She Was His First

4

Sarah took off when Amy told her to, but Charlie didn't run. She was looking at the little boy, who didn't seem mad now. He looked...different. Like there was something dreadful toiling behind his eyes that Sarah and Amy didn't care to see. Was it sadness? Was he sad that they were running away?

"Come on, Charlie," Amy said.

She tugged Charlie's hand. Charlie didn't want to disappoint her new friend, so she ran. The flew through the yard, around the house and over to the neighbor's yard. It's an empty house with a big back yard where there are wood piles out back. Isaac had warned Charlie about wood piles. There were lots of poisonous snakes in Owensburg, and they could be hiding in wood piles or unused farm equipment in his old run-down barn. But Sarah went behind the wood pile and Amy did too, so that's where Charlie went.

"Why are we running from him?" she asked.

"Shh!" Amy said, holding her finger up to her mouth. She peeked through a crack in the pile and scanned the area nearby.

"But why don't we just play with him?" Charlie pressed on.

Sarah, frowned. Amy turned to Charlie.

"Jack's bad," she said. Her eyes got so big that white showed all around her green irises.  Her face was serious. "Real bad."

Charlie didn't understand. When she did something bad, she got in trouble, but people didn't run away and hide from her. What did he do that was so bad? She thought of all the bad things she could think of. Breaking toys. Pouring out things. Talking in class. She just couldn't imagine what he'd done.

Amy gasped.

"What's wrong?" Sarah whispered.

"He's coming," she whispered back.

As she ran in a crouch toward the left side of the wood pile, she waved them to follow. Sarah and Charlie held hands as they ran. Amy peeked out, then waved again. This time, she ran out from behind the wood pile. She was heading back the way they'd come, when Jack popped up behind them. Amy stopped dead in her tracks.

"Why are you running away?"

"We're not," Amy said for some reason.

Charlie didn't know why Amy was lying, but she kept her mouth shut. People didn't like it when you told on them, Charlie knew. Maybe it was some kind of game to Amy. Was Jack really bad, or was Amy playing? She seemed earnest when she said it. Now, Charlie wasn't so sure.

"We're playing tag," Amy said. "Sarah's it."

Amy took off running. Charlie took off running, too. She was good at playing tag. Sarah's feet pounded behind Charlie. Charlie's heart jackhammered in her chest, knowing Sarah was inches from her. Sarah tagged her.

"Not it," Sarah called. "Charlie's it."

Sarah ran the other way. Charlie turned around after her and saw Jack playing, too. He didn't seem to be trying very hard. Charlie tagged him easy.

"Not it," she shouted. "He's it."

Amy was close, but she darted away. Jack went after her. This time he was trying. He reached his hand out and got Amy's shoulder. Amy fell forward with force, skinning her knee on a rock sticking out of the ground. Her face twisted in pain. Charlie and Sarah stopped running and laughing instantly. Jack didn't stop laughing. Amy started crying, holding her knee.

"Why are you even playing with us, Jack? Go away," she shouted. "Or I'll tell my mom."

Jack stared at Amy, like he was shocked. Didn't he care that he'd hurt her? He just looked at her weird and ran off.

A voice called out to Charlie from next door, ending her puzzlement about Jack.

"I gotta go," she said. "I'll be back later."