The Devil You Know – Episode I

WHAT’S GONE BEFORE: Welcome to the first episode of The Devil You Know. The Devil You Know is based on a play I wrote in 2009 which was put up at The Drama Studio in Springfield, MA in February, 2010 as part of the 8th Annual Winter Shorts.

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“Midas!”

Barney rested his forehead against his locker. How he had come to detest the sound of his own name.

“Midas!

It was not spoken with the nurturing tone used by his overprotective mother or the pseudo intellectual prater of his physics teacher. When spoken by Dirk Ness, star quarterback, team captain and homecoming king, it took on a malevolence that set Barney’s heart racing, caused his palms to sweat and led to the formation of little droplets of perspiration atop his upper lip; he became powerless.

Dirk’s assault on Barney had become a daily ritual since Barney’s first day at Goethe High School. Dirk had decided the ten-year-old genius was his ticket to straight A’s and a college football scholarship. So every morning for the past three months, Barney expected a visit. At first he resisted, but that only led to more pain. Barney reasoned it was just easier to do the jock’s homework.

Dirk, his entourage in tow, adjusted the cuffs of his letterman jacket, pushing them away from his wrists ever so slightly. With each step, Dirk cracked a knuckle as he approached Barney. Three huge teenagers, who comprised three-fifths of the team’s offensive line, formed a wall of beef surrounding Dirk. The goon squad was never far from his side. Barney supposed, and rightfully so, that the Tweedle Triplets imbued the quarterback with a sense of omnipotence.

Barney rocked back from his locker and turned to face his tormentor. He noted that Dirk carried a fistful of crumpled papers and suspected he was disenchanted with the content. Dirk towered over Barney, his chest resting against the ten-year-old’s head. Barney could feel the vertebra of his neck crack as he lifted his chin to peer over the top of his glasses at Dirk’s face. He was thankful his poor eyesight made it impossible to see the anger in Dirk’s eyes. The Beef Brothers stood so close that Barney felt like he was in a vise; boxed in, nowhere to run.

Dirk crushed the papers against Barney’s forehead. “B-minus, Midas, B-freakin’-minus. I told you I needed an A an’ this definitely ain’t an A. What happened to that golden touch, Genius?”

“I . . . don’t . . . know,” stammered Barney. “I . . . I tried my best.”

Artwork Credit: Matt Ryan

“You tried your best? Damn it, Midas, I need an A to stay on the team. If I’m not on the team I don’t get scouted, I don’t get scouted I don’t get a scholarship, I don’t get a scholarship I don’t get into college and I can kiss the NFL goodbye. Is that what you want, Midas, to keep me out of the pros?”

Barney lowered his gaze, his voice barely a whisper, “No.”

“Lucky for you I got a chance to bring up the grade.” Dirk nodded, and Beefie One grabbed Barney by the back of the jacket collar and lifted him to Dirk’s eye level.

“You understand I expect you to write a kick-ass essay? Triple A-plus. But first you need to learn a lesson.”

END – EPISODE I 

I hope you enjoyed the first installment of The Devil You Know and will return next week for Episode II. Please share your thoughts; I welcome the feedback.