FOUR
Summer 1997
“Come on, Christopher, just let her come. She’s not hurtin’ anyone.”
Jared stood facing away from her at the end of the sidewalk. Aly hung back by the front doorstep, wondering why Christopher hated her so much. She was always nice and she never told when he did something bad. It wasn’t her fault that she was only five.
Christopher dragged a fat stick along the pavement where he walked in the middle of the street in front of their house. It clattered along the pebbles. “Fine,” he said with an annoyed sigh. “But if she acts like a baby, I’m gonna make her go home.”
Jared looked back at her with a smile. “Come on, Aly,” he said before he turned away.
Ahead of her, Jared darted up behind Christopher and flicked him in the back of the head. Jared laughed and took off running. Christopher chased him. “You’re gonna pay for that one, Jared.”
“Only if you can catch me.”
Aly didn’t worry too much. Christopher wasn’t really mad. They always acted like this.
She trailed them, pushing her little legs as fast as they could go to keep up. Christopher and Jared ducked through the hole in the wooden fence that blocked the neighborhood from the empty land behind it.
“Wait for me,” Aly called, feeling a little stab of fear that she would find herself alone.
Jared peeked back through the hole. “Don’t worry, Aly Cat, I won’t leave you behind.”