Page 56
THIRTEEN
TREVAN
THIRTEEN YEARS OLD
“Holy shit, that was at least seventy-five miles per hour!” Silas shouted as the baseball landed in his mitt with a smack.
Pride puffed out Trevan’s chest. “Nah, maybe seventy.”
Their coach said he had an arm on him, said sixty was the average throw for someone his age. His coach kept telling him he was totally knocking it out of the park and was an asset to the team.
All thanks to Silas who’d convinced him to play on his baseball team. Well, that and Silas’s grandma who’d sneaked him some money to pay the registration fee since his mom had found the stash of money he’d hidden under his bed.
A stash he’d earned mowing lawns.
She’d taken all of it. Said he owed it to her for being so worthless.
“You’re not supposed to say s-s-shit.” The little stuttered voice off to his side made him chuckle, and he shoved off the ugly thoughts and looked at Elena.
“That’s right, isn’t it, Lena? What should we do to your brother with all his bad manners?”
“Make him pay twenty d-d-dollars.” She was all beaming, toothless smiles since she’d lost her two front teeth, and little gold strands in her dark, messy hair glinted under the sun.
“Sounds like a good punishment to me.”
Silas sent him a glower. “You know I don’t got twenty dollars.”
It was a safe bet that neither of them did, but still Trevan teased, “You do the crime, you do the time.”
Silas flinched, and Trevan recoiled. Remembering what had happened to his best friend. He’d only known him for about six months, and he was just learning more of the really horrible things he’d been through.
Silas’s dad had gotten him arrested for stealing just last year. Trevan knew Silas was super ashamed of it, and he didn’t want him to feel any of that when they were together, especially since Silas never made him feel bad whenever something bad happened with his mom, which seemed to be happening more and more. His mom was so mad all the time.
“Just joking, man. Didn’t mean anything by it.” Trevan turned to Elena. “How about we give your big brother a pass this time?”
“You mean l-l-like forgiveness?”
His laugh was soft. “Yeah, like forgiveness. Besides, that word wasn’t directed at anyone. Words are only really bad if you say them mean to someone else.”
“Okay,” she agreed in a second flat.
Trevan knew she’d pretty much agree to anything he or Silas suggested, so they had to be careful with that.
“We just gotta remember to say kind words as much as we can and be the best friend that we can be,” he reiterated, and he shifted his stance, lifting his mitt and letting Silas know he was ready for him to send the ball sailing back.
Hoping Silas would take it as an apology.
“You ready for this?” Silas called.
A truce was written all over it.
“You know it.”
Silas cocked his arm back and sent the ball zipping through the air.
Wicked fast.
Even faster than his throw.
