Free My So-Called Family by Courtney Sheinmel

the air seemed so much fresher.
    A couple minutes later we rounded the corner of Riverdale Avenue. Once the ice-cream parlor was in sight, Charlie started walking so fast that he was pulling me. We walked in and I spotted Avery and Callie sitting at the back. “Hey, look,” I said to Charlie. “Avery’s here.”
    â€œWhere?” he asked. I bent down to him and pointed to the back table. “I like Avery,” Charlie announced. “Every time I see her I get to eat dessert!”
    I wanted to say hello to Avery and Callie, but Charlie couldn’t wait to get his ice cream. I gave him money to order for both of us and went over to the table in the back. Charlie likes to order by himself, but I didn’t let him out of my sight. His head was barely higher than the counter. I watched the guy behind the counter hand Charlie his change, and then Charlie headed over to us. He walked extra slowly because he was carrying ice cream for both him and me—a scoop of chocolate in a cone with rainbow sprinkles for himself, and a plain scoop of chocolate in a cup for me. I don’t really like cones. They’re okay in the beginning, but I like to eat my ice cream slowly, so that it gets kind of soupy, and the cone gets too soggy and messy that way. I stood up to help Charlie, and Avery got up and sat in the booth next to Callie so that Charlie could sit next to me.
    â€œOooh, it’s a music box,” he said.
    â€œA jukebox,” I corrected him.
    â€œHere,” Avery said, fishing a quarter out of her pocket. “Why don’t you pick a song?”
    â€œCool,” Charlie said. “Hey, Leah, what’s that song Daddy always sings that Mommy doesn’t like?”
    â€œâ€˜You Give Love a Bad Name,’” I told him.
    â€œYeah, that’s it,” he said. “I love that song.”
    â€œBon Jovi,” Avery said. “That’s very old school. Awesome choice. How come your mom doesn’t like it?”
    â€œShe doesn’t like that Charlie points his fingers like a gun whenever he sings about being shot through the heart,” I told her.
    â€œHelp me find it, Leah,” Charlie said.
    â€œWhat do you say?” I asked, the way Mom sometimes does.
    â€œPlease,” Charlie said automatically. I reached over him and turned the dials on the jukebox.
    â€œThey might not have it,” I warned him. Charlie clasped his hands together like he was praying. I heard him mutter “please, please” to himself. “You’re in luck,” I said after a few seconds. “Here it is.” Charlie dropped the quarter in, and I showed him what button to press.
    â€œHow come it’s not coming on?” Charlie asked.
    â€œYou have to wait,” Avery explained. “All the little jukeboxes are hooked up to the same system, so you pay for a song, and then when it’s your turn, it will come out of the big jukebox in the front and everyone will hear it.”
    â€œHow long will it take?” he asked.
    Avery shrugged. “It depends on how many people bought songs before you did.”
    â€œWhat if we have to leave before it comes on?” Charlie asked.
    Charlie has a habit of sometimes asking too many questions. I hoped Avery and Callie didn’t think he was being too annoying. I was still the new kid in school. They could still decide not to be my friends, so I wanted Charlie to act as adorable as possible. “Finish your ice cream,” I told Charlie. “It will come on soon.” I stirred the ice cream in my cup to make it more soupy and hoped Charlie would be quiet for at least a few minutes.
    â€œHey, did you guys hear from Brenna last night?” Callie asked.
    â€œWho’s Brenna?” Charlie asked. His mouth was full of ice cream so it came out kind of muffled, but I knew what he was saying.
    â€œShe’s another friend of ours,” I said. “She’s on a trip with her