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And speaking of, here was the boy hi up "How are you?"

It was al, hair, nails andwhat see puberty, Charlie had turned punk, or Goth, or whatever they were calling it these days Baggy black clothes, black eyeliner, black fingernail polish There were a few of that type at Wickha, but they seeh kids

Charlie, on the other hand

He didn’t look at Tom, just walked past, out the front door, as cheery as if he were on his way to get a lethal injection

"Right," To him back around seven, then?"

"If you can stand hi at his junk

"You, um, enjoy your time"

He walked out to the car, where Charlie was already seated, earbuds in place, starting ahead with the long-suffering expression only a fourteen-year-old boy couldthe etting in and starting the car No answer froh To it ht?" No answer "Buckle up, ood lad" And no answer still "Charlie, co his eyes as he did so

"So I thought I’d take you into town, do so fun, then back to my place for dinner--how’s that sound?"

No answer

And he had the kid for four h the cartilage of Charlie’s left ear Looked infected frory and red froh it "Make sure you clean that properly," Toedly kept up the chatter: the weather, the town, the lake, the Buffalo Bills (he had no idea if Charlie was interested in football, and he himself wasn’t, but you never knew) until they pulled into the parking lot And finally, the boy spoke

"What are we doing here?" His voice, once so angelic, had changed over the past few et used to, that voice Like when the little girl starts speaking with the deylance so filled with disgust it was hard to recognize the boy who’d once jun does tell you that, doesn’t it?" Toht we could check it out"

The truth was, Tom had no idea what to do with Charlie, whose only interests see The days of kites, bike-riding and make-your-own sundaes were over

But Toh university on a scholarship, in fact, and ional championship sport had its very own boxing gym, an old-school type of place filled with the smell of sweat and leather and the rhyth rope He’d joined the first week hein there," Charlieout the

"I can’t leave you in the car"

"Yes, you can"

"It’s cold Besides, I’ve got you till seven, so we’ve got to find so to do"

He waited, and after a second, Charlie opened the door and shuffled inside the gy in hand

"It stinks in here," Charlie pronounced, the earbuds still in place

"It sive it a try"

"I’ay" His voice was loud

Tom tried not to clench his teeth "Where I’m from, it means friend"

"You’re not my friend, either And you’re not my father, or my stepfather, and I hate it when you call ive boxing a shot No harm, is there? It wouldn’t hurt for you to have soloves--it’ll be fun"

"It’s not fun!"

"And keep your voice down, all right?" He pulled out one of Charlie’s earbuds, and the kid reacted like Tom had slapped him

"Don’t touch me! I don’t have to do what you say!"

Oh, fantastic, so over So tattoo, no less, and a badass look on his face

"Probleers as proble a smile

The smile was not returned Nor did the ht?" he asked

"No," Charlie said, rolling his eyes Toet stuck, the way his own father had always promised

"I’m Police Chief Cooper," the man said to Charlie Bloody wonderful "How do you know this ined, he’d be in a cell for atteht of it, being sent back to England--or prison--didn’t actually see with the kid

Charlie didn’t answer

"I’m a friend of the family," Tom said

The chief didn’t seem impressed "Is that true?" he asked

"I don’t know," muttered Charlie