Free Kelly Hill by Laura Gibson

just didn’t want to hear.
    And Ethan thought that he could handle it. He could handle this, couldn’t he? He could go back home and see Rachel and know that she was still his sister.
    But, now, being here, surrounded by the oppressive heat, feeling the sweat slowly pool in the folds of his bangs and trickle down the side of his face, he knew he couldn’t do it.
    He had to say something.
    Somebody had to say something.
    There was a disturbance on the ground next to him and Ethan looked over to see Kelly’s familiar shoes standing there.
    Ethan tilted his head up and shielded his eyes from the sun with one hand, inhaling the stench of Kelly’s cigarette smoke.
    Kelly didn’t smoke often, but now, it seemed like he always had one lit, always sucking away at the poison that was no doubt infecting his body.
    “You okay, man?” Kelly asked, his voice gravelly and low, just the way he talked when something else was on his mind. Just the way someone would talk when they were hiding a secret.
    “ I’ve been better.” Ethan had to be honest with his friend, even if he knew it was Kelly who wasn’t being honest with him. Not completely. He would only tell Ethan and Logan enough of what he thought they needed to know, and even then, Ethan guessed, there was some heavy editing in there.
    Kelly put his hands on his lower back and stretched, hearing an audible crack he stopped and took a seat next to Ethan, his eyes hiding behind his dark sunglasses.
    “I don’t think Rachel knew what he was gonna say.” Kelly pulled the cigarette away from his mouth and looked out into the backyard, refusing to have eye contact with Ethan.
    Everyone knew what this trip was about. It wasn’t about Ethan figuring stuff out, sure that was the opening line, but deep down, it all pointed back to Rachel. Rachel and the secret she was hiding.
    Ethan shrugged, feeling uncomfortable about Kelly’s insights into his family’s dynamic.
    This was his own battle, as far as he was concerned, his fight with his dad didn’t go along with what was going on in Rachel’s head.
    “You didn’t tell him you got it?” Kelly looked at Ethan now, his cigarette gone, the leftover smoke lingering in the stale summer air. A small whisper of a breeze grabbed onto Ethan’s bangs and ruffled them against his wet forehead, refreshing him and annoying him all at the same time.
    Ethan shifted, growing more uncomfortable than before, “What would be the point?”
    Kelly shrugged and looked back off into the distance. Ethan knew they both had very little to say to each other. Kelly had told him what happened to Rachel and Ethan slugged him in the stomach. After that, they hadn’t been on the best of speaking terms. It was Logan that kept them together. It was Logan that kept everything moving forward, everyone moving forward for whatever reason.
    Ethan did manage to apologize, of course, and Kelly had forgiven him, but after that, things weren’t the same. But isn’t that how these things go? Nothing ever stays the same.
    The only thing Ethan knew for sure anymore was that Kelly and Rachel shared a deeper bond than he did with his own sister and there was nothing he could do about it. Couldn’t even talk about it.
    Maybe someday he would approach Rachel, ask her what happened. Maybe he would even confront his dad, but what difference would that make?
    Ethan was on the outside looking in and he was completely alone.
    “ It’s just not right, is all,” Ethan finally mustered out. “What they did to her. It’s not okay.”
    Kelly sniffed a little and scratched the side of his face, “It is what it is, brother. Not much we can do now.”
    Ethan let that sink in, feeling the words more than hearing them. Kelly was right; there wasn’t much they could do. Not really. Not unless Rachel was ready to talk about it. Not unless Rachel wanted to talk about it.
    “ How much did they give you? To be quiet?” Ethan was looking at Kelly now, knowing that he would tell