Page 3 of Rough Start

“So not only are you late, but you assault me? Friend of the year award, right here!” Kye called sarcastically as he stood to his feet and brushed the snow off of him.

“You’ll be eating those words when you see what I’ve brought you,” Eliana replied as she fell in step with him, and they began walking toward the far end of the playground where a frozen pond was nearly concealed by the ivy branches of a towering willow tree.

“Presents?” Kye asked with a boyish lilt. Eliana giggled and ducked under the tree where the silvery, icy tendrils blocked out the rest of the world. They’d spent a week that summer building a rope ladder that led upward to a platform nailed between two dense branches. Eliana climbed first and was rummaging in her backpack by the time Kye reached the top.

“Here,” she said, handing over a white paper sack with red letters.

“Mmm God, you’re a Saint,” he said, digging into the food sack and sinking his teeth into a still piping hot burger.

“Please don’t call me that,” Eliana said quietly. Kye looked over at her, replaying his sentence, and grimaced.

“Sorry, Eli, I forgot,” he apologized. Eliana flashed him a forgiving smile and pulled out two cups of hot chocolate. Passing one over, she scowled as Kye took it.

“Where are your gloves?” she practically shrieked. Kye shrugged, his mouth still full of food, and he made to pull his hand away when Eliana grabbed it and held his hand firmly between both of hers. “They’re like ice cubes.” He was all too familiar with her tone of voice. She was scolding him. Her raised eyebrows hinted at her demand for an explanation.

“Liam needed a pair, so I gave him mine. It’s no big deal. I’m hot-blooded,” he excused. Eliana’s look turned to compassion, and she scooted over to sit next to him, their backs pressed against the trunk of the tree and their legs extended in front of them.

“You’re a good brother,” she said, still holding his left hand between hers. She’d subconsciously began rubbing them together for warmth. “You should have said something to the Duncans.”

“I heard them talking last night,” Kye said, swallowing his mouthful. “Liam is getting transferred to a foster center in Oregon. There’s a couple there who want to adopt him…”

“Oh, Kye…”

“He’ll like it better there. It’s warmer. Plus, he’ll have a home soon…” Kye began picking at his thumbnail. It was a nervous habit he had. Eliana placed both of her hands over his to stop him.

“You’ll make yourself bleed,” she cautioned with an almost motherly tone.

“I’m so tired of saying goodbye,” he admitted. “I get it, I’m almost eighteen. I have a better chance of winning a gold medal in women’s gymnastics than getting adopted, but just once can’t anyone… I don’t know… not leave?”

“Liam will miss you; you’ve been a great big brother.”

“But I’m not his brother!” Kye snapped, and Eliana clamped her mouth shut. They sat for several long moments in silence, his hand still grasped between her mitten clad hands. “Sorry…” he muttered.

“Don’t be,” Eliana said, gripping his hand tighter. “Maybe he’ll come visit.”

“Yeah, maybe,” Kye agreed with a small smile, although they both knew the untruth of it. Kye had watched several younger siblings come and go during his time in foster care. Already on his sixth home in three years, he’d nearly mastered the art of saying goodbye. “I start my job at Hal’s Garage tomorrow.”

“That’s great!” Eliana proclaimed, internally grateful for the subject change. “Beats working at Speedy’s Eats,” she teased as she took hold of the fast-food bag and began munching on the leftover French fries.

“It had its perks, I’m sure,” Kye said, digging into the bag.

“Only thing I liked about that job was quitting at the end of the summer,” she argued.

“It was fun coming to visit you, though.”

“You liked the free food.”

“Most definitely,” he agreed, and they both laughed.

“Well you try washing the smell of grease out of your hair,” she challenged. Dragging her long ponytail over her shoulder, she ran her hands over the straight tresses.

“I imagine that would take you a while with all that hair,” Kye teased, and she nudged his shoulder with her own. He couldn’t help his smile as he watched her playing with her hair. Had it not been for the nearly waist-length strands, they may have never met.

At the beginning of the summer, they’d both been in the same SAT prep course before they’d taken their college placements. Feeling years behind due to moving up and down the East Coast, hopping from foster home to foster home, Kye’s new guardians, Carey and Stan Duncan, had enrolled him. Kye had already been seated when the tall brunette entered the room and sat at the desk in front of him. The moment he saw her he sat a little straighter.

An hour into their first practice test she’d flipped her hair over her shoulder and had practically covered half his paper. Chuckling to himself, he prodded her shoulder with his pencil, and she’d laughed sheepishly and muttered a soft apology. Eliana bound her hair into a high ponytail, liberating his exam and nearly his senses. The scent of citrus from her shampoo and the nine freckles on the back of her neck were far more distracting.

“What are you thinking about?” Eliana asked as she noticed his vacant stare.