the Kencaide Quarter Horse Ranch, he called, asking about hiring some kids for summers and after school." "Does that interest you?" "He's not looking for any bronco busters, just somebody to look after the horses." "And for some godforsaken reason," "I thought you might behave responsibly in a job like that." "What do you think?" "Yeah, it might be all right." "Just don't make me sorry I recommended you." "Well, I take horses real serious." "I hope so, Tex." "I hope there's something you take seriously." "Because it may be the only thing that'll save you." "OK, you heard my punishment." "You can go on home now." "Take your family with you." "You know better than that." "I was never one to go to PTA meetings." "So you can't take Tex serious, you don't care what happens to him." "Yes, I do." "How do you think I feel when I see you be nice to him like he's some puppy?" "I'm the one that's gotta look after him." "What's gonna happen when I go away?" "Make it easier on me, at least!" "He's my brother, even if he's not your son." "Who told you that?" "Nobody had to tell me." "I know when you went to prison and I know when Tex's birthday is." " Is that true, Pop?" " Tex, listen..." "Tex, I didn't mean it like that." "I'm gonna split." "I'll see you guys later." "Jesus, Mace!" "Hey, Tex!" "Tex!" "Hey, kid!" "Hey!" " Man, where are you going to?" " Wherever you're going, Lem." "Well, that's OK by me 'cause I'm bored, man." "Let's get out of here." "Can't you make this thing go any faster?" " Yeah." " Let's do it." "Back there, I was looking for Dwayne Kirkpatrick, trying to buy some of that third-generation homegrown he's got." " You seen him?" " No." "I get a hundred bucks a lid for that stuff in Tulsa, man." " Hey, I gotta make a stop here." " Make it." "Actually, I'd kinda like it if you went in there with me." "A couple of deliveries got switched and I got to go explain to these guys." "And I think it would be smart if I didn't go in there by myself." " I don't care." " Be nice if you looked a little meaner!" "I think it's gonna work out OK." "If there's any hassle, we'll just split." "You must have burned these guys pretty bad?" "Burned them?" "Who do you think you're talking to, man?" "A nice guy like me?" "It's just a mix-up, like when a computer sends you a bill by mistake." "I'll work it out." "If there is any hassle, they'll be sorry." "I really feel like making somebody sorry." "Kid, I like your attitude." "Hey, man." "I was starting to wonder about you." "Who's your friend?" "He's a connection from out in Dixie, man." "He's cool." "Tex, this is Kelly." "Kelly, Tex." "Tex." "Would you excuse us?" "Why don't you just make yourself at home?" "I'm really sorry about this mix-up." "Mix-up?" "Hey, man, don't come in here talking about any mix-up." "You owe us." " Man, I thought we were pretty square." " I don't know how you got that." "I don't think you're quite aware how things are done around here." "Now, you're not hanging out in some schoolyard out in cowtown." "Now, those kids out there, man, you give them something gives them a headache and they think they're high." "But this is Tulsa and we got ways of doing things." "I know that." "You come into town and ten minutes later, you're everybody's best friend." "And then ten minutes after that, you're pulling a burn." "I don't like it." "Kelly, I admire the sense of high drama you have in your life, but you're crazy." "I didn't expect you to come without a couple of ounces of clean crystal, and not some garbage about a mix-up." "An honest mistake." "Look..." "You come around here with some samples and then you come back with the delivery." "And that delivery is crap." "Now, that is no mix-up, man." "That's a burn." " What do you think we are?" "Stupid?" " Now you just wait one minute." " We have been waiting a week, man." " Keep it down, man." "Listen, I'm getting out of here." "This guy's nuts." " What do you think you're doing?" " I told you already." "I'm leaving." "Then he's gonna narc!" "He's gonna narc!" " He's not a narc, Kelly!" " You're not going nowhere, pal." "Hey, Kelly, it's cool." "Really." "Come on, man." "Hold it right there." "Jesus Christ, man." "OK, look, man." "It's cool, OK?" "Everything's cool." "We'll be cool, and you be cool." "Just leave, OK?" "I'm gonna kill him." "Tex, you don't want to kill him." "Let's split, let's get outta here." " Not till I settle up with him." " You have settled up, Tex." "Texas, come on, man, let's go." "OK, we're leaving." "You wanna stop us, you're both dead." "It's OK, it's cool." "Everything's OK." "That's a nice bunch of friends you hang out with." " Jesus, what if he hadn't missed you?" " But he didn't." "Oh, my God, man!" "Great, man!" "This is fantastic." "What am I gonna do?" "What do you got to be mad about, Lem?" "Man, I got to get you to a hospital." "They're gonna ask all kinds of questions, call the cops." "What if they want to look in the car, man?" "I got stuff in the trunk." " Get the hell outta here." " Hey, what are you doing, Tex?" "Tex, what are you doing, man?" "Get outta here!" " Hello?" " Hi, Jamie." "It's Tex." "Yes?" "I can't remember my phone number." "Do you..." "I don't know my own number." "Do you..." "Do you know my number?" "Tex. are you drunk or something?" "No, I just got shot." "Listen, I gotta talk to Mace." " Did you say you got shot?" " Yeah, one of Lem's doper friends." "Tex. is this some kind of a joke or something?" "No, sir." "Listen, can I talk to Jamie?" "Tex. where are you?" "Um..." "I'm over at the shopping centre, across the street from..." "It's the hotel that looks like the castle, you know?" "Tex. hang up the phone." "Tex, come on, man." "Come on, let's get you to a doctor, man." "Come on." "Is Tex McCormick here?" " How much blood has he had?" " 1500cc." "We're taking the x-rays to surgery, doctor." " Surgery ready?" " Yeah, they just called." "Hey, Mace." "I don't hate you, man." "I don't hate you." "I..." "We got some signs of life here, Mace." " Hey, I want a Coke." " He's OK." " Don't move your arm." "You're gonna pull that thing loose." " What is this?" " That's to help you grow more blood." "Just lay it down and be still now." "Relax." "Hey, look, Tex." "I'm gonna hold off on that college stuff for a while." "A year or two, maybe." "Pop's got a lot of travelling to do, and I can't exactly see leaving you while you're still in high school." "So you're gonna be stuck with me for a little while longer." "Mace, how about giving me and Tex a little time here, will you?" "Yeah, I'll get you that Coke." " I want to tell you about your momma." " Look, you don't have to, Pop." "Be still." "I figure the truth will be better than what you might be thinking." "Now, it's not just the bootlegging business I got mixed up with." "Clare never wanted anything to do with that." "She'd just say, "Sooner or later, sure as hell, you're gonna get caught."" "She was right." "They busted me when Mace was just about two." "So when you were in prison she was out screwing around?" "Don't talk about your momma that way, boy." "She was 19, she was alone." "I was sitting in prison with my back to the wall." "That was real smart, wasn't it?" "Anyway, she told me she was gonna have a kid." "And when I got out, I wanted her back anyway." "She never cared anything about that guy." "She was just trying to get even with me." "She was sorry for it later." " Sorry for it, huh?" " I don't mean for having you." "She always loved you just like she did Mace." "You paid more attention to Mace than me." "Was that why?" "I reckon." "You look plum tuckered out there, Tex." "You get some rest, boy." "Get some sleep." "Mason's gonna come by and see you tomorrow." "He ain't going nowhere now, so he'll have a lot of time to come and see you." "Behave yourself, boy." "This where they keep the bodies?" "Hey, Tex." " Hey, Mace." " Sir." " Congratulations." " Thanks." "For what?" " Indiana want you." "Full scholarship." " What are you talking about?" "You don't look very pleased." "They only gave you the red carpet." "But I never even applied." "They didn't even send me an application." "Well, you got in." "I presume you are going?" " Well, yeah." " Congratulations." "You deserved it." "That guy I talked to in admissions says you've got good taste in reading." "Smokey The Cowhorse is his favourite book, too." "Hey, there, long, tall Mace." "What brings you out to the old spread?" "Thought the country air might clear my head." "I keep doing things and then plumb forgetting about 'em." "Seems I wrote myself an application a while back to go to some fancy university-type college back east in Indiana." "What did they say?" "It seems I'm in!" "Great." "The only thing I can't figure out is how I got through the essay part." "Well, like you said, Jamie Collins, she ain't dumb." "You guys gonna take the classes for me, too?" "I'm sorry, Mace." "I guess I could have screwed you up pretty good." "Yeah, well, you had reason to be mad at me." "I don't know." "I think I was mostly scared." "I mean, running off and everything." "I thought I'd stay around here and go to JC a while." "Then it wouldn't matter if Pop evaporated again." " He's not a bad person, Mace." " Yeah, well, he ain't much of a father." "Well, you ain't, either, and you've been trying longer." "No, you gotta go." "If you stay, you'll hate me in a couple of years." "Well, listen, I gotta get back to work." "Take care." "Hey!" "Want to go fishing tomorrow?" "Nah." "You'd better practise." "It's rough where you're going." "Yeah, well, it's pretty rough where you're staying." "But I'll make it."