James’s mother was going to kill him. He was supposed to be home at three, and it was already six. He glared at Scott, who had gotten them lost in the first place. Of course, Scott had no worries. His father left when he was five, and his mother was always drunk. He did as he pleased.

“C’mon … we need to find our way home!” James pleaded, looking nervously at the sun as it began to set.

“Relax, you pansy. We’re having fun!” Scott picked up a long stick and bashed it across a tree. Apparently, that was fun for him, but James didn’t understand.

“Look, my mom is going to freak. I need to get home!” James said, stepping in front of his friend, and blocking his path.

Scott rolled his eyes and dropped the stick. “Bro, you need to forget about her sometimes. Having fun comes with consequences,” he said, walking around James.

James turned around quickly. “You don’t have to worry about consequences because your mom doesn’t care about you!”

Scott suddenly stopped walking, and James instantly regretted what he had said. Silence passed for the next few seconds.

“Dude, there’s a bird,” Scott said finally.

James tilted his head and squinted, as if it would help him understand. “What?” he asked.

“There’s a bird,” Scott repeated, kneeling.

James gaped. “I thought you stopped walking to beat the crud outta me for saying that about your mother,” he admitted.

“Nah, man. I know she doesn’t care. Check out this bird. I think it’s hurt.”

James stepped around his friend to get a better look. The bird was indeed hurt. Its wing was bent awkwardly. It chirped angrily at them, feeling threatened.

“What do we do?” James asked.

“Let’s take it to your mom,” Scott said, his eyes not leaving the bird.

James looked at him in disbelief. “Why would we do that?”

Scott shrugged. “Don’tcha think it would take her mind off you being late?” he said calmly.

James thought for a moment. Would his mother really be distracted? “Okay, it’s worth a shot,” he said finally.

Scott picked up the bird, which was still squawking uncontrollably, then started walking in the opposite direction.

They walked in silence for a few moments before Scott spoke up.

“Hey, man, don’t worry about your mom. If she actually tries to kill you we can run away together,” he said, looking straight ahead.

James looked over at his friend. Scott wasn’t as much of a bad boy as he played.