Page 99 of Passed Ball

Ezra fires his glove at the ground and for a heartbeat I think I'm going to have to break up a brawl as he stares down his little brother. His nostrils flare, but instead of advancing on Eli, he turns and stomps out of the gym.

I give Ezra space, choosing to focus on Eli. When I turn toward him, I find him holding both of their gloves, his head down.

"Sorry," he mumbles, sucking in a shaky breath as I approach.

"You've got nothing to apologize for, bud."

"He'll be okay." Eli shakes his head like it's him that needs convincing. "He needs a minute. I wish he'd stop protecting her."

Alarm bells go off in my head and I look around for an adult who might be better equipped to deal with whatever Eli is about to unload. It's then that I realize the gym is cleared out and check the time.

It's six o'clock and the brothers are the only two kids still here.

Leading him to the bleachers, I fire off a text to Tenley, belatedly letting her know I'm going to be late. When she replies with a thumbs up, I sit the kids down and brace for the tough conversation.

Hoping to coax him into sharing, I keep my voice soft. "Who's your brother protecting?"

"Our mom." He sniffles back against the moisture building along his dark lashes.

"Are you guys safe?"

"Safe enough," he mumbles.

I don't like that answer. I've lived that answer and hearing him say it makes rage boil in my belly.

I grit my teeth hoping he offers more, knowing it needs to be shared on his terms.

After a few beats of silence, Eli pushes the heels of his hands into his eyes and shakes his head. "She's not abusive or anything; she works a lot, and when she's not working, she likes to go out. It's better that way. She's nicer when she getshertime."

Her time.

"Is Ezra afraid your mom will get mad if he asks for catcher's gear in his size so he can play?"

He rolls his tongue along his front teeth, nodding.

Having the supreme displeasure of being raised by an asshole myself I ask another question, not wanting to make things worse at home. "Those are nice gloves," I comment, testing the waters.

He looks at his lap, studying them before he says, "Yeah, these are from Double Play."

And there it is.

"Why hasn't Ezra asked Ms. Cardoza about catcher's gear?"

Eli huffs out a wet laugh. "Ms. Cardoza--no one calls her that. Why would you call her that, bro? Are you her favorite or something?"

I sure fucking hope so, but that's not the point. I push the errant thought away, focusing on Eli, who's smile has made a reappearance, but he's not done.

Eli looks much too eager to roast me over the formal use of her name when he opens his mouth to continue the assault. "Vi, or, Vivi, sure, but neverMs. Cardoza." His eyes light up with mirth and I roll mine back at him, genuinely glad he's finding humor in this.

I must not recover fast enough because the next words out of Ezra's mouth are a teasing taunt. "You like her, don't you?"

I press my lips into a thin line, if only to mask my grin. "Hey, we're talking about you, not me."

"It's like that? Okay, I see."

I nudge him with my shoulder. "What if I talked toViviabout the catcher's gear for your brother?"

He tilts his head, assessing me with the skepticism of a distrustful teen--looking more like his brother than ever. "Why would you do that?"

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