“Do you think we can find any shark teeth?” Javi asks, hopping around in the sand.
“Definitely.” Kaitlyn pulls her phone for a moment, a strange look flickering across her face before shoving it back in her pocket. “Bailey used to be a pro at finding the biggest tooth, but I bet you could beat him.”
“Can we swim too?” Javi asks, and Kaitlyn nods. He freezes, glancing at me. “Can I?”
I want to say no because he’s wearing his last pair of clean clothes. I should’ve put his dirty clothes in my parents’ washer and dryer, but I didn’t think of it until now. But as the little boy stares at me, waiting for an answer, I realize we’ve spent so long just surviving. He deserves to know what living feels like.
“Yeah, buddy, but let’s take off your shirt first,” I say, and he tosses his arms up for me to help. Then I take off my own as Kaitlyn strips down to her swimsuit next to me. The gold earrings lining the outer part of her ear catch my eye as sunlight glints off them.
Javi jumps feet first into the water, and I follow behind, laughter spilling out of me as he wades in up to his knees. “I love the ocean,” he yells, and the next wave hits his waist, threatening to knock him over.
“Kait, you coming in?” I call back, letting myself enjoy the moment, but I feel my smile fade after noticing her expression. Javi splashes, staying near me, and I follow her gaze to Javi’s bare back and arms, speckled with scars from cigarette burns. I should’ve warned her, but it didn’t even cross my mind.
“I’m a shark,” Javi says, pulling my attention back to him to see his hands over his head like a dorsal fin as he moves closer to me, chomping his teeth. I’ll never take the trust he has in me for granted.
“I’m a bigger shark,” I tease, mimicking him, causing him to shriek in delight.
“You guys should play mermaids instead,” Kaitlynsuggests, and Javi is fascinated with the new game. It reminds me so much of my summers as a kid, playing the same games with my siblings and Kaitlyn.
We swim until he’s tired of playing mermaids, then walk further along the shoreline, hunting for shark teeth. Kaitlyn tells Javi how it’s better to look after a storm, but I don’t think he cares.
I sit in the sand, content to watch him hunt as the breeze coming off the water eases the heat and the sun climbs higher in the sky. Kaitlyn joins me after a few minutes, and I stay silent because I’m afraid of saying the wrong thing.
I think I’ve gotten too good at being quiet.
“He’s a funny kid,” she says, taking initiative.
“Javi’s great.”
I can feel her watching me, and I drag my hands through my short hair, glad I cut it before coming home. “How long were you living on the streets?” Kaitlyn asks, cutting right to the chase, and I shake my head.
“I wasn’t,” I lie straight through my teeth, and I feel horrible about it, but I don’t need anyone feeling bad for me.
“Don’t lie to me, B. We’ve never lied to each other before.” It doesn’t sound like she’s mad, but like she’s trying not to send me running in the opposite direction. “Javi told me he tried to steal from you, and it’s how you met.”
“Goddammit,” I swear under my breath. I thought I told him not to tell anyone anything, but I can’t blame him for telling Kaitlyn. I’m afraid of what I’ll tell her if she asks.
“I’ll make you a deal,” she starts to say, and my interest is piqued.
“Yeah?” I ask, turning to face her.
“I’ll answer any question you havehonestlyif you do the same with mine,” she says, pulling her braid over her shoulder, and I’ve never tried so hard to keep my eyes on someone’s face before. Kaitlyn huffs a short laugh, and I look back atJavi, making sure he hasn’t wandered back into the water unattended. “Don’t even try to pretend you don’t have questions of your own. A lot has changed since you left,” Kait continues, and I hate how well she still knows me.
I should say no. I’m better off not knowing anything, but I do have questions. “Am I allowed to pass on any questions?” I ask, choosing my words carefully.
“I’ll give you one pass, and I’ll be nice by letting you go first to prove I’m not lying.”
My curiosity gets the better of me. I know what Marley said earlier, but I need to know. “Why does JJ have a sponsor?”
“Shit, you couldn’t start with something easier? JJ would tell you if you asked, but a deal’s a deal.” Kaitlyn gathers a fistful of sand before letting it fall through her fingers. “His sophomore year at Beaumont, he tore his ACL and meniscus. I guess, with all the stress he was under, JJ got hooked on pain meds. No one realized. Last January, he and his best friend were hit by a guy who ran a red light, and JJ was the only survivor. He told everyone about his addiction in the hospital and went to rehab to get the help he needed. He’s been clean for seven months, though.”
“He’s an addict?” I drag a hand over my face, trying to process the information.
I saw plenty of addiction on the streets in New York. It’s hard to think of JJ going through the same thing, and I had no idea.Hell, people offered me drugs when I’d . . .I shove the thought to the back of my mind, locking it behind the door it needs to stay behind.Those days are over.
“Yeah,” Kaitlyn says, and it makes more sense now why his girlfriend and our dad were monitoring JJ earlier. “How long were you on the streets?” she asks, and I tap my fingers on my knee, trying to do something with my nervous energy.
This was a stupid deal to make.
