Calmly, Carefully, Completely(109)

“What?”

“I’d rather you stay here.”

“Why?” He looks confused.

“It’s Sunday morning. My parents are probably going to stay all day. I need to spend some time with them.” I really just want to spare him my dad’s wrath.

He nods. “Okay,” he says slowly. He kicks his shoes back off.

I get dressed and go over to give him a kiss. “I’ll call you later?” I ask.

He nods. “Sure.”

I need to deal with this situation with my dad so that I’ll never have to deal with it again.





Pete



The phone rings, and I jump to grab it. It’s six o’clock on Sunday evening and Reagan has been gone all day and hasn’t called even once. “Hello?” I say. Sam chuckles into his fist. He’s taking the bus back to school late tonight, so he’ll be here until around eleven. He says something about my balls being in a vice, and I throw a pillow at him.

“Pete?” a male voice says.

“Yes,” I say.

“Pete, this is Phil.” I must be too quiet because he goes on to say, “Your parole officer.”

“Yes, sir,” I say. I sit up so I can pay close attention.

“Pete, could I come and pick you up and take you somewhere with me? It’s kind of important.”

“Of course,” I say. I don’t even hesitate. “Can I ask where we’re going?”

“I’ll tell you more when I pick you up,” he says. He sounds like he’s upset, and I want to know what’s going on. “Can you be ready in ten minutes?”

We hang up, and I go get dressed. I wonder what could be important enough to make Phil need to see me on a Sunday. But I guess I’ll find out.

Phil pulls up outside my building in a black Ford, and he motions for me to climb in. “I have some bad news, Pete,” he says. He doesn’t look at me.

“What kind of news?” I ask.

“Edward, the boy from the youth program, he got visitation yesterday with his sister after group. He was doing so well, I felt like he was ready, particularly after he spent so much time with you at camp. There was an altercation, and his sister’s foster father was badly injured. Edward was stabbed, and he just got out of surgery. The foster father died in the fight.”

“What?” I breathe. “How could that happen?”

“Apparently, Edward’s sister told him that the foster father wasn’t treating her well. Edward lost his head, and he snapped. He attacked him, and the two fought over a blade the father had. Edward spent the whole morning in surgery.”

“Is he all right?” I ask.

Phil shakes his head. “I’m not sure. That’s why I’m going to see him. He won’t see anyone else, and you seemed to have a real connection with him at the camp and even at group yesterday. So, I thought you might be able to talk to him.”

“What’s going to happen to him?” I ask.

“Hopefully, this is going to be a self-defense case. The last time he got in trouble, he was a juvenile offender. He’s eighteen now. He’ll be tried as an adult if there are criminal charges.” He shakes his head and blows out a breath. “I need for someone to get his story, so Caster can help prepare his defense, but he won’t talk to anybody. I already talked to Bob Caster, and he’s coming to talk to him, too.”

“He’s at Reagan’s,” I say.

He cuts his eyes at me as he puts the truck in gear. “Yes, I heard.”