Rumble Fish

Rusty James lives in the shadow of his older brother's past. As a teenager, the Motorcycle Boy was a great gang leader and street philosopher, but he has since given up rumbles and knife fights as being futile gestures. A neighborhood legend, Motorcycle Boy is smart and seemingly unfamiliar with normal emotions like fear and love. The future is an illusion and he frequently disappears for weeks at a time. In his absence, Rusty James is number one, but everyone regards this as temporary. Whenever the guys gather at Benny's pool hall, speculation about the Motorcycle Boy's return dominates talk. (pressbook)