Where it makes sense.
And where it’s safe.
TWO
WE WERE JUST ELEVEN YEARS OLD
The bus pulls awayin a cloud of dust and diesel, and I leave my sister and brother behind as I sprint for the front door and push it open. The smell of freshly baked cookies greets me, and I grin as I drop my backpack by the door, kick off my shoes, and run into the kitchen.
Mom’s already at the fridge, pulling out the milk. She glances over her shoulder and smiles when she sees me.
“Chocolate chip,” she says as she starts filling three glasses.
A plate of cookies waits in the middle of the kitchen island, and I immediately reach for one. I take a big bite of the warm, chocolatey, gooey goodness, and grab another one before I’ve even swallowed.
Mom chuckles, then her gaze shifts behind me as the front door opens and Jade and Keigan come in.
“How was school?” she asks, watching as they take seats beside me at the island.
“Good,” Jade says, grabbing a cookie and tearing it in half. “I have a math test tomorrow.”
I perk up and turn towards her, but she cuts me off with an eye roll. “Nerd.” Then she smiles. “It’s nothing exciting. Just fractions and decimals and stuff.”
But I’m still excited. Jade’s three years older than me and in high school now, which means she gets to learn all the cool things I don’t know yet. I like watching her study and do homework, just to catch glimpses of what’s coming next. I like reading the equations she scribbles across looseleaf, her colour-coded notes, and just taking in the quiet confidence she always seems to have.
“You ready for it?” Mom leans forward, propping her elbows on the counter as she lifts a cookie of her own off the plate.
“I’ll study a bit tonight,” Jade says with a nod. “But yeah.”
Mom shifts her gaze to Keigan, who’s dunking a cookie into his milk so aggressively that half of it spills onto the counter. He pauses when he notices all of us staring.
“What?” he says with a mouth full of cookie.
Mom huffs a quiet laugh. “How was school?”
“Thebest,” Keigan says with wide eyes. “We played dodgeball in Phys. Ed.” Then he returns to dunking his cookie.
I chuckle and take a drink of my milk, the coolness of it a perfect contrast to the warm chocolate still melting in my mouth. If there’s one thing we can all count on, it’s my little brother thinking Phys. Ed. is the best thing to ever exist.
Mom’s eyes land on me next. “And you?”
I nod and set my glass down. “Mine was good…” I say, then hesitate for a moment. “But Silas got suspended.”
Jade and Mom both let out a soft sigh.
“Is he ok?” Mom asks gently.
I shrug one shoulder. “I didn’t get to talk to him. He was sent to the office after recess. Emerson kept changing the rules during soccer, and Silas hit him. Then, in class, we were doing creative writing, and Mr. MacKenzie wanted him to try it onhis own, but Silas needed help. He got mad and threw a chair. The principal came and got him, then sent him home. Mr. MacKenzie told me he’s suspended for three days.”
Mom exhales through her nose and stares down at the half-eaten cookie in her hand. “I wish they’d just help him,” she mutters sadly.
I do too.
She lifts her eyes again to meet mine, and I can see the sadness in them. “He’s lucky to have you, Levi.”
Before I can say anything, her gaze shifts past me, out the window. I turn to follow it and see Silas flying down the dirt road on his bike, pedalling hard towards the beach.
I shove the last bite of cookie in my mouth and slide off the stool.
