Haze Read Free Page B

pockets, staring into space.
    â€œCoach!”
    He blinked like someone waking up. “Bram.” He stepped back. “I’ll catch the next one.”
    I tripped over the gap on my way out. “Have you seen Jeremy? How is he?”
    â€œThey won’t let me in. His parents are inside now.” He shook his head. “Terrible thing. But—what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at the school?”
    â€œIt’s lunch,” I said. But he was right. For something like this, signing out wasn’t enough. I should have gotten permission from the headmaster.
    Coach studied me for a moment. “It’s all right. I’ll cover for you,” he said. He led me down the hall to where there were some armchairs and a vending machine. “You’re a good kid, coming here like this.”
    I didn’t want to hear what a good kid I was. I wanted to hear about Jeremy. “Did they tell you anything?”
    Coach sighed and stared at the floor between his feet. “He hit his head pretty bad. There are some other injuries too. He won’t be swimming again this year.”
    â€œWhat does that mean, pretty bad?” I asked. Coach had taught a unit on first aid in gym class. Head injuries could kill.
    He shook his head. “I’m repeating what the nurse said. And I tell you, I was lucky to get that much out of her.” He made a fist and punched it into his open hand. “If I ever get my hands on the bastard who did this…”
    â€œWhat are you doing here?” It was a girl’s voice. One I knew. One I hadn’t heard in a long time.
    I looked up to see Abby, Jeremy’s younger sister. My ex.

chapter six
    Abby looked good. That was the first thing that crossed my mind. At least I had the sense not to say it.
    She wore a green plaid kilt and a sweater with the Wallingford Collegiate crest. She had cut her hair too, into something chin-length with lots of edges. It suited her. She still had lots of earrings. Three silver hoops in each ear, and a little cuff-thing at the top of her left one.
    â€œSorry about your brother,” I managed.
    She nodded and walked over to the vending machine. She seemed to be having trouble getting the coins into the slot. Her hands shook. “Damn it!” Her quarters clattered across the tile floor. One rolled all the way to my shoe.
    â€œHere.” I gathered up the coins and fed them into the machine, one by one. Her head hardly came up to my shoulder when she was standing beside me. Her perfume smelled like oranges. “What did you want?”
    â€œCoke.” She ducked her head as I handed it to her. “Thanks.”
    Coach looked from Abby to me and back again. “You two know each other?”
    â€œThis is Jeremy’s sister, Abby,” I said. “Abby, this is—”
    â€œI know.” Her voice was cold. I thought that was a bit weird, considering Coach had come here to see how her brother was doing. He obviously cared. It made me feel good about being on his team. She opened the Coke and drank half the can without looking at us.
    â€œI’ll…just be going, then,” Coach said. He put a hand on my shoulder. “You take it easy, all right? I’ll see you back at the pool. And…if anyone hassles you, tell them I gave you permission to visit Jeremy.”
    I nodded, and then he was gone.
    Abby glared after him. “He’s got nerve, coming here.”
    â€œWhat are you talking about?” Her brother was hurt, but she didn’t need to take it out on Coach.
    She dropped into one of the armchairs. I heard the crackling sound of her soda can being squeezed. I lifted it out of her hands.
    â€œI’m here with the Society for the Protection of Coke Cans,” I said. “Ma’am, were you aware that this is considered abusive behavior?”
    â€œThis is insane.” She made a noise somewhere between a laugh and a sob, and buried her head in