Page 25 of Major Penalty

Whenever I have free time, I spend it here, drawing with the kids, watching movies, taking them out for a picnic, playing games, and building Legos. Everything I never got to do when I was stuck in the system, bouncing from foster home to foster home, always getting sent back for being a problem. I want them to have the things I didn’t have. To have the freedom to be kids.

I park my car, step out, and head for the entrance. But before I’ve fully walked through the door, I’m ambushed by a dozen screaming kids.

“Ares!” Tiny bodies slam into my legs.

Small hands grip my arms, waist, and shirt. I stagger back half a step, but I’m already laughing under my breath, bracing for impact.

“Whoa, whoa. You’re gonna knock me out, guys.”

“You’re late!” a little girl with dark curls huffs, standing with her arms crossed like she’s about to put me in time-out. Mandy.

“Am I?” I raise an eyebrow at her.

“Yes, you are!” Tommy yells, tugging at my wrist. “We’ve been waiting forever!”

“Yeah!” another shouts. “You said we could play soccer today!”

“Nu-uh, he said basketball!”

“No, he said tag!” Mandy’s high-pitched voice cuts through the rest. “Ares, tell them!”

“Carry me!” A small hand tugs at the hem of my hoodie. I look down to see the smallest one, Gracie, blinking up at me. She does this every time.

I smile, bending down to scoop her up and settle her on my hip.

“Weather’s better up here, huh?” I joke, ruffling her hair.

She nods, burying her face in my shoulder.

I feel my chest loosen in a way it never does anywhere else. This is why I come here. To be something else, someone else. Someone who can make people happy, even if it’s just for a little while.

“You really do have a mini fan club, huh?”

I glance up and spot Tia, the center’s coordinator. She’s leaning against the doorway. All curly hair, caramel skin, and bright hazel eyes. She’s been trying to flirt with me for months. Not in a desperate way, just in a way to make me notice her.

“We have a new addition to the team,” she teases, smiling wide.

“Another kid?” I ask, my stomach dropping. I hate seeing new kids here, the scared look on their faces, not understanding why they no longer have a family. I remember my first day coming here, seeing how scared some of these kids were of me. Because I’m a man. Because I have tattoos. Because I look like someone who could hurt them. It fucking broke me.

“No.” She shakes her head. “It’s a new volunteer. Let me introduce you,” she adds before stepping aside.

I carry Gracie inside, the others rushing ahead, already arguing about what game we’re playing today and where we’re going. It was my idea to start taking the kids on something like field trips. They rarely leave this place, and I use my time to organize little adventures for them. Whatever it takes to create memories they otherwise wouldn’t get. The second we step into the main room, I set Gracie down, stretching out my arms.

“Alright, what’s it gonna be?” I ask, already knowing it’s a stupid question. It’s the same thing every time until I eventually decide for them.

“Soccer!”

“Tag!”

“No, dodgeball!”

“You do this to yourself, you know that?” Tia laughs.

“I can handle it.” I glance at her, crouching next to Tommy to tie his shoelaces that have been flapping around for the past minute. The pain in my hip flares for a moment before subsiding.

And that’s when I feel a weird shift in the air. The energy just changed. My intuition has always been honed to perfection, so when something feels off, I know it’s off.

Someone’s staring at my back. I can feel their eyes on me. And then, a voice.

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