turkey. He was totally absorbed in his food, unaware that he was making appreciative noises each time he chewed a
mouthful. It made Ben thoughtful to watch this young man with the sparkling eyes, not talking, or joining in the teasing at the table, but focusing intently on the food and just listening to the chaos around them with a small smile on his face.
Zachary Isaiah Weston, seventeen, school records at thirteen showed him as a grade A student, his records cutting dead in the November just before his fourteenth birthday. His mom was a homemaker; his dad was ex-army. Nothing out of the ordinary, nothing in their records showed any kind of evil that would drive a father to beat his son for his sexual preferences. He had a sister, younger, 70
The Christmas Throwaway
RJ Scott
in school still.
"To blue bananas." His mom's voice broke into his daydream, and he realized he had almost wandered his way through the entire dinner with his thoughts and worries. He raised his glass of non-alcoholic beer in toast, watching Zach lift his glass also. Maybe Zach needed to know what the toast was for, seeing as how he was looking totally clueless.
"Dad," Ben started, looking at his mom, wondering if even after four years it was still too difficult for her to hear. She nodded and lifted her glass gently to indicate he should carry on. "He passed on nearly four years ago, and he made this dessert once, and to this day we don't know how he managed it, but he turned the bananas blue, hence the toast."
"I'm sorry for your loss," Zach said immediately, his eyes going straight to Donna. "It must be hard."
"I'm not saying it isn't," she began, "but like Ben said, it has been four years..."
Zach didn't push for more, just lowered his eyes and concentrated again on the food on his plate, happy when the chattering around him started up again. He glanced up 71
The Christmas Throwaway
RJ Scott
under his long hair and met Ben's eyes, blushing furiously.
Ben was excused from cleaning up as he was still in his uniform, and Zach was refused entry into the kitchen on the grounds that he was clumsy and pathetic, still not that far from being unconscious on a bench and all. Zach didn't even argue that he had been asleep, not unconscious, and drifted back into the front room where Ben stood holding Jamie's eldest in his arms. Ella, he remembered she was called. He helped her reach the star on top of the tree, whispering to her and making her giggle as he tickled her under the arms whenever she tried to reach up. Jamie's son was lying on the floor playing with a handheld game of some sort, a PSP, Zach thought, hopelessly out of the loop with the home schooling and friends-blocking. He kneeled down next to him, feeling like he should be saying something.
"Hey, Daniel."
"Hi," Daniel replied, his tongue poking out between the gaps in his teeth as he concentrated hard on the screen.
"What's that?" Zach asked, not really aware of game-etiquette but nonetheless deciding his curiosity needed to be satisfied.
"Ben 10: Alien Force." Daniel didn't need to put the duh on the end. Zach could hear it in his head and, 72
The Christmas Throwaway
RJ Scott
disappointed at himself and his chosen social interaction, he slumped back against the sofa and decided to wait out the time until everyone else came back into the sitting room. He was surprised when Daniel stopped his game and relocated to sit next to him, his Christmas shirt all crinkly and smelling of detergent, his hair spiked, and his face an open book. Handing Zach the game, he frowned as Zach held it gingerly in his hands.
"Haven't you ever played on a PSP before?" he asked Zach, his voice lisping with the missing teeth, shaking his head when Zach said a simple no. "S'upside down," Daniel pointed out, watching as Zach turned it around in his hands, and then proceeding to point out the different controls. Controls seemingly too small for Zach's large, uncoordinated hand. Instructions such as
mouthful. It made Ben thoughtful to watch this young man with the sparkling eyes, not talking, or joining in the teasing at the table, but focusing intently on the food and just listening to the chaos around them with a small smile on his face.
Zachary Isaiah Weston, seventeen, school records at thirteen showed him as a grade A student, his records cutting dead in the November just before his fourteenth birthday. His mom was a homemaker; his dad was ex-army. Nothing out of the ordinary, nothing in their records showed any kind of evil that would drive a father to beat his son for his sexual preferences. He had a sister, younger, 70
The Christmas Throwaway
RJ Scott
in school still.
"To blue bananas." His mom's voice broke into his daydream, and he realized he had almost wandered his way through the entire dinner with his thoughts and worries. He raised his glass of non-alcoholic beer in toast, watching Zach lift his glass also. Maybe Zach needed to know what the toast was for, seeing as how he was looking totally clueless.
"Dad," Ben started, looking at his mom, wondering if even after four years it was still too difficult for her to hear. She nodded and lifted her glass gently to indicate he should carry on. "He passed on nearly four years ago, and he made this dessert once, and to this day we don't know how he managed it, but he turned the bananas blue, hence the toast."
"I'm sorry for your loss," Zach said immediately, his eyes going straight to Donna. "It must be hard."
"I'm not saying it isn't," she began, "but like Ben said, it has been four years..."
Zach didn't push for more, just lowered his eyes and concentrated again on the food on his plate, happy when the chattering around him started up again. He glanced up 71
The Christmas Throwaway
RJ Scott
under his long hair and met Ben's eyes, blushing furiously.
Ben was excused from cleaning up as he was still in his uniform, and Zach was refused entry into the kitchen on the grounds that he was clumsy and pathetic, still not that far from being unconscious on a bench and all. Zach didn't even argue that he had been asleep, not unconscious, and drifted back into the front room where Ben stood holding Jamie's eldest in his arms. Ella, he remembered she was called. He helped her reach the star on top of the tree, whispering to her and making her giggle as he tickled her under the arms whenever she tried to reach up. Jamie's son was lying on the floor playing with a handheld game of some sort, a PSP, Zach thought, hopelessly out of the loop with the home schooling and friends-blocking. He kneeled down next to him, feeling like he should be saying something.
"Hey, Daniel."
"Hi," Daniel replied, his tongue poking out between the gaps in his teeth as he concentrated hard on the screen.
"What's that?" Zach asked, not really aware of game-etiquette but nonetheless deciding his curiosity needed to be satisfied.
"Ben 10: Alien Force." Daniel didn't need to put the duh on the end. Zach could hear it in his head and, 72
The Christmas Throwaway
RJ Scott
disappointed at himself and his chosen social interaction, he slumped back against the sofa and decided to wait out the time until everyone else came back into the sitting room. He was surprised when Daniel stopped his game and relocated to sit next to him, his Christmas shirt all crinkly and smelling of detergent, his hair spiked, and his face an open book. Handing Zach the game, he frowned as Zach held it gingerly in his hands.
"Haven't you ever played on a PSP before?" he asked Zach, his voice lisping with the missing teeth, shaking his head when Zach said a simple no. "S'upside down," Daniel pointed out, watching as Zach turned it around in his hands, and then proceeding to point out the different controls. Controls seemingly too small for Zach's large, uncoordinated hand. Instructions such as
Similar Books
