The Thrill Kids - by Vin Packer (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The Lesson - According to Kicks . . .

Heine pointed the knife at her. ''O.K., Lady Godiva, take off the blouse.''

She stood motionless, unable to answer or move.

''Go ahead, '' Heine said. ''Take that piece-of-nothing off.''

The boy's shoulders slumped and he began to groan. ''Brace, mister!'' Bar shouted. He put a fist in the boy's gut, and the boy sank to his knees in the dirt, weeping helplessly. ''O.K., green-belly, '' Bar said. ''Stay there. Your turn comes next.''

Dazedly the girl undid her blouse. Heine reached and yanked it off her shoulders. She stood there quivering, her pink slip plain and worn. Behind them, Manny began to cough. Johnny stood rooted to the place from where he watched.

''Let the straps down, '' Heine said to the girl.

''Please. Please . . .''

''Do what I tell you.'' Heine held the knife menacingly. The boy began to pray softly in Spanish.

She raised trembling fingers to her bare shoulders and slipped the straps over them. The top of her slip and her bra fell to her waist.

''Let her go, '' Manny whispered. ''You ought to let her go now. Huh?''

''Let her go!'' Bar shouted. ''What are you worried about, mister? We're just teaching these two juvenile delinquents a lesson. Don't you understand that, mister? We're going to teach these two juvenile delinquents a lesson they're never, never going to forget.'' He drew his foot back violently and kicked the boy in the groin. ''Isn't that right, green-belly?''

The boy's scream of pain rent the air of the summer night.

About the Author

Vin Packer is the pen name for Marijane Meaker (born May 27, 1927), an American novelist and short story writer in several genres. From 1952 to 1969, she wrote twenty mystery and crime novels as Vin Packer, including Spring Fire, which is credited with launching the genre of lesbian pulp. Using her own observations of lesbians in the 1950s and 1960s, she wrote a series of nonfiction books as Ann Aldrich from 1955 to 1972. In 1972, she switched genres and pen names once more to begin writing for young adults, and became quite successful as M.E. Kerr, producing over twenty novels and winning multiple awards, including the American Library Association's lifetime award for young-adult literature (Edwards Award). She was described by The New York Times Book Review as "one of the grand masters of young adult fiction." As Mary James, she has written four books for younger children.