She knew why she hadn’t said anything about Tim’s cheating for so long. It was embarrassing. But was that why she’d kept silent about the scars?
* * *
“Tony, dude, you saw how bad they were, didn’t you?” Wes, Tony and Joseph were sitting out under the crooked tree back behind the schoolhouse. They’d agreed to meet there after practice, after seeing the scars on Lucy’s arm. The younger boys hadn’t been close enough to see them.
Tony nodded. “They were bad. Like angry welts.”
“Like yours,” Joseph said, looking sad.
Wes knew Joe had a tender heart. It was one of the reasons he was going to make a good veterinarian. Wes wasn’t as tenderhearted. He got plenty mad when he thought about his life, but he stuffed it deep inside of him and for the most part enjoyed his life here on the ranch. He felt lucky to be here. Looking at Tony, he knew his life could have been rougher. At least his parents had just left him on the steps of the welfare office. They hadn’t tortured him like Tony’s parents had.
They hadn’t tossed gas on him and struck a match.
“Yeah, like mine. I wonder what happened to her?”
“I don’t know, but she’s hiding them,” Wes said.
Tony looked down, rubbed his hand on his thigh. “It’s easier that way,” he said, real quiet. “People look at you funny. Y’all know it. Y’all’ve seen the look on people’s faces the first time they see my back. It ain’t worth it. I totally get why Lucy covers hers up.”
Wes did, too. It was true what Tony said about people getting all shocked and horrified at the sight of his back. His back looked like roadkill. He didn’t hardly ever go without his shirt.
They were all quiet for a few minutes. It was hard to say anything after something like that.
“I’m just glad you didn’t die from it.” Joseph was the one to speak.
“Yeah.” Tony took a deep breath. “Truth is, till I came here to Sunrise Ranch, I kinda wished it had...you know. Killed me.” He swallowed hard and chucked the rock he’d been holding as far as it would go.
Wes figured he had it good compared to Tony, but then he still didn’t get why a kid had to go through all the junk the world had to offer sometimes.
Tony smiled and changed the subject. “Did—” He started to say something, then stopped. “Did you see the way Rowdy looked at her?”
“You mean with the goo-goo eyes?” Wes grinned.
“I saw it,” Joseph said. “It’s pretty clear he’s into her. I mean, I could tell that when we were working at her place.”
“Yeah, I know,” Tony said. “But did you see how he didn’t care about the burns?”
Wes shot Joseph a glance. They stopped grinning.
“Not everybody’s going to freak over your burns, either, Tony,” Wes said, hoping he was saying the right thing.
“Yeah, maybe.” Tony shrugged, looking as though he didn’t believe it.
Wes’s fist knotted up and he had to knock the anger back in its dark hole. “You hold your head up, dude. It’ll happen.”