Blood Relations by Chris Lynch

Author:Chris Lynch [Lynch, Chris]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-4804-0452-6
Publisher: Open Road
Published: 2013-01-16T21:08:00+00:00

Cambio

SULLY AND I HEADED out together in the morning, back to school, like a couple of brothers. Like when we were kids. I was even wearing his clothes, a red-and-white-striped oxford shirt, stiff dark-blue jeans, and loafers. Most of my stuff was still at... the other house.

“Y’know, Sul, I think it’s only fair to tell you, I’m probably going to be a little too popular these days, with Terry and Augie and Baba.”

“I know,” he said. He tried to look brave, tried to swagger a bit as he walked by my side. But I could see his tightened white lips. “Not a problem,” he said, staring straight ahead.

“What I’m trying to say is, I’ll understand if you don’t—”

He shook his head a million times in a second, like the beat of a hummingbird’s wings. “New subject. Something else,” he said.

I let it go, impressed with his take on bravery. And, in a short while he seemed to have forgotten about it and returned to what he was before—happy to have me back. In a few minutes, he started smiling, to himself.

“What?” I asked, forced to smile along with him.

“Baba, at least, ain’t gonna be a problem for ya. Not for a while anyway. Not for, oh, about twenty-eight days.”

“Detox? Sully, Baba’s in detox? You’re joking.”

He shook his head, giggling. “Nope. His old man stuck him in down at Edgehill. Seems that toward the end of May Day weekend Baba came home a little mental and killed their dog.” Sully stopped and did a shudder, a full-body wiggle. “Hear it was pretty grim, Baba chewin’ the dog up and shit.”

I burst out laughing, without feeling particularly amused.

“So,” he said, slapping my back, “it’s early summer vacation for old Baba.”

I let out a sigh at those words. Suddenly, school was a better place, without the guy who was once my protector. Sully felt it too. He bopped around a lot, joked, punched me when he talked, acting like a little kid allowed to tag along with his big brother.

“Whoa, watch out for him,” he said, clearing a path for me up the school steps. “He’s better than you are, y’know.”

“Shut up,” I said.

“Hey, he’s homeless, but he’s still better than you are,” he called down the hall to the principal, who ignored him like he does all students.

It shot through me when he said that. “Stop calling me homeless, Sully.”

“That’s right, I forgot. You have a home, you just don’t live there.”

“Have I told you lately to shut up? Shut up.”

Thank god nobody listens to the guy. He just kept laughing and telling the world the great joke that I was better than them. Until we came to the group, outside Evelyn’s homeroom. Evelyn, Toy, and Ruben. Then he shut up.

Seeing us approach from a long way, the three of them stood taking us in. Evelyn smiled and nodded approvingly. Ruben frowned. Toy showed nada.

“Well hello, John,” Evelyn said to Sully.

At first he didn’t react, probably because he hadn’t been called John in so long he’d forgotten it was him.

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