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“Okay,” I say in an ‘I call bullshit’ tone.
When we round the large trunk, I see an old punching bag strung up on one of the limbs. Nox drops my hand and walks over to it.
“I know from experience that this right here will feel a hell of a lot better than hitting a tree with a stick.” He motions over to the discolored, tattered bag lovingly like he’s revealing a prized possession.
“Come on, give it a go,” he says, stepping back.
Not really sure what to do, I take a tentative step closer. Clenching my fist, I swing hard with my left, connecting with the worn fabric. A small blip of pain flows through my knuckles, but I welcome the sensation and swing again.
Something buried deep inside of me unleashes, and I lose myself. After what feels like only a few swings, I feel warm hands rest on my shoulders, causing me to freeze midway through a punch.
“You’re alright,” he says softly, then backs away.
I take a steadying breath and swipe at my cheek, wiping away the warm tears I didn’t know were falling.
“Thank you.”
“No problem. It's yours anytime you need?—”
The squeal of a screen door interrupts his words, causing us both to turn to the noise.?Another boy approaches us with a big smile on his face. Such a different demeanor than the older boy in front of me.
“Hey, what’s going on back here?” the boy asks.
“Emerson, this is Colton, my younger brother… Colton, this is Emerson.”
I throw my hand up in a shy wave. “Hey! And it's Em.”
“Ahh, you’re the new girl next door! Are you starting at Richmond Middle School? What grade you in?” Colton asks in rapid succession.
“Yeah, I start after the Christmas break. I’m in sixth grade.”Even though I should be in seventh grade. Just add that to the long list of things Mom fucked up in my life.
Colton does a quick fist pump in the air. “Hell yeah, I'm in sixth too. Maybe we’ll be in class together. Even if we’re not, you’ll see us in the halls. Nox is in seventh, if that grump didn’t tell you already.”
An anxious feeling flares inside of me at the thought of starting over at a new school. Let's hope Richmond Valley is better than the shithole town I grew up in.
“Maybe…” I respond, looking at the two boys who clearly are brothers but appear so different from one another. Colton being the cheery, happy-go-lucky kind of guy, and Lennox the broody “grump.”
“Hey… uh, you want to come in? No one is home, and I was just playing some grand theft auto,” Colton asks.
“I’ve never played before.”
“Oh man, it’s the best. You steal cars… go on missions,” Colton boasts, eyes brightening.
“It’s pretty simple. You literally just drive around and shit,” Nox chimes in.
Colton shoots a look at his brother and rolls his eyes. “Don’t act like you don’t like playing it.”
“Never said I didn’t … I just said it was easy to learn. You want to play or what?” Nox adds.
I look over toward the house that will never be a home. Seeing as all the lights are off and my absence has gone unnoticed, I turn back to them and nod.
“Sure, why not?”
“Sweet! Come on, I’ll make popcorn,” Colton practically bounces inside as we walk up the wooden steps off of their back porch.
With Nox in front of me, I pause for a moment before entering. Is this a smart thing to do? I don’t know these boys.You don’t know the family you're currently living with either.
Lennox notices I'm not behind him anymore and spins around to see me standing frozen in the doorway.
