Page 82 of The Sweetheart
“Yeah. He was an asshole.”
“What did you do when you left?” Jeremiah asked with interest.
“Lots of bad shit.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know if I should tell you that. You’re a kid.”
“Whatever,” Jeremiah said, sounding a little annoyed, hunching in on himself. Laughter and chatter from the crowd strolling the boardwalk behind them filled the silence.
“I stole a lot,” Kai admitted, not wanting Jeremiah to shut down on him.
“My sister would beat my ass. If she could catch me.”
“Good. I did a lot of stuff for money that I shouldn’t have done.”
“Like sex stuff?” Jeremiah turned to look curiously at him.
Kai paused. “Yeah. Sometimes. Have you ever done that before?”
“No, not me. My sister... wait. If I tell you something, do you promise not to tell?” Jeremiah’s face was cautious. Kai’s heartbeat automatically ramped up several notches.
“I can’t promise that, Jeremiah,” Kai answered carefully.
Jeremiah turned away from him to stare straight ahead. He chewed his bottom lip thoughtfully while Kai waited for him to speak again.
“My sister’s really sick. We all got COVID at the same time, but my parents were too sick by the time that we got to the hospital. I got better, but my sister never did. She can’t breatheproperly and she’s always tired and she can’t work no more. And… and something bad is happening to her and I don’t know what to do.” Jeremiah’s whole body went tense, his jaw trembling as tears filled his eyes.
“Tell me what’s going on and we’ll figure it out,” Kai said, not daring to move in case he accidentally freaked Jeremiah out.
“There’s people who might get in trouble if I say anything.”
“Good people or bad people?” Kai asked.
“Good people.”
Kai turned his whole body to face Jeremiah, but the boy just stared worriedly into the distance with tears spilling down his cheeks.
“I told you I did a lot of bad shit and that was true, but it was always me and my best friend, Liam. He’s like my brother and we always had each other’s backs, no matter what. If something is happening to your sister and good people are letting it happen, then they’re not good.”
“No, you don’t understand. It’s happening to them too. The place where we moved to after my sister broke up with her boyfriend, the landlord is really scary. A couple months ago, he raised our rent by a lot and we couldn’t afford it anymore and we can’t find anywhere else to go.” He dropped his chin to his chest and whispered the next part, shame colouring every word. “He told her she could do stuff to make up the rent.”
Kai’s heart hammered in his chest with every word, rage colouring his vision and turning his body hot. Jeremiah clenched his hands where they rested on the dock. “She didn’t want me to know, but I heard him say it. The two other girls that live there have to do it too. They came from away to go to school. My sister said that if we say anything, Children’s Aid will make me go to foster care because she can’t afford to take care of me, and the other girls will probably have to go back home, and I don’t know what to do.” His words broke on a sob. He coveredhis face with his arms, his small body shaking with grief. Kai pulled him close, wrapping his arms around him and holding him tight. Kai said nothing, not trusting the hatred burning in his blood.
When Jeremiah finally quieted, Kai pulled him to his feet.
“Come on. We’re going to fix this right the fuck now.”
“What do you mean?” Jeremiah asked, an edge of panic in his voice.
“Your sister is wrong. Children’s Aid isn’t going to take you away. What’s happening to her is not her fault, and I know people who would never let the other girls get sent back for what’s happening to them. We can’t let this keep happening. You want to save them, don’t you?” Kai demanded.
Jeremiah nodded quickly, although there was trepidation in his eyes. Kai took him back to the cafe and by the time they got there, the red haze in Kai’s vision had cleared just enough for him to get his head on right. When he picked up the phone, it was Matteo’s number that he dialled.
32
Matteo showed up half an hour later with his sister, Maria, the social worker, in tow. Jeremiah was hanging out on the breakroom couch with Bryce and Kai, playing video games on Bryce’s phone. He automatically tensed when Abigail showed them in. Kai got to his feet awkwardly. He owed Matteo an apology and an explanation for ghosting him, but now was not the time.
