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I can’t stop my tears then.
Technically, Art’s nothing to me. We don’t share a blood relationship. I didn’t even know him before last year, but I feel like I’ve known him forever.
He’s my little brother. My baby. Orphaned and bullied like me. And like me, totally enamored with Zach.
I grab his hand and play with his tiny fingers. “Yeah. But you know what?”
“What?”
I kiss his first finger. “One day you’re going to leave too.”
“Me?”
I kiss his second finger. “Yes. You’re going to leave this town and you’re going to go somewhere real nice. Maybe a city or another town where they have lakes and mountains and there’s just so much sky, and winter. Snow, maybe. Do you like snow?”
He beams. “I’ve never seen it.”
“I know. We live in a hot place, huh?” I’m at his third finger now. “Well, then you’ll go to a snowy town and you’ll love it there. And you’ll meet all these interesting people and you’ll make all the friends.”
“Will they be like the kids at school?”
I place a kiss on his fourth finger, then his thumb. “Maybe. Bullies are everywhere, you know. They come in all shapes and sizes and ages. But remember what Zach said? Bullies will never change but we will. We’ll change and grow and one day, it won’t matter to us what they do. We’ll be ourselves. Our stronger, braver selves.”
He nods, still smiling. “Yeah, we’ll be so brave, they won’t touch us.”
Finally, I kiss the center of his palm. “Yup.”
***
It’s Monday.
The day I leave and the day they let Zach go.
I’m waiting for him outside the police station. It threatens to be a hot morning with a baking sun and sizzling humidity.
But then I remind myself that it doesn’t matter. I’m not going to be here for that. I’ll cross the line today and go north. Somewhere wintry and snowy so I can send Art all the pictures.
My eyes are nailed to the entrance as I wait across the street, and as soon as it swings open and reveals the guy I’ve been waiting for, I jump down off the bumper of my blue car.
Zach’s eyes go immediately to me and he pauses mid-step.
He wasn’t expecting me, I guess.
Oh well, I like to surprise people.
Once, he’s over his initial shock, he begins moving. His long legs jump down the stairs and eat up the asphalt until he comes to stand before me.
“Hi,” I whisper, rubbing my sweaty palms along my thighs.
I’m wearing my usual off-the-shoulder t-shirt and shorts along with my leather boots. And he’s in his clothes from the night of the party, the white shirt that’s smudged and wrinkled and half-tucked into his black pants, his suit jacket draped over his forearm.
“Hey,” he rasps in a scratchy, barely-there voice.
“You okay?” I ask and he jerks out a nod, the thick stubble on his jaw catching the sun.
His eyes go to my lip. “You?”
I touch the little tender part on the corner. “Yeah. It’s nothing.”
