CHAPTER 1 Zach knew what he wanted One more ace Just one more and he would have a full house I need two he said looking up at Logan who was dealing the cards Leaning over the back of the bus seat Logan handed him two cards Zach grabbed them from his best friend his round dark eyes never leaving his own set He strategically placed the two new cards in his hand The back of the bus was bumpy and nearly everyone had dropped his cards at least once Everyone except Zach He was not about to reveal his hand before it was winning time Logan Mitch and Adam drew their cards Whatcha got Logan asked to no one in particular Mitch and Adam glanced at Zach You first Zach said still staring at his own cards But don’t put em on the seat again They’ll slide off Adam flipped his long black hair out of his eyes He showed his cards first holding them firmly in both hands Beats mine Mitch said his thin Hmong eyes showing his disappointment Crappy pair of fours Mitch flipped his cards revealing the weak hand Zach looked up at Logan who had slumped down a bit his cards hidden behind the tall seat Slowly the cards rose above the top of the slick vinyl Logan flipped them over slowly Three tens Zach slumped back in defeat Crap he said staring at the towering green pine trees whizzing by Logan grinned They had played six games of poker on the bus ride and Zach had won every one of them As Logan reached down to grab his winnings of candy bars and
Jolly Ranchers that had nestled up against the crease of the bus seat Zach grabbed his hand Hold on just a second he said You had three tens right Logan nodded but said nothing I must have forgotten the rules for a second because a full house beats three of a kind doesn’t it Zach flipped over his cards to reveal three eights and two aces Suckers I’ll take these thank you very much Zach grabbed the candy and threw it on the pile he had already accumulated in his backpack I believe that makes seven consecutive wins doesn’t it Zach hopped off his seat giving high-fives to two giggling girls across the aisle He didn’t stand as tall as Logan but he wasn’t short either He had a long narrow mouth which allowed him his famous Zach smile His light freckles surrounding his rounded nose gave him a look of innocence and youth The girls loved Zach’s freckles Logan rolled his eyes a slight grin on his face All right I’m done said Logan But you haven’t even seen my victory dance yet Zach said trying to stay balanced as he swayed his hips back and forth in the bus aisle Logan laughed Zach Sutton sit down Mrs Lomeier yelled from the front of the bus Whatever you say Mrs Lomeier Zach called back When she turned her back to him he laughed softly While dancing in the aisle the jerkiness of the bus tossed him into other groups of kids knocking his Twins baseball cap off of his head He bent over picked up his hat and smoothed out the
wrinkles He felt naked without it especially since he had lost the bet a week earlier Zach was a great baseball player Even as an eighth grader the Varsity coaches had scouted him on a few occasions He was a shortstop and a pitcher A rocket for an arm After practice Zach Logan and three other players had been tossing the ball back and forth Out of nowhere Zach called out I bet all you fools I can throw twenty strikes in a row Logan and the other players looked at each other What are the stakes Logan asked I’ll tell you what Zach said You guys don’t even have to worry about it If I don’t throw twenty in a row I’ll buzz my head If I do throw twenty in a row we go to McDonald’s after school tomorrow and you guys buy It’s a win-win for you Deal Deal Logan said I can’t wait to see that bald head of yours Logan got behind the plate crouched down into a catcher’s position and yelled All right Throw em in here baldy Zach stood on the pitcher’s mound staring into Logan’s glove He breathed in deeply calming his nerves Another deep breath And another He blocked out all distractions The other players yelling at him the traffic on the busy street adjacent to the baseball diamond the cool spring breeze chilling his bare arms Nothing mattered but the leather target in front of him He began his windup Strike one Strike two Zach threw nineteen strikes in a row It came down to the last pitch Another deep breath The windup The ball zipped through the air Zach watched as Logan’s glove moved slightly to his right It missed the plate by about an inch He
made no argument A bet was a bet Zach went to the barber the next day His hat now securely on his head Zach sat suddenly somber staring out the window of the school bus Minnesota’s north woods flickered by The repetition of the emerald trees mesmerized him Shaded by the forest Lake Superior loomed in the distance the water stretching to the horizon Logan turned around to face Zach again towering over the top of the seat He had a long thin face with small narrow eyes Zach teased him often about his disproportionate facial features He kept his tight curly blond hair trimmed neatly His sideburns were perfectly groomed into small rectangles Zach had labeled his haircut a halfro We just passed Two Harbors didn’t we Logan asked Did you talk to your dad Are you gonna try to see him while we’re up here Zach had battled his mood swings since Chris disappeared but Logan had always seemed to be there to try to pull him out We aren’t going to be in Two Harbors How would I see him Zach said not taking his eyes off the landscape speeding by Logan left him alone Zach had created a force field between himself and everyone else on the bus His eyes stayed fixated on the repetition of the forest He didn’t speak for nearly an hour not even to Logan Zach had been to this area of Minnesota before His family had taken a vacation to Duluth a year and a half ago The north woods and the ocean-sized lake were all too familiar Zach’s brother Chris at eleven years old had been two years
