Free Immortal Coil: A Novel (Immortal Trilogy Book 1) by James McNally Page B

didn’t answer.
    “There were more moments of abuse throughout that year, but mostly just the typical hitting; sometimes a punch or two. Ralph had noticed that when the dogs were around and he hit me, the dogs would growl and even snap at him.
    “At school I started avoiding Darlene when I realized Rachael would visit me more often if Darlene wasn’t around. Tim still liked Rachael and encouraged her company whenever he could. Suddenly, the group went from Darlene and her posse to just Tim, me and Rachael. That was just fine with me. And it was fine with Tim, too.
    “During the summer break, the three of us would head down to the Jersey shore and swim in the ocean. We hung out on the boardwalk, and ate funnel cakes and cotton candy. I started asking Ralph for permission to spend time with my friends and, oddly, it was granted.
    “I was eating curly fries with vinegar, a boardwalk staple, and Rachael was sharing them with me. Tim was ripping off chunks of his funnel cake and threatening to wipe his sticky fingers on us when it dawned on me that I was actually acting like a normal teenager. I wasn’t afraid for my life, or in pain of any kind. I wanted to stay there forever, and never return home. I suddenly looked very sad, and when Tim left to throw his trash away, Rachael asked why.
    “Could I tell her? I wanted to, but I didn’t think I could. Not now, and not there. ‘I’m just wishing this day could last forever,’ I said and she smiled.
    “‘We’ll have more days like this,’ she assured me.
    “Tim returned and announced he was heading to ‘the dunny, the can, the loo’.
    “‘To do number two?’ I asked, purposely rhyming with him. He flipped me off.
    “When we were alone again, Rachael asked: ‘Will you tell me what’s really bothering you? Most times you’re this sweet and happy-go-lucky guy, and you look so handsome when you’re smiling. But then I see you when you think no one is looking and you’re so sad. I can’t help but think you’re hiding something bad, and it scares me.’
    “When I looked at her, there were tears brimming in her eyes.
    “I went to speak and instead made this strange stuttering sigh, and then my eyes were filled with tears. ‘I don’t have a good home life,’ I admitted in a whisper. It was the hardest sentence I ever had to utter. I didn’t want her to know this, but I had to say something. ‘Besides my dogs, you and Tim are the best things in my life right now, and I never want to…’
    “Before I knew what was happening, Rachel leaned in and kissed me. When she pulled away there was a line of spit connecting our lips. When it broke, so did the spell.
    “Tim returned and sat down between us. Had he seen? I didn’t think so; he didn’t act as though he had. He did, however, feel as though we were sitting too close and that was why he pushed us apart and put one arm around each of us. ‘Who’s up for some games?’ he asked. We went off in search of fun and laughter in the hot Jersey sun.
    “After that I made it a point to bottle up my unhappiness when I was with them.
    “We three were together for most of that summer, and although Rachael tried to get more information out of me about just how bad my home life was, I was tight-lipped on the subject. The three of us spent a lot of time in Tim’s back yard. He had some cool games like ladder ball and yard darts.
    “When the summer was over and we went back to school something seemed to change between Tim and me. He was not as outgoing as I normally knew him to be. We still hung out together, but Tim suddenly seemed more depressed than me. This worried me, and it also kind of angered me. What did he have to be so depressed about? He had the life I wanted. I thought it was odd that Rachael noticed my depression but Tim didn’t, and I noticed Tim’s depression but Rachael didn’t. We were a bizarre triangle.
    “It was a subtle transition, but our trio was now more of a duo as Tim slowly stopped