Read Online A Death On The Wolf by G. M. Frazier - Free Book Online Page B

felt my composure returning. I hated getting mad like this and was glad it rarely happened. I brushed myself off and walked over and picked up the head to Sachet’s doll. When I got up on the porch, my sister was sitting in Mary Alice’s lap. She was no longer crying, but her face was wet with tears. She had her eyes closed, and Mary Alice was gently stroking her hair and whispering something in her ear. The decapitated doll was lying in the swing next to her. I set the head beside it. I knelt down in front of them and said, “I’m sorry, Sachet. I’ll buy you another doll.”
    Sachet opened her eyes and when she saw me she jumped out of Mary Alice’s lap and threw her arms around my neck. She started crying again, and she was hugging me so tightly it nearly choked me. “Did he hurt you?” she said over my shoulder.
    “ I’m fine, Sash,” I said. I stood up and picked her up with me. She was still hugging me tightly, and my arms were around her. “Sh-h. Don’t cry, now. Frankie’s gone and I’m fine.”
    She pushed herself back so she could look me in the face. “He didn’t hurt you?” she said.
    I smiled. “No, he didn’t hurt me. Go inside and wash your face, okay? I need to talk to Mary Alice.” I expected her to protest, but she didn’t. My sister just nodded her head and I set her down on her bare feet and she scurried off into the house. I went over and moved the doll and its head and plopped down on the swing beside Mary Alice. “I wish I could go to the moon,” I said and looked over at her. There was a tear leaving the corner of her eye. It hit me just how frightened she must have been, having listened to the fight erupt out of nowhere and not being able to see what was happening. “Mary Alice, I’m sorry.” I reached over and took her hand.
    She reached up and wiped away the tear with her other hand. “Are you all right?” she said.
    “ Yes, I’m fine. Were you worried about me? Is that why you’re crying?”
    She nodded. “Yes…and I felt so helpless. I thought you said he was your best friend? Why did he act like that? Why did he attack you?”
    “ Frankie is…was…my best friend. I don’t know what’s happened to him. He’s gone crazy.”
    “ Who was the other boy?” Mary Alice asked.
    “ His little brother. Frankie is jealous of him. I guess that’s why he flipped out.”
    “ Why is he jealous of him?”
    “ I don’t know,” I said.
    “ I heard what he said, Nelson.”
    “ You mean about me being queer for Mark?”
    “ Yes.”
    I pushed off with my foot to start us swinging. “Frankie has never said anything like that to me before. I don’t know why he thinks that. It’s not true. He’s been acting weird all summer every time Mark’s been around us. He’s jealous of you, too.”
    “ Me?”
    “ Didn’t you hear what else he said?” I asked. “About me having a girlfriend?”
    “ Yes, I heard that. Is that part true?”
    I put my foot down to stop us from swinging. I raised Mary Alice’s hand to my lips and kissed it softly. “If you want it to be,” I said.
    I had gotten used to conversing with Mary Alice without her looking at me, so I was surprised when she turned to face me. “I want it to be true,” she said. She let go of my hand and with both of hers she reached out and touched my face. She moved her fingers all over my face, exploring, seeing. “I knew you were handsome,” she said as her fingers came to rest on my lips.
    I was fully aroused and about to explode. I managed to push the thought of release to the back of my mind, then leaned forward and inexpertly touched my lips to hers. It was my first kiss—clumsy, probing, and inept. Mary Alice’s lips tasted like cinnamon and I literally felt light headed as I allowed the tip of my tongue to briefly brush them. She had a dreamy smile on her face as our lips parted and I leaned up and looked at her.
    The sound of Aunt Charity clearing her throat snapped me back to reality. I quickly