The Boy Witch

Chapter 14

Miles was so glad Sam was making him a part of his life, inviting him to his home and to his important basketball games. He would never say it aloud, but he almost felt like he was part of Sam’s family, a normal family with two loving and stable parents. Every day, he wondered what it would be like to live with them.

He knew these thoughts were merely dreams. Miles knew where he belonged.

But Miles allowed himself to dream, whenever Sam invited him to his home, had lunch with him, invited him to more basketball games. Miles was not ashamed to be the one cheering the loudest in the stands.

Sam and Miles continued to meet regularly to train Miles with his powers, and Miles grew more and more comfortable using them. Whenever he trained with Sam, he felt so glad to have shared his secret with someone. It was no longer his burden to bear alone.

Sam rekindled his friendship with the basketball players, especially after Sam’s legendary game-winning shot, and Miles was glad to see that his other friendships did not affect theirs. He would be lying if he said he was not worried that Sam would drop him like a bad habit, realize Miles stuck out like a sore thumb among his friends, figure out where he belonged. Miles fought hard not to ask Sam for reassurance constantly.

Surprisingly, Devon and his friends mostly left Miles alone. It was like Sam’s friendship was shielding him from their bullying. The basketball players were almost nice, and it was a great change, one less source of stress in Miles’ life.

***

As he walked through the fresh late-fall snow one morning, Miles smiled to himself. His winter coat and boots were inadequate, old, raggedy and ill-fitting, and his mother was black-out drunk when he woke up, but things were going well, as well as they could.

In P.E. class, none of the basketball players made fun of him, his lack of athletic abilities or his tattered gym clothes. Devon even passed the ball to him when they played soccer. Miles immediately lost it to the opposite team, but it was nice of Devon to trust him with the ball for a moment.

In the locker room, Sam chatted with him as they changed. Miles was struck that no one was making comments on his less-than-masculine body. Nobody was even looking at him.

“Miles?” Sam tried to attract his attention, as Miles was looking around the room.

Miles turned to his friend. “Yes?”

“What are you thinking about?” Sam had noticed his distraction.

“I’m thinking that things are going well,” Miles replied. But after a moment of silence, he soured. “Too well…” He looked around the room again, but this time with suspicion. What was about to fall on him?

“Yeah, you seem pretty happy these days,” Sam said, as he slipped on his t-shirt.

“You noticed that?” Miles turned back to Sam. He was charmed that his friend had noticed. Sam was such a big part of his good mood.

“Well, yeah.” Sam smiled. He could only be glad that his friend was happy.

Commotion at the other end of the locker room attracted their attention. The basketball players were tormenting Ethan, making fun of his pasty white chest, playing keep away with his clothes. Ethan was not amused.

Miles and Sam looked on with compassion. “Why do they always have to pick on someone?” Miles asked, more rhetorically than anything.

“I don’t know. I think it comes with the territory,” Sam replied.

Still in his underwear, Sam walked up to the troublesome teens and grabbed the clothes they were holding back from Ethan, before passing them back to the bullied boy. “Come on, guys,” Sam lamented. “Do you have to do this?”