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“Really? You did?”
“Yeah. What grade are you in?” I ask.
“First.”
“I had Mr. Sweltzer in first grade. He might still be there, and if he is, maybe he’ll be your teacher.”
She nods. “That would be cool.”
We walk into the convenience store, and I spot Wilder at the slushy station. It’s not a surprise; the guy has a sugar addiction like no other. The only time I ever see him without a Twizzler hanging out the side of his mouth is when we’re at school, but the second the last bell rings, one of those red ropes appears out of thin air.
“Let’s go say hi to my friend,” I say as I lead her to the back of the store. “Hey, man.”
Wilder turns to face us, his eyes wide when he sees me holding hands with a little girl. “Oh, hey. Who’s the kid?”
“This is my soon-to-be stepsister, Vivi.”
“I forgot they were coming today.” Wilder crouches down to her level. “Hey, little dude.”
She looks down, a blush creeping over her cheeks. “Hi.”
He stands, pushing his chin-length, frizzy hair from his face. “She’s cute. How was it meeting the step-beast?”
I scowl at him, not knowing if Vivi will understand he’s talking about her mom. “Don’t say crap like that in front of her.”
“Oh. Sorry.”
“It was fine. They’re ‘getting acquainted’ right now, so I thought it was better to bring her here for a while.”
Wilder elbows me. “I guarantee your dad is a two-pump chump. You could’ve just walked around the block, and they’d be done.”
“Jesus Christ.” I tug Vivi in the opposite direction. “I’m getting her away from you.”
He laughs. “See ya later.”
I wave and take Vivi to the candy aisle, telling her to pick whatever she wants. She takes her time, touching each package while she carefully considers. After five minutes, I grow impatient, ready to buy one of everything if she’ll just hurry the hell up.
I can afford it now that I’m working at The Garage. It’s part-time, but the owner, Cyrus, pays me ten bucks an hour to clean up at the end of the day. The guys are dirty as fuck, but it keeps me away from home, and Cyrus says if I keep up the good work, he’ll let me apprentice after graduation.
“Just pick one,” I urge.
She twists from side to side, still weighing her options.
I walk over to the Skittles. “Here. These are my favorite.”
Her tiny hands grip the plastic. “Okay. We can share.”
God. This kid is too sweet. Makes me sick to my stomach to think about how Dad’ll knock that right out of her. Not physically; I’d never allow that. No, seeing violence is nearly as bad as experiencing it. I should know since my first memories are of him roughing up Mom. At least she was smart enough to leave him.
We make it home, and after double-checking no obscene sounds are coming from the hallway, I take Vivi back to her room. Maybe Wilder was right about Dad’s abilities.
“So, if you don’t like pink, what color do you like?” I ask, sitting on her bed covered in the offending color.
“Green!” She points to her green pants. “It’s the color of grass and trees and frogs.”
“You like frogs?” I chuckle. “I don’t know any girls who like frogs.”
“I love them.” She twirls in a circle. “Someday, I want a pet frog.”
