03 January 2015 – Laurence G. Hanscom Field, Bedford, Massachusetts

“NO!” Sabrina wailed. “You can’t leave!”

“I have tæ, lass,” Hamish whispered. “I’m vurry sorry.”

Sabrina broke down. Miriam and Jeff also sat in Atlantic Flight School’s meeting room, sorrow clear on their faces. It was after midnight. The long hours of flight training had taxed everyone in the room.

“Lassie,” Hamish said softly. “Sabrina. ’Till recently I’ve been able tæ keep what those animals did tæ me family firmly in the past.” Sabrina looked up with red, puffy eyes. “Meetin’ ye three years ago finally began breakin’ down the walls I’d built around me feelins. Ye’ve helped me tæ feel joy again, lass, ta feel the beginnins of love again,” Hamish said while glancing at Miriam. The older woman smiled back bravely, but sadly.

“The meetin’ with the task force before Christmas, however, showed me that I have tæ hunt those slavin’ bastards again. Not fer revenge, but so næ other families go through what those girls’ families went through,” meaning the girls who died the day the Ashburnham officer had, “what yers is goin’ through, or what I’ve been through. Ted Brewington swore me in as one of his special investigators, and I’ve been seconded to … ah … another agency out of state. I leave in a few days. I’ve næ been looking forward tæ tellin’ ye, lass.”

Sabrina knelt at the small shrine to her uncle the next morning. She hadn’t slept well. Chaotic, half-formed thoughts swirled in her head disrupting her attempted meditation. She blew out a frustrated breath, stood, and bowed to the portrait of her uncle. She wasn’t going to be able to concentrate today.

She turned for the stairs and banged into the back of the new couch. Nothing in the house was where it was supposed to be! The living room furniture sat in the wrong places, the kitchen table looked weird, and the walls were the wrong color!

Sabrina ground her teeth as she stomped up the stairs. She muttered to herself the whole time she changed into her workout clothes. She clomped down to the gym.

The sight of the new workout machines clashed with her memories. She growled again. Thumping her sparring gloves together a couple of times helped her focus, but not much. Sabrina punished the new heavy bag for the crime of being new. Her frustrations melted away with each punch and kick landed.

‘Damn Hamish anyway!’ she railed. That kick hit especially hard. Tears rolled down her cheeks. ‘Why does he have to leave?’ The heavy bag rattled and shook with each impact. It just hung there like the inanimate object it was, providing no answers.

Sabrina flopped to the floor after five minutes of hard strikes. Everything hurt. Her thighs and shoulders burned from her workout. Her eyes felt gritty and raw. Her hands and shins throbbed.

The ceiling fans spun lazy circles above her head as she stared. She blew out another breath. Time to suck it up and get on with life.

<THOCK!>

Someone bounced their hockey stick off Sabrina’s helmet.

“Head in the game, Dragon Lady,” Shawn muttered from next to her on the bench.

“I keep telling you, Shawn: Japanese dragons are not something you want to run into. Too much mayhem ensues.”

“And I keep telling you, Sabrina: I only care what kind of mayhem you’re gonna unleash on the other teams.” She admitted Shawn had point. “Anyway, we need you focused today.”

Sabrina studied their opponent’s style of play. “They’re making us bunch up,” she said to Shawn. He nodded in agreement. “Remind the guys to spread the ice wide and make Amesbury play our game, not theirs. Use our quickness and passing skills against them. I’m surprised Coach hasn’t said anything yet.” She glanced at the clock – still six minutes left in the period. Good.

Opening the ice up favored Fitchburg’s style of play. It also made their tic-tac-toe passing easier. Phil Scott fired a one-timer from the right slot to give Fitchburg a one-nothing lead just before intermission.

“Good job figuring out the problem, guys,” Coach Savard said in the locker room. “Keep making them chase you around. That’ll wear ’em out and give us more opportunities to score.”

The Fitchburg players flitted and darted away from Amesbury for the rest of the game. Amesbury’s players were still breathing hard in the handshake line after the final horn.

“Jesus, I’m beat,” Pete sighed as he dropped into the seat next to Sabrina. “Even on a weekend, it’s going to be a long bus ride home.”

“Not the kinda place I think about curling up with my boyfriend in,” Sabrina replied. She put her head down on his shoulder.

“Yeah, I’m sure it’s not the kind of Friday night date you envision, either,” Pete said after kissing her forehead. “At least we won the game. And we clinched first place in our division with the win.”

“And a first-round playoff bye, too. We’re gonna need it to conserve our strength. We’re going to face Amesbury again in the finals, I can feel it.”

“You okay, Sabrina?” Shawn asked his distracted captain at lunch the following Monday. Sabrina glanced up from her seaweed salad.

“I guess,” she muttered before looking back down and spearing another forkful.

“I know you’ve had a lot on your mind over the last six months, especially since your application to USAFA is due next week. Is there anything the rest of us can help you with or do for you?”

She shook her head. “I feel like I’ve been letting you guys down this year, both on and off the ice.”

Shawn put down his sandwich. He shared looks with their other friends sitting with them.

“How do you figure that?”

“I feel like I’ve been running on autopilot since Halloween,” she griped while counting off points on her fingers. “I haven’t been much of a captain this year, certainly nothing like Alan was for us last year. My grades here are fine, but nothing like what I should be pulling down. I’ve barely made any time for any of you, with the possible exception of Pete. Other than hockey, I’m not involved in much else.”

“You don’t think that maybe, perhaps, you’re being a little hard on yourself?” Erica asked. “Plus, it’s not like you don’t have a shit-ton of stuff going on in your life, Sabrina.”

“That’s my point, Erica!” Sabrina cried. “I’ve got so many other things going on I’m neglecting my friendship with all of you!”

“I don’t think you’ll find any of us agreeing with you there,” Ruby commented. “Sabrina, it makes sense that you’re busier than the rest of us because you’re getting ready to go places the rest of us can’t even dream of!”

“Yeah, but …”

“No buts about it, Badass! Ruby’s right,” Vic said, borrowing Tommy’s nickname for her. “Look, Dad and I talked about people and their high school experiences a little while back. He said that high school’s the time when we’re most able to make choices that will affect the rest of our lives, and that just about all options are still open to us. He said that after high school those options start to narrow. The decisions we make about which school to go to will dictate what kind of career we start, who we meet next, who we marry.

“In your case, it’s a little different. Admission to any service academy is very competitive and demands your focus. You’re going to leave us in the dust. Don’t give me that look, Sabrina. In comparison to you, our careers will seem pretty mundane. My definition of success is going to differ from yours and everyone else’s, even my parents, and I’m not worried about it. Faith’s definition will be different than mine and might lead her along a different path than mine, or we’ll be on similar paths and will be together long-term. ‘Que será, será,’ as Mom would say.”

Sabrina’s grades climbed again now that her tunnel-vision was gone – not that they were terrible, to begin with.

Sabrina changed and walked down to the gym, leaving the pile of USAFA application paperwork on her desk. Her katas helped her warm up for her treadmill run. Sabrina longed for the snow to melt so she could get back out on the roads with their changing scenery. Staring at the same wall for thirty minutes got old fast.

Today was leg day: squats, lunges, presses, a jump rope, and a slide-skating board occupied her workout schedule. Another kata marked the end of her workout.

“Good workout, Princess?” her father asked when she walked back into the kitchen. He handed her a muscle-recovery shake.

“Yeah, it helped clear my head, too.”

“The best workouts always do for me.”

“Yeah, like I couldn’t tell …”

Her father still sported the toned physique Sabrina remembered from ten years ago. She still ground her teeth at the bitches from school who commented on how hot her dad was. Her mother laughed when she mentioned that once.

“Maybe so, Sabrina,” she had said, “but do not forget that it is my bed your father continues to return to.”

Her dad made her laugh when he struck muscle-man poses for her before returning to his dinner preparations. Sabrina also shivered at the thought of her parents in bed together.

“What’s for dinner tonight, Dad?”

“Thought I’d make shepherd’s pie,” he replied while continuing to peel potatoes.

“Are you making the one with tomato sauce in the ground beef or the brown gravy?”

“I’m making one of each. Your brothers tend to eat a lot.”

“Yeah, your food bills are gonna take a nose-dive when those two leave for school.”

“Alex is excited to start at the University of Chicago in the fall. Astronautical engineering or astrodynamics. He and Allison can have that nonsense! Too much math for me!”

“How do you think Ryan’s going to do at Wake Forest?” Ryan signed a letter of intent in January, committing to play baseball for Wake Forest after being recruited by half a dozen schools.

“As long as he majors in Communications and not baseball …”

“Yeah. I’m gonna miss Alex …” she sighed. ‘Ryan? Not so much anymore’, she added in her head.

The whisper and scrapes of skates on ice filled Sabrina’s ears. She stared out over the boards, sweat dripping from her chin while she waited for her next shift to start. The fans’ groans and cheers filtered in from over the glass. The sounds of the game masked them for those playing.

“Change up!” Coach called from behind her after an icing call. Sabrina vaulted the boards automatically. She glided over to the face-off circle and waited for the linesman to drop the puck.

Sticks smacked together as she tried to shove her opponent off the puck. A shot sailed toward the net. The wall of bodies stopped the puck. Someone kicked it behind Marlborough’s net. Sabrina slipped between the other players and took control of it. She passed the puck out to a defenseman waiting near the blue line.

THERE! Sabrina noticed a hole in the defense and readied herself. Nothing else existed but the puck sliding toward her from across the ice.

<THWACK!>

Sabrina rifled a shot past the out-of-position goalie. She whooped and threw herself against the glass. The cheering Fitchburg fans in that corner of the rink went nuts. Sabrina turned in time for her teammates to bury her in exuberant celebration. Fitchburg led three-to-one with seven minutes to play in the semi-final game.

“Great work, everyone!” Coach enthused after the final horn. “One more! Just one more game and we’ve got this. Don’t lose focus! The next game will be our toughest test of the whole season. It deserves to be the championship game. Be ready.”

Sabrina blew out a breath. Her USAFA pre-candidate questionnaire lay completed on the computer screen in front of her. She’d checked it five times already. All that remained was for her to click <SEND>. She pushed back from the desk.

“Shit …” she whispered. “What if I don’t get appointed? What if I have to go to the Preparatory School first?” Another breath. “What if? What if? What if? Jesus, girl, breathe! You’re gonna drive yourself crazy if you don’t calm down!”

Sabrina shook her head. She glanced over at her book bag at the foot of her bed. She finished her homework before practice so she wouldn’t have to do it tonight. No worries there. She glanced back to her desk where her worries lay.

She needed some time in the family gym to settle down. She reached over and submitted the questionnaire, then changed into her gi and went to do her katas.

Sabrina shook her head and tried to clear it. She picked herself up off the ice.

“Sabrina, you okay?”

“Yeah, Dingo,” she replied. “I’m good.”

“You wanna try letting go of the boards first? That was a pretty solid hit you just took.”

“Hey, it’s a hockey game. Gotta expect it.”

“I think they’re even more physical than they were the last time! I hope the boards can take the pounding!”

“Yeah. They’ve adapted, so we need to do the same and quickly!”

Fitchburg trailed two-to-nothing with two periods left to play.

“They seem to be intent on clogging our passing lanes, so we need to change where those lanes are,” Coach Savard pointed out during the first intermission. “Forget where we’ve been setting up all year, move without the puck, and get open. Make sure you receive the pass before you start moving again, but move once you do or you’ll get plastered. Passers, you have to anticipate where your teammates are gonna be when you see them moving. Keep control of the puck or we’re sunk.”

Sabrina chewed on her mouth guard while walking back to the frozen surface. She charged through the boards and back onto the ice to warm up. The stresses of her life receded again as she skated.

“Go back to the Dirty Burg, little girl!” an Amesbury player sneered to Sabrina during one stoppage in the second period. He towered over her. She ignored him and lined up for the face-off to the left of Amesbury’s goal.

Sabrina blasted the puck straight into the net as soon as the linesman dropped it. She glared at the other player as she skated to her bench.

Fitchburg evened the score with another goal in the second period. Amesbury scored again just before time expired. A frustrated Fitchburg Shockers team filed back into their locker room.

“You guys are doing the right things, they just got lucky with that last one. Knuckle down and give it your all this last period. Whatever happens, Coach Dawson and I are proud of how you’ve played this year.” Dennis Savard paused. “Of course, we’d be prouder if you finished by kicking these guys to the curb so we can claim the championship …”

His players disappointed him by not reacting – not a laugh or even a chuckle. They sat there with serious looks on their faces. Players drifted to the tables with snacks laid out, to the bathrooms, or over to the water bottles. They said very little until Sabrina had them line up before the third period.

Shawn Hurt tapped his captain on the shoulder before they left the room. She turned.

“‘… I guess there’s only one thing left to do,’” he said, quoting one of his dad’s favorite movies. “‘Win the whole <bleeping> thing!’”

Sabrina nodded. “Go big, or go home.” She raised an ungloved fist. Her alternate captain bumped it with his and they both pulled them back, making them ‘explode.’

Sabrina didn’t notice the cheering crowds in the stands as they walked back to their bench. She kept her focus. Her stare bore straight through her counterpart when they lined up for the face-off. They jostled for position while watching the linesman, waiting for the puck to drop between the centers. The instant it landed on the ice they tried to knock each other off their feet.

“Keep those legs pumping!” Coach called from the bench. His team looked tired, sluggish. “MOVE!” They perked up at his urging.

The teams darted around the ice, chasing each other and the puck like angry bees. Possession changed hands over and over as both teams fore-checked.

Amesbury made a game-changing mistake with four minutes left in the period: Sabrina tripped over an Amesbury stick. The referee didn’t care why Sabrina tripped, only that another player caused it. An Amesbury defenseman stifled a curse as he skated to the penalty box.

“Let’s go!” Sabrina growled to her line before the face-off. She glanced at the clock. “Right here! Right flipping here!” She emphasized each word with a slap of her stick on the ice.

Fitchburg led the league in power-play percentage. Quick passes kept Amesbury skating side-to-side trying to be everywhere at once. A snap pass from Fitchburg’s center caught Amesbury out of position again. A Shockers shot found an open corner of the Amesbury net, retying the game.

“BOOM!” Sabrina shouted. “That’s the way! Nice shot Larry!”

The teams chased each other up and down the ice as the clock dwindled. Both teams failed to capitalize on the opportunities that presented themselves, and the game remained tied.

Sabrina carried the puck into the Amesbury end and curled around the net. L. Less than two minutes remained in the game. She spotted Shawn Hurt crashing the net from the blue line. Her quick pass found him, and his shot found the back of the net.

“THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKIN’ ABOUT!” Shawn screamed during the celebration.

“BRINGIN’ THE HURT!” Sabrina yelled in reply.

Amesbury pulled their goalie. The final ninety seconds of the game passed in a flurry of shots. Each came closer and closer to tying the game. Fitchburg’s goalie collided with one of his defensemen, leaving the goal wide open with five seconds to go. Amesbury’s left winger flipped a wrist shot at the open net.

Pete Knapp, the other defenseman, appeared out of nowhere. He took the shot right in the chest. When the puck dropped to the ice again, he slapped it out of the zone as time expired. This time he was the player at the bottom of the pile when his teammates mobbed someone.

“You okay?” Sabrina asked her boyfriend as he limped toward her at school that Monday.

“I think so. My leg was twisted under me when you guys piled onto me at the end of the game Saturday. It was fine yesterday, but my knee kinda hurts today.”

“‘Chicks dig scars,’ remember?” she asked with a laugh.

“I also remember that character also saying ‘That’s why girls don’t play the game, Coach,’ at one point. I don’t think that applies in our case.”

“Whatever. You saved the game, you know? I’m not sure we could have held them off in overtime.”

“Yeah, glad we didn’t have to find out. Speaking of finding out, when will you hear about your application to the Air Force Academy?”

“Not for at least a month. It’ll be like the last two minutes of the game: I’ll be on pins and needles the entire time.”

“What’s next?”

“Making sure I get a nomination. I can’t get appointed to the academy without one.”

“Why didn’t you apply to any of the other service academies?” Pete asked.

“In retrospect, I should have. Kinda put all of my eggs in one basket by not applying to any of the others.”

“And are you still thinking about Texas or Emery-Riddle if you don’t get into USAFA?”

“More than likely, though I don’t really wanna think about it. You still thinking about Cal-Berkeley and their Chemistry program as your first choice?”

“Probably. The more I read up on it, the more it seems like the right choice for me.”

“Don’t let on that you know any fascists attending a military service academy. Did you pick up the tickets for the Prom?”

“Yeah, last Friday. I’ll be headed to the formal wear shop to get measured for my tux later this week. You find your dress yet?”

“No, not yet. The super-short dresses from a few years ago are out of favor, thankfully, but I haven’t found a floor-length one I like as much as that one I wore last year.”

“You ready to get back into the swing of things now that hockey’s over, Sabrina?”

“Hai, Sensei!”

“Okay, Grasshopper, chill out. Save your enthusiasm for your class in thirty minutes. Think you can wait that long?”

“Yes, Sensei Doug..!” she answered in a sing-song voice. That drew a glare from Doug Daoust. His daughter used to use that same voice.

“Don’t make me sic your mother on you, Sabrina! You know I’ll do it!”

“All bark, no bite there, grandpa!” Sabrina laughed at the empty threat. “Emily told me about how you turn into a giant teddy bear around her boys! You won’t do anything!”

“KEIKO!”

“Solve your own problems, Douglas …” wafted over from where Keiko stretched.

Doug rolled his eyes. “Fine!” he huffed. Turning back to his most successful, and now least favorite, student he asked “Are you planning on working here while you’re in the academy, Sabrina?”

“I’m not sure it’ll be possible, Sensei.” There was no mockery in her tone this time. “My schedule will be full for four years once I start. I think the most leave I’d get at once is three weeks.”

“Well,” Doug said with regret, “let’s make the most of your remaining time here, then.”

“How’d you do on the SAT this time, Sabrina?” Erica asked in early May. They sat outside during lunch, enjoying the good weather.

“Twenty-two fifty,” she shrugged.

“Shit! That’s well ahead of the average!”

“Yeah, well, we’ll see how well I stack up against the other USAFA applicants.”

May’s arrival brought pre-Prom excitement, which both upper classes always got caught up in.

“You and Pete getting a limo for the Prom?”

“His mom’s Camry,” Sabrina shrugged. “We don’t drink, so I can’t see having him fork over that kind of money for one. Renting a limo for Prom is like buying roses at Valentine’s – way too expensive. What about you and Tommy?”

“My van.” Erica’s tricked-out wheelchair van with hand controls and tinted windows would suffice for them.

“Slow down, you two!”

“Look who’s talking, Miss Excitement! Speaking of excitement, are you and Pete planning a sleep-over?”

Sabrina sprayed water over the table.

“Erica!”

“Sabrina! C’mon girl, give!”

Sabrina blushed bright red. “Well, Mrs. Knapp and my mom are letting me sleep at his house afterward …”

“Allrightallrightallright! Sabrina’s gonna get some! Sabrina’s gonna get some!” She twirled her chair around while chanting.

“STOP! It’s not like I’m asking you what you and Tommy are doing after!”

“You don’t have to ask. I’m telling you I’m gonna rock that boy’s world!”

“Oh, good lord …”

Ryan’s mood went from bad to worse the week before the big event. Word around the school was he broke up with yet another girlfriend, his third that year. Now he had no date for the Prom. Alex ignored the situation. He focused on making the night as special as he could for Nora. Sabrina ignored her younger older brother anyway, so it wasn’t a big change for her.

“So, I’ll be at your house by six-thirty, okay?” Pete asked at the end of the school day before the dance. “That’ll give our folks plenty of time to take pictures before we make our escape.”

“Yeah,” Sabrina confirmed. “My grandparents all say they tortured my parents the same way when they were our age. I guess it’ll be our turn in about thirty years. Have a good practice!”

“Sounds good,” Pete smiled before kissing his girlfriend. She smiled back and bounded off to find her mother outside. He stood there watching her leave. He liked doing that.

‘I am so lucky …’ he thought.

Someone grabbed Pete by the collar and yanked him into a dark classroom. He didn’t remember anything after that.

Sabrina sat in the family room reading when the boys returned from baseball practice. Alex seemed his normal self. Ryan was strangely buoyant given his mood earlier in the day.

“What’s with the Stepford Brother?” she whispered to her oldest brother after Ryan walked upstairs.

“Dunno,” Alex responded. “It’s creepy as hell, though. Hey, did Pete seem okay earlier? He missed practice.”

“He seemed fine. I haven’t heard from him at all since the end of school.” She picked her phone up off the couch. She tapped Pete’s number to call him.

“… Mrs. Knapp? Why are you? … You’re where? What happened? … My God, why would anyone want to do that? Is he going to be okay? … Uh huh … Yes … Do you need anything? … All right, call me if you do … Okay, bye.”

“What’s wrong?” Alex asked upon seeing Sabrina’s tears.

“Someone beat Pete up!” she cried. “The custodians found him unconscious in a classroom after school, probably while you were at practice. He’s got a bad concussion, broken ribs, and possible abdominal bruises. They took him right to the trauma center in Worcester.”

Alex gathered his little sister into a hug and let her cry it out. His mind whirled as he sat there holding her. Little things he noticed about Ryan earlier started adding up. Storm clouds gathered over his head. He said nothing but vowed to take care of the situation.

Sabrina’s sobs drew Keiko into the room. Alex told his mother what happened. She sent him to get ready for his date that night while she comforted Sabrina.

Sabrina drove to Worcester the next morning to meet Mrs. Knapp. They sat in the hospital cafeteria together until visiting hours started. Shirley Police detectives stood at the nurses’ station when the pair stepped onto Pete’s ward. There was little the distraught mother could tell them that they didn’t already know.

Pete heard his door open. He opened his eyes at Sabrina’s gasp.

“Hey,” he croaked. “C’mere …” His hand found Sabrina’s.

“What happened, Pete?” she asked. “Who did this?”

“I never saw them,” he mumbled, shaking his head. “They dragged me into a dark classroom after you walked away. That’s the last thing I remember until I woke up here with Mom sitting in that chair. They went to town before my eyes could adjust.”

“Are you going to be okay?”

“Yeah. It’ll just take time.” His eyes fluttered. “Sorry, they gave me some pain meds about thirty minutes ago … Ithinktheyrekickin …” The last sentence was a giant slurred word.

Sabrina brushed a lock of hair from Pete’s face. “I’ll go, Mrs. Knapp. He needs his sleep.”

“I’m sorry, Sabrina. I hoped you two would have some time together.”

“We will, just not today. Have him call me when he wakes up?”

Sabrina walked out to the parking garage. She was home in twenty minutes.

“How’s he doing?” Nora Bellamy asked. She sat on the couch curled up around Alex.

“Well enough,” Sabrina shrugged. “The only broken bones are his cracked ribs, and the abdominal bruises aren’t serious, despite how they sounded initially. He should be released Tuesday or Wednesday, but won’t be back at school until at least next week. I told him I’d gather all his homework assignments for him while he’s out and bring them to his house.”

“Any idea who did this?” Alex’s girlfriend asked. Nora and Sabrina didn’t see the dark look on his face.

“No. He doesn’t remember anything about the attackers. I don’t think anyone saw anybody coming out of that room, either.”

Sabrina’s mood was subdued at school that Monday. Word of the attack was all over the school, the room where they found Pete was still taped off. Everyone looked around with hooded, suspicious eyes. Amateur sleuths offered wild explanations for the attack, heedless of their validity.

Keiko picked Sabrina up after school and drove her to Pete’s house. Keiko’s phone rang during their visit.

“Hello, Jeffrey,” she answered, hearing the distinctive ring assigned to her husband. “You’re what? … Do you need me to meet you there? … Very well. Call me when you know more.” Keiko hung up and looked over at her daughter.

“You will not have to worry about dealing with Ryan this evening, Sabrina. Your father is following the ambulance bringing your brother to Leominster Hospital. He suspects Ryan will be admitted overnight.”

“What happened? Did he crash his car because he was driving like a butthead?”

“No. Alex struck him in the head with a pitch during baseball practice. Ryan likely has a mild concussion. Your father mentioned he did not see Alex at the field when he arrived on-scene behind the ambulance.” Keiko looked down at her phone again before selecting a contact. She rose and started walking out of the Knapp’s living room.

“Where are you?” Keiko asked. The rest of the conversation became inaudible as she stepped outside.

Sabrina and Pete shared a look. “I think I’m going to be leaving soon,” she said.

“Seems like it. See you tomorrow?”

She leaned down to kiss him good night. “I’ll be here.” She hugged Mrs. Knapp and walked out to the front porch. Keiko turned at the sound of the door opening.

“We need to leave, Sabrina.”

Alex volunteered no information about the incident at baseball practice. He wasn’t very forthcoming when Keiko questioned him. There were few answers to be had when Jeff returned home without Ryan. Keiko and Sabrina watched from the couch while Jeff questioned his oldest.

“Ryan said one of your pitches got away from you?”

“No.”

“‘No’, it didn’t get away from you or, ‘no,’ you weren’t pitching?”

“It didn’t get away from me, Dad,” Alex answered. He looked his father square in the eye.

“Then what happened, Alex?”

“I played him a little chin music.”

Jeff stared at Alex. “You what?” he roared.

“I plunked him in the ribs with a slow curve, made like I was all sorry, and then I went up-and-in with my next pitch. On purpose. I aimed right for the ear-hole on his batting helmet and threw a heater.”

Jeff turned red and started pacing. “Jesus fucking Christ, Alex! You could have killed him!”

“Whatever, Dad. Did you see your younger son’s hands?”

“His hands? What do they have to do with anything?”

“Remember how you knew that asshole beat Ruby Sepulveda and her sister up that day, Dad?” Jeff’s face paled in an instant. “Exactly. Ryan was late for practice the day of the Prom and Pete’s attack, and he’s been way too chipper. That’s what made the thing with his hands click. Ryan’s looking at a fair stretch in the Big House if the cops pin this on him. He and I turned eighteen in March, remember? We’re not minors any longer. Massachusetts is screwy when it comes to majority, but Pete’s not eighteen. It could be A&B on a minor, right?”

“What about you, Genius? That fastball will get you A&B with a Dangerous Weapon!”

“They have to prove intent, Dad,” Alex replied. A knowing smirk graced his face. “I’ll never utter those words again to anyone, and I’ll deny it if asked. I stuck up for a teammate, for my little sister. I stuck up for someone who wasn’t able to stick up for themselves!” He stood from the couch and fired his final shot. “Kinda like you did for Uncle Jack’s brother when you reenlisted, huh?”

Alex walked out of the room, leaving three stunned people in his wake.

“Christ, Keiko, I don’t know what to do! I don’t want Ryan to skate on this, but I don’t know if I can throw him under the bus! This is our son!”

Sabrina didn’t mean to eavesdrop on her parents, but her father’s whispers weren’t whispers.

“I do not know what the right answer is either, Jeffrey. Meditation has not shown me the correct path as of yet.”

“Shit. Alex moved his things into the guest room Monday, and neither he nor Sabrina will so much as talk to their brother! They can barely stand to be in the same room with him!”

“Yes, and I do not know if I can survive another dinner as tense as last night’s.”

‘I’ve never heard them be indecisive about anything!’ Sabrina thought as she crept away.

Thursday morning Alex and Sabrina left the house without Ryan – on purpose.

“I almost feel bad about ditching him,” Sabrina said as they pulled away from the house.

“I sure as hell don’t!” Alex snarled. “Little shit deserves whatever he gets!” He looked over at Sabrina. “Sorry, Bina, I didn’t mean to take it out on you.”

Sabrina gave him a tired smile. “I know, Alex. I don’t even want to talk to him right now.” She turned back to stare out the windshield. “He used to be my buddy … Until my relationship with you got better in middle school, he and I used to do everything together …”

Sabrina angrily wiped a tear from her cheek. ‘I will not cry over that bastard!’ Deep breaths helped a little.

Alex reached over to give her a comforting pat on the shoulder. “Only three more months, Sabrina. We can tough it out.”

Ryan didn’t bother trying to catch a ride to school with his siblings from that point on.

Three months sounded doable at first. After two weeks Sabrina wasn’t so sure.

‘At least he spends most of his time in his room with the door closed …’ she mused while brushing her hair. ‘It still sucks.’

“Hey,” Alex greeted her in the upstairs hall. He waved his sister down the stairs first.

“Hey. Ready for your last two weeks of high school?”

“Thirteen days. Fourteen if you count graduation, but who’s counting?” He glanced at Ryan’s door. “How are you holding up?”

“Better than Mom and Dad, I think,” Sabrina shrugged. “I’ll let you know after I’ve had my tea.”

Both froze when they caught sight of their mother. She sat at the kitchen table holding a crumpled piece of paper, crying her eyes out. Alex gently pulled the paper from her grasp as Sabrina tried to comfort her.

“What is it, Alex?” Sabrina asked.

“It’s Ryan. He’s moved out.”