Page 19 of Smitty

“I’m sure you did great.”

“I don’t know. Maybe.”

“Any problems with any of your other classes?”

“No.”

His answers were short and to the point, and he never once looked directly at me. Instead, he kept his eyes trained on the floor. He wasn’t like this last week. He was still distant, but I managed to get him to open up a little. I hoped I could get there again, so I kept trying. “What about things here?”

“They’re okay.”

“What about your folks?” I glanced up at Melissa as I asked, “Are you guys getting along?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

I heard Officer Eubanks shift behind me, but I didn’t let it distract me. I kept asking questions, keeping things light and easy, and then I changed direction. “What about Jimmy?”

His eyes flickered up to mine, then quickly returned to the floor. He didn’t say anything, so I pushed a little harder. “The boy you were talking to outside… Are you friends?”

“I guess.”

“What do you do together?”

“I don’t know… We just play games and stuff.”

“And you like him?”

“I guess.”

“How old is he?”

“I don’t know.”

I found that hard to believe. Most kids knew exactly how old their friends were, especially when they were older. But I let it go and moved on to the next. “Do you spend much time at his house?”

“Not really.”

“What about here? Does he come hang out with you?”

“No.” He sighed, then turned to his mother. “Can I go now?”

Melissa looked to me, and I nodded. I knew we weren’t getting anywhere today, so there was no sense in keeping him. Melissa smiled with reassurance as she told him, “Yeah. You can go, but don’t go too far. Dinner will be ready soon.”

“Okay.”

When he stood to leave, I gave him a friendly wave and said, “It was good to see you, Dylan. I hope we can talk again soon.”

His eyes flickered back to mine, and I saw it again. Beneath the irritation and the boredom that he was trying so hard to project, there was a flash of fear. I didn’t know what he was so afraid of, but there was a good chance that Jimmy was behind it.

I talked with Melissa for a few more minutes, making sure she was okay, and after I’d made sure she had the counselor’s information, I said my goodbyes and led Officer Eubanks back outside. “Thank you for coming today.”

“Glad to do it.” He paused for a moment, then added, “You’re good with them… They’re lucky to have you.”

“Thank you. I try.”

“And it shows. If you need me again, just let me know.” He pulled out his card and said, “You can reach out to me directly if that would be easier.”

“I appreciate that.”