“If you barf on me, I’ll kill you,” said Barlow, casually enough to be believed.

Pike lay on his back in the dirt of a vacant lot with the older, and much larger, Barlow pressing a knee into his sternum. He felt very much like throwing up under the 16-year-old boy’s weight.

Barlow was dumping the content of Pike’s school backpack onto the ground with increasing frustration as nothing of value spilled out. Continue reading →