Page 20 of Wrath

He stubs his cigarette out on the roof's shingles and shoots me a look before rising almost to his feet and slowly walking toward his window.

Six

Josh

The next morning, I hear a truck rev before I open my eyes. When I drag my ass downstairs, already bracing for an encounter with my step-dick, Mom tells me someone picked him up for practice.

I frown at the oven clock. "Wow. It’s only eight."

She laughs. "I know, right? Coach wants them playing till midday, and not again until five."

Makes sense. It gets fucking hot here in the summer. People die and stuff from getting overheated.

I can feel Mom watching me as I pour cereal and the lactose-free milk she buys for Carl.

"Well, how was it?" she asks. "How was last night?"

She sounds bubbly.

"What did he say?" I ask as I walk over to the breakfast table.

"He stopped to talk to us as he came in," she says, smiling as I pull out a chair for myself. "He said it went wonderfully. Everyone was nice and welcoming. He said he saw you there,that you offered to lead the way home but he had so much fun, he wanted to stay."

I nod. "He was having fun."

Mom ruffles my hair, and she steps over to the sink to water all the flowers in the window sill beside it as she asks about my plans for today.

"I've got soccer from ten till noon,” I tell her. “Then an hour in the band room."

"Oh, I forgot that starts today, too. Too bad you boys can't ride together."

"Yeah," I say, in a tone I hope is neutral.

"So what do you think? Do you like him?"

I shovel more cereal into my mouth so I don’t have to look at her. I nod as I chew and swallow. "Yeah, for sure."

"Yeah?" When I look back up, Mom’s eyes are narrowed.

"He's cool. Don't know him that well yet, but he seems cool."I cross myself with a fingertip under the table.

"Good.” She lets out a breath. “Carl is so worried."

My heart skips a beat. "Why's he worried?"

She makes a face like there’s a lot more to the story, but instead of telling me anything, she just says, “Oh, I think he’s just…hoping Ezra will do well here.”

"You justthink? You don’t know why?” Now that she’s started, I want to hear everything there is. I’m tired of that fucker having a leg up. And anyway, it’s clear that something must have happened back in Richmond. “Must not have gone well back with his mom, because he had been going to a fancy private school, right? And he was the star quarterback, with college scouts and all that?”

Mom gives a small nod, wiping at a spot where one of the succulents has overflowed its pot.

“I guess something must have happened. Who moves for their senior year?” I say. “And why? Was it his mom’s divorce? Iheard you and Carl talking about that…how she divorced or something.”

"Well, that's not our business,” Mom says, giving me a tight smile. “We just want him to be happy."She smiles again, this time more genuinely. "Thank you for being so kind to him."

I trudge back up the stairs, trying not to feel guilty for being...not that. Family problems or not, Ezra is definitely no angel.I’ve done nothing but try with him. Maybe the best thing I can do for now is just avoid the guy.

Ezra

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