Completed: 4/12/2008
Word Count: 3,747

"So, Benny, who's this Kevin guy you keep saying you want me to meet? What's he like?"

"I told you, he's a friend. I've known him for a while now. He's a good guy, you'll like him." Benny replied to his friend's question. "We'll go meet him later today. He should be home around two o'clock."

"Okay." Scott let the matter drop. If Benny said Kevin was a good guy then that was good enough for him. He was curious about the guy though. Benny spoke pretty highly of him. Although Benny had gone to see Kevin twice since they'd met, Scott had yet to meet him. The first time Benny had gone to see his friend; Scott had had a bad headache and had stayed home. The second time, Benny and Scott had had a fight and Benny hadn't even asked Scott to come with him.

"So," Scott asked as he stretched out on the coach, "what are we going to do until then?"

"Well," Benny paused for a moment as he looked at his watch which read 11:45, "the pool hall opens in about fifteen minutes. We can shoot some pool for a while, see if we can make a couple bucks."

Scott sat up quickly. "Yeah, that's a great idea." His stomach grumbled as he stood. "Ahhh, let's eat first. My stomach is growling."

Benny laughed. "Man, I'm surprised you're so skinny. You're always hungry!"

Scott laughed with his friend. "Yeah, I know. I can't help it. It's a Summers thing. My Mom used to sa...." Scott's voice trailed off and sadness filled his eyes. For a minute, he was lost in a memory. He was sitting at a picnic bench with his Dad, brother, grandfather, and another man he couldn't remember no matter how hard he tried. They were laughing and eating. His mother came to the table with a bowl of macaroni salad (his favorite), smiling, and said, "The draw back to being in the Summers' family is that the men eat you out of house and home." He hadn't really understood what that meant, but he'd laughed hard anyway. He shook his head and looked back up at Benny.

"Ummm, sorry. I was just remembering something. Let's eat." He smiled at his friend again, but it was a much smaller smile this time.

"No problem. What are we going to have today? We don't have much left. We drank the last two milk boxes with breakfast this morning. There's only two pieces of bread left and only about a spoonful or two of peanut butter. There's no jelly either."

"How about the cheese crackers or the apples?" Scott asked as he walked towards the kitchen.

Benny followed him. "I forgot about those. I haven't eaten any for a while, so I guess we should still have some. Let's just pull out everything we've got and then decide what to eat."

The two boys entered the kitchen and went about getting out what food they had left. A few minutes later there was two apples, one open pack of pretzel sticks, the almost empty jar of peanut butter, two cans of coke, four bottles of water, three packs of cheese crackers, and two slices of bread laid out on the counter. Benny was pulling the bread out of the bag as Scott set a half empty box of chocolate, cinnamon and powered donuts on the counter.

"Hmmm, not much left." Scott said as he stared at the count.

"Nope."

They were both quiet for a few minutes as they looked at the meager amount of food they had left. They both knew they'd either have to buy more food while they were out that day or just eat dinner out that night. Neither wanted to stay any longer then they had too. They planned to leave early tomorrow morning to catch a train to New York.

Scott broke the silence first. "Why don't we just eat the apples and split a peanut butter sandwich for lunch and save the rest for dinner tonight, except the donuts, which we can have for breakfast before we catch the train. I really don't want to go food shopping again."

"Sounds good to me."

That settled, the boys set about getting lunch ready. They ate quickly then put the rest of their stuff back in the cabinet. Once they'd cleaned up, they headed out for the pool hall.

"Come on. That's your best shot," Scott laughed as his opponents shot went wide. "My grandmother could shoot better than that." The ball bounced off the side and knocked one of Scott's into the hole. "You keep shooting like that and I won't have to play at all."

Benny grimaced as the older boy's face started to turn red. He tugged on Scott's shirt and whispered, "Cool it, Scott. That kid can kick you're ass in about two seconds if he wants to. Besides, you know what Denis said, if you keep it up, he's gonna kick us out. I know we're leaving tomorrow, but we did plan to come back tonight after seeing Kevin, remember?"

Scott glared at Benny a moment then relented. He knew his friend was right. He looked at the other boy. "Sorry, dude," he mumbled. Scott took his next shot and sunk it. A few minutes later, the game was over and Scott collected his winnings. He was about to set up for another game when Benny tapped his shoulder.

"We gotta get going, Scott. It takes about twenty minutes to get to Kevin's house from here and it's a little past one thirty now."

Scott nodded, "Okay." He extended his hand to his opponent. "Good game."

The older boy grasped Scott's hand. Instead of releasing Scott's hand after they shook, he tightened his grip. "You better learn to keep your smart ass mouth shut boy. Not everybody here has my patience and Dennis can't do shit once we leave this place. Got me?"

Scott gulped and nodded 'yes'.

The boys were walking towards the exit when the other boy called out to them. "Hey, kid. Good game. I'll get you next time." His smile was genuine and non-threatening. "But you really do need to watch your mouth until you have the body to back it up."

Scott remained silent. He merely smiled and waved goodbye as he and Benny left.

Scott stood on the porch and watched the passing cars as Benny knocked on the door. He didn't turn when he heard the door open and Benny greeted his other friend.

"Hey, Ben, how's it going?" Scott heard the slap of flesh on flesh as the two friends clasped hands. "It's been a while."

"Yeah, it has. But I'm not the one who went away for almost two months." Ben released Kevin's hand and tapped Scott on the shoulder. "Come on, Scott."

Scott turned at the sound of his name and was surprised when he saw Kevin. While Benny had told him a little about Kevin, he hadn't mentioned that Kevin was crippled. He was some what ashamed of himself as he remembered what his parents had taught him about staring at people, but he couldn't help it. He glared at Benny when the shorter boy punched him in the side and hissed, "Stop staring."

Kevin didn't seem to mind though and simply smiled. He extended his hand. "Nice to meet you, Scott."

Scott quickly over came his shock and shook Kevin's hand. "Sorry. Nice to meet you too."

"No problem. Come on in, guys," Kevin said as he wheeled himself back and motioned the boys inside.

They both complied, Scott entering behind Benny. Kevin moved into the kitchen with the younger boys close behind. The first thing Scott noticed was that the counters were lower than usual. The table also seemed slightly lower than normal. He noticed a stick with a handle beside the refrigerator, which he doubted was a broom.

"You guys want a snack?" Kevin asked.

He got his answer in stereo. "Yes."

Kevin laughed and made his way to the refrigerator. Scott and Benny sat at the table and watched as Kevin gathered items for their snack. He pulled a tray off of the counter then opened the refrigerator door. Carefully balancing the tray on his lap, he pulled a half-gallon container of milk and placed it on the tray. Then he reached beside the refrigerator again and grabbed the stick. He wheeled himself over a few feet to a closet and opened the door. Using the claw, he grabbed a bag of cookies and placed them on the tray, along with an open pack of napkins. He shut the door and then moved to the cabinets over top of the sink where he carefully pulled out three small glasses. Then he wheeled himself over to the table.

Scott offered to pour the milk while Kevin divided up the cookies.

"That claw thing is pretty cool," Scott said as they started to eat. "Ever break anything with it?"

Kevin chuckled. "Yeah, I'm on my second glass set now. Each 'finger' has a small pad on the end to keep it from scratching anything, but it took some practice getting used to it. I broke three glasses the first day alone. Two by dropping them and one just from squeezing to hard," he paused and took a bite of a cookie. "It took some time to learn how hard to squeeze to pick up certain things and how hard was too hard. I've gotten pretty good at it though, so I haven't dropped or broken anything in a while. It also helps that I bought a thicker glass set this time. I've got one of those things in just about every room."

Scott really wanted to know what happened to put Kevin in a wheel chair, but he didn't want to seem rude. If Kevin wanted him to know, he'd tell Scott when he was ready. They talked about pool and poker tricks while eating. When they were done with their snack, the boys helped Kevin clean up. Then they all moved to the living room. The boys made themselves comfortable on the couch and Kevin adjusted his wheel chair to sit across from them.

"So, Scott," Kevin began, "Ben's told me quite a bit about you. I'm sure you're wondering why he didn't tell you why I'm in a wheelchair."

Scott nodded 'yes'.

"Because he thought it would have a better impact on you. Especially after I tell you why I'm in it. I haven't always been crippled, Scott. I've only been in this chair for about a year. I was almost sixteen when this happened. From what Ben tells me, you're just as much of a cocky smart ass as I was."

Kevin paused. Scott remained quiet as he let what Kevin said sink in. He had a pretty good idea he knew what Kevin might say next.

"And that my friend, is what landed me in this chair. I was good at card games, still am, and the better I got the more I shot my mouth off about how good I was. One day, I talked too much shit to the wrong people. I was walking home from a poker game when two of the guys I'd beaten jumped me. They beat me within an inch of my life and took all the money I'd won that day. I wound up in the hospital with a concussion, four fractured ribs, and two damage vertebrae in my back. After I got out of the hospital, I spent three months in a rehabilitation center. Even though I do have some feeling in my legs and feet, it's not enough to support my weight. I'll never walk again. All because I couldn't keep my big mouth shut and just play the game."

Kevin paused again and stared intently at Scott, who didn't know what to say. He didn't want to end up like Kevin. He hadn't realized how much trouble a little smart mouthing could cause. He wanted to be angry with Benny for talking about him behind his back, but he couldn't. Benny was just looking out for him and trying to make sure he didn't get himself into a situation like Kevin had.

"I know it's exciting when you win, but you have to learn when to celebrate and when to keep quiet. Let me tell you, the trash talking just ain't worth it. It hurts, a lot. Not now, but while I was in the hospital and going though therapy, it hurt like a son of-a-bitch. Especially the physical therapy. It even hurt for a while afterwards. I won't say I'm not trying to scare you, because I am. Believe me, Scott, this is something you never want to have to deal with."

Scott nodded, but couldn't say anything yet. He had never stopped to consider the consequences when he'd been mouthing off. It was all just harmless fun. Or so he'd thought. Remembering back to looks on the faces of some of the people he'd played against and was a smart ass too, he realized just how lucky he was.

"Do you understand what I'm saying, Scott?"

Scott nodded, "Yeah, I do."

"Good, because I'd hate to see you end up in one of these," Kevin tapped the wheels of his chair. "I really would. You seem like a nice kid, smart too. Don't mouth off anymore."

"I won't," Scott promised.

Something Kevin said early made Scott curious. "If you weren't even sixteen when this happened, that means you're only about seventeen now. How come you got a house and live on your own. I thought you had to be at least eighteen?"

"Technically, I don't. The house is in my brother's name until I turn eighteen then it reverts to me. Legally, I live with him. He leaves some of his stuff in the spare bedroom and comes by a couple times a month to check on me. Keeps people from asking questions."

Scott hated to pry, but his curiosity got the better of him. "What about your parents? Don't they want you anymore?"

Kevin sighed. "They never wanted a third child. I was a very big surprise. My parents didn't think they could have any more kids at their ages. I have a sister who is twenty years older than I am, and a brother who is almost fifteen years older. They were already in their early thirties when they had my sister. I see Sarah and Joseph more often than I see my parents." Remarkably, there was no bitterness in his voice as Kevin spoke. He paused then added, "I think the only reason my parents ever come to visit is because Sarah and Joe guilt them into it." There was a hint of sadness in his voice then.

"Do they hate you now, like Spencer's dad hates him?"

"It's not so much that they hate me. I'm pretty sure they don't. My parents aren't like Spencer's dad. Like I said, they just never wanted a third child. They never paid much attention to me growing up." He held up his hand to stall Scott's next question. "They do love me Scott, they had just planned their lives differently. When I came along, it kinda screwed everything up. My parents are pretty well to do. They had planned to start traveling when Joe went to college."

Joe was actually more of a father to me than my dad was. He used to baby-sit me a lot. He taught me how to ride a bike and through a baseball and hook a worm for fishing. When he graduated high school and left for college, my parents hired a nanny to take care of me. They started traveling around the world, just like they'd always planned to do. Sure, they'd always bring me home lots of cool stuff, but I never got to go with them. Not even in the summer. And they rarely asked me about school, sports, girls, or anything I was in to. Joe always did."

"About five years ago, Joe got married. His wife, Lynn, is pretty cool and we get along pretty well. She agreed to move close to my parent's house so that Joe and I could still hang out together. They used to take me out to the movies and stuff. A little over two years ago, they had my nephew, so between work and caring for little Zachary, they couldn't spend as much time with me. I love my nephew dearly, but I got a little jealous of him. I needed something to fill the void. That's when I learned how to play cards. I picked it up pretty fast. Joe noticed how I was changing, but there wasn't much he could do. Just before Zach was born, they had turned the spare room into a nursery, which is where I used to sleep when I visited them, so they couldn't take me in.

"Anyway, when they found out what happened, my parents made sure I had the best care possible. After I got out of the hospital and rehab, they still couldn't deal with my condition. It was my choice to move out. They were rarely home anyway. I told them I didn't want to be a burden to the staff and that I could take care of myself, so they had this house altered to be handicapped friendly and gave it to me. I moved in about five months ago."

Scott didn't want to end up in a wheelchair. He didn't have rich parents like Kevin. No one would adopt a crippled kid who shot some kind of crazy beams from his eyes. Scott knew if anything like that ever happened to him, he'd end up in some kind of home and be alone for the rest of his life. *No way am I going to let that happen. From now on, I keep my mouth shut and just play the game.*

"Don't pity me, Scott. Just be careful, okay?"

"I will," he promised. He was quiet for a few more minutes as he thought about everything Kevin had told him. Then he said, "If you don't mind me asking, what about your sister? You haven't said much about her. Why couldn't you live with her?"

"It's okay, Scott, I don't mind. Sarah visited me as much as she could when I was growing up, but she was already in college by the time I was born. She got a great job in Arizona almost right after she graduated, which keeps her pretty busy. I fly out there every summer for two weeks to visit and she calls me once a week. Her husband is pretty cool too.

"When I had my accident, Sarah took time off from work and flew out to see me. She stayed with me almost the whole time I was in the hospital. They have two young kids, so her husband, Daniel, stayed home to take care of them while Sarah was here. When he heard I'd never walk again, he put in a wheelchair ramp and made some other adjustments to the house to make things easier for me when I visit."

Benny, who had remained silent until that point asked, "Are you going to visit her again this summer?"

"Yeah, she's already looked into what arrangements need to be made with the airport."

"How . . ." Scott asked Kevin more questions about his brother and sister, which Kevin gladly answered. Scott could tell that he really liked talking about them and especially about his niece and nephews.

"Oh, and Sarah is pregnant. She's going to have her baby next month. Another girl. They're going to name her Kaylee. Lynn just found out she's pregnant a week ago." Kevin glanced at his watch as he finished speaking. It was almost five o'clock. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm getting hungry again. Want some pizza?"

"Sure," both boys responded.

Kevin ordered two large, plain pizzas. Scott and Benny went to the kitchen with Kevin and helped him get sodas, plates, and paper towels for the three of them. They brought the items back into the living room and watched TV until the pizza arrived. Since he lived just a few blocks from the pizza place, it didn't take long for the food to arrive.

While they ate, Kevin asked Scott about his family. Scott didn't mind talking about his parents, but he really didn't want to talk much about Alex, especially about what happened with 'Lex after he'd run away, but Kevin had been really nice to him and had answered all his questions, so Scott did the same. He told Kevin all about his Dad being an Air Force pilot and letting him help fly the family's plane sometimes. He talked about how close he was to his dad and how his mom used to sing to him and his brother at night.

Benny, who had already knew about Scott's family, remained quiet, and was content just to listen. Kevin asked almost as many questions as Scott had asked him.

"How come your grandparents didn't take you guys in?" Kevin asked after Scott had told him about the accident that killed his parents.

"Miss Branson said they told her they couldn't take care of us and that we'd be better off with a new family." Scott felt tears begin to form in his eyes but quickly blinked them away. He changed the subject and told Kevin about his friend, Jack, who had taught him how to play pool, poker and the harmonica.

"Do you have the harmonica on you? Want to play something for us?" Kevin asked.

"Sure." Scott pulled the harmonica out of his pocket and played for a few minutes.

He was relieved when he stopped playing and Benny finally said it was time to go before Kevin could ask any more questions.

"It's getting late Scott, we should get going if were going to get a few more games in before the pool hall closes."

"Yeah," Scott looked at his own watch. It was six thirty. "You're right." He inwardly sighed in relief. He wouldn't have to talk about the incident with Alex.

Scott and Benny said their goodbyes to Kevin then left. They both remained quiet as they walked towards the pool hall.

TBC