“You see this ring?” Anthony ‘Cheesebox’ DiFronzo said, gesturing to the oversized sterling silver 1976 class ring that was nearly falling off of his left ring finger, “My father gave me this ring. And I would truly be doing him a disservice if I let you leave here unharmed.”

Richie tried to sink to his knees, but his weight was being supported by Joey “the Clown” Costello on the right and Little Nicky Todaro on the left. He shook his head, sweating in the heat of the boiler room, and said, “Anthony, please! I don’t even know what I did! How did we get down here?”

Cheesebox laughed and looked from the Clown to Little Nicky. He shifted in his throne—an elementary school chair perched on top of two wooden pallets—making himself taller, more foreboding. He said, “Can you believe this guy?”

Little Nicky cackled and whispered in Richie’s ear, “You know what you did, you scum.”

That knocked Richie even more off kilter than he had been. Ten minutes earlier, he had been eating his lunch under the big oak tree in the yard with his buddies, when suddenly Nicky and Joey walked over and told him he had to go with them. He didn’t think anything of it at the time. He knew them from around, but didn’t exactly run in the same crowd. Still, he liked them.

He started to get nervous when they led him into the school, and got even more nervous when they approached a basement door that was standing slightly ajar. They opened it wide and pushed him in, closing it slightly behind them. He couldn’t help but read the sign as he walked in: NO ENTRY. AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY.

He said, “Guys? I’m not sure we should be going down there.”

Nick and Joey didn’t say anything. They just pushed him forward.

Soon, they reached the boiler room. It was ungodly hot and stunk like a thousand men worked there for a thousand years. It stunk like somebody died in there. Maybe someone had.

Richie felt even more uneasy. He said, “Come on, guys, this isn’t funny anymore.”

But then he saw Anthony trying not to wobble on his makeshift throne. Anthony gestured to a small plastic chair opposite him for Richie to sit down on. He chose to stand. He didn’t want Anthony looking down on him. He was very confused about what was even going on, but he knew that much.

Then Anthony talked about that insane ring that was too big for his fingers and Nicky called him scum. He supposed he would’ve laughed had it not been for the intense way Joey was staring at him and holding his arm. Something was wrong. This was not a game.

Richie looked from Joey to nick and finally at Anthony. He said, “I really don’t know what is going on, guys.”

Anthon stood up and smoothed his shirtsleeves. He walked over to Richie as he said, “I know it was you, Richie. You broke my heart. You broke my heart.”

Richie started laughing. He couldn’t help it. He recognized that line from when he watched The Godfather in the mobster marathon with his dad that previous weekend. He suspected Anthony, Nicky, and Joey had watched it too.

Anthony reddened and Nicky and Joey’s grip tightened on his arm. He stepped forward and snarled, “Oh, I’m funny? I’m like a clown? I amuse you? I make you laugh? I’m here to fuckin’ amuse you? How the fuck am I funny? What the fuck is so funny about me?”

Goodfellas. Richie recognized it right away. He held his breath and counted to ten, but he still couldn’t stop laughing.

Little Nicky punched him in the gut and he doubled over. Joey the Clown looked down at him with dead eyes. He kicked him once in the ribs, hard. Richie started crying.

Anthony ‘Cheesebox’ walked over to him and looked him square in the eyes. “Not so funny now, huh?”

“Anthony, that really hurt. Why are you doing this?” Richie whimpered.

“That’s CHEESEBOX to YOU!” Little Nicky screamed.

“I’ll tell you why. You don’t like like Joey’s sister,” said Anthony.

“So? She has cooties,” said Richie.

“So, that makes Carmella very upset. And when Carmella is upset, Joey the Clown is upset. And when Joey the Clown is upset, Cheesebox is upset,” said Anthony.

Little Nicky edged closer to him and said, “And when Cheesebox is upset, I am upset. You don’t want me to be upset, Richie, you really don’t.”

Anthony nodded, “You see, no matter how big a guy might be, Nicky would take him on. You beat Nicky with fists, he comes back with a bat. You beat him with a knife, he comes back with a gun. And you beat him with a gun, you better kill him, because he’ll keep comin’ back until one of you is dead.”

Little Nicky cracked his knuckles and started walking toward him. Richie vaguely registered the lines from Casino as he cowered under the three boys, bracing himself for a beating.

But Mr. Rothstein burst into the room at that exact moment and shouted, “Jesus Christ! What in God’s name is going on here? My office. Now.”

The boys followed him to his office in silence, fearing what was to come. Richie told his side of the story and all of their parents were called to pick them up. Anthony’s father, Robert, apologized profusely for letting his son and his friends watch so many mob movies, but they were suspended anyway. Richie’s mother checked him over and over again for any signs of injury, and as Robert led the boys away, Richie caught Anthony’s gaze. It said, “we’re not finished here.”

Richie decided he like liked Carmella after all.