Page 25 of Bad Wolf

“Yeah, Jackie?”

“I’ll never forget the All-Star weekend. I just keep remembering everything over and over in my head.”

I nod at him, “I know buddy, that’s why I wanted you to be there.”

“It was a dream come true for me and I’m only eight!”

“Well, in that case, you can cross that dream off your list. Play in an All-Star game: check!” I lift my hand and flick my wrist drawing an imaginary check mark in the air.

“Yeah! Check,” he says, mirroring me. “Thank you. Best weekend ever.” He flashes me a very big, toothless grin.

We’re at minus five chiclets now.

“Hey, Knox?” I smile every time he does that.

“Yeah, Jackie?”

“So, you know my friend Summer?”

I nod blowing a breath into my cupped hands.

“Well, this kid, Benton, in my class. I think he likes her in more than a friend way, but I feel like she’s…like…mine? Or something, I don’t know. I mean, she’s Beau’s friend too but I dunno, it feels weird.”

I cringe on the inside. Poor kid. And it only gets worse from here on out. I can’t say that to him though, can I?

Maybe he should be having this conversation with Scott. What advice have I got for him, considering I’m all fucked up inside after seeing Wren? The girl I fell in love with at fifteen. The same girl who tore my heart out at eighteen. I don’t know what the hell I should say to him. But, he’s trusting me to help him, so I’ll do just that.

“This girl, Summer,” I say, turning to face him, “Is she smart?”

He lifts his chin, “Smartest girl in the class.”

“Then she’ll know how special you are to each other and not wanna mess with that.”

He purses his lips and nods.

“If she does though, if she starts hanging with him instead of you, it won’t be the end of the world. There’ll be another Summer. There’s plenty more girls to be friends with in your class and at hockey, right?”

“I guess. They’re not her though, are they?”

Holy shit, he’s fucked, and he’s only in the second grade.

“For now, my advice is to focus on doing well in school and work hard at hockey. You don’t need to be worrying about this sh—stuff now, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Come on,” I say, nudging him, “Let’s get our golf on.”

We hit the first challenge, and okay, this one looks pretty simple to begin with.

“Want me to go first and show you the ropes?” I ask him.

“Okay yeah, you show me.”

“Pop the ball on the spot,” I bend and place the fluorescent pink golf ball on the black ring painted on the ground, “take your putter, and position yourself so you’re slightly over the ball.” Which is what I do.

“Take a little look, and try and work out how hard you need to hit it and at what angle and then let ‘er rip!” I say as I sink the little sucker.

“Got it, and then I writeoneon this notepad because it only took you one try?” He says, squinting up at me.

---