Dead Hunt Read Online Free

faces.
    “You...punched…Connors?” the principal asked
in slow, steady syllables, equally as stunned.
    “Yes, sir,” Michael said rubbing his hand.
“It was like punching a tree.”
    The other two boys chuckled. The principal
shot a dirty look their way. Mr. MacIntyre had a weird looking vein
on his forehead that was just below his receding hairline, and
whenever he got mad, the vein seemed to stick out a little further
and grow a little longer. Right now it looked as if the vein was
throbbing.
    The boys stopped laughing.
    The principal looked from Michael to Paul and
back again. He said nothing for what seemed like an eternity before
turning to Wade.
    “What do you have to say, Mr. Adams?” When he
used 'mister' you could tell he was pissed, just not necessarily
pissed at you.
    “It’s like my mate said, Mr. MacIntyre,
self-defense.”
    The principal was not buying it.
    “Care to explain why you hit Connors?” he
asked Michael.
    “I don’t like him.”
    Paul and Wade tried to hide a smile. It
didn’t work.
    “Something funny, gentlemen?”
    “No, sir,” they replied in unison.
    “Listen, Michael,” the principal took on a
more understanding tone, “just tell me what really happened and he
is out of here. You do not have to be afraid of Connors.”
    Michael looked directly into the principal’s
eyes.
    “If I was afraid of him, I wouldn’t have hit
him.”
    Paul hid a laugh behind a cough; Wade turned
his head to hide his smile. Michael was making it real hard for the
two of them to not burst out laughing. If that vein in MacIntyre’s
head throbbed any more it might explode.
    Michael could be cocky when he wanted to be,
and it was obvious he was not the least bit intimidated by the
principal’s cold stare.
    MacIntyre leaned back in his chair and stared
at the three boys. He did not care how good a football player
Connors was, he was a bully and he wanted him out of his school. He
finally had his chance to expel him, but Michael was making it
difficult. He did not want to expel a top student like Michael
because he finally had the courage to stand up to a bully, and
there was no way he was going to send Wade back to Australia for
defending himself.
    The problem was that, if he left those two
off the hook, he had no choice but to give up his chance to expel
Connors.
    “Well, Connors,” he finally announced, “looks
like you got a Get Out of Jail Free card.” He paused as he stared
hard at Paul. “This time.”
    He stood up and walked to the front of his
desk, looking at Michael.
    “I trust you’ve got that out of your system
and are through punching students?”
    “Yes, sir,” Michael replied.
    “The three of you report to detention, now!”
MacIntyre ordered. “And Connors, I trust there will be no
retribution on your part.”
    “Nope, I’m good.” Paul answered with a
smile.
    Everyone doubted that answer.
    “What about you?” the principal asked,
looking at Wade.
    “No worries, Mate.”
    “Good. If I hear that the three of you
decided to resume your little shenanigans, you are all suspended.
Do I make myself clear?”
    They nodded.
    “Don’t think for a minute that you are
fooling me with this ridiculous story,” MacIntyre told them, “So
all three of you can consider yourselves on probation. That means I
don’t care if it’s on school property or not, if I hear you were
fighting, you are all expelled. Got it?”
    All three nodded again as MacIntyre growled,
“Now get out of here.”
    They left the office and one of the teachers
who helped break up the fight escorted them to detention. When
MacIntyre was sure they were out of earshot he let out the laugh he
was suppressing.
    “Michael punched Connors! I would have paid
to see that!”

    Detention hall was empty and all three boys
sat, arms folded, without saying a word. Eventually the teacher
grew bored with the silence and stepped out of the room. They
always did.
    “Why?” Paul asked in a flat, monotone
voice.
    The other