Page 21 of Every Broken Promise
“Kids,” my father yelled. “Stop this now.”
We ignored him and kept moving around, each one trying to get the upper hand. It wasn’t until we were pulled away from each other that we stopped. Mr. Hart had Adam, and I assumed my dad had me.
“What happened?” my dad demanded to know.
Adam paled, and with his eyes he pleaded at me not to rat him out.
A few moments ago, I wanted to go tell my father to get him in trouble, but now I was stuck between trying to have my brother’s back and protecting Astrid.
“He was making fun of Astrid,” I told Dad without explaining what Adam said.
It would be something I could hold over him.
To my surprise, Astrid’s father started to laugh. I dared to look up at my dad, and he smiled. He carried me away until he sat me down on one of the benches.
“What happened?” he asked.
Instead of answering right away, I couldn’t help but focus on all the white that now streaked through his hair and the lines around his eyes.
Before Mom left us, he used to laugh all the time. Now, he smiles, but it isn’t the same.
“Adam said something mean to Astrid,” I told my dad.
“I gathered that,” my dad said. “But we can’t hit people just because they are mean.”
“But I don’t like to see Astrid sad.”
My father smiled again, and then he looked at Astrid, who now stood watching my dad and me. Adam went up to her, and I got up, but my dad held on to my arm, stopping me from running over there.
Astrid was looking up at my brother, and I really wanted to go over there to be a mediator.
“Just watch,” my father said, but I didn’t even turn to look at him.
We were too far away from them to hear what they were saying, but then Astrid beamed, threw her arms around Adam, and hugged him.
When I scrunched my nose in disgust, my father started to laugh. My head turned toward him, making me smile at how light he looked in that moment.
“Astrid is very lucky to have you protecting her,” he stated as he ruffled my hair. He walked away without saying more.
What if I couldn’t always protect her? What if one day I lost her like I lost my mom?
Those thoughts scared me, so I ran toward Astrid instead of focusing on them. Adam wasn’t by her anymore, and since I didn’t tell Dad, he would not hit me again since he knew I could still tell on him.
“Why did you hug Adam?” I asked Astrid as soon as I caught my breath.
“He said he was sorry.”
“But why did you hug him?”
“He apologized. Besides, I hug you all the time.” She shrugged it off.
Her answer didn’t make me feel any better. Astrid was my friend, not Adam’s.
“I don’t want to lose you,” I admitted.
Her eyes got a little wide before she opened her mouth to reply.
“Don’t be silly, Ty. You’re never going to lose me. We are best friends!”
