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“Sean and his dad are away. He was supposed to drive me.” They both knew whom I meant. We rarely spoke his name.
Ryan checked his watch. “Come on, kid. We can take you to practice. But you’ll have to walk home after the game or find a ride.”
“That’s fine,” I mumbled, following them into Colton’s beat-up sedan. My parents had left us a fortune, but we couldn’t touch it until we turned eighteen. And while they gave enough money to my uncle and aunt to support us in luxury, nothing ever trickled down our way. Except for food. They fed us, at least.
“Why would you even ask him?” Ryan said when I hopped into the back seat, avoiding the stain in the middle.
“I don’t know,” I said, annoyed. “I guess I thought…”
“What? That this time would be different?” asked Ryan, turning his body toward the back of the car to look at me.
I shrugged my shoulders, embarrassed to admit it. Ryan shook his head and rolled his eyes. I hated it when he was right, and Ryan was often right.
“You never know. Maybe he might still show up,” I said, wanting to prove Ryan wrong for once.
“I wouldn’t hold your breath,” he said.
“Shut up, Ryan,” said Colton. “He’s just a kid.”
“I’m thirteen,” I snapped. “I’m not a kid anymore, so stop calling me one.”
“All right, all right, k—” Colton stopped himself just as I curled my fists.
My anger threatened more tears, but I bit my cheek and crossed my arms, holding them back. I was done shedding tears because of my uncle.
When he pulled into the parking lot of the baseball field, Colton whispered, “We’re here, Luke. Time to go.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled, opening the backdoor. “I’ll see you later.”
I walked toward our team’s bench, and a few of the kids nodded at me. But the scowl on my face was warning enough not to talk to me. As furious as I was, I didn’t want to release my anger on them. Instead, I channeled it, and hit the ball out of the park three times, including in the bottom of the ninth to win the game. I looked to the stands one last time but saw no familiar faces.
Walking home that night, I remembered all the games I’d shared with my dad. All the hugs when I did well and the pats on the back when I didn’t. Despite the crowd cheering for me, I’d never felt so alone in my life. A tear escaped, but I quickly wiped it from my cheek. I would not cry.
I opened the front door to our childhood home. My uncle had moved in with us and my aunt had redecorated. I hated the brown sectional couches, beige walls, and especially that brown leather recliner my uncle always sat in. As I walked up the steps, I spotted my uncle sitting on that very chair in the living room, reading the paper and smoking his pipe. Frozen, I stared at him.
He looked up and his eyes roamed over my uniform. Anger ignited inside of me and my face flushed from the heat. “You forgot.”
He shrugged. “Something came up,” he said and looked back down at his paper. “But it seems like you got yourself there. You should thank me, boy. I taught you a lesson in resourcefulness.” He stuck the pipe back in his mouth and took a puff.
I wanted to stick that pipe up his ass.
I wanted to scream and rage at him, but I knew that wouldn’t get me far. It didn’t work when Ryan or Colton had done it. It had only gotten them locked in their rooms with no dinner. I would not let him deprive me of the only thing he actually provided for us.
I stomped up to my room and slammed the door. I turned the radio on and the volume up, blasting Nirvana’s Come as you are from the speakers. I peeled off my uniform and took a shower. When I stepped out, I realized someone had turned off the radio. Walking out of the ensuite and into my room, I found Colton sitting on my bed.
“Come here, Luke,” he said.
I sat next to him, rubbing a towel over my wet hair.
“How was your game?” he asked, searching my face.
“It was fine,” I said.
When I didn’t continue, Colton sighed. “Look, Luke. I’m sorry about tonight. But, when I turn eighteen next year, I promise I’m going to get us out. I’ll buy a small place for just the three of us and we’ll never have to see them again. We’ll have to work hard, but it’ll be worth it. We will make something of ourselves despite his attempts to break us down.”
I shook my head. “I’m not working hard, Colton. What did working hard get dad? It got them killed. If he didn’t take Mom with him to some stupid conference, they’d both still be here!” I shouted.
“If he didn’t work hard, he wouldn’t have made a fortune to pass down to his kids. Don’t be so selfish, Luke.”
