Page 2 of Wilde Abandon

Melody rolled her eyes.“Go away.”She waved them away and went back to coloring.

The boys left.

Melody looked at him.“If you want to go play with them, it’s okay.”She tried to hide a frown and her disappointment that maybe he’d rather be with them.

He liked being with her.“I want to color with you.”

Her bright smile made his tummy light and a warm feeling come over him.She made him feel this way a lot.If he could, he’d spend all his time with her.

Third Grade—December—Drop-Off

Melody Wilde had a secret.It made her tummy hurt.That pain made her mouth taste sour as she scanned the front of the school and didn’t see her best friend.Yes, Fox was a boy.But he was nice, and she liked him a lot.It made her feel good when she shared her lunch with him because he didn’t have one.

He didn’t want anyone to know that.

But that wasn’tthesecret.

Though she suspected her mom knew about the lunch thing, because she’d packed Melody two of everything every day since she caught Melody sneaking extra stuff from the pantry a long time ago.Like first grade when Fox was in her class, too.And second grade.And now third.

But today he wasn’t waiting by the tree where they always met.

She twisted to look out the back of her dad’s truck, but she still couldn’t find him.

The truck stopped and her dad turned to her.“What’s wrong, Mel?”

“He’s not here.I can’t find Fox.I have to find him.He has to be all right.”

Three days ago, he hadn’t been all right.He had been hurt.Bad.She didn’t know exactly what happened, but she thought he might have a broken arm.She tried to get him to go to the office to see the nurse, but he didn’t want to go.He got mad.He begged her not to tell.

It wasn’t the first time she’d kept a secret for him.It felt like he was always hurt and asking her not to tell.She didn’t like it that he was hurt.It made him not smile.It made him sad.

And when Fox was sad, so was she.

But three days ago he was really mad, too.He said he hoped his dad would just die and his mom would go away.

It seemed really bad to say something like that about his mom and dad even if the few times she’d seen them they did seem mean.They yelled at Fox a lot.And she was pretty sure the bruises Fox tried to hide and the hurts he didn’t want to talk about…those came from them.

“Daddy…” Her bottom lip trembled and her eyes filled with tears.

“What is it, sweetheart?Are you sick?Do you want to go home?”He put his hand on her forehead, feeling if she was hot.

She took his hand and squeezed.“I think something bad happened.”Her stomach churned more and her chest hurt.

“What, honey?What happened?”

She stared at her lap.“I’m not supposed to tell.I promised to keep the secret.”

“If you think something bad happened, then you need to tell.It’s okay to break a promise if you think someone is hurt or something bad could happen.”

She looked up at her dad and the tears slid down her cheeks.“He’s my friend.I promised.But I’m scared.”

Her dad undid his seat belt and hers and pulled her into his chest, hugging her close.She felt safe and whispered, “He’s not here.I think they hurt him again.”

“Fox?”

She looked up at him.“Yes.You have to go see.You have to find him.His arm hurt real bad.I think it’s broken but he wouldn’t go see the nurse.I tried to make him go, but he made me promise not to say anything.What if it’s worse?”

Her dad put his finger under her chin and made her look right at him.“Is he hurt a lot?”