him like this. Since Luke was my adopted big brother, I became Tyler's adopted "big sis". I was worried for Tyler. The kid was the shyest person I had ever met. The only time he came out of his shell was if he was onstage. The kid could sing, act, and dance. Tyler said he could do it because he wasn't himself on the stage- he was the performer. Unfortunately, he was terrified of auditions and people he didn't know. This wasn't a problem in small school like ours; most of the cast of the school plays came from the drama teacher walking down the hallway and assigning parts to students.
If Tyler went to a bigger school, one where auditions actually mattered, he would retreat further into his shy little shell. He had made such progress this year. I worried what would happen to him if he was forced to go someplace new.
Luke shifted, and I raised my head to see a several people walk around the corner of the building. Andrew led, looking tired and worn, with Eli and Britney following close behind. Our little gang was all here. Eli and Britney's smiles fell off their faces as soon as they saw Luke. He wore a mask of awful disappointment.
Britney rushed forward and hugged Luke, whispering, “Aw, honey. It'll be alright.” Britney is the only person I have ever known that could get away with calling people 'honey' and making it genuine. She smiled at him, sitting on his other side as Eli walked over and handed him a beer from his backpack. Luke popped the top and took a gulp. His hands shook slightly, but from what emotion, I wasn't sure. He let the half-empty can rest on his knee as he took a deep breath in, letting it out slowly.
“The judge said my dad wasn't as good a parental option as my mom,” he said slowly, his voice full of heartache. “He said that my dad works too much, that there isn't a strong paternal presence. He said I don’t count. The fucker said I didn't factor into 'the child's opportune growing environment'. Bull shit! I practically raised that kid myself!”
Luke's voice began to raise, his voice cracking as he continued. “Who does Tyler go to when he needs help with his homework? Me. Who drives Tyler to school? Me. Who cooks and does his laundry? Me! Mom is too busy with her business and Dad 's too busy with his store to even notice the kid. Grams and Gramps pay attention to him, but they are busy with their retirement. That's why they fucking moved to California in the first place. But Mom has to go be near them and drag Tyler with her just because it will hurt Dad. Not a single person in that whole fucking courtroom gave a rat's ass what happened to Tyler!”
Luke screamed at no one in particular. He was breathing hard, his face turning red and highlighting the dried tear streaks running down his face. I put my hand on his shoulder, feeling the rage burn through him. He lifted the can up to his lips and downed the rest of the beer. I wanted to cry, to scream in mutual frustration. We all sat quietly, unsure of what to say. Luke was usually the most grounded and calm of all of us. I could count the number of time I had heard him curse on one hand until today. This wasn't a side of Luke that we were used to seeing. I could see Britney biting her lip as she watched him, her face contorted with shared pain. Eli stood off to the side, his arms crossed and his eyes intentionally not looking at Luke. Andrew sat on a pile of wood, staring at the ground, his hands clasped before him. It was Andrew that finally broke the silence.
“I am so sorry, man. You and Tyler don't deserve that,” he said slowly looking up at Luke.
Luke nodded curtly, and stood up. He crushed the can under his foot and walked towards the store building frowning at the weeds.
“I just don't know what to do,” he whispered. His shoulders slumped in defeat. The anger seemed to have burned through him, leaving him hollow. He turned around, his face nothing but despair. “How do I fix this?”
Everyone was quiet. I wished I had an answer for him. I hated seeing my big strong protector so beat down. Britney stood up and