Page 107 of The Foul Out

“I tried.” He sniffed and pointed at a blue bin lying on its side on the floor. “She threw that at me. It hit my arm and gave me a red mark.” He pulled up his sleeve, his little lip quivering.

“Need me to kiss it?”

He nodded and held his arm out.

Leaning forward, I gave him a quick kiss.

“All better.” He smiled. “Can I go play again?”

“Will you apologize to Kyle for not listening and to Piper for getting gum in her hair once they get it out?”

Wiping at his face with the back of one hand, he nodded.

My heart squeezed at the sincerity in his expression. “Then okay.”

Without a word, he jumped up and raced back to his room. For a moment, I sat on the floor, taking in the room, marveling at Kyle’s thoughtfulness. But I didn’t stay long, knowing he may need my help.

In the living room, he and Piper sat calmly in the middle of the floor with a pair of scissors between them.

“So it will be just like cutting my nails?” Piper asked.

Kyle nodded, his face solemn.

“Okay.” She swallowed audibly and picked up the scissors.

My heart lurched. He was going to let her cut it out herself? Instantly, I wanted to intervene. To stop this. But I trusted him, and he’d yet to get things wrong with her. So I stayed where I was, though I couldn’t help but cringe.

Instead of cutting her own hair, though, something so much worse happened. Piper shifted forward on her knees and snipped a chunk of Kyle’s hair. Then she did it again.

I was frozen, heart in my throat, unable to breathe, as she went for a third snip.

And Kyle didn’t move. He didn’t even flinch.

No.No, no, no, no, no.

Kyle was incredibly weird about his hair. He didn’t even let most people touch it. And the fact that it now had two uneven chunks out of the right side and one on the left made me feel sick. It looked like he’d gotten into a fight with garden clippers.

“Omygod,” I whispered, my stomach bottoming out.

“My turn,” Kyle said calmly, holding out a hand.

Piper passed the scissors to him without argument, though her little body was rigid and her shoulders were practically at her ears as he lifted them.

But in two clips, the gum was out.

“All done,” he announced.

“Just like my nails,” she repeated.

“Yup,” he agreed with a nod and an encouraging smile.

“I want my room.”

“Ten minutes, and then we have to eat,” he warned with a cocked brow.

Nodding, she scrambled to her feet, and then she took off for her room.

“Kyle.” I finally forced his name out through my tight throat.

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