"Course you're not, Princess. Probably not allowed to do anything fun." He kneels in front of me and opens the kit.
Princess?
That's what the kids on the playground called me, too. But somehow, it doesn't sound mean coming from him.
"I'm Kade," he continues, popping open the kit. "The smart-ass with glasses is Cyrus, the pretty boy is Jinx, and you've already met Tank." He gestures to each of them in turn. "In case you haven't noticed, Tank doesn't talk."
"I know," I say, smiling up at Tank. "He can't. But that's okay."
The other boys exchange a look that I don't understand. Like I've said something surprising.
"How'd you figure that out so fast?" Cyrus asks, sounding curious.
"I asked if he couldn't talk or didn't want to, and he held up one finger. That meant the first thing I said." I shrug. "It's not hard to figure out if you pay attention."
Kade grunts and pulls out a bottle of something that smells sharp and stingy. "Well, this is gonna burn like hell, so you'd better not cry like a baby. There's no crying allowed in the fortress."
I straighten my spine. "I'm not a baby," I say, but my fingers tighten a little bit on Sparkles.
"We'll see." He grins, but it's not mean like the playground kids. It's challenging, like he's testing me to see if I deserve to be in a cool place like this.
When he pours the medicine on my scraped knee, it burns like fire. My eyes water and I bite my lip hard enough to taste blood, but I don't cry. Iwon't.
Kade's grin widens. "Not bad, Princess. Sorry we don't have any pink bandages."
"That's okay," I say, watching him stick a plain white bandage on my knee. He smooths the edges down carefully. I flex my knee and it doesn't hurt as much. "Thank you."
"So, what happened, exactly?" Jinx asks, settling cross-legged on the floor beside the couch. Up close, he really does look like a prince from one of my books. His eyes are big and blue like the sky on a clear day and his hair looks gold in the right light.
"I just wanted to use the swings," I mumble. "But they said I couldn't. Then they pushed me and tried to kill my unicorn."
"Yeah, Sheri's a bitch," Jinx remarks, making me stare at him in alarm. Mom would be so mad if she knew I was hanging out with kids that call other kids… I don't even know if I can think the word without getting in trouble. It makes me want to stay here even more. "She thinks she owns this place and everyone in it. Likes to pick on kids smaller than her."
"Well, she picked the wrong kid today," Kade says, glancing pridefully at Tank. "Tank doesn't like bullies."
I look up at Tank, who's standing silently beside the couch like my guardian angel. "Thank you for helping me. And for bringing me here."
He nods once. His eyes are so dark, but they're so soft. The softest eyes I've ever seen on someone who looks so scary.
"You know how to play Conquest?" Kade asks me suddenly.
I shake my head. "I've never even heard of it."
"Of course she doesn't know how to play Conquest, dipshit," Cyrus says to Kade, not looking up from his game. "You made it up."
Kade flips him off. "The rules are simple. We can teach you," he says to me. He pauses, studying my bandaged knee. "If you're up for it."
"Okay," I say, and I can't keep the excitement out of my voice. Maybe if I can prove myself, they'll let me stay here forever.
Jinx grins and offers me his hand. "Come on then, Princess. Let's see what you're made of."
His hand is warm and way too rough for a kid our age. He helps me down from the RV so I don't land too hard on my hurt leg. The sun is already setting and there's a cloud of insects by the road that I hope aren't mosquitoes. The sunset shining off all the metal makes the trailer park look almost pretty.
The boys teach me their made-up game, which involves a lot of running and strategy and teamwork. It's more complicated than tag, but I catch on fast, and it seems to surprise them.
Cyrus actually looks impressed. "Not bad for a newbie," he admits.
We play until the sky turns dark purple and the first stars appear. I'm sweaty and tired and happier than I've been in a long time. Definitely since we left our old apartment. These boys aredifferent from my old friends. They're rougher and more serious, almost like grown-ups in some ways, but they're nice. I like them.
