Back to the Future Part II (17 page)

Biff stopped the car. Even in the well behind the seat, Marty could see the upper storey of the high school across the parking lot. Biff climbed out. Marty waited a minute, then cautiously raised his head so he could see over the side of the convertible.

Biff was headed for the back entrance to the gym. God! Marty thought. He never thought he would say this, but he was really glad to see Hill Valley High whole again, and not that bombed-out hulk he’d found in that other 1985.

Wait a minute! Biff had left the sports book behind. It was still sitting on the dashboard. Marty couldn’t believe his luck. All he had to do was lift himself up a little bit more, then reach forward and -

Marty ducked as Biff turned around and headed back toward the car. Biff grabbed the Almanac, and stuck it once more in the back of his pants, then walked toward the gym again.

Marty climbed out of the car once Biff had crossed the parking area, then ran and hid behind one of the pillars by the school’s back door. He knew he never should have expected this to be easy. Marty would just have to keep Biff in sight, and wait to make his move.

Biff walked quickly to a fire door at the back of the gym. A couple of other students walked over as Biff tried the door.

‘Hold it there, Biff!’ one of the students called.

‘Yeah, Biff,’ the other guy added. ‘We can’t let you in without a ticket.’

Biff held his right fist up to the two other guys.

‘I got five tickets right here.’

The other two guys took off. Biff opened the fire door, and went into the dance the back way.

Marty decided he should follow him. The two student guards were long gone, and the fire door opened easily. He stepped through, and found himself in the same alcove where he’d had that heart-to-heart talk with his future parents - the one about being nice when your son sets fire to the rug.

But there was no time to think about that now. He walked through another doorway and found himself at the rear of the gym, a gym all decked out for the ‘Enchantment Under the Sea’ dance.

Marty quickly ducked into the shadows behind refreshment table. Wow. Here he was again at the same dance - back in 1955. Talk about 
déjà vu!
 He'd been so worried about getting the Sports  Almanac back, it hadn’t hit him until now - but he 
was
 back in the exact same place and time he’d been - when was it? Marty realised he couldn’t figure out exactly how long ago it was since he 
had
 been here. When you had a machine like Doc’s flying DeLorean, time sort of lost its meaning.

This was the same dance that he had come to with Lorraine, when he was here as ‘Calvin Klein'. It all happened because his mother-to-be had wound up with a crush on Calvin, and wouldn’t pay attention to George, Marty’s future father. But if George and Lorraine never dated, then they would never marry and Marty and his brother and sister would never born! Something had to be done, and fast, or Marty wouldn’t have even existed!

Marty had come up with this plan for George Mcfly to discover Calvin trying to take advantage Lorraine in a car. George would end up punching Calvin/Marty out, and would end up being a hero in Lorraine’s eyes. George and Lorraine would fall love and get married, Marty would get born, a everything would turn out fine.

That was the plan, anyway. But then Biff had gotten into the act, and tried to take advantage of Lorraine. So George had ended up punching Biff
out! 
That had changed everything, for the better. At least until now.

But, Marty reminded himself grimly, unless he could get the sports book away from Biff, everything would change all over again!

And it wasn’t even as simple as that anymore. Who knew how the earlier version of Marty would react, i he happened to meet his future self face to face Marty would have to be careful around George and Lorraine, too, or he could mess up everything all over again. So he had to be doubly cautious going after Biff.

He pulled out the mini-binoculars Doc had given him, and scanned the room. There was George Mcfly, his father to be, standing around and looking nervous at the other end of the gym. It was early enough in the evening that 'Calvin' and Lorraine wouldn't be here yet. And there, in the middle of the room, was Mr Strickland, his bald head bobbing up and down as he prowled the dance floor for slackers. Heck, now that he no longer had his scar and shotgun, Marty was almost glad to see Mr Strickland.

Biff was over in the other corner of the room, surrounded by his usual gang - 3-D, Match and Skinhead. They were all gathered around a couple of digest-sized magazines Biff had with him, leering at whatever was inside. Marty studied the covers with his binoculars. Their titles were in French. One of them was called 
Ooh-La-La
! From the pictures on the covers, they looked like girlie magazines - trust Biff to bring something like that to the dance. Biff pointed at some particular detail while the other guys all laughed. The four of them were also passing a small bottle of booze around, taking quick drinks whenever Strickland’s back was turned.

But they hadn’t been careful enough. Marty could see Strickland had stopped on the other side of the room, his beady eyes staring at Biff and his boys. Skinhead saw Strickland, too. He nudged Biff. Their eader looked up at the vice-principal, then said something to the whole gang. All four of them walked toward the front door.

Marty quickly walked around the edge of the gym, careful to keep close to the walls, but heading for the same exit. Biff and his gang had moved fast. They had already passed through the doorway. He didn t want to lose them now!

Marty stepped outside quickly, once again moving into the shadows beyond the party lights, slowly going down the front steps of the school. He Stopped on the edge of the first landing. There, on the next landing below him, were Biff and his Gang, with their magazines and booze.

Biff hit a picture of a naked girl with the tips of his fingers.

‘Y’know,’ he said slowly, ‘a smart guy could make a lot of dough dealin’ this kind of stuff. ’

3-D drained the last of the booze from the bottle. He handed the empty to Biff.

‘Drink up, Biff!’ 3-D called.

Biff lifted the bottle to his lips. His eyes opened wide when he realised it was empty.

Skinhead, Match and 3-D laughed as if that was the funniest thing they had ever seen.

Biff threw down the bottle and punched 3-D’s shoulder. ‘That's so funny, I forgot to laugh.'

He looked out over the school parking lot as couples started to climb the stairs toward the dance.

‘So where’s that Calvin Klein creep?’

‘We don’t know, Biff,’ Skinhead replied sarcastically. ‘We ain’t his secretary!’

The guys started to laugh all over again.

‘Well, go find him!’ Biff barked angrily, killing the laughter before it could really begin.

The three stooges turned to go up the stairs again, back into the gym.

Marty spun around so that his back was to them. He didn’t want to get spotted by the gang - not when he was this close!

Marty spun around so that his back was to them. He didn’t want to get spotted by the gang - not when he was this close!

'Ain't you comin', Biff?' Match asked.

Biff shook the girlie magazine in his hand.

'I'm readin'.'

Marty continued to pivot away from the gang members as hey climbed the stairs past him.

Marty found himself looking back down at Biff. The burly teenager had stuck himself in a corner on the next landing, between the doorway to the high school annex and a chain link fence. Biff leaned against the fence and flipped through the magazine, grunting or snickering whenever he found anything particularly to his liking.

But, besides Biff’s laughter, Marty realised, there wasn’t a sound out here. His three buddies had gone back into the dance, to look for ‘Calvin’. Biff was all alone. And Marty could see the Almanac, shoved in the back of Biff’s pants.

Maybe it was time for Marty to make his move. He glanced around to see how many other kids were around - the fewer the better, Marty figured. This confrontation with Biff might get messy.

He stopped when he saw a yellow Packard pull into the parking area. That yellow Packard was very familiar. He pulled out his binoculars to get a closer look. Yep, there was Lorraine in the passenger seat, wearing that dress she’d bought earlier today. And he, Marty McFly, was driving. Marty was standing here, with the binoculars, watching himself. He was two places at one time.

Marty had to admit it.

‘This is getting strange,’ he whispered.

Strange or not, there was nobody else around this corner of the schoolyard at the moment. Marty might not get another opportunity as good as this. He had to get that book now.

He jumped from the landing, vaulting into the stairwell on the other side of the chain-link fence. His feet scraped the concrete as he landed. Biff glanced behind him. but Marty had crouched down low, in the shadows. Biff went back to his magazine.

Marty crept across the stairwell. The Almanac was in his reach. All he had to do was silently put out his hand and -

The doorway opened, and Mr Strickland stepped out.

'Well, well, Mr Tannen,’ Strickland remarked in that voice that always found you guilty until proven innocent, ‘how nice to see you here.’

Biff looked around at the newcomer, whippin
g
 the magazine behind his back in a single fluid motion.

‘Why, Mr Strickland, sir,’ Biff-the-soul-of-inno-cence replied. ‘Nice to see you here, sir.’

Strickland stuck his bald head right up against Biff’s surprised face.

‘Is that liquor I smell, Tannen?’

Biff shook his head, still as wide eyed as before.

‘I wouldn’t know, sir,’ he answered, slowly and patiently. ‘I don’t know what liquor smells like because I’m too young to drink it.*

Strickland stared at Biff with those trained vice-principal’s eyes, guaranteed to see into your soul.

‘I see. And what do we have -’

Quick as a cobra, Strickland reached behind the teenager and snatched the magazine from behind Biff’s back.

'- here?’ he finished triumphantly.

Marty started when he saw the cover in the vice-principal’s hands. Somehow, Strickland had grabbed hold of the Grey’s Sports Almanac!

’Sports statistics,’ Strickland muttered as he glanced at the cover. ’Interesting subject.’ He opened the book and casually flipped through the pages. He raised a single eyebrow as he looked back at Biff.

‘Homework, Tannen?’

Biff had obviously had enough of the vice-principal. He leered and shook his head.

‘No, it ain’t homework,’ he drawled, ‘ 'cause I ain’t at home.’

Strickland gave Biff one of his disciplinary shoves.

‘You’ve got a real attitude problem. You know that Tannen?’ The vice-principal stuck the Sports Almanac in his pocket. ‘Just watch it, because one day I’m gonna have you right where I want you - in detention.’ He pointed an accusing finger in Biff’s direction.‘Slacker!’

Strickland turned and marched away - and he still had the Almanac!

‘Butthead!’ Biff yelled after the retreating disciplinarian. He started to shake his fist, then decided to go back up to the dance instead.

Strickland was crossing the lawn, toward the school door closest to the administrative offices. Marty guessed he’d better follow him, instead.

But to tail Strickland, he had to walk right by the parking lot and the yellow Packard, with Lorraine and the other Marty both still sitting inside. Marty ducked down low as he scooted by, hoping neither of them would see him, then followed Strickland through the door to the administrative wing. He had to get that sports book before the vice-principal locked it away.

Doc could see the Lyon Estates billboard up ahead at last! His legs were heavier than lead. He felt like he’d been  pedalling this bicycle all day. Come to think of it he had been pedalling all day, hadn’t he? But wait a minute. There were a couple of vehicles parked up in front of the billboard. Had someone discovered the DeLorean? Doc forgot all about the pain as the fear took over.

He pedalled twice as fast the rest of the way to the signs. As he got closer, he saw there was a pickup  truck and a car parked near the sign. The side of the truck used to read TWIN PINES RANCH, except now the S in pines was x-ed out, as was the word TWIN, with LONE scrawled above it. Something must have happened to one of the rancher’s pine trees. Under the ranch name, in smaller letters, were the words: ‘Otis Peabody, Proprietor’. Oh, yes. Old Man Peabody, the pine tree breeder. Yes indeed, this might be trouble. Especially because the second vehicle here was a police car!

Doc stopped his bike a few feet away.

The farmer, a thin, hyperactive sort, was waving his arms and shouting. In one hand he held a shotgun, in the other some sort of magazine.

‘It was a flyin’ saucer, I tell ya!' Peabody yelled at the cop. ‘From Pluto! Just like this one!’ He shook the periodical, which Doc realised was a comic book, titled Tales 
from
 Space!

The cop, a bit more heavy-set and a whole lot calmer than the farmer, looked sceptical.

‘I seen it come down here before dawn!’ Peabody insisted.

Great Scott! Doc suddenly realised. Flying saucer? Before dawn? They must be talking about the DeLorean! But, apparently, that meant they hadn’t found it yet, even though it was sitting on the other side of this very billboard!

‘And I’m tellin* you there’s nothing out here, Mr Peabody,’ the cop answered patiently. ‘It must have been your imagination.’

But Peabody shook his head stubbornly.

‘No, sir!’ he insisted. ‘It’s around here somewhere. It’s the same mutated son of a bitch that wrecked my barn last week and I’m stayin’ right here til I spot him!’ He waved his shotgun at the cop. ‘And then I’m gonna blast him!’

Staying right here? Blast him? Not, Doc Brown thought, if he had anything to do with it. He dismounted and walked his bike forward, greeting both farmer and police officer with a friendly grin.

‘You mean the flying saucer?’ Doc asked helpfully. 'I saw it, too! It went way over there’- Doc pointed back the way he had come -‘a couple of miles!’ He waved back that way to indicate the immense distance. ‘Way - out - there!’