Sketches by Eric Walters Read Free Book Online Page A

safe?” Ashley asked.
    â€œIt’s safe for us,” Spencer said. “Nobody’s going to mess with us as long as Squat’s with us.”
    â€œBut he seems so gentle,” I said.
    â€œHe is gentle,” Anna said, “unless somebody bothers us.”
    â€œWatch,” Spencer said. “Squat!” he ordered. “Defend!”
    The dog bared his teeth and started to growl. I jumped away, as did Ashley and Brent.
    â€œDown, boy,” Spencer said, and instantly the dog was silent, and he started to wag his tail.
    â€œAny luck with the papers?” Anna asked.
    â€œIt’ll make us enough to eat,” Ashley answered.
    â€œSpeaking of which, we’d better get going if we’re going to get some food today,” Spencer said. “Maybe we’ll see you later. Come and crash with us tonight.”
    â€œMaybe we’ll do that,” Brent said. “Take it easy.”
    The three of them walked away.
    As soon as they were out of earshot, Brent turned to me. “You have to be more careful,” he said. He actually sounded kind of ticked off.
    â€œAnna and Spencer? But they seem nice.”
    â€œThey are nice, but you didn’t know them,” Brent said.
    â€œBut you knew them.”
    â€œYeah, but you were talking to them before you knew that. I know lots of people, but that doesn’t meanthey’re all nice. There’s some pretty dangerous people out here on the street.”
    â€œAnd some of the most dangerous people are the ones who don’t even look dangerous,” Ashley added. “That’s what makes them so dangerous. You’d know that if you’d been around more. You learn who’s safe and who’s not safe . . . and sometimes you have to learn it the hard way.”
    â€œLook, Dana, there are a lot of bad people out here,” Brent went on. “Most of the people on the street are no different from you and me and Ashley . . . they’re just trying to do what they have to do to survive, trying not to hurt anybody else. But other people don’t care what they have to do to survive. If they need to hurt you, they’ll do it.”
    â€œSome of them actually seem to enjoy it,” Ashley said. “Some people like causing other people pain, you know.”
    That made me remember the pervert who had got me in trouble with the police. He’d looked like a nice enough guy.
    â€œMaybe we should get a dog like Squat,” I suggested. “It’s not worth it. Besides, they don’t really have the dog for protection.”
    â€œThey don’t?”
    Brent shook his head. “They have the dog so they can take care of it. It’s more like their baby than their pet.”
    â€œHe’s right,” Ashley agreed. “And I guess it’s better to have a dog out here than a kid.”
    â€œNobody would have a kid,” I said.
    â€œYou think because you live on the street that you can’t get pregnant and have a baby?” Brent asked.
    â€œNo, I just can’t imagine anybody living out here with a baby. There’s no way you could raise a kid out here.”
    â€œI’ve seen it,” Ashley said. “Although they don’t keep the kid for long. The police and the child welfare people come and take the baby away. It goes into foster care.”
    â€œThat would at least be better than living out here,” I said.
    â€œObviously you’ve never been in a foster home,” Ashley muttered.
    I looked at Ashley. Had she . . . ?
    â€œI’ve been in a few,” she said, in answer to my unasked question. “And a couple were the kinds of places they should have been taking kids away from. Although a couple were pretty good . . . better than living with my mother.”
    Ashley didn’t talk a whole lot about her family or her past. I wondered if maybe she was going to open up about it now.
    â€œLet’s not talk about it any