Leo(23)

I freeze. Oh no. I turn slowly towards Tina and cringe. "I did, Tina. It was just an accident. I cleaned it for her and it came out completely."

"Honey," she continues, smiling her big smile, "Do I look upset? That one looks particularly vapid. I'm just sorry you didn't score both feet." She squeezes my shoulder and rushes off.

God, Tina is so great.

Once dinner is served, including coffee, we servers are free to leave. There is another clean-up crew and they are in full swing in the kitchen now.

I'm washing my hands at the industrial kitchen sink when Landon walks back in. I notice he has a small frown on his face as he walks over to me and so I say, "What?"

"Dreamboat slipped this to me and asked that I give it to you. He said to tell you that they're his new favorite. And it must be said, Evie, he's hot, but he's strange." Then he hands me a mint and I recognize them from the complimentary bathroom baskets.

I furrow my brow, looking at the plain white wrapper of the mint lying in my hand. Then I turn it over and I can't help it as my frown turns into a smile. On the other side of the small package, it says in bold print, World's Greatest Mints.

I chuck it in the trash and go back to work.





CHAPTER 11



Evie is 12, Leo is 13



I am lying on the roof outside my room, staring up at the clear, summer sky. I love looking up at the stars because they make me believe that some things in this world are permanent.

I moved into this foster home a year ago, and I like it here well enough. My new foster parents have three of us living here, but I have my own room because there is a set of sisters and they share one. My space is small, an old transformed laundry room, but it has a window that lets out onto a very gently sloping portion of the roof and I love to come out here and lay under the sky.

My foster parents are clearly fostering for the checks they get for our care, but they're not mean people, just mostly disinterested in us, which is fine by me. Ideal, even.

A small stone hits the roof next to me and I smile. It's Leo's sign that he's coming up.

I hear him climb the trellis and then he's crawling across the roof to me and he plunks himself down next to me, reclining like I am. He's wearing baggy athletic shorts and I take in his knobby boy knees.

I look over at him and he's frowning.

"What's wrong, Leo?" I ask.

His face gets angry and he says, "What did I do to make him hate me so much Evie, other than BREATHE?"

I roll towards him, bending my arm and resting my head in my hand. "Leo, - " I start.

But he interrupts me, saying, "He sent my brother to live in that hell hole just to hurt me. It wasn't even about Seth, it was about ME. He hurt an innocent little boy because he hates me so much he can't see straight."

My eyes fill with tears because I know he's right. I've learned over the two years that I've known Leo that his dad is evil personified. Leo's big mistake was that his mom cheated on his dad and got pregnant with him. And because of Leo's grievous sin, being CREATED, his dad made it his mission in life to make Leo suffer.

Leo's second mistake was that he loved his younger brother, Seth, diagnosed with a severe form of autism and developmentally delayed. Because Leo's dad knew that Leo loved Seth, he used him to hurt Leo. He threw beer cans at Seth's head, he let him wallow in his own waste all day while Leo was at school, unable to take care of him, and he was all around cruel to Seth as a way to make a point to Leo. The sickest part of it was that Seth was his own flesh and blood, but all he saw him as was a pawn to use against the personification of his rage and humiliation.

"They put Seth in a state run home." And I hear the tears in his voice so I move closer and meld my body to his, and take his hand in mine. "That place will kill him."

The reason Leo is in foster care is because his dad beat the crap out of him after Leo tried to smother him in his sleep when he threatened to send Seth away. He had admitted to me that he knew he wouldn't have gone through with it, but he was so filled with fear and rage about him sending Seth away that he wanted to divert his dad's wrath back onto himself. I've told Leo a thousand times how brave he is, but he doesn't believe me.

He sighs. "I don't even care what happens to me, I just don't want Seth to pay the price for it and now he is because my mom signed the papers to have Seth put away, even though I know it was that douchebag's idea so he could move home. And I'm sure sticking it to me was a happy side benefit."

I don't say it, but the truth of the matter is, with Leo gone, caring for Seth is probably too much work for them. Leo had done everything for that little boy, from changing his diapers to playing with him, bathing him and getting him to bed every night, before he was sent to foster care.