# Quote — Robert Cormier, Beyond the Chocolate War

> The tomato hit Brother Leon on his left cheek, a ripe tomato that exploded in juicy fury, splattering his shirt and his hair and smearing his face with what looked like blood. Nobody said anything. Nobody moved. Nobody cheered or booed. Everybody sat there in a profound silence as Brother Leon, mouth agape, wiped the tomato from his face, still silent as he stalked from the stage, leaving an assembly hall full of students who sat stunned, silent for a few minutes, then quietly filed out of the hall. Brother Leon never learned the culprit's name. He, in fact, never made an effort to do so. Nobody else ever mentioned the incident. But Henry Malloran was elected president of the senior class at the next day's election and nobody ran against him.

- Author: [Robert Cormier](https://www.leafyquotes.com/robert-cormier.md)
- Book: [Beyond the Chocolate War](https://www.leafyquotes.com/robert-cormier/beyond-the-chocolate-war.md)
- Page: 273
- Source: [Wikiquote](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_Cormier#Beyond_the_Chocolate_War_(1985)) ([CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/))
- Quote page: https://www.leafyquotes.com/robert-cormier/beyond-the-chocolate-war/the-tomato-hit

## More from this book

> It hadn't been much of a rape, really.

p. 89 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/robert-cormier/beyond-the-chocolate-war/it-hadnt-been.md)

> "Remember that, Carter. Nobody double-crosses Archie Costello and gets away with it. When you least expect it, revenge will come." Without a further word, Archie stepped across the driveway, in front of the car, under the spotlight, and up to his front door. Then he was gone into the house. He left Carter there, shaken, not only by the prospect of Archie's revenge sometime in the future but what he had almost done. He'd almost turned traitor against Obie. Which meant being a traitor a second time. Not once but twice. Christ, he thought, what have I become?

p. 209 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/robert-cormier/beyond-the-chocolate-war/remember-that-carter.md)

> The Obie-Bunting showdown was only a screen for Archie's real purpose- searching for the traitor. He suspected that the traitor was a member of The Vigils. More than suspected. Few kids outside The Vigils knew that the day off from school was to have coincided with the Bishop's visit. And the letter to Leon had focused on the visit. Thus, the meeting was a place to begin his pursuit of the traitor, and instinct- instinct that had never failed him- dictated that he would find his betrayer there.

p. 95 — [Quote page](https://www.leafyquotes.com/robert-cormier/beyond-the-chocolate-war/the-obie-bunting-showdown.md)