"A Loss in the Neighborhood" Chapter Three

Ed made it down to my house around eight pm. Much to my horror while he was making his way over, I found out my mother didn't mean she was serving us ice cream. We were walking there...Together. Sigh.
We were about six blocks from Mr. Dipper's Ice Cream Shack when I finally spoke to Ed.
"You hear?"
""Yeah." Ed looked at me. You don't have a prayer. Look don't get me wrong, I"m on your side, but you gotta save face man, just think what would happen to your already weak reputation!"
I punched him on the shoulder. "What do you mean already weak reputation? When have I ever not done what I said I was going to."
Ed stopped walking, while my mother continued on.
"Well, there was that one time you said you'd jump off the roof last winter and you didn't." I looked at him. "And then you said you'd ride your bike off the ramp we made a couple of months ago and you didn't, but I told everyone you did. And the one time--"
"Okay, I get the point! Geez, Ed." We started walking again.
The problem with having a best friend, was that they knew all about you, even the little things that you didn't want to remember.
"I see your point. Well I did have a plan...if all else fails I did have a back up. Crap."
We were approaching the Ice Cream Shack, and there in front of us were four boys on skateboards. There was Miguel Phillips, Jimmy what's-his face from the Arcade, a large black kid I didn't know and in the front...Jose Morales.
I tried my best to not be noticed and went over to one of the tables with Ed. We put our back to Jose's gang.
"Don't call any attention to us, hey mom?"
She nodded and went off to order the ice cream.
"Man, you are going to eat up that little punk tomorrow, right Jose?"
I didn't know who this black kid was, or why he was hanging out with Latinos, but this guy sure had a big mouth.
"No Bobby, ain't going to be nothing like that, its just a friendly competition. We used to be pretty good friends, Rico and I."
I suddenly felt about two inches tall. He went on.
"He's pretty good, if I win tomorrow, its probably just because he doesn't have the time to come down to the arcade like I do."
I stood up to go over and say hi. Why not, he was being so...so...nice.
"You know he tried to beat you the other day," Jimmy went on, "he only got like two million or something like that."
Jose seemed surprised. It must have been news to him. I walked closer.
"Well...that's because he's a stupid punk, mommy's boy!"
I quickly went to my seat and sat back down. I was humiliated, but it would have been a whole lot worse if I had approached them.
"Richard and Eddie, what kind of ice cream did you say I wanted again?"
Parents! We tried to ignore her, but finally she came over and asked us. After telling her we wanted cookie dough, she left again, and Jose made his way over with his posse.
"Well, well, if it isn't Rico and Ed. Or should we say Richard and Ed-die!" Miguel said.
"Oh, uh, hey guys." I managed to spit out. I was horrified. What was I supposed to do now?
"Hey Rico, you ready for our competition tomorrow?" Jose knew that he was going to win, but still even with the hurtful stuff he had said earlier, he didn't rub it in.
Eddie responded faster than I could. "You won't even know what hit ya, Jose!"
"Oh look, he's got somebody to do his talking for him! You little patsy!" Jimmy was about to go on, but apparently realized that he filled the same role for Jose and thought better of it.
"Anyway," Jose pressed on, "I can't wait to see you then. I'm going to enjoy this!"
With that he sped off on his skateboard, Jimmy, Bobby, and Miguel in hot pursuit. He waved back at us once.
I was actually having a really hard time hating the guy. I mean, here he was my main competitor and I should be psyching myself up to beat his brains in Blasteriodz, and I really can't get mad at him. He just had a certain sense about him. He's so...cool.
"Here you go guys! Two cookie doughs for my baby and his friend."
I swear she couldn't get worse timing if she tried.
"Thanks mom," I said dryly.
"Thanks Mrs. Waters," Ed chimed in.
With that we were on our way, and back to the house. I tried to put the whole thing out of my mind, but then I realized, I had only 18 hours left before my social death. My mother went to the backyard to turn on the sprinkler.
"Rico," Ed said to me once we returned to the front doorstep. "You never got around to telling me exactly what your plan was to have a shot at this thing. You know I love ya like a brother, but you don't have any chance at this contest."
"I've got a secret weapon." I replied and with that we went inside to the kitchen.