The Wild Kid Read Online Free PDF

learn from TV.”
    â€œIt’s a lie.”
    â€œMy mother never lies.”
    â€œShe lies. You’re too stupid to know it. You lie, too.”
    â€œI don’t, K-Man. I told you all the truth about me.”
    â€œYeah? Tell me, are we friends?”
    â€œI will be your friend,” Sammy said. “Do you want to be my friend?”
    â€œYou’re an idiot.” Kevin bit into another fry.
    â€œYou sure eat a lot,” Sammy said. “Can I have some now?”
    â€œDo I look like a store?
    â€œCan we go to the store?”
    â€œYeah, sure. You see a store around here? Where’s your money?”
    â€œYou took my money.”
    â€œThat was room rent.” Kevin had the wild kid smile on his face, like he was waiting for Sammy to do something, and then he’d do something mean.
    â€œYou could give me some french fries, maybe five?” Sammy showed Kevin five fingers. “When I go home, my mother will pay you.”
    â€œHey!” Kevin jumped up on his mattress. “Will she pay a reward for you? How much are you worth? What will she pay?”
    â€œI don’t know.” Kevin was stupid sometimes. A person wasn’t something you bought in a store.
    Kevin brushed his hands off. “How much can I get from your mother? Are you rich? Are you somebody famous? Are you known?”
    Sammy was confused. They weren’t rich. It took a long time to get all the money for his bike. Remembering the bike made him feel really bad.
    â€œHow much money has your mother got?”
    â€œI don’t know. Fifty dollars.” He wasn’t good with numbers. “Is that a lot? Maybe not so much. She works hard.” That’s what his mother always said: “I work so hard.”
    â€œI’m going to sell you to the highest bidder.”
    â€œYou can’t sell me. You don’t sell human beings.”
    â€œWho’s going to stop me?” Kevin threw a fry at him.
    Sammy caught it and ate it slowly. “Your mother would like that you’re sharing,” he said.
    â€œMy mother doesn’t care if I’m alive or dead. Open your mouth.” He flipped another fry toward him.
    He played that game for a while, until he got tired of it and tossed Sammy the rest of the bag.
    *  *  *
    All that day, Sammy waited for the wild kid to take him home. He couldn’t imagine that he wouldn’t take him home soon.

12

    â€œCome on,” Kevin said. It was late in the afternoon. He had his knapsack over one shoulder and a stick that he’d peeled and sharpened, like a fork with two sharp prongs. “My snake stick. I see a snake, I zap it to the ground.”
    â€œAre you going to take me home now?” Sammy asked. “I won’t tell. It’s a secret.” He put a finger to his lips. “Sealed!”
    â€œThat, again? Don’t you ever get tired of saying the same thing? Listen to me! Here’s what your mother’s going to say. ‘Where were you, what’d you do, who were you with?’ What’re you going to say?”
    Sammy pointed to his sealed lips.
    â€œShe’s going to say, ‘What’s his name? The one who helped you?’ What do you say then?”
    â€œI’ll tell her Kevin made me promise not to tell.”
    â€œPerfect,” Kevin snorted. “Okay, let’s go. Remember, I don’t leave trails. If you’re going to leave a trail, leave an animal trail.”
    â€œA skinny trail.” Sammy understood.
    Kevin showed Sammy how to step over things, how to put one foot directly in front of the other. “Step and listen,” he said. “And walk in my tracks.”
    He led the way up over the rocks. It was a hard climb. It was like climbing a mountain. The top was a wet, grassy place with a lot of dead trees. They were like tall people watching Sammy, the way his teacher watched him.
    They went into the woods. “Don’t take a